Although he verbally complained about old man Zeff, Sanji was genuinely worried to the core.
After a wry smile, he gently extinguished the cigarette butt in his mouth.
He then went to the sink to wash his hands, rolled up his sleeves, and stood in front of the counter with a heavy heart.
Sanji picked up an onion casually, and before he even cut it, his eyes became a little blurry.
"Old man, has my bad luck... been passed on to you?"
He couldn't help but mutter to himself, then swiftly sliced the onion with his knife.
Sanji muttered to himself as Sanji the vegetables, processing them one by one.
"We've only just arrived in the East Blue when we encountered a shipwreck together."
I survived the shipwreck by sheer luck and ended up on a small island, but there wasn't enough food. You had to eat one of your own legs to barely keep me alive.
Being a pirate was too dangerous, so you decided to pursue your dream. You disbanded your pirate crew and opened a floating restaurant.
Even so, I still managed to run into Celestial Dragon...
At this point, Sanji put the chopped onions into the cooking basket and marinated them with the beef.
As Sanji gently kneaded the beef with his hands, he looked towards the window.
In his eyes, Baratie restaurant was shrouded in shadow; the largest ship he had ever seen in his life was already docked next to it.
"Damn it, old man, your legs aren't suited for kneeling!"
Sanji suddenly cursed. The thought of Zeff's leg made Sanji's impression of the Celestial Dragon even worse.
Those guys who are born to make people kneel are truly disgusting... Ugh?!
Suddenly, Sanji froze, feeling a sense of weightlessness, like riding an elevator!
At the same time, as he looked out the window, he felt his perspective was getting higher and higher!
Sanji rushed to the window, looking out in a panic. In his eyes, the Baratie restaurant was flying!
Meanwhile, on the deck, Zeff panicked and jumped to his feet.
"What's going on?!"
He shouted something, then quickly leaned over the gunwale, staring intently at the ever-receding sea.
"This is the power of the Press-Press Fruit; it's the officers on the Dark Bird Ship who are making their move!"
But why would he do that? Could it be...? Could it be...?!
Before Zeff could voice his guesses, the Baratie Restaurant had already rapidly floated to the height of the Dark Bird Ship.
Standing on the ship, Zeff could already see the figures below dressed in Dark Bird Uniform, and the large group of cloaked men sitting together.
He dared not speak again; speaking carelessly could really lead to death. So he quickly stopped the commotion from his men and then knelt down on his deck again, facing Gawain's direction.
Beside Gawain, Yi Xiao rubbed her face with her left hand while gently pressing down with her right.
Suddenly, the Baratie Restaurant was located in the Dark Bird Ship's rest area, adjacent to the forest and orchard.
After putting down Baratie, he smiled and rubbed his face as he spoke to Gawain.
"Sir, since they are cooks, let them stay near the forest with the hospital."
"Doctor Kureha and Dr. Crocus need to grow medicinal herbs in the forest, and our future chef will also need some land to grow vegetables and fruits."
"That's right."
Gawain nodded slightly, then pointed to Fish-Man Dan.
"Dan, take some time to renovate the Baratie restaurant, expand its main structure, and while you're at it, cut down the keel of the Baratie ship and reshape it to resemble the restaurant's entrance."
"Giao!"
Before Gawain could finish speaking and before Merfolk Dan could respond, Franky was not far away, patted his chest in annoyance.
"Sir, why don't you entrust this task to me? I'm clearly the professional shipwright!"
"Haven't you been busy with research lately, Franky? You should just stick to being a scientist."
As for the shipwright, Dan is your master's younger brother, your uncle-master. You can leave this kind of work to him from now on."
Gawain chuckled and said to Franky, his words leaving Franky conflicted.
He preferred to follow in his master's footsteps and become a good shipwright rather than a scientist!
But to be honest, as Gawain assigned him more and more work, the number of research projects in Franky's hands also increased accordingly.
Now, with research already keeping him incredibly busy, he actually has no time left to repair the ship...
Beside her, Merfolk Dan smiled and adjusted her glasses.
"Hey kid, don't you believe me?"
I'm getting old, and I don't have your kind of mind that can research new things anymore. Compared to research and development, I'm more suited to doing solid, down-to-earth work.
"When it comes to ship repair skills, you can't possibly surpass me, so you'd better just stick to being a scientist!"
At this point, Merfolk Dan leisurely activated the levitation device and waved to Spandam, who was standing in the distance.
"Young man Spandam, would you like to help me with the work the adults assigned? With your General helping out, the project's progress will be greatly accelerated!"
"Of course, of course, it would be my great honor!"
No sooner had Merfolk Dan spoken than Spandam rushed to Dan's side.
"As long as it's for adults, feel free to call me!"
"I, Spandam, am ready to risk my life for you, my lord!!!"
Full of enthusiasm, Spandam followed Dan to the repair department to find suitable materials.
Meanwhile, the Baratie restaurant, which had just landed in the distance, slowly opened its gunwale.
A moment later, Gawain saw Red-Leg Zeff, his face grim, leading his men, whose teeth were chattering with nervousness, up the gangway onto the deck of the Dark Bird Ship.
Upon seeing this, Gawain immediately stood up with a smile.
"You are Red-Leg Zeff, and one of the best chefs on this sea, right?"
He spoke softly to Zeff from a distance, and his words immediately traveled through bioelectricity into Zeff's ears.
Upon hearing this, Zeff immediately tried to kneel down, but before he could bend his knees, Gawain used an electric shock to force him to continue forward.
Feeling his body spiraling out of control, Zeff's eyes widened, and his mouth twisted in pain.
Ten meters, fifty meters, one hundred meters...
Ahhh!
What the hell is wrong with me? I'm practically leading my crew right in front of the Celestial Dragon!!!
He knew he should kneel and pay homage to the Celestial Dragon the moment he stepped off the ship, that's what his mind was thinking, but his feet wouldn't listen, wouldn't listen!!!
For a moment, Zeff walked to Gawain with tears in his eyes, and only stopped when he was about twenty meters away from Gawain.
Looking at Gawain's smiling face, sweat poured down Zeff's forehead like rain.
I'm doomed, absolutely doomed! My rudeness has already made the Celestial Dragon sneer!!!
Wait... that Celestial Dragon's smile... wasn't it a sneer?
What is he doing???
Just as Zeff was becoming increasingly confused, Gawain nodded slightly to Zeff.
"Don't be nervous, Mr. Chef, just relax."
Believe me, any diner with a brain wouldn't be rude to a good chef.
As Gawain spoke, he walked up to Zeff and gently patted Zeff's shoulder with his right hand.
"The world is actually very simple; everyone is constantly searching for a sense of fulfillment."
The kind of satisfaction is different for everyone; being well-fed and clothed, and achieving success are just some examples.
For me, being able to eat more exquisite food is quite satisfying.
Prior to this, I had the privilege of enjoying delicious dishes prepared by an excellent chef at the Navy G·8 branch, dishes imbued with emotion.
Today, I hope that you, Mr. Zeff, can help me rediscover that feeling.
If you can do that, then I really have to thank you for filling a void in my heart.
"Don't let me down, Zeff."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain smiled and patted Zeff on the shoulder again, but after only two pats, he let go of Zeff's shoulder.
Across from him, seeing Gawain's attitude, Zeff had a lot to say.
But before he could say anything, he saw Gawain wave his hand again.
"Go, Zeff, go straight to where you're best at and deal with those dishes."
Facing me is no easier than cooking, and I don't need any of your etiquette, so there's no need to kneel. Go and prepare for tonight's banquet."
After saying that, Gawain waved his hand again, Lucci behind him immediately and calmly came to Zeff's side.
Without giving Zeff a chance to speak, Lucci led Zeff and his men back to the Baratie restaurant.
After Zeff walked away, completely bewildered, Rayleigh, carrying a flask, asked Gawain.
"Little Gawain, the way you were acting just now didn't seem like you were inviting a chef, did it?"
Hey, don't mess things up! If you lose our chef, we'll really have to go back to G.8 branch and steal Jonathan's wife!"
"Haha, how could that be?"
Gawain chuckled and sat back down on the sofa. As he took the cigar Shiryu offered, he spoke to Rayleigh.
"As for my attitude towards Zeff, it was a helpless move. This is the East Blue, which is different from the Grand Line, and Zeff is different from each of you."
You guys are all worldly people. Even little Chopper has the most Doriel doctor, Dr. Kureha, taking care of him.
While I had my own plans for recruiting you, overall, I needed to be completely honest with you.
But Zeff is different. He didn't have your strong background, your strength, or the vision you should have.
Compared to you bunch of arrogant guys, Zeff's heart, apart from being devoted to food and his adopted son, remains in the shallow well of the East Blue.
If I were to be overly enthusiastic towards him at this moment, or even directly invite him, he, who has just jumped out of the well and witnessed our epic showdown with Garp, would likely be so frightened that he would have a stress reaction.
So I need to give him some time to settle down through cooking.
After he's finished his work and we've tasted the dishes he made, I can use the chef's confidence in his culinary skills to show him how much I appreciate him.
Since even Garp likes what he makes, his culinary skills must be absolutely superb.
Honestly, I'm starting to look forward to it, haha!
"Cut!"
Gawain had just finished speaking with a smile when Rayleigh couldn't help but let out a cold snort.
He took a sip of his drink, then shook his head.
"You are a person with a dirty heart, full of cunning, and every word you say is full of scheming."
"Damn it, how did I even get on this ship in the first place? Is it too late for me to carry the ship away now?"
Want to disembark?
It's too late!
"Let's just have a good drink, old man!"
Faced with Rayleigh's teasing, Gawain picked up his wine jug and clinked glasses with him. To Gawain's right, Uta, who hadn't participated in the battle like the female cadres and therefore didn't need to go back to her room to wash up and put on makeup, trotted over to Gawain's arms.
"Uncle, you guys were fighting so intensely just now! After watching it, I couldn't help but write a new song. I'll sing it for you tonight!"
"Um."
Gawain pinched Uta's cheek.
"Now that you mention it, I'm even more excited."
"Yay!"
After being praised by Gawain, Uta rubbed Gawain arm against his arm with satisfaction. Then, she jogged back to the recording studio and began to organize her sheet music.
While Uta was organizing the sheet music, Zeff had already returned to his ship.
Without him saying a word, Lucci had already skillfully begun giving orders to his men.
While he himself was still standing there in a daze, his subordinates, under Lucci's orders, gradually came out of their tension and returned to the kitchen to get busy.
And it wasn't until Lucci left Baratie's deck that Zeff was able to pull himself out of his daze.
He just stood there muttering to himself.
"Why is this happening? How could this be? This is different from the Celestial Dragon I saw in Sabaody."
I was prepared to die, but when the time came, I was perfectly fine?
Lao Tzu..."
Just as Zeff was muttering to himself, another group of people rushed into the Baratie restaurant.
This is because the original culinary team from the Dark Bird Ship came knocking on their door!
As the former head chef of the Dark Bird Ship, whose name had never even appeared before, he was filled with disappointment and anger.
He was disappointed because he was about to be replaced!
The anger stemmed from the thought that a chef from some backwater corner of the East Blue was somehow better than him!
Of course, he would never blame Gawain; in his eyes, everything Gawain did was right.
In short, it must have been that country bumpkin chef from East Blue who tricked Saint Gawain!!!
Thinking of this, the former head chef, who was leading people toward Zeff, immediately showed a lot of resentment on his face. Before he even reached Zeff, the former head chef had already raised his right hand!
"So your name is Red-Leg Zeff?!"
He cursed loudly, then took two quick steps and grabbed Zeff by the collar.
"I am the original head chef of the Dark Bird Ship. Gawain sent me to assist you!"
I will obey all of Gawain's orders, but I will not obey you!
"I'll assist you, but only for the next half hour. If you can't prove you're better than me in that time, then get out of the stove and go do the chopping board work in the corner, you hear me?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the former head chef waved his hand.
"Let me see your culinary skills, Zeff!"
If you don't do it well enough, I will never allow you to serve an immature dish to the Holy Celestial Dragon!
Gawain is the greatest man in the world, and the food I make is indeed unworthy of his great status.
Honestly, I really hope you're as strong as they say. If you could let the adults eat the most exquisite dishes in the world, I'd be happy even if I had to take out the trash!
So, prove me right, Red-Leg Zeff!!!
As soon as he finished speaking, the former head chef grabbed Zeff by the collar and stared intently into Zeff's eyes.
Faced with the former head chef's fierce gaze, Zeff's brows gradually furrowed.
All his confusion and irrationality vanished. Once his mind returned to the realm of cooking, he finally regained the true Red-Leg Zeff he was meant to be!
He grabbed the former head chef's hand and then spoke calmly and steadily.
"Dishes made with the mindset of competing will never be able to satisfy diners, because the satisfaction that diners need is not the kind that we strive for by trying to win!"
"The fact that you can come before me and say such things means you definitely haven't reached the highest level of emotional mastery yet!!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zeff used his strength to forcefully pull the former head chef's hand off his collar.
"I don't want to prove anything, nor is there any need to prove anything. Since the Celestial Dragon have sent you to help us, then you should do your job well!"
Also, don't let it affect my mood while cooking, as that will ruin the taste of the dishes!
Chef!!!"