Chapter Text
The sun was only just beginning to make its ascent from below the ocean’s horizon. The deep purple of midnight was steadily being chased away by the red splatter of morning light. Sanji sat alongside the pier, lazily smoking his cigarette and listening to the rhythm brushing of waves against the concrete pilings.
Early hours of the day had temporarily stifled the crowds of people that would line up on the beach below. There was another reason why this pier, one that Sanji had come to know as a second home, rarely saw any visitors anymore save for the few tourists looking for a nice view.
Sanji could practically hear cheerful laughs and playful screams of families' splashing around in the Pacific’s sapphire waters. He imagined watching the frantic footsteps of that little kid running up onto the old pier, a face lit with unrestrained awe hovering over the railing staring almost a hundred feet into the ocean below.
Sanji’s own head rolled over to the side, meeting the pier’s bottom. Waves now reflected golden sunlight that buzzed the air bringing in the first tidings of today's warmth. Brought back to those precious moments where Los Angeles liveliness coursed through this area like a beating heart, Sanji took a few more moments fondly going over his precious memories.
His remembering smile immediately overturned once his gaze was brought to the large building beside him. The light of dawn lit up the cracked turquoise of the building. Somber shadows fell from the overhang preventing Sanji from looking inside the large ornate windows that were placed along the building. Not like he wanted to be reminded of the ghostly sheets draped over the tables and the multitudes of chairs forced into the corner.
It was a haunted house, possessed by the ghost of that not so distant past but the spirit of home removed entirely. Even his memories of years working there didn’t seem to live inside the restaurant anymore.
The sun boasted high over the water. Sanji glanced at his watch, cursing under his breath at the time. He flicked the last bit of ash from his cigarette before walking past the glaring “FOR SALE” sign hanging on the wooden door.
~.~.~.~
Despite almost missing the first train, Sanji was fairly certain that he would still be able to make it on time. Afterall, he planned on being fifteen minutes early to start with knowing how unpredictable LA traffic could be.
After getting off the metro, he hurried to the nearest bus stop and waited for the familiar sight of the orange stripe to pick him and the other passengers up. Taking another glance at his watch, the silver hands read 8:10. He sighed, pulling out his phone to carefully gloss over the threads of information from the emails he had received from the past couple weeks.
Mr. BLACK,
After going through the many applications our team received, it became clear that talent and character would be in no shortage. We were especially impressed by your own experiences which is why we are thrilled to announce that you have been selected as one of the contestants for the upcoming season of Crew Showdown.
If you choose to accept, we must first have you complete some legal paperwork regarding the integrity of the ASL company…
Not the right one. He scrolled to the next email.
Mr. Black,
It has been brought to the casts attention that you had sent your application without a second. As you probably are aware, Crew Showdown is a team based cooking show meaning that if you do not have a partner, one will be assigned for you. This is just a confirmation of your decision and consent to the partner matching process. Please look for the link attached…
Still not right. Slightly frustrated, his finger pressed against the screen until he found what he was looking for.
Mr. Black,
With the completion of all required documents and the location for recording set, we shall begin filming this March. Your filming day will be scheduled March 22nd as dictated by the schedules each of the contestants have provided. Please arrive at ASL Studios promptly at 8:45 AM through the front entrance. Filming should last for the majority of the day, so please plan accordingly. Lunch and dinner will be provided.
You should have received a lanyard in the mail with a name bag signifying you are a contestant. Please present this to the front desk and you will be escorted to where you need to go. If you have not received this, please contact us immediately. All other necessary items will be provided for you. Also, please see the attached schedule for any other questions you may have.
Best,
ASL Production Team
He runs through the information one last time, making sure he thoroughly understood everything. The only issue was that the provided schedule was pretty vague and included many ‘snack breaks’ throughout the day which Sanji could only wonder what that meant exactly on a cooking show.
With every building they passed by, Sanji grew more hesitant. He didn’t even really want to go on this show anyway.
It was actually Patty and Carne who suggested it in the first place. His two old co-workers who were the closest things he had to friends despite being twice his age. Those two half-wits would come into work at the Baratie each week rambling on about this new cooking show.
“Sanji! Sanji! Come look at this. This guy is hilarious!”
“And his friend next to him! I think a feral cat and a dog would work better in a kitchen than these two.”
“I’m super bummed that Kokoro went home though. I can’t believe her dish bombed so hard. I was really rooting for her! Although Jessica’s technique she did with that risotto last week was incredible! We should try that here.”
“Yeah but did you hear who was going to be the guest on the finale? I heard it's someone BIG!”
“Hey, runt! The season is not quite over yet, but I hear they are accepting applications already for next year. You should totally go for it!”
“And why the hell would I do that?”
“The show has gotten pretty big. It would be a great way to get some publicity.”
“Yeah, especially when you start fighting your buddy over the proper way to peel a potato. You almost ripped my damn arm off for that.”
“I don’t cook with amateurs,” is what he told them.
And that was true. Despite not working full-time anymore, at the culinary school, he found himself bored most of the day, relearning things he already knew and making dishes that he had prepared thousands of times. Even though it was possible for Sanji to skip ahead for most of his classes, he knew that Zeff expected for him to have a solid foundation not just with cooking, but in all aspects of his life. Practice, passion, and persistence were his key values. School and classes were just another challenge in his way.
However, in some ways, Sanji was glad that he did end up applying. While school was a little tedious at times, it was better than spending the rest of his time working. Waiting tables at some small dingy bar on the edge of town was not what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Because they were short staffed, they only put him in the kitchen on slow days to the disappointment of the aspiring chef.
And it wasn’t disappointing because he knew he was a better cook than the majority of the people that worked there. It was disappointing because he knew that everyone there was looking for their own chance. A shot at their own dream and Sanji couldn’t help but feel a little stuck. So that’s why when Patty and Carne mentioned that the season one winners of the Crew Showdown, Jessica and her husband Jonathan, got to open their own restaurant in New York City, Sanji couldn’t help but be a little curious.
Before he actually did apply, Sanji did some basic research on the show. It wasn’t your typical professional culinary contest, but he suspected that the silliness was part of the charm. 27 teams would face off against each other in a bracket style competition and overcome themed challenges set by the hosts and the special guest each week. What dictated a special guest confounded Sanji because based on the roster from the first season, most of the ‘celebrities’ seemed like your average, run of the mill food enthusiasts at the end of the day.
Where the show really did get its popularity from was the interactions between the teams. Each group contained a chef that was fairly experienced in their own right, many being very talented upstarts or even working at Michelian Star restaurants. On the other hand, their partner was a complete rookie - often being a relative of the former except with very limited skills. As much as the show was about demonstrating creativity, quick thinking, and obviously cooking prowess, it was also a teamwork game forcing people to work together to accomplish a goal. Thus, cooperation, or the lack of it, led to some very hilarious moments in the first season.
Once Sanji got off the bus, he walked down a couple more blocks until he found a looming building with large letters “ASL” on the side. Compared to the modern day white that coated most of the buildings in this area, the studio maintained an original red brick from when the structure was built. More interestingly, the four story building looks more keen to an art studio with splashes of red, blue, and yellow paint in chaotic patterns.
The inside was just as hectic. Instead of regular chairs, fun shapes and beanbags were the only offered seating. The floor tile was erratic and jumbled that made Sanji’s head spin from just looking at it.
Sanji walked up to the front desk, the only normal looking furniture in the room, to greet the woman sitting at the desk.
“Hi, uh, Sanji Black here for Crew Showdown?” reaching into his satchel and pulling out a red lanyard.
Her brown eyes flick up at him with a welcoming smile. “Ah yes! Mr. Black, we are so excited for today’s shoot.” She types something on the computer in front before returning to the young man. “If you just stay here for a moment, someone will come and lead you to the waiting room. Snacks and drinks are over there if you’d like. And good luck!”
“Right. Thanks.”
He didn’t have to wait long until a door on the side of the room opened. A young man with a yellow bandana pushing a heap of pink hair out of his eyes stepped out. His enthusiastic smile shone like diamonds. “Mr. Black, you can come with me!” motioning for Sanji to join.
The blonde got up awkwardly from his seat and followed. “You can just call me Sanji.”
“Sure thing! My name is Kobe. I’ll be making sure you are taken care of today, so if you need anything just holler.”
“Good to know,” he replied plainly. Following Kobe down the hall, the studio slowly started to transform into something more professional. Large picture frames with snapshots of old shows or concept art lined the walls. Red doors were clearly marked and labeled, with security locks next to some of them. Various signs in large red print told onlookers alike about the no pet policy while also encouraging them about the magic of a positive attitude. Finally, curiosity got the best of him and Sanji asked, “There wouldn’t happen to be a smoking area around here would there?”
“You won’t be able to smoke inside the studio, but you can go outside.”
“Alright thanks.”
“Yeah no problem!” Kobe replied cheerfully. “Anyways, we are about to get to the waiting room. The other two contestants have already arrived.”
“The other two?” Sanji raised his brow.
“Oh yeah I suppose you don’t know yet,” Kobe chuckled. They stopped in front of a door and Kobe took the clipboard hanging off the front of it. “Mr. Kuro and Mx. Kurie are the two chefs that you’ll be competing against today,” flipping through the pages, “All of you didn’t pick a teammate at the start, so you were assigned a random partner. We are keeping the others separate until the reveal to keep it a surprise.”
“So I won’t get to know who my partner is?”
“No, not until we get on set. Keeps the interaction authentic.” He set the clipboard back down and opened the door. “Here we are.”
Sanji stepped into the room, trying to ignore the poignant stare he was receiving from the man in a chair. Instead, Kobe led him over to the wall in the back that had a couple of lockers where he could store the rest of his belongings. After taking off his watch and setting his satchel in the locker, he walked over to the sofa in the middle of the room, deciding to settle himself as far away from the other two people.
Kobe checked in with the other two contestants before leaving, mentioning that he would return in a few minutes.
Once Kobe left, the man in the chair introduced himself as Kuro, a head chef at a notable restaurant in Atlanta. The man looked to be in forties and adorned a white bottom down shirt with a nice jacket and dress pants, an outfit similar to Sanji’s own striped blue collared shirt.
On the other hand, the person sitting on the opposite side of the couch was making some idea of a fashion statement. They wore a clash of stripes, checkers, and polka dots, not even having a coherent color palette. It was a loud and unapologetic look, but the fellow didn’t even seem to mind, their attention being fully immersed in the magazines that were set on a coffee table.
Eventually, they introduced themself as Bentham mentioning how they taught at one of the dance schools in the area, but cooking and creating had always been an artform they cherished. The three of them didn’t really talk much, most of the little conversation revolving around what they had seen of the show and trying to guess what the challenge might be.
Almost a full half hour had passed before Kobe came into the room again. His lighthearted smile pained with a bit of worry. “We are still waiting for one more late arrival,” he assured. Despite the other three not on edge about this, Kobe’s nervous energy filled the room. “H- Hopefully it won’t be too much longer–”
He was cut off by a boisterous voice echoing from down the hall.
“ZORO! YOU MADE IT!”
Relief flooding his system, Kobe sighed. “Well it looks like he just got here. We’ll get a new schedule out but for your convenience, everything is just pushed back by 30. I’ll be back at 9:30 to come collect you all,” leaving the room once again.
True to his word, Kobe came exactly on time and corralled the three contestants deeper into the studio. The narrow hallway opened up into a large warehouse style building and Sanji got his first peak at the set they would be working at.
Three kitchens were spread across the room and color coded red, yellow, and blue. Each contained the same equipment: stoves, microwaves, cupboards and tons of counter space, all exactly what a cooking tv show would have. On the opposite side from the main stage, the words “The Pantry” were hung from the entrance of another large room. From what Sanji could tell, the pantry area split off into different sections deeper inside, but couldn’t make out what it could be.
At the front of the room, a large table branded with the Crew Showdown logo rested on a lifted platform. Two large camera rigs were stationed at the side, where the judges would sit and chatter while the show went on. Already at the seats where the two co-hosts now: Luffy, a loud, energetic ball of chaos adorning his signature straw hat and red shirt and Usopp, an equally entertaining and dramatic personality. His up done curly hair and stylish overall t-shirt combo made him look a lot more like the food critic type compared to his co host.
Their infectious laughter rang through the set as they took props off the shelves behind them and started playing around like Sanji really was back in grade school. And these guys were supposed to be rating their food?
The sudden click of heels caught Sanji’s attention. Coming around from behind the stage, a woman with orange hair and a slim headset strode onto the set. “What did I just say about playing around?! Put those back, Luffy!” snatching the decorations from his hands.
“But Nami!”
“Nope! Don’t want to hear it. Usopp, please keep him more accountable,” she turned to the long-nosed man who gave her a weak thumbs up. “This is the first day for season two so it has to be good. We are on in 5,” turning away and walking up to the contestants.
“I just want to thank everyone for your patience. One of the ‘mentees’ was running a bit behind.” The indignation in her tone was hard to miss. Just as fast though, she switched back into her sweet and attentive voice. “My name is Nami and I’m the director for CREW SHOWDOWN You’ll see me hovering around over there,” pointing over to a mess of cables and computers “making sure everything is going to plan. I’m sure you all looked at the schedule for today, so I won’t go over that, but before I go on, do you all have any questions?”
Blank stares and passive nods answered the question.
She continued, “So each of you three are going to line up behind your respective stations. Those two idiot hosts up there are going to do their whole opener, so all you guys have to do is stand and look pretty. Afterwards, they will announce the ‘mentees.’ They will come through that door right over there and join you beside your station. Since this is basically a mystery round, you guys should probably talk to each other since the other competitors already know their partner so you will be at a tiny disadvantage. After all that, we will have the special guest come in - which you will love her - and then we will move on to the first challenge. Sounds good?”
“Perfect. Oh, one last thing. Which of you is Sanji Black?”
“That would be me, love.”
His body freezes under the close examination of Nami’s light brown eyes. “A charmer,” she crooned. “Just wishing you some luck, you’re going to need it,” she giggled as she walked past the group.
The rest of them went to their stations. Sanji found that he was positioned all the way on the farthest station with Kuro between him and Bentham. He took this time to inspect this kitchen making sure he knew where all the measuring cups, cutting boards, and utensils would be. Almost all the drawers were labeled which helped immensely.
“Hello and welcome to the newest season of Crew Showdown! I’m Luffy, your captain on the high seas of adventure and this is Usopp–”
“Captain Usopp!”
“–searching for our next aspiring chef duo to take home the $100,000 cash prize!”
“This season is going to be bigger than ever! And we aren’t just talking bout the food.”
“But mostly the food!”
“We have brand new challenges, fearsome competitors and even specialer guests to ramp up the stakes yet again. Now, let’s meet our first 3 teams ready to battle it out in the kitchen.”
“Man, I’m starving already! The chefs are already here, so let's hurry and get the others out so I can start eating!”
“Luffy, I think you’re forgetting one important part of the season’s debut! Normally, we introduce the mentor and mentee together, but this is mystery day. All of the people today have been randomly assigned to their partner, meaning this will be their first time working together!”
“Woah! That’s sure going to lead to some fun matchups!” obviously reading from the screen.
“Or disasters,” Usopp added dryly. “Let's meet our first team. Our first contestant is no laughing matter. A true star of the circus, come on in, Buggy!”
Spotlights glided across the floor, framing the doorway in for a perfect shot. As the massive double doors opened, a man in full clown makeup and red nose appeared. His blue ponytail swayed back and forth with each step making his way across the set to take his place beside Bon Kurei. They both seemed fairly happy with the arrangement.
Luffy’s exuberant laugh filled the room. “Woah that guy is like an actual clown!”
“And it looks like it might be a good match! He is paired with Bentham Kurie, a decorated artist not just on a ballet bar but also with their baking skills.”
Luffy turned toward Usopp, puzzled. “But isn’t today’s challenge a…”
“Shhh,” Usopp’s hands shoot to cover Luffy’s mouth. “That’s also a surprise! Anyways, let’s see if our next team will be such an eccentric success. A street performer brought into the culinary world, let’s see if “One-Two” Jango will perform just as well in the kitchen with his senior Kuro!”
Once again, the door parted allowing the explosive entrance of a thin man in heart sunglasses to stride down the stage. With another strange character in this competition, Sanji was beginning to doubt the authenticity of this competition once again. However, both of the hosts seemed to be loving the performance unlike Kuro who was shaking his head disappointingly.
“And finally–”
“Wait, can I announce this one?!” Luffy hops in front of Usopp, a wild grin from ear to ear etched on his face. With a small nod from his co-host, Luffy reads from the teleprompter, his excitement rising with each phrase. “Finally, our last contestant, one that we are very excited to see. After having a very entertaining debut with Perona in season one, I am sooo happy to announce Zoro is returning back to Crew Showdown for a second time!”
The young host starts clapping and cheering loud enough to be an entire audience. Nami gave him a death glare instructing Luffy to obediently sit back down in his chair. Soon after, the door is slowly pushed open. With each inch, Sanji can feel the anticipation building in his throat. He barely realizes how fast his own heart is racing.
After being set up for another bizarre character to appear, Sanji was surprised when he saw the relaxed swagger of a figure through the fog. He wore a blue tank top that clung to his chest and outlined bronze muscular arms. A blank bandana tied around the left arm matched perfectly with the slightly baggy pants and shoes. If anything, Sanji could say that this guy looked pretty normal if it wasn’t for his choice in hair color. The outfit's distinctive look contrasted brilliantly with the erratic mess of green hair. It was hard not to stare at the walking paradox.
“Zoro’s partner today is a young chef, Sanji, who works here in Los Angeles. I’m hoping we will get to see a great show out of these two today.”
Sanji now understood why they had him placed as far as possible from the entrance. It was like the man had been born to be placed before a camera. Zoro took his sweet time sauntering across the stage. Each stride was purposeful yet thoughtless, his expression seemingly more annoyed at the theatrics than pleased with the attention.
Unlike the other two contestants, Zoro didn’t smile. His permanent scowl made it clear that he wasn’t trying to be overly friendly. Recalling his name from earlier, he must have been the same guy who caused this delay in the first place. Still attempting to be cordial, Sanji offers his hand out. “Sanji. Pleasure to be working with you.”
“Zoro,” firmly accepting the handshake.
Now up close, Sanji can clearly see the man’s features. He was young, probably around his own age. His face seemed familiar, that sharp jawline and three golden earrings dangling from his ear being a feature that Sanji swore he had seen before.
“You’ve been on the show before?” Sanji asked quizzically.
“Yeah, but don’t expect me to be any good.” His response was quick and cold. Arms folded across his torso.
“Why did you come back then?”
“Luf asked me to,” nodding over to the boy in the straw hat blabbering on at the table.
“You’re friends with the host?!” Wanting to keep conversation light, “That seems like a conflict of interest to me,” he jested, forcing a small laugh. It wasn’t like he was complaining about mild favoritism.
“Don’t you go thinking we have some advantage.” Perhaps sensing the harshness in his words, he added heartfully, “The guy is as honest as it gets.”
“Noted.”
Sanji’s attention returned back to the two hosts, who had just finished their final comments on the pairing.
“And now that all of the competitors have been announced, uh, it looks like our special guest is ready for us!”
Genuinely confused, Luffy turned toward his coworker. “What do you mean, Usopp? I thought she was here.”
Usopp, a little shocked with how little information he retained, calmly explained “Well she was Luffy, but remember we are meeting her at Bellmere Family Farm for our first challenge.”
“Oh right! To the farm!”