Sanji

The next day, the weather was clear and cloudless.

On the vast, azure sea, the Merry sailed peacefully.

On deck, Lina, Luffy, and Usopp sat in a circle with solemn expressions.

Nami and Zoro sat on the periphery, observing carefully.

"Testing the waters, a three."

"A small bet, a four."

"None."

"You don't even have a four? You're no good, Luffy?"

"Don't try to trick me into splitting my hand!"

Usopp gritted his teeth, looking at Luffy. This guy had gotten smarter.

Most of the time at sea was boring, especially after Lina took care of all the odd jobs.

So Lina taught them to play Dou Dizhu. When Luffy and Usopp were fishing, Lina and Zoro would lift weights.

During breaks, they would gather to play Dou Dizhu, and Nami and Zoro would also join in the fun.

Lina's luck with cards was... mainly that of a charitable player.

He didn't mind, just treating it as giving everyone pocket money.

It was worth mentioning that he was in charge of the money on the ship.

Save? He didn't know how.

But he was good at taking money, so there was no need to save.

Except with Luffy.

If you dared to give him money, he would truly spend it all.

Suddenly, an undead eagle from the crow's nest flew down.

It landed on Lina's shoulder, pecked, and pointed its beak towards the bow of the ship.

These were several eagles that Lina had asked Usopp to hunt for him when he was in Cocoyasi Village yesterday.

He had turned them into undead to guard the ship for him when he was busy, which was most of the time.

Seeing this, Lina leaped up to the crow's nest and looked in the direction the eagle's beak was pointing. Indeed, a small green dot could be seen in the distance.

"Baratie, the sea restaurant. We can have a good meal."

Lina jumped down. "No need to settle the bill."

"Hee hee hee, I won five hundred thousand Belly!"

Luffy grinned.

Great, another five hundred thousand down the drain.

Soon, the group arrived at Baratie, a giant three-story cruise ship floating on the sea, with a gaping fish head at its bow.

"Let's eat!" Luffy excitedly ran up with the five hundred thousand he had just obtained.

"Hey, wait a minute! Is that... a pirate ship?"

Lina looked in the direction Usopp was pointing. A huge pirate ship wreckage, broken in two, was half-sunk in the sea, with only the bow and stern floating.

"That flag is the Crick Pirates!"

Usopp had already recognized which pirate crew the ship belonged to.

Hearing this, familiar images immediately flashed through Lina's mind.

"Is it Hawk Eyes?"

Lina frowned slightly, his gaze shifting to a small boat docked nearby.

A high-backed armchair stood in the small boat, with several candles lit around it.

It was tied to Baratie with ropes.

"How did such a large ship sink?"

"I don't know. Maybe it was cut."

"Stop joking, Lina. How could anyone cut a ship in half?"

Usopp waved his hand and laughed.

The group disembarked and walked directly into the restaurant.

The large restaurant had at least a hundred tables, yet it was silent, with no customers.

No, there were two.

In a corner, a man in a white shirt was dining quietly, a black hat placed on the table, and a black coat draped over his chair.

His movements were subtle and elegant, making almost no sound.

Lina glanced at him and ignored him, then looked at Zoro beside him, who seemed not to have noticed.

This quiet was quickly broken.

"Clang! Clang!"

"Let's eat, hahaha, I want to order, order!"

"Coming, coming, you noisy bunch."

A blond man walked out from the kitchen, looking disgusted at the shouting Luffy.

The man wore a black suit with a blue striped lining, showing he had dressed meticulously.

Lina and the others walked over to sit with Luffy.

"What would you like to eat?" Sanji asked calmly, holding a notepad and pen to take their orders.

"Meat! I want ten servings of meat!"

"Ten servings? Can you finish it?" Sanji looked up at Luffy, his tone unfriendly, "If you waste food in front of me, I won't let you off!"

Sanji's attitude made Luffy inexplicably stunned.

He had never seen such an arrogant cook before.

"Don't worry, his appetite is absolutely no problem," Lina smiled up at Sanji, teasing him, "On the other hand, I'm afraid he'll wear you out later."

"Oh?" Sanji looked at Luffy with interest.

"This is the first time I've been challenged like this, just try me."

"Luffy, eat to your heart's content today, I have enough money."

"Really!" Luffy shouted excitedly, his eyes fixed on Sanji.

"When it comes to eating, I've never lost."

"When it comes to cooking, I've never lost either."

Sparks flew between their eyes, and their fighting spirit was instantly ignited.

"Then what do the others want to eat..."

Sanji turned to look at the others, but as his gaze swept over Nami, the words he was about to say stopped abruptly.

His face, which had just been filled with fighting spirit, instantly fell, and pink hearts appeared in his eyes as he knelt on one knee before Nami.

"Huh?" Nami was a little flustered, clearly startled by this sudden action.

"Angel! An angel has descended!" Sanji said obsequiously, his voice exaggerated, "Please let me be your captive!"

Before Nami could react, a wooden prosthetic leg hit Sanji hard on the head.

Bang!

"Ouch!!!"

"You scoundrel, bothering the customers again!" Zeff scolded with his arms crossed.

"I think you don't want to work here anymore, so pack your things and get out. I don't need a cook like you in my restaurant!"

"You old bastard!" Sanji glared, getting up and shouting, "No matter how much you try to kick me out, I won't leave. I'll stay here until you die!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? I can live another hundred years!"

Zeff grunted, then turned and went back to the kitchen.

Sanji 'Tch'ed, his expression gradually calming down, and he turned to Nami with a smile.

"I apologize for my rude behavior just now, beautiful lady. As compensation, I'll treat you to this meal today."

After speaking, he looked expressionlessly at Lina and the others, "You guys will pay as usual."

"Perverted cook." x4

Soon, cooks brought out the food one after another.

"Thank you for waiting."

"I heard you're going to duel with Sanji, you've got guts."

"He also forbade us from helping, saying he'll make sure you leave here stuffed today."

Several cooks chuckled as they served the dishes, sizing them up.

They had been cooking and serving customers for many years, and they rarely saw a duel between a cook and guests.

They were all excited, waiting to watch the show.

Lina and the others chatted with the cooks while eating and drinking.

It was also then that they learned that the ship outside was the flagship of the Pirate Admiral Crick's pirate fleet.

This morning, a pirate named Arlong escaped from the Marines and was saved by Sanji when he was starving.

However, the man returned and brought the Crick Pirates with him. Zeff, without complaining, gave them food.

As a result, the well-fed Krieg repaid their kindness with betrayal, attempting to plunder the ship.

"That Krieg is such a bastard!"

"No wonder there are no customers here."

"So what happened after that? I see you're all fine."

Upon hearing this, the chefs exchanged glances and cautiously said:

"See that person in the corner? He actually sliced the Crick Pirates' main ship in half with a single sword strike."

"He single-handedly wiped out Krieg's crew."

The chef craned his neck, leaning in to whisper to the others.

"O-one strike?"

"Split such a huge ship in two!?"

Nami and Usopp looked at each other in disbelief, covering their mouths and whispering in alarm.

"Did you see his eyes? That's the World's Greatest Swordsman, Hawk Eyes!"

Just then, Hawk Eyes in the corner slowly stood up, put on his hat, donned his coat, and casually grabbed the Black Blade leaning beside him, holding it on his back.

He spoke faintly to the chefs, "The bill."