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“Well draining moist gullies, lined with beech or oak trees.”
Sanji mumbled out loud to himself as he studied the simple map in hand before peering around at his surroundings. He was deep within the bounds of a dank forest, heavy with fat maples and looming evergreen pines. The leaves on the trees were all beginning to change color, half the trees still green while the rest were sporting warm yellows, bright oranges and burnt reds. The forest floor wore a thick layer of these colorful leaves, like they’d only just begun falling in the past week or so as the season grew colder and the island slipped into its proper winter season.
He let out a quick huff of laughter as he flipped the makeshift map over to study his notes again.
“Well, at least the whole place is damp enough to grow them. I just need to find a gully full of oaks and beech.”
He flipped the page over once more to inspect the map Nami had helped him draw out, double checking that he was indeed heading towards the area she had marked most likely to contain the hidden gullies he was searching for. He was a thousand percent confident in her work because not only had Nami scoured the local maps for him to help make it, but Robin had also been enthusiastic enough to do her own research on the island’s topography to help him on his treasure hunt. He’d pay both his perfect ladies back eternally for their kindness in supporting his wild goose chase into the swooping mountainsides.
He was looking for one of the rarest and most valuable mushrooms in the entire world. The Marigold Truffle, also known as ‘Edible Sunshine’ or ‘EternaShine Shrooms’, or other variants depending on which sea you happened to be in. It had been tedious making his way so deeply into the supposedly notorious Deadwood, with the forest full as it was with mudholes, rocky terrain and countless dead trees strewn about as obstacles, but he knew his less than pleasant hike would be more than richly compensated if he could find his magnificent Marigolds.
Sanj’d been in the busy market, accompanied by only his two lovely Strawhat ladies for once. The island hadn’t had much of a fashion district -it was mostly communities of farmers who came together to trade their fruit and veg in the smallish portside town. They had a busy enough port shipping out their produce to other islands, but seemed more focused on their gardening and farms than being fashionistas. The whole crew kept running across each other since the actual town was so small, though locals told them on the opposite end of the island they’d be sure to find several properly sized towns if there were any particular supplies they needed. All three Strawhats wound up meandering the market together, allowing the cook to amuse them with his knowledge of all the vegetables available, and informing them of all the different dishes he would make in the coming days.
He’d already finished their major purchases, thankfully they hadn’t needed much -however the curly cook came to a dead stop in the middle of the street, his eye growing wide in shock as Nami tugged at his sleeve in curiosity and Robin began searching for what could’ve possibly made him freeze up that way. Not far behind them, Zoro had gone running past swearing up a storm as he chased a hooting Luffy down a lane, a bottle of booze held high in the air undoubtedly stolen right out of the swordsman’s hands, but Sanji didn’t pay his captain or rampaging Moss any attention.
“Sanjikun! What is it?” Nami had tugged at his sleeve again as he suddenly moved forward at a rapid pace before coming up on a tiny cart wedged between two open air stalls. An elderly old woman sat up in the cart, ancient and hunched as she smoked from a long pipe, and in a small crate between her feet sat a small handful of almost shimmering gold looking little mushrooms. The cart was full of plenty of other varieties of edible fungi but the cook was clearly entranced by the little golden caps.
“Surely these aren’t, could they really-“ He was murmuring to himself excitedly before looking up at the old vendor. “Excuse me mademoiselle, would it be alright if I examined one? I promise to treat it with the utmost care!”
The old woman raised a shaggy grey brow at him before giving him a short little nod.
“You seem to know what you’re lookin at, be my guest. But don’t damage the goods or you’re paying full price for it.” He nodded emphatically, his eyes practically glimmering with excitement. Robin leaned in with an amused look and took the bags hanging from his arms away from him.
“Go ahead Sanji, please tell us what treasure you seem to have found here.”
“Oh thank you my dear Robin, it’ll only be a moment-“ He thanked her with a wide grin before turning back to the little mushrooms and picking one up as carefully as he would a piece of delicate glass or a baby bird, bringing it up close to inspect. “Just look at it! That golden cap with just the slightest shimmer in the light, the delicate little mane spread out like beams of sunlight, the velvety trunk and-“ He turned the little cap over in his hands and practically squealed with excitement before pointing beneath. “Look Nami! Robin! It’s even got the deep pink gills! These are the real deal!”
“That they are!” The old woman said somewhat proudly. “It seems you know your rare fungi young man. Harvested them myself just this morning out in the Deadwood.”
“So it’s a special mushroom?” Nami asked. “What’s so great about them?”
Sanji turned to her with a look of outright awe and delight.
“My dear, these are real Eternal Sunshines! One of, if not the most valuable mushroom in the entire world!”
“The proper, scientific name is the Marigold Truffle.” The old woman said now. “‘Eternal Sunshine’s what they call em out in the East Blue, though it’d cost a pretty penny to ship any out that far.”
Sanji turned back to the woman with a fiery look of determination on his face now.
“How much are you selling them for?”
She looked him right in the eye and didn’t hesitate.
“50k an ounce.”
“What?!” Nami shouted in outright offense, stepping back from the stall with a scowl. “Not a chance in hell lady! For just one ounce of them?! That’s insane!! It’s robbery!! C’mon Sanjikun, put her stupid mushroom back and let’s get going-“
But Sanji stood there hesitating, his eyes locked onto the tiny mushroom still held delicately between his fingers as though entranced. The old woman grunted before reaching under her skirt to pull out a heavy shotgun, making the ladies gasp when she laid it across her lap with a casual air.
“If you can’t afford it, go dig em out yourselves then. I’ll be taking my property back now.” She pointed the shotgun at the cook with a frown. Sanji was also frowning now as he carefully replaced the mushroom back amongst its brethren in the box. An instant later he was digging in his pockets to pull out his wallet, making Nami glare as he pulled every last bill he had out and began counting it quickly.
“Sanji don’t you dare spend all your money on that! You wouldn’t even be able to get a single entire mushroom with what this thief is charging!” Nami tried to argue as she tried to push his money back in. His face fell a moment later when he finished flicking through all his crisp looking bills.
“I only have 30 thousand…I don’t have enough.” He spun towards Nami, opening his mouth in a desperate bid to no doubt borrow an obscene amount of money but she cut him off before he could even ask.
“No chance in hell Sanji. I’m sorry. But that’s a ridiculous price to pay for just some mushrooms.”
“They’re clearly too rich for your blood lass so you can move along now!” The old woman glared right back at Nami while Sanji stood there helplessly, his eyes still locked on the expensive little ingredients. The woman cocked her shotgun and poked at Sanji’s chest with it now as he miserably began putting his money away again. “Go on! You don’t have the cash, try saving up for next time you visit kid-“
“You said you foraged them yourself?” Robin interrupted smoothly, stepping forward as Sanji took the bags back from her. “You got them out in the Deadwood?”
The old woman harrumphed, not lowering her shotgun from where she now had it pointed more towards Nami.
“Yeah missy, I did! You’ll not find em anywhere near here though. The woods have been picked clean. You’d have to go deep into the Deadwood if you wanted to go find em yourself.”
“But you’re saying I could find them!” Sanji leaned forward again excitedly, his eyes shining with determination. “If I went into the Deadwood, I should be able to find my own Marigold Truffles on this island??”
The woman hesitated, her gun lowering somewhat as she took in the excitement on his face.
“Like I said, the whole area around town’s been picked clean already. They can’t be farmed, they grow in the wilds, you’d have to go deep into the mountains -it’s dangerous boy. There’s beasts and landslides, thieves and poachers. It’s awful, regular locals who run around in the dark secretly! Hunting beasts and stealing from anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path! They wouldn’t hesitate to kill you to get em for themselves.”
“Hah!” Nami laughed scathingly, earning another heated glare from the seller as she sneered. “Sanjikun could take care of any beasts or stupid poachers with his hands in his pockets! So tell us granny, where do they grow?”
The old woman huffed in offense, placing the shotgun down across her lap to cross her arms and stick up her nose.
“Like I’d just share that with someone as rude as you for free? The information’ll cost ya!”
“Madamoiselle, how much?” Sanji was nearly vibrating with excitement again as the lady turned her attention back to him, eyeing him up and down before huffing and holding out her hand demandingly.
“30k.”
Sanji pulled his wallet back out.
So after their discovery, his wonderful crewmates had been determined to help Sanji find his magical, expensive mushrooms. They’d cross referenced several terrain maps, along with weather reports and documents describing earthquakes and other disasters that may have redesigned the island over the past fifty or so years. Sanji clearly knew how to identify them, and the mushrooms thankfully didn’t have any dangerous lookalikes. He was essentially heading out into the mountains to search for a goldmine and Nami wanted to be sure his efforts would at the very least, recoup his lost money he’d spent on getting the growing conditions from the elderly vendor.
The ladies had offered to accompany him on his little quest, but he’d politely declined, already grateful enough that they’d been able to narrow down two or three potential locations for his damp gullies to be. Instead he asked that they stay behind and keep the chaos of the rest of the crew to a minimum while he focused on his mission. They still had a solid week left on the island, and if Luffy decided to punch the mayor or something, he’d hate to be left behind in the chaos. Also Sanji wasn’t sure how long he’d take and he’d never ask the ladies to camp out in the cold, dreary woods.
Zoro was the one who’d drawn the short straw this time on managing Luffy, keeping a tight metaphorical leash on their captain to keep him from starting any revolutions or bar fights. That being said -Chopper and Brook were in charge of redirecting Zoro too and keeping him from punching anyone important after he’d helped Sanji with his initial shopping trip. Usopp and Franky were busy flirting with the local blacksmiths, sharing techniques and designs while learning new skills of their own that they could find useful out on the sea. The ladies agreed to stay behind and manage their rowdy crewmates scattered across the town, though Robin made a point to inform Sanji that if he hadn’t returned by the second afternoon, they’d begin to search for him.
Now here he was, whistling a happy tune as he tucked his little map from Nami back into the deep picnic basket that hung from his arm. The only equipment with him were a lantern that hung unlit from his little backpack, a bedroll in case he wound up spending the night out in the Deadwood, and his typical cooking equipment that he took with him whenever they camped on the various islands they’d explore. All in all he was pretty happy -pleased even, to have some real peace and quiet to himself without anyone fussing or whining at him.
He nearly rolled his ankle a handful of times as he picked his way through the forest, there were patches of gravelly earth that slipped when stepped on, and he leapt over plenty of deep and ominous looking crevasses and holes in the earth. The whole wood seemed to be littered with them and he suspected the island might just have a range of cavern systems just beneath the surface from inspecting a few of the entrances. Nothing to be afraid of, anything living down there would undoubtedly be frightened of him and doing its best to avoid the cook if he kept whistling and making noise. He hopped over a fat rotted log in his path and continued his march, feeling the steady incline beneath his feet as he entered the actual mountain range at last.
“Let’s see, oak and beech. Oak and beech. I’m seeing plenty of oaks around here.” He chatted to himself aloud, inspecting the trees casually as he passed them by. His eyes always scanning for potential. “But no beech trees. Or gullies. I may need to aim myself a bit further north.”
He adjusted his course, referring back to Nami’s map every so often and climbing trees on occasion to get a view up above the canopy to check his directions. He’d popped out from the tops of the trees, looking like a Marigold Truffle himself with how his hair shined in the murky sunshine, gazing out in every direction before finding the sun and readjusting his path when he came back down. He’d started out bright and early in the morning and it was finally well past noon and high up in the mountains when he began to spot the occasional gulches and steep ravines amongst the endless trees, much to his growing excitement.
He hopped down into the first one after consulting his map again, supremely pleased that Nami and Robin’s clever estimations had been correct and that this particular strip of mountain was likely to have the gullies he’d been searching for. He’d shower them with accolades and treats as thanks for being such clever ladies as soon as he got back, already planning the first meal he’d make with the Marigolds and serve them.
Again there were plenty of oak trees, but not a beech in sight to his disappointment as he explored, so he moved on, meticulously scanning each gully and ravine as he passed by. Eventually he reached a particularly steep gorge carved into the mountainside, the drop to the bottom was nearly thirty feet and it stretched along in both directions up and down the mountain and wide like an empty riverbed. There was another dead tree fallen across it, heavy with moss and rot, so he hopped up and carefully made his way out to the center to get a better view of the mist-covered surface down below.
He squinted down into the fog, balanced carefully up above on his vantage point and just about ready to move along to the next one when he spotted it. A glint in the mist. Excited again now, he hopped to the other bank entirely and carefully slid down to the bottom, not wanting to just jump straight down for fear of crushing any possible treasures he might find. And treasure it was.
The base of the steep little ravine was lined with oak and beech trees, all growing tightly together, their roots intertwined in the damp earth. And the floor around their shared roots was positively coated in what had to be hundreds of Marigold Truffles. He could hardly contain his shout of glee, dropping down to his hands and knees to begin inspecting them all, one by one, his heart beating faster with every confirmation. Golden shiny caps with shiny streamers dangling, velvety stems, lush pink gills beneath -these were worth their weight in gold and Sanji was going to take every last one. He giggled to himself like a madman, positively giddy as he dug into his little basket now to pull out Robin’s borrowed trowel and got to work.
He spent the rest of the afternoon down there, scuttling around like a truffle pig as he popped them up one at a time with the tiny shovel, inspecting each one before carefully placing them inside his basket. The ravine grew dark in the setting sun, so he just turned on his lantern and left it atop a gnarled old root so he could keep harvesting his miraculous culinary goldmine. Zeff hadn’t even been able to ever get them shipped to the Baratie -they were expensive enough on their own, but including the shipping and handling by a reputed courier for something so valuable, it just hadn’t been worth it to try and get them into the restaurant.
And now Sanji had found enough to practically open his very own restaurant if he so chose.
“Marigolds, my Marigolds! My little mushroom queens!” He singsonged to himself as he worked into the night, nearly dizzy with happiness. “And I brought just the ingredients to cook you with my lovelies! Ohhh, I’m so excited, I can’t wait to dry some out and send em back to the old man! He’s gonna lose it that I got to have them fresh!”
He cackled as he grabbed his lantern and got back up, searching carefully for any more little growths amongst the tree roots with the ring of warm golden light. He continued that way well into the night, digging up every last one he could find until he was satisfied with the weight dangling from his arm. He stuffed Robin’s trowel into his pocket so it wouldn’t crush any of his priceless mushrooms and climbed back out of the ravine on the opposite side, pulling Nami’s little map back out so he could mark the location with an ‘X’ for the future. One day, he’d come back to visit and gather more from the secret gully up in the Deadwood’s.
His stomach chose that exact moment to gurgle, making him laugh fondly since it sounded nearly identical to Luffy when he was ready for lunch.
“I can’t believe I’m about to taste real Eternal Sunshines! I wish the old man was here!!”
He didn’t bother crossing the wide ravine again, instead just turning and going down the mountain a bit until he was surrounded once again by dense forest. He hummed as he searched for an open space, holding his lantern high and kicking leaves playfully out of his path as he went. Eventually he settled by another old felled log, this one raised up a bit off the ground and decided that it was an even enough patch of space to camp in for the night. The big heavy log to his back should potentially cut some of the chill of the night and protect his campfire from the wind.
He put his basket of treasures down, along with his backpack and set about clearing the area of leaves and pine needles entirely, lantern swinging in hand as he continued to hum happily to himself, eventually hooking it on a low hanging branch of an oak before he began inspecting some dried out looking pines. After a few moments, his leg shot out and snapped through all of them, felling the trees noisily in the darkness before he began stomping them up into more manageable pieces to build a fire with. Before much longer, he was setting his leg on fire and setting his little campfire ablaze with heat, instantly brightening up the entire area and warming the chilly air that had crept in.
He got to work quickly, unpacking his backpack and placing his bedroll just so between the fire and the huge log. He pulled out everything he’d brought with him, a simple little pot, a plate, a single set of silverware. A perfect camping knife he’d confiscated from Zoro ages ago -it was perfect for chopping and fine slicing and the Mosshead had wanted to keep it in his filthy boot. A small block of simple Parmesan cheese, a ceramic crock full of unsalted butter, a gallon of water, a sheath of dry spaghetti noodles that were thankfully still unbroken, and his emergency spice stash.
The spice stash wasn’t exactly necessary for the simple dish he had planned for the Marigolds, he wanted to experience their purest flavor the first time to get a real handle of it so really all he’d be using would be the salt. But he never went anywhere without it. Once he’d inspected each of his tools carefully he set the water to boiling quickly, practically bouncing on his heels as he now carefully began to inspect a few of his precious mushrooms, taking his handkerchief and dampening it slightly before reverently cleaning the little shrooms of all the tiny little particles of dirt that remained. He brought one up under his nose and sniffed at it, appreciating the warm, earthy smell and imagining how it might pair better with a white wine and not a red -the one thing he’d forgotten to bring along for this perfect moment.
He set his simple noodles to cook once the pot got to boiling and waited patiently. As soon as he knew they were ready, he drained the boiled water quickly and took the knife and Parmesan in hand, shaving a good handful of cheese into the pot of noodles now before mixing it in thoroughly until every single noodle was coated. He added nothing but the butter, salt and pepper before plating it beautifully, a swirl of steaming pasta right in the dead center. Then he took his Marigolds and the deadly sharp knife and carefully, carefully began to shave off paper thin slices, letting them drop right onto the pasta.
He could tell already that these mushrooms were on an entirely new level for him. It was like the moment the plain mushroom shavings landed on the hot cheese, they opened up and revealed their true power. The aroma was nutty and earthy, sweet and enticing as the mushrooms practically melted into the pasta. He used up two entire mushrooms before he at last put down the blade and picked up the plate, breathing in the warm scents again and imagining a dozen different iterations already. He took his first bite and decided that these were his new favorite mushrooms and that their selling price was well deserved. It was divine. A gift from heaven.
He was entirely lost in the sauce as he savored every last bite and broke down the flavors he was finally getting to experience for the very first time. Zeff would’ve been just as awestruck by their complex yet robust flavor, how they commanded attention without being overpowering. He suspected he could even get Usopp to like mushrooms if he tasted these delightful Marigolds.
“C’est parfait!” He yelled gleefully through a mouthful like he was one of his heathen crewmates, practically kicking his feet in happiness. “The best ever! I’m in love! In love with a mushroom! None will ever compare to the glory that is a Marigold!”
Sanji savored his meal down to the very last bite, tired at last but utterly satisfied as he grinned madly to himself by the campfire, smoking a celebratory cigarette. His dirty dishes were piled up beside the fire, he’d find a river or something to wash them in a moment, but for now he just wanted to rest his legs and bask in the afterglow of such an elegant and paradigm shifting meal. He took a drink from his jug of water beside him, laughing at his own stupidity over not remembering to bring a glass or wine to drink. The air still smelled like food and warmth and he was beginning to consider the very real option of simply brushing his teeth now and going right to bed. He still had all of tomorrow to find the other gullies Nami and Robin had triangulated to pick them clean before he needed to be back, surely the dishes could wait until morning this one time-
“Hello? Someone out here?”
He shot to his feet, his eyes wide as he looked around for the source of the voice that suddenly pierced the darkness. That had most certainly sounded like a woman, out here in the Deadwood, in the middle of the night. A delicate and absolutely feminine voice calling out of the darkness. He cleared his throat as he reached for his lantern and flicked it back on, holding it up high to illuminate more of the forest around him.
“Hello? My lady? Are you alright?”
He held the lantern higher and called again.
“Are you lost? Come towards me! I have a fire and supplies! If you’re injured you can just stay still and I’ll come find you!”
“I see your light! I’m coming to you!”
He could hear her now, shuffling through the leaves somewhere in the dark but undoubtedly making a beeline directly towards him, all the while continuing to call out to him.
“I got separated from my group hours ago when it first got dark! I was starting to think I’d be stuck alone all night long, but then I smelled your woodsmoke! What on earth are you doing out here? Are you all alone? Anyone else with ya?”
“No my dear, I came out on my own on a mushroom hunt!” He answered easily as he began to move towards her voice, still holding the lantern aloft as he carefully picked his way through the trees. “I met a vendor in town who said that Marigolds grow here so me and my crewmates couldn’t just pass up a treasure hunt.”
“I thought you said you were alone.” Her voice came sharply now as he heard her stop mid step in the leaves. “You’re not trying to lure me in to do something bad are you?”
Sanji was horrified to have frightened the woman in such a manner and immediately swept into a low bow, still holding his lantern aloft.
“I am so terribly sorry for the miscommunication my dearest. I am in fact, alone out here. My crewmates stayed behind in town where I will be meeting up with them again by tomorrow evening. I couldn’t bear the thought of my lovely ladies slogging through this damp wood to hunt for truffles with a meager cook.”
“Oh, a fellow mycophile then?!” She giggled from the dark, making his heart swoon at the girlish tinkle of laughter. “Or what I like to call us, truffle snufflers?”
He laughed as well, delighted by the silly name.
“I suppose you could count me amongst your ranks then -like I said, I’m actually a chef. I came out here in the hopes of nabbing myself one of the most prized ingredients in the world. My name is Sanji, by the way. To which princess do I owe the utmost pleasure of meeting this unsightly evening?”
He waited for an answer patiently, his eyes scanning the darkness for any signs of the woman he was speaking with as he continued to make his way through the underbrush towards the last place he thought he’d heard her.
“If you have a gun, please don’t shoot me! I’ll come out into the light if you put it down -I’ve just been so scared!”
He held his free hand up in the light to show it was empty, still squinting around to see her as the leaves began crunching once again with her approach.
“My princess I can assure you from the bottom of my heart that you are now the safest you have ever been in your life with myself by your side. You can come out now, I’m completely unarmed, and I’d die before I hurt a woman. If you’d like, you can come stay in my camp tonight with me and tomorrow I’d be glad to escort you back out of the forest if your group doesn’t catch up to us. As a matter of fact, if you’d allow me, I’d love to cook you a meal while we wait for sunrise! I happened to get lucky in my treasure hunting and would be more than happy to make you something special.”
“I’m really glad to hear that-“
At last, a woman stepped into the light of his lantern. She had long hair braided down to her waist, pale skin and a pair of big chunky glasses on her face. His eyes immediately filled with hearts at the sight of her, immediately breaking out into a wide, goofy grin while she brushed dirt from the knees of her worn out jumpsuit. She smiled back at him sweetly before swinging up a heavy looking rifle and sticking the barrel right under his nose.
“Why don’t we go back to your camp now so you can show me your treasure? The rest of the gals should be catching up any minute.”
Sanji sat on his bedroll, wriggling slightly with a cheerful grin on his face as he took in all his gorgeous and lovely new companions that now stood around his campfire. About a dozen lovely ladies overall. His hands were chained together in front of him with seastone cuffs, a surprising addition to his outfit that one of the adorable ladies had brought along with her when they usurped his little camp at gunpoint. He had two rifles pointed at his chest at all times, one by the original woman who’d tricked him, and the other by a tall, statuesque woman with a chipped front tooth. He leaned towards his first princess cheerfully, not at all concerned about how she immediately pressed the barrel of her rifle directly against his heart.
“My dearest, I never did get your name before all this-“
The woman with the broken tooth snorted.
“Just call her Marigold.”
“And you, my Queen?”
The woman deadpanned at him now.
“Marigold.”
His eyebrows rose, but before he could ask anything else the short woman with a rather robust chest that sat on top of her angrily crossed arms cut him off.
“You can just call all of us Marigold. You’re not getting any real information from anyone here buster.”
“Totally understandable.” Sanji nodded his agreement cheerfully. “In these circumstances, it would make perfect sense to maintain an air of mystery. My lovely Marigolds! I can’t believe my luck to come across such a lovely field of beautiful flowers in this dismal wood.”
“There’s about four hundred of em.” A fourth Marigold said suddenly, catching the attention of the rest as she finished pawing through Sanji’s basket. “Nearly four hundred god damned Sunnies in one harvest!” She carefully closed his basket and stood up while several of the other Marigolds squealed in pure excitement. She then pointed at Sanji with a glare. “Where the hell did you find em all? Do you realize that you’ve found the motherlode?!”
Sanji nodded enthusiastically, his hands coming up to wave around as he spoke.
“I have my lovely crewmates to thank for finding that field of Marigolds! With some clever calculations and studies of topography and weather, they were able to pinpoint a handful of potential sites that the mushrooms might grow! So we put together a map and I began hiking out this morning.”
“You came hiking. By yourself.” She looked at him like he was stupid. “In the Deadwood.”
“Rest assured my dear Marigold, all you ladies are, as I’ve stated before, perfectly safe with me here by your side! I’ll be more than happy to accompany you lovely flowers out of this horrible forest whenever you’re ready! I’ve pretty much got the map memorized already, and we could even stop by one of the other potential harvest sites when the sun rises if you’d like to collect your own-“
“A map?” A Marigold with shaggy pink hair barked. “Where is it?”
He reached down with his hands, immediately having more firearms drawn on him, but just carefully pulled the folded up map out of his pocket and offered it over. The pink haired Marigold -Marigold #5, snatched it up quickly as Marigolds 6 and 7 crowded by her shoulders to take a look themselves.
“ I added the ‘X’ myself after finding the first site.” Sanji added helpfully as they began murmuring amongst themselves. “It was right over there actually, very close by. But I picked it clean ladies so there’s no need for any of you to endanger yourselves trying to climb down to investigate yourself. But the gully was full of moist earth, beeches and oaks. A perfect garden for Sunnies to grow.”
He turned back towards Marigold #1 and simpered. “I’m sure in no time they’ll grow back and you ladies will be able to procure just as amazing a harvest as I did!”
A majority of the Marigolds huddled up together by the fire now, all wanting a chance to look at the map for herself.
“-Some outsiders were able to nearly pinpoint the exact location just using maps and weather patterns?! That’s crazy!” Marigold #8 growled, her teeth grinding unpleasantly as she picked at the frayed sleeve of her heavy leather jacket. “We’ve been hunting these damn woods for months now and never found a more than a handful!”
“We’ve already got four hundred now-“ Marigold #9 piped up, smoothing her bangs down over her head with an unaffected air of superiority. “We could sell em tomorrow and then come back out to check the other spots on the map, easy as pie.”
“Whadda we doing with him then?” The surly looking Marigold #10 shot Sanji a hateful glare. He just waved back at her cheerfully. “We can’t just leave him tied up out here, or just let him get back to town to blab-“
“Ah ladies I do hate to interrupt, but if I may offer a compromise?” Sanji butted in as politely as he could, suddenly drawing all eyes back to himself, glaring and suspicious as his eyes filled with hearts for a moment at all the attention. He shook his head to clear it away and cleared his throat.
“How about I use some of these marvelous ‘Sunnies’ as you call them, to cook you all a beautiful meal for the evening. You all stay in my camp with me tonight so you can be safe, and in the morning, I’ll let you keep the map to the other troves and half of my harvest. I was being greedy when I picked them all, I see that now -so I’m more than willing to share with all you beauties!”
Marigold #4 suddenly grew all huffy, stomping over to him to poke him aggressively in his forehead.
“You’ll share em? Oh how generous of you! We’ve spent the last year grinding the Deadwood, digging, scraping -doing whatever we can to get our hands on these! And then what, You show up with your -crewmates! Outsiders, and you’ll share our island’s bounty with us?! You’re not getting a single one!”
Sanji frowned.
“I understand why that might be a bit upsetting, considering all the hard work you amazing mycophiles have put into tracking them down here, but Marigold truffles aren’t exclusive to just this island. And not to be rude, but I have plans for those mushrooms. I’m gonna prepare them for my crew and send some home to my father who’s never tasted them.”
He climbed to his feet, brushing off his pants awkwardly with his hands still firmly linked together in front of him. The ladies had half a dozen guns still pointed at him. “So again I put in my very reasonable offer -I cook an incredible meal with the Marigolds for you my Marigolds and, when that’s done, I’ll be happy with half of what’s left and be out of your beautiful hair and on my way back to my ship. My crewmates will be expecting me by tomorrow evening and can become rather -ahh- ornery about missed curfews and deadlines. They’ll come looking for me and there’s a chance the whole forest gets leveled if they do -which would ruin any future Marigolds from growing.”
He smiled politely as he gave them a courteous bow once again.
“Do we have a deal?”
Marigold #1, his favorite, laughed. Then she cocked her rifle and pointed it at his face.
“You think we’re just gonna let you waltz out of the Deadwood with 10 million of our berri?! That we’d wanna waste any of em on cooking? You’re going to become another cautionary tale for the locals. ‘Don’t go hunting for mushrooms in the Deadwood! An idiot sailor in a suit tried once and he never came back out!’”
Sanji frowned, puzzled by her comment.
“I’m so sorry my Angel, but the Marigold Truffles are food. It’s not a waste to eat them?” Marigold #2 snorted again.
“Who wants to eat mushrooms? They’re gross.”
Sanji’s jaw dropped.
“What- it’s- they’re a worldwide delicacy! Their monetary value is so high because it’s pure decadence! What could be more valuable than that?!”
“The gold it’s worth.” Marigold #7 said. (or maybe it was #8)(Sanji was having a hard time keeping track at this point.)
She ripped the loose string from her jacket.
“We don’t care about the decadence. We care about the net worth. So we’re taking all of them, and the other groves as well. And-“ She looked at Marigold #4 who gave her a stern nod back in return before she looked to #1 and 2. “Like Marigold said. You’re not leaving the Deadwood. Go ahead ladies, shoot him already so we can have some peace and quiet.”
The smile that had been plastered across Sanji’s face the entire time dimmed slightly and he bowed his head respectfully as the women took aim once more.
“Then, as much as it pains me my beautiful ladies -I’m going to have to rescind my offer. You can keep the map, but I’ll be taking all of my Marigolds home. I’ve got two very special ladies of my own who are waiting to sample their impeccable flavor and so I should probably just get going now. Have a good evening!”
He dove for the basket as shots fired, the women all shouting and cursing as he rolled clean over the massive log he’d been sitting up against with his basket full of priceless mushrooms pulled up close to his chest. The Marigolds began spilling around the log, pulling more rifles and pistols out and shooting at him as he made a run for it.
“Ladies please be careful with those guns!” He hollered back at them as he took cover behind a tree trunk as they unleashed another barrage of ammunitions on him. “I’d never forgive myself if you accidentally hit one another! Please, we can just part ways here and be done!”
“You’ve seen our faces!” One of the Marigolds declared loudly as she and the others descended on him, pulling out lights of their own as the tried to corner him again. “We can’t have you going back and tellin’ everyone who we are! You’ve got to go.”
“I only know you by the name Marigold!” Sanji whined as he dove for another copse of trees, going over the map mentally and trying to make certain he was heading in the right direction. “And we’re leaving in a few more days, so if you don’t want me to, I won’t tell the townsfolk about you!”
“Hah! As if we’d believe that!” Marigold #2 yelled angrily as she took aim at him again, barely missing his shoulder as he took cover once more. “They assume all the poachers in the forest are men! The moment they realize we’re actually women, they’ll know who we are in an instant!”
“Your continued existence is a threat to our whole business!” Marigold #1 declares shrilly, sending shivers up Sanji’s spine. She was most definitely his favorite of his surly poaching princesses this evening. He regretted not being able to at the very least, serve her a meal before this whole disaster unfolded, as she was indeed lovely and definitely deserved to be pampered while out in the woods. “So do the right thing and let us shoot you!”
“I’m terribly sorry my princess but I cannot allow that!” He called back to answer again in spite of a niggling voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Nami scolding him for doing so. He squinted out into the darkness, unable to see very far without a light and not wanting to go falling down into one of the steep, crumbling gullies that littered the area. “My lovely swans and my crew need me!”
“You think you can run but we know these woods!” Another one of the ladies shouted after him as they began to spread out in their search. “You’re wasting our time like this, and the Deadwood is much more dangerous at night!”
“Oh dear, then it might be safer for you magnificent huntresses to simply go back to my camp and stay for the night!” He offered as he slipped between the trees. “Please feel free to make use of any of the supplies I left behind! Although, I will be sorry to lose the knife. You wouldn’t believe the custody battle I went through to keep it from that stupid swordsman of ours.”
A beam of light passed over his hiding spot behind an oak and he remained still, patiently waiting for it to move on as one of the ladies answered from somewhere off in the dark to his left.
“Swordsman? Now that I think about it…There was a crew that landed here this week that wasn’t the typical merchant ship…Sanji?”
The cook’s eyes filled with hearts at being called by name and he answered instantly, in a voice sweet as honey.
“Yes my princess?”
“You one of those pirates? A strawhat?”
He was thrilled that she was so clever. He was certain by the rough tone to her voice that it was Marigold #5 with the shaggy pink hair and the sensual, husky voice. He’d last seen her hoisting a heavy looking shotgun up into her arms before chasing him.
“Why yes my dear! I happen to be their chef! The best chef on the grand line!!”
“Marigolds make sure not to ruin his face when you gut him!! His head’s worth more than twice the basket!!”
“Ahhh my mischievous little Marigolds-“ sanji swooned before diving forward just in time to avoid a loud shotgun blast that obliterated the tree he’d been hiding up against. “You’re turning bounty hunter now as well? So aspirational and business minded of you! I bet you ladies will make a lot of money!”
“Stop mocking us!” One of the Marigolds screeched, positively infuriated as she caught sight of him and immediately came barreling after him, her pistol going off wildly as she shot at him. He disappeared back into the darkness. “You can run all you like in here, but we know these woods! You aren’t going to get away from us, we’ll hunt you down like the thieving dog you are!”
Sanji had to shake the hearts from his eyes as he ducked behind another rotted log, taking another moment to consider his options. There was only the barest sliver of moon out tonight, so he had no light to navigate by in the pitch blackness of the forest. He may have begun heading in the correct direction at first, but was starting to grow a little uncertain since he’d not run into that gaping crevasse that he’d found the mushrooms at the bottom of yet.
He thought he’d been heading right towards it and had planned to leap across and regrettably leave the ladies stranded on the opposite side. But not running into it yet was beginning to feel like trouble as he heard the ladies approaching again, their lights sweeping low across the ground. He supposed in the initial excitement of snatching back his prizes while also dodging several point blank shots to his head he may have started off in the wrong direction. He’d have to double back past all his lovely Marigolds to reorient himself at the campsite and then make his escape properly before he wound up wandering off course too badly.
In the approaching light from one of his darling pursuers, he quickly double checked to make sure his basket was latched properly before taking off around the corner, slipping past the Marigold with the cute Pom Pom hairstyle and long nose (#6 he believed).
“Excuse me my lady, but I believe I made a wrong turn somewhere back here!” He begged her pardon with a cheerful grin even as she snatched at the back of his jacket, just barely missing him by a hair.
“You think you’re real funny don’t you?!” She seethed as he dodged her hands clawing for him again, then she yelled to the others. “He’s heading back towards his camp!” Cut him off!”
“Really ladies, this is all completely unnecessary!” Sanji attempted reason once more as he found himself getting cut off again and again by lovely ladies all vying for him. “I promise I won’t tell the townspeople your secret identities, I’m a man of my word! Won’t you just give me the keys to the seastone and I’ll be out of your hair!”
“He’s a pirate!” The dulcet tones of Marigold #5 shouted angrily from somewhere ahead of him. “They have no word-“
“Oh for goodness’s sake-“ He grumbled under his breath. “I just wanted some mushrooms, not to topple a poaching ring of beautiful ladies.”
He dodged Marigolds left and right until he made it back to his campsite, basking in the glow of his fire for just a moment before realizing he indeed had run off initially in the wrong direction.
“Ugh. So stupid. The Moss must be infecting me.”
He checked his basket of treasures one last time before fleeing off into the darkness, hounded by the nefarious and beautiful Marigolds all the way.
For all his speed and navigational skills, Sanji could not shake the pursuing poachers. They chased him through the night and well into the morning, always popping up like meerkats when he least expected it -cutting him off in one direction, herding him back towards the others, all the while trying nonstop to blast his head off. He was grateful that none of them seemed to be a decent shot like Usopp -because with the way they somehow kept catching up to him, popping out from behind a tree or bush barely a few feet away, he’d have easily been blasted away by someone with actual aim.
It was flattering how determined they were to recapture him, but being hounded by ten powerfully beautiful hunters began to really lose its sparkle sometime around midday, when he made a grievous mistake.
He took a moment’s rest hidden behind a copse of ash trees, ducking down low to peer around and assess his surroundings. He was fairly certain he was heading in the correct direction, but needed to get above the treeline to check if he was still heading back east and not too far southward which would keep him in the Deadwood longer and wind up dumping him right into the Deadmire, an ugly marshland that stretched to the south all the way until it reached the sea. Sanji would admit to himself that he was pretty impressed with his Marigold’s tenacious spirit in having chased him all through the night and morning, it was like a cuter, perfected version of his ordeal back on Kammabakka.
Granted, the okama hadn’t been trying to actively murder him during their chasing games, and he’d had no trouble beating them away whenever they caught up. This time however, the ladies were out for blood and he couldn’t touch them. He couldn’t even imagine kicking the guns away from them for fear of hurting their delicate looking wrists or accidentally grazing one. The game of cat and mouse was a little fun, and every time he saw one of their faces a thrill rushed through his veins, but they were actively trying to murder him so he should at least attempt to control himself a little better and focus.
He squeezed his hands to get the feeling back into them. The seastone cuffs were an unexpected pain, just a tad too tight around his wrists and making them go tingly and numb every so often. He wished he’d had the opportunity to snag the key to them before running off but conceded his defeat in that regard for now. He’d have Zoro cut them off as soon as he got back to the crew and then after a well deserved shower and nap, get right to work preparing a decadent mushroom themed dinner.
Sanji squinted up at the canopy above him, contemplating whether or not he had enough time to shimmy up there quietly and check where the sun was in the sky, debating if he should t just risk a skywalk the rest of the way from here when out of one of the endless empty looking warrens and barrows that littered the forest, a Marigold popped up. It was #8, with the worn leather jacket and the glossy brown hair tied in two short little pigtails, absolutely adorable.
She clucked her tongue, giving him a condescending glare.
“You can hide all you want but we know these cave systems like the back of our hands!” She gloated, earning a dazzled nod of approval from the idiot blonde.
“Ahh, so that’s how you ladies have been keeping up with me! I suspected caverns on the island but could never have anticipated such an unexpected use for them! How clever you are my perfect Marigolds!”
His eyes were filled with stars at the sight of her as he showered her in praise -that is until she whipped her rifle around from over her shoulder and took aim. He choked, having forgotten momentarily that they were trying to kill him and rolled to the side quickly, snatching his basket of gold back up into his hands as the gun went off.
“I got him girls! I got him in the leg! Down this way!”
He dodged back around the little ash trees and took off again with a grimace before taking a moment to quickly glance down at his legs to confirm that lovely #8 had indeed managed to shoot him squarely in the calf. His leg was now bleeding terribly and making him limp, cutting his speed nearly in half. Not ideal for this game of cat and mouse they’d been playing all day and night. He also noticed that in his haste to scramble away, he’d crushed the handles of his picnic basket and now had to hug the entire thing close to his body to keep from dropping his precious Marigolds.
“Ah shit.” He hissed between clenched teeth as his leg buckled and shook from waves of pain emanating from the bullet wound. “Now I can’t just skywalk out. Moss’ll be pissed.”
A group of Marigolds appeared in front of him now, tumbling from another cavern entrance hidden amongst the leaves and he grimaced as they began taking aim once more.
“Ladies please! This all was really unnecessary -I’m still willing to split them halfway with you if you’d like!”
They opened fire despite his pleading now and he dashed to the side before making a break for it, leaving a bloody trail spattering with every step. He hoped it was in the correct direction.
“Waaghhh!”
A Marigold’s voice suddenly cried out in fear, snapping Sanji’s head up to attention from where he’d just taken cover once again behind a pile of damp, slimy boulders. The light of day was in the middle of fading and after several more hours of being hunted like an animal, the cook was really starting to feel exhausted. Most likely from the blood loss considering he’d had that bullet lodged in his leg for hours, and was now also sporting two more gunshot wounds that were also leaking continuously as he ran.
Thankfully he’d only been grazed by the last two, but another shot to his injured leg and then one on the opposing arm was not ideal for escaping the tenacious gang of poachers who seemed hellbent on collecting his bounty along with his mushrooms. He was covered in filth by now from head to toe, his hair full of leaves and dirt smudged on his face. He’d removed his tie and did his best to use it as a bandage on his leg when it just wouldn’t stop bleeding before, but his beautiful pursuers simply did not allow him enough time at all to try and manage his injury properly before they’d cornered him again.
It looked like the forest was thinning out at last though, he sincerely hoped that just through that last crest of trees he’d find the outskirts of the small village and perhaps someone to help him get back to his ship before the Marigolds finally inevitably bled him out entirely with their sneaky tactics. The Moss would never forgive him if he found out Sanji had allowed himself to be murdered by a bunch of mean women in the woods.
He threw all of those thoughts out of the window when he heard a vicious snarl, followed by another shriek of the nearby Marigold. He dashed out from his hiding place, bedraggled and bloodied to see his favorite, Marigold #1 backing away and attempting to reload her rifle hastily as a fierce looking mountain lion snarled and batted at her, attempting to close the short distance between them to tear her apart. Marigold looked positively terrified at this sudden square up between just herself and the ferocious beast twice her size, now swinging her rifle around like a bat instead to keep the encroaching feline away. The lion hissed and spat, swiping at her with claws like knives, nearly taking her head off as she screamed again.
Sanji didn’t hesitate, one moment he was by the rocks and the next he was leaning through the air, the heel of his uninjured leg cracking down onto the mountain cat’s skull, pulverizing it and sending it smashing into the earth, instantly dead. He landed with a wince, his basket still held firmly to his chest with both arms due to the damnable seastone still locking his hands together but quickly pulled himself together when Marigold threw herself at him, sobbing loudly as the rifle fell to the ground behind her.
“Y-you, why would you -it was going to kill me!” She wailed as her arms wrapped around his neck, making his eyes immediately swell up with hearts as his nose bled. “Why would you -even though we’re trying to kill you!”
“I told you before my dear-“ He answered honestly, doing his best to calm down when he felt too much of his depleted blood rushing to his head to make his face blush with pleasure. “I would never allow any harm to come to a lady!!”
She sniffled loudly, her arms still tight around his neck while he wavered there on unsteady legs. Then quick as a viper she reached down and pulled out a knife, stabbing him in the back as she stepped back, scrubbing at her face and sniffling more as he groaned in pain and surprise before dropping to his knees.
“Thanks for that! Y’know, I just knew you were an easy mark from the moment I saw you- I appreciate the help but it doesn’t make up for making us chase after you all day and night!”
He felt his basket slip in his arms and hugged it more tightly to his chest as he wheezed with pain. Marigold threw her braid back over her shoulder with another sniffle now and went over to collect her rifle, going back to reload it properly now and taking aim.
“I- apologize for the inconvenience my princess-“ He groaned sincerely as he felt his back growing warm and wet. “I just wanted to cook something wonderful with the Marigolds-“
“Clutch!”
A second later his head was snapping up in shock as Marigold shrieked ahead of him. The rifle fell from her hands as a dozen more sprouted from her back and grabbed her by the neck, wrenching it backward until a horrible snap echoed and the poacher fell dead to the ground beside the mountain lion.
“Sanjikun! You idiot!” He felt his heart swell with pure love at the furious sound of Nami’s shout behind him. He reeled around with love in his eyes to see Nami and Robin both storming up to him from between the thinning trees.
“Oh my beautiful swans! You’ve saved me! You really came to find me?” He was overjoyed as they descended upon him, Nami immediately dropping to his side with a scowl as she pulled her bag around to start digging through. He held the basket out to her. “You’ll never believe it Namiswan! Robinchwan! Your map worked perfectly and I found the most amazing hoard of Marigolds, you’re going to be so happy-“
“I don’t give a shit about your stupid mushrooms Sanji!” Nami spat, positively infuriated as she finally found the bandages she’d been digging for in her bag, immediately shoving the basket out of his hands so she could start trying to wrap them around his chest to try and secure the blade and stop the bleeding. “You just saved that woman and she turned around and tried to kill you!”
He grinned apologetically as Robin leaned in closer now with a handkerchief and began to wipe away the dirt on his face.
“Ah, well you see it’s actually kind of funny-“
“Yes we are certainly giving off an air of amusement right now.” Robin said tensely, her lips in a thin frown as she spotted the seastone cuffs. “It looks like you ran into exactly the sort of troubles the old woman warned us about. Thank goodness we came out to find you earlier than scheduled.”
“Oh RobinChan it was hardly any trouble-“ He tried again sweetly but was met with twin glares. “I found my mushrooms yes, but then I happened to come across a band of the loveliest poachers -they all went by the name of Marigold too, I’m sure just a joke of theirs considering what they were intent on stealing; and well, they were rather adamant on not allowing me to leave the Deadwood alive, so they’ve sort of been after me since last night- ah, there’s more of my lovely Marigolds now!”
He nodded back towards the denser trees where a handful of the Marigolds were starting to appear, shouting and pulling up their rifles.
“Is that so?” Sanji felt his blood grow cold at the deadly intonation in Robin’s voice, hardly daring to look back up at her face. “From what I can see, I’ll just go ahead and assume their whole troupe was composed of women and that is why we are finding you in such a poor state?”
A poor shot ricocheted off the dirt by Robin’s foot, making the cook wince.
“Well yes my dear but, you understand?! I’m so sorry I just couldn’t-“
Nami interrupted Sanji before he could continue to try and explain himself by drawing all of his attention to her when she spoke again in a sweet voice.
“Sanjikuuun?” His neck nearly broke with how fast he turned back to regard his swan. She was giving him a tightlipped smile, the kind she saved for the moment right before she attempted to cave your skull in with whatever heavy object was closest. She was stunning. “Sanjikun, how many poachers were there?”
“Uhh, not counting Marigold #1 anymore -there should be 9 more lovely ladies.”
She beamed at him, making his heart pound like crazy before pressing more bandages heavily around his wound, making him yelp before pulling him up to his feet and looping his chained hands around her neck to support him from the side.
“C’mon Sanjikun! If you can juuust walk a little bit more, Franky and Zoro saw us off and should still be right by the edge of the woods lazing around. Thank goodness we decided to start out to look for you early!”
“B-but my Marigolds,l -and my lovely ladies! Surely we can just take our mushrooms now and just leave them be-“ He attempted to reason with his ladies but Robin only ducked down to grab the basket and carefully hand it over to Nami before swiping her handkerchief across Sanji’s pale and bloodied face again.
“Oh Sanji, you really are the best of us.” She said with a warm smile before her eyes grew icy and stern once again and she held her free hand up. “I’ll merely be doling out the punishment befitting the crime.”
Her hand suddenly fisted tightly and a chorus of screams rang out simultaneously from the forest, making Sanji wince and Nami harrumph in approval. She smoothed her hand down her shirt and then took the basket back from Nami carefully, lifting the lid and peering inside with mild interest.
“That’s all nine of them. Interesting how they had warrens like rabbits to hide in. Now Sanjikun, why don’t you tell us all the wonderful things you’ll be able to make with these, after Chopper lets you out of the infirmary.”