Chapter Six

Zoro attached his katana holster around the new dark blue with lighter royal blue stripped hanahaki he was wearing. It was late in the night and the festival had started an hour ago. Stepping out of his room, the first person he saw was Nami, in her dark orange and blue kimono, tangerine hair tied up in a neatly combed bun. A hand delicately held on to the unlit lantern, while the other grasped an orange fan.

She caught his gaze with the corner of her eyes and turned to him, flashing him with a breath taking smile. Zoro, smiled along too. Yes he was happy she was with them, the beauty of the Straw Hat pirates. Her features were known all around the world, talk of her perfect physique." Zoro, you've finished? You look great."

"Right back at you, Nami. You look pretty good in a kimino."

" Ah, what can I say, I manage to pull everything off." She shrugged proudly with a wide smile. Her eyes surveyed the ship, lips pursuing in anticipation. As far as she could see, Zoro and her were the only ones dressed and ready. Luffy was surprisingly slow for someone who was overexcited for the festival and Usopp was well..... going at his usual pace. Sanji was no where to be found." Ugh for heaven's sake what is taking those two too long!"

"Sorry Nami, I had to find a new bandana for my hair." Usopp chimed in with an apologetic smile as he walked to them looking refreshed. His kimino was a dark brown and dark red stripped pattern that matched well with his dark red bandana. His dreadlocks were tied in a pony tail and a single golden earring adorned his left ear. His hand grasped his lantern while his other held on to a box of matches.

"Where's Luffy?" Zoro inquired wondering what exactly was taking their Captain's time. Luffy was known for his punctuality in every aspect, a festival that served meat was the one thing that he wouldn't be late for.

"Where's Sanji?" The sound of Luffy's voice counteracted. Everyone turned to find him walking towards them with a slight grimance on his face. His outfit was a red standing collar zipper kimono tucked into the bluish coat bare bosom, and matched with a hemp rope belt. His kimino was unzipped showing his bare smooth chest and tan skin.

"Ugh, are you seriously thinking about that idiot right now?" Nami moaned." You said he told you to go on without him and he will meet up with us later so come on, there is no time to dawdle. The festival awaits." Nami cheered grabbing a bunch of her kimino to lift it up and walk freely along with her lantern handle and she tucked her fan under her armpit as she grabbed Luffy's soft hand with her other.

"W-wait but how will he find us then?" Luffy protested pulling Nami back stubbornly.

"He'll be fine, Luffy, come on I don't want to miss out on more." Usopp pushed Luffy's back towards the deck, Zoro following behind and watching the scene unfold.

"Then where is he why would he leave so suddenly, you know I prefer when we do things together right? As a team, as a crew!" Luffy whined.

"Sanji will find us, okay? He's.... he's probably out screwing someone or something" Nami said rather plainly fixing Luffy with an agitated look.

" Screwing, someone?What's that supposed to-"

" We'll find him on the way, no time to waste." Zoro cut him from his train of thought, finally succeeding in taking him off the ship.

It was like during their time taken to dress up and get prepared for the day, they city spent those limited hours in setting up the entire place for the festival. It was like the city had morphed into something else in a matter of those short hours. It was dark out, leaving a bright soft glow to the city caused by the golden lanterns hung over the square, swaying from left to right at the gentle breeze. People moved everywhere, all in traditional kimonos, and taking part of the various activities. Dozens of festival floats (mikoshi), dramatic masks, decorated banners, ornamented shrines, and of course, a sea of people enjoying the spectacle filled the whole place.

Where there were lots of people on the streets, there was also a lot of street food to savor. The place was filled with people wearing yatai of different colors endlessly, trinkets and food stalls, occupying the masturi venues and offering a delicious variety of foods and accessories.

The food stalls were staked with various assortment of delicacies. Luffy could hardly count the amount of food stalls selling delicious, mouthwatering food for cheap prices. The curious thoughts of Sanji's whereabouts were long gone and stored behind Luffy's mind as his mouth literally watered at the sight of all the food.

"Guys, let's go check out that stand over there!" Luffy squealed skipping childishly over to a Kushiyaki stand. His nose had caught a whiff of different types of irresistible meat. The rest of his team followers with warm amused smile on their faces at his childish attitude. Give a plate of food to a worried Luffy and his problem had been solved.

Kushiyaki Yatai.

It is impossible to pass by a street vendor selling Kushiyaki without taking a second look. In the air,the crew could smell the rising smoke infused with an irresistible mix of savory soy sauce and sweet briny scent. At a closer look, as they approached the vendor they saw all kinds of ingredients (beef, pork, chicken, squid, octopus, scallop) skewered on wooden sticks on displays as some were placed on hot gridirons and grilled to perfection. Just looking at it, without having tasted it before Usopp felt like one bite and you are in heaven.

Interested in wanting to make and taste more of the delicacies, Nami made a mental note to inform Sanji about a new dish or a couple of new dishes being added to their list. Making them in the comfort of your own kitchen sounded fun and having one of the best cook she had ever met to make it for them was quite promising.

The pair bought a kushiyaki for each of themselves. Luffy eyes watered as the juicy taste of the meat burst into his tongue. He felt like he could cry from the utter sweetness of the meat. He sure did love festivals. They moved from stalls to stalls looking through something and engaging in activities as everyone had. What did they not eat?

Takoyaki Yatai

Grilled octopus balls, tiny wheat flour balls filled with cubed octopus called tako, tempura scraps called tenkasu, pickled ginger and green onions. When the balls are cooked, they are topped with sprinkles of shaved bonito flakes, dried green seaweed, and drizzled with a sweet-tangy takoyaki sauce and a squirt of Japanese mayo. With crispy skin and a soft-gooey inside, these octopus balls are literally one of the best street food inventions. They got to watch the takoyaki vendors flipping the balls on rows and rows of hemispherical cast iron pans with their deft hands. It was mesmerizing to watch!

Yakisoba Yatai

Toothsome noodles fried on a sizzling hot griddle with meat and vegetables, and seasoned with a sweet & savory sauce.

Okonomiyaki Yatai

A giant savory version of Japanese pancake, made with flour, eggs, shredded cabbage, and meat/ protein. It is then topped with a variety of condiments similar to Takoyaki: bonito flakes, dried seaweed, red pickled ginger, sweet-savory brown sauce and Japanese mayo. Sometimes Okonomiyaki is called Japanese pizza.

Taiyaki Yatai

This is made using a waffle-like batter and a red bean filling, Taiyaki is a classic matsuri snack that comes in an attractive sea bream shape. When it's freshly made, the crispy exterior surrounding the warm soft cake with sweet red bean filling is simply delectable. You can also find other flavors like chocolate, custard or sweet potato.

Jaga Butter Yatai

Baked in steaming wooden ovens, jaga bata, which means buttered potatoes, look and smell even more appealing when they are prepared this way. There is a giant tub of butter at the stand for you to drench the freshly baked hot potato. You may be tempted to slather as much butter as you can, but it's wiser to save the appetite for more later.

Ramune Yatai

Ramune is a sweet sparkling soda that has been around at for many decades. It is known for its special bottle design where the glass bottle is sealed with a marble around the neck to keep the fizziness in. To open the bottle, you pop the marble down using a small piece of plastic and the soda fizzes, making it extra fun to quench your thirst. Kids love the drink and adult enjoy it for nostalgia sake.

And after feeling hot and a bit sweaty from moving from stalls to stalls, stuffing their faces with every food that they could find Zoro decided for the team that Shaved Ice Yatai was the best when one needed to cool down from all the walking in the balmy evening, there is always shaved ice at a festival for refreshment. Finely crushed ice covered with colorful syrups with flavors like green tea, strawberry, melon, blue Hawaii, peach and so on. It's a simple pleasure of a summer fun.

After they had decided that eating more felt unhealthy and their stomachs felt like they would burst they took a break from the food and moved on to the trinket stores. Usopp got a beautiful ship carving that caught his eyes. It was of polished black wood coupled with golden paint. It was smooth to the touch and skillfully sculptured. Nami got a new navigating set and a bronze binocular. Zoro dragged the whole team towards the knife shop and made a beeline for a beautiful dagger with a green hilt and a tiger carving embedded on it. The crew thought that it was quite a big change for him baring that he never used any other weapons but his katana. Luffy didn't quite know anything personal to grab, so he opted for buying something for Sanji instead.

At a trinket stall, where Luffy, Nami and Usopp were fawning over a charm bracelet and Zoro watched them in amusement. Sanji caught up with them there. He was draped in a fine grey kimino with intricate ash floral design. His zipped kimono like Luffy's was left open, showing off his creamy smooth chest skin. His blonde hair was tousled from the gentle night breeze, a single bead of sweat rolling down the side of his forehead.

"Hey." He greeted them, a small smile curving on his lips.

Usopp waved at him, Zoro gave a sharp nod in greeting, Luffy abandoned the charm that he had previously been fawning over and blinked plainly at the blonde haired Frenchman. Nami regarded him with her words." Hey hot stuff, you sure took your time coming here."

He let out a titter, itching the back of his neck nervously." Yeah, about that I uh.....I had to uh...I stopped by to pay a visit to someone and we ended up talking, well more like he was lecturing me on my love life actually." He explained in a half lie, grey blue eyes shifting to the smaller Brazilian male that was their Captain." Hey Luffy, sorry I'm late I know how much you like to start it all at once as a team."

" It's fine, I had Kushiyaki Yatai, Takoyaki Yatai, Yakisoba Yatai, Okonomiyaki Yatai with so many more oh and a soda and felt better. It was actually really tasty." Luffy shrugged nonchalantly crossing his arms over his chest with a defiant pout.

Sanji let out a laugh at his Captain's teasing, and draped a hand around his shoulders." Now l don't normally enjoy you all enjoying delicacies that aren't made by me but to make it up to you, tonight's snacks is on me."

"Hell yeah, I've been eyeing this soup stand for a while now! Come on!" Usopp immediately forgot about the trinket and ran over to the side dragging Nami along with him.

"Rice balls, let's have rice balls!" Zoro declared with a determined face running after the both of them. Nami's voice was a happy laughter as booze came out pass her lips. Sanji smiled at the scene, at his teammates. He was glad that he could get to be with them, not many people managed to find their family, the right team chosen or ordained for them. But he found his, he found his entire life on the thousand sunny, with Nami, the strongest swordsman Zoro, Great Captain Usopp and of course his beautiful Captain. Monkey D. Luffy.

Luffy looked up at Sanji from where he stood, flushed beside him. Sanji was as handsome as one could be, captivating and amazing. Luffy couldn't deny his feelings for him, which also made it the worse. He wasn't sure if Sanji's feelings were reciprocated, hell he didn't even know if Sanji could like a man talking of someone like him, not did he even know if a relationship between two men was theoretically possible.

"Hey, I'll make it up to you again privately, tell me what you want me to make you for dinner and you got it. After all we have a fully stocked pantry and kitchen." Sanji said whispering into Luffy's ear.

One of his most sensitive spot. His ears became hot at the touch of Sanji's breath on his sensitive spot and his cheeks burned brightly. Thanks to the golden hue of the lanterns above his tam skin it was hardly noticable even at close proximity. Lift was lost for words so a nod was only what he could do at the moment.

The night went on like no other. It was different than the usual Obon festival that Zoro was used to but he still enjoyed it all together. The next part of the festival is the Bon Dance, a special folk dance. The crew stood with the crowd in excitement to watch as people dressed in yukata, a kind of light summer cotton kimono, dance in a circle around a high stage on which music was being loudly played and old songs of japanese languages were sung in beautiful voices. Nami smiled as she found Zoro silently singing along with the crowd too, mouth the words perfectly. It was an amazing performance and the crew clapped in anticipation when it had ended.

And finally, as the clock struck midnight on the day of the Obon festival, everyone had gathered around just at a river connection with a long stream that lead towards the sea, and began lighting their lanterns. It was a heartwarming moment for everyone, Luffy felt at home and happy as he held up his lantern for Zoro to light it up. Writing at prayer and a message to their deceased loved ones they release their lanterns to the river and watch as it floats away into the distance. The send-off fires called okuribi, are lit to guide the spirits back to the world of the dead. Some people used floating paper lanterns with candles inside which are released onto rivers or the sea, instead but it was all the same nonetheless.

And lastly but not the least, Zoro's favourite part of the festival was the firework display that lit the dark night sky. Every soul took a moment of silence to look up at the beauty it is to be under the night sky of the day of Obon. A warm feeling resting contentedly in their hearts and a happy smile on their lips. An assurance that their prayers had been answer, messages and been received and dead loved ones had returned to their peaceful afterlife.

It was a peaceful night, well...that was until Luffy's eyes caught an unusual ripple in the water. Or didn't seem normal nor did it not seem like a good sign. His happiness drained away and was replaced by a deep feeling in his gut. And his gut never lied. And Zoro was right in front of the ripple.

Then there were bubbles, like something was underneath waiting to strike at his first prey, pushing himself away from Sanji he moved his body towards Zoro in panic. Just as a monstrous beast jumped out of the water and straight onto Zoro.

Apologies for the late update, the stress of my job had kept me on overtime. And I'm sorry I only wrote a chapter and couldn't make it up to you, I hope u keep reading. Thanks.