Chapter 55: Cream Of The Crop
The midday sun hung high over the Thousand Sunny as Sanji stood in the kitchen, meticulously preparing a dessert. The tantalizing smell of vanilla and caramel wafted through the ship, making the entire crew salivate.
Luffy, unable to contain his curiosity (or hunger), hovered over Sanji's shoulder, his eyes glued to the sweet treat in progress. "Oi, Sanji! Can you fill it up with cream for me, please?" Luffy asked, already reaching for a spoon.
Kikidori, seated at the dining table, snorted loudly. His mischievous grin spread across his face, and before he could think twice, the words escaped his lips: "That's what she said."
The room went silent for a beat.
Then chaos.
"YOU IDIOT!" Nami yelled, her face burning red as she stormed over to him. Without hesitation, she smacked Kikidori upside the head.
WHAP!
"Pervert!" Ere'ana shouted, joining in and slapping Kikidori from the other side.
WHAP!
Even Jinbei gave Kikidori a disapproving glance, shaking his head. Chopper, meanwhile, hid behind a chair, his face crimson.
But Robin? She chuckled softly, a faint smile playing on her lips as she sipped her tea. "It was inappropriate," she murmured, "but I can see why you thought it was funny."
"Robin! Don't encourage him!" Nami snapped, hands on her hips.
Sanji, meanwhile, was frozen in place, his cigarette dangling precariously from his lips. His face was a mix of fury and disbelief. "Oi, Kikidori, you better watch your mouth around the ladies!" he barked, pointing his spatula at him like a weapon.
Kikidori rubbed his head where Nami and Ere'ana had slapped him, grinning sheepishly. "C'mon, it was just a joke! A good one, too!"
"Good?!" Nami seethed, ready to smack him again.
Ere'ana folded her arms, glaring at him. "You're lucky Robin finds you amusing, or you'd be overboard by now."
Kikidori threw up his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright! I won't say stuff like that again. Probably."
"*Probably*?" Sanji growled, gripping the spatula harder.
Luffy, blissfully ignoring the commotion, tapped Sanji's shoulder. "So… about that cream?"
Sanji turned on Luffy with a growl. "You! You're the reason this idiot even said that!"
Luffy tilted his head, confused. "What did I do?"
Robin stifled another laugh, and Brook, who had just walked in, added his two cents. "Yohohoho! Kikidori's timing was *bone-chillingly* good! Though perhaps a bit ill-advised."
"That's not helping, Brook!" Nami snapped.
Amidst the chaos, Zoro, who had been napping nearby, cracked an eye open. "What's all the yelling about now?"
"Your son" she said in quotes doing a quote gesture with her fingers "just made an inappropriate joke!" Nami shouted, pointing accusingly at Kikidori.
Zoro raised an eyebrow, glancing at Kikidori. "What'd he say?"
Kikidori grinned. "Sanji was talking about filling something with cream, and I said—"
WHAP!
This time, Zoro smacked Kikidori on the back of the head.
"Oi, Zoro! You're supposed to be on my side!" Kikidori whined.
"Not when you're being stupid," Zoro replied flatly, settling back into his nap.
The rest of the day was spent with the crew teasing Kikidori (or scolding him, in Nami's case). By dinner, he was still rubbing the sore spot on his head, but he couldn't help but laugh to himself.
After all, it *was* pretty funny.
End of Chapter 56
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