Sanji's reaction only further confirmed his coworkers' gossip-fueled suspicions:
It seemed this handsome blond young man really did have some sort of "grudge over a stolen wife" against the notoriously scandal-ridden Lord Garen.
"Alas..."
The coworkers all sighed sympathetically and began earnestly trying to persuade Sanji:
"Young man, calm down! Don't go provoking Lord Garen over something like this!"
"If you lose a girlfriend, you can always find another!"
"Exactly!"
One coworker tried persuading him from another angle:
"Besides, that young lady probably went with Lord Garen willingly."
"You should know that Lord Garen's way of treating his girlfriends is famous throughout the entire East Blue:"
"Look at Cocoyasi Village. It used to be nothing more than a small fishing village occupied by pirates."
"Then, because a certain Miss Nami came from here..."
"Not only did Demacia Company specifically establish a base here to protect the village, but even the East Blue Sea Train route was deliberately rerouted to pass through this place!"
"This..."
"Isn't that just toying with women's feelings?"
Sanji listened in a daze, automatically imagining Garen as some villain who used the sugar-coated bullets of power and influence to deceive young girls.
In his indignation, he truly looked as though he had a "grudge over a stolen wife" against Garen, his face filled with grief and fury.
Just then, another commotion rose within the banquet hall:
The great doors swung open, and a group of neatly uniformed Marines strode inside.
The officer leading them was the only one not wearing a uniform:
He had a fierce face, broad shoulders, a thick waist, a smoking cigar clenched between his teeth, and knotted muscles exposed beneath his open shirt. He looked more like a pirate than a Marine.
With him leading the way, this group of Marines looked rather