Sanji

The next day, the weather was clear, with not a cloud in the sky.

The Merry sailed peacefully across the endless blue sea.

On deck, Lina, Luffy, Usopp, and the others sat in a circle, their expressions grave.

Nami and Zoro sat off to the side, watching closely.

"I'm testing the waters. One three."

"I'll raise you with a four."

"Pass."

"You don't even have a four? You're terrible at this, Luffy."

"Give me a break. You're not tricking me into breaking up my hand!"

Usopp gritted his teeth as he watched Luffy. The guy was getting smarter.

Most of the time, sailing was incredibly boring, especially after Lina's minions took care of all the odd jobs.

So Lina taught the others how to play Dou Dizhu. While Luffy and Usopp went fishing, Lina and Zoro lifted weights.

Whenever they took a break, they'd gather to play. Nami and Zoro would join in, too.

As for Lina's luck at cards... let's just say he was a generous player.

He didn't mind. He treated it as giving everyone a little spending money.

It was worth mentioning that he was the one in charge of the ship's money.

Saving? He didn't do that.

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

Except when it came to Luffy.

If you dared give him money, he'd really go and spend it all.

Suddenly, a spectral eagle flew down from the crow's nest.

It perched on Lina's shoulder, pecked at him, then pointed its beak toward the bow.

These were a few eagles Lina had asked Usopp to hunt in Cocoyasi Village the day before.

He'd turned them into undead birds to keep watch over the ship in his place 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 pointed. Sure enough, a tiny green speck was visible in the distance.

"Baratie. We can finally have a proper feast."

Lina jumped back down. "No more cards. Time to settle up."

"Hehehe! I won five hundred thousand berries!"

Luffy grinned.

There went another five hundred thousand berries.

Soon, the group arrived at Baratie, a massive three-story restaurant ship floating on the sea, with an open-mouthed fish head at its bow.

"Time to eat!" Luffy rushed aboard, clutching the five hundred thousand berries he'd just won.

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

Lina followed Usopp's pointing finger. The enormous wreck of a pirate ship lay broken in two, half-submerged in the sea, with only its bow and stern still floating.

"That flag belongs to the Crick Pirates!"

Usopp had already recognized whose ship it was.

At that, several familiar scenes immediately came to Lina's mind.

"Is it Hawk Eyes?"

Lina furrowed his brow slightly and turned his gaze to a small boat moored nearby.

An armchair with a high back stood in the boat, with a few candles lit around it.

The boat was tied to Baratie with a rope.

"How did a ship that big sink?"

"Who knows? Maybe someone cut it apart."

"Don't joke around, Lina. How could anyone cut a ship in half?"

Usopp waved a hand and laughed.

The group disembarked and headed straight into the restaurant.

Dozens upon dozens of tables filled the spacious dining hall, yet it was completely silent. There wasn't a single customer.

No, there were two.

In the corner, a man in a white shirt was eating quietly. A black hat sat beside the table, and a black coat hung over his chair.

His movements were delicate and graceful, and he made almost no sound.

Lina glanced at him, then paid him no more attention. He looked over at Zoro beside him, who didn't seem to have noticed the man.

The quiet was soon broken.

"Clang! Clang!"

"Food! Hahaha, I want to order! Let me order!"

"Coming, coming. You're making an awful racket."

A blond man walked out of the kitchen, looking at the noisy Luffy with disdain.

He wore a black suit with a blue-striped shirt underneath, and it was clear he'd dressed with care.

Lina and the others joined Luffy at the table.

"What'll it be?" Sanji asked casually, taking out a notepad and pen to write down their orders.

"Meat! Ten servings!"

"Ten servings? Can you even eat that much?" Sanji looked up at Luffy, his tone unfriendly. "If you waste food in front of me, I won't let you get away with it!"

Sanji's attitude left Luffy momentarily stunned.

He'd never met such an arrogant cook.

"Don't worry. He can definitely eat that much." Lina smiled up at Sanji and teased him. "If anything, I'm worried he'll wear you out."

"Oh?" Sanji looked at Luffy with interest.

"This is the first time someone's challenged me like that. Go ahead and try."

"Luffy, eat as much as you want today. We've got money to spare."

"Really?" Luffy cried excitedly, staring intently at Sanji.

"I've never lost when it comes to eating."

"And I've never lost when it comes to cooking."

Their eyes met, sparks flying as they instantly brought out each other's competitive spirit.

"Then what would everyone else like to—"

Sanji turned to the others, but when his gaze swept over Nami, he abruptly stopped mid-sentence.

The fire in his face vanished, his eyes turned into pink hearts, and he dropped to one knee before Nami.

"Huh?" Nami looked unsure what to do, clearly startled by his sudden behavior.

"An angel! An angel has descended!" Sanji fawned over her, his voice exaggerated. "Please, let me become your captive!"

Before Nami could react, a wooden prosthetic leg slammed into Sanji's head.

Bang!

"Ow!!!"

"You little bastard, harassing the customers again!" Zeff scolded him with his arms crossed.

"You don't want to work here anymore? Then pack your things and get out! This restaurant doesn't need a cook like you!"

"Damn old man!" Sanji glared at him, sprang to his feet, and shouted, "No matter how many times you try to kick me out, I'm not leaving! I'm staying here until you die!"

"Don't talk nonsense! I can live another hundred years!"

Zeff snapped, then turned and headed back to the kitchen.

Sanji clicked his tongue. His expression gradually settled, and he turned to Nami with a smile.

"Forgive my rude behavior just now, beautiful miss. As an apology, dinner's on me today."

Then, without changing his expression, he looked at Lina and the others. "You'll pay as usual."

"Pervert cook." ×4

Soon, the cooks began bringing out the food one after another.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"We heard you're going to have a showdown with Sanji. You've got guts."

"He even told us not to help. Said he was going to make sure you had to be carried out of here today."

A few cooks joked as they served the food, looking the group over.

They'd worked as cooks for years, but rarely seen a showdown between a cook and his customers.

Each of them was eager to see how it would play out.

As Lina and the others ate, they chatted with the cooks.

That was when they learned that the ship outside had been the flagship of the pirate admiral Krieg's fleet.

That morning, a pirate named Arlong had escaped from the Marines. Nearly starved to death, he'd been rescued by Sanji.

But after returning to his crew, he'd brought the Crick Pirates back with him. Zeff hadn't held it against him and had given them food.

But once Krieg and his men had eaten their fill, they repaid Zeff's kindness by trying to plunder the ship.

"Krieg's such a bastard!"

"No wonder there isn't a single customer here."

"What happened after that? You all look fine to me."

At that, the cooks exchanged glances and spoke cautiously.

"See that man in the corner? He cut the Crick Pirates' flagship in half with a single stroke."

"He wiped out Krieg and his whole crew all by himself."

The cook leaned in and whispered into their ears.

"O-one stroke?"

"He cut a ship that huge in half?!"

Nami and Usopp stared in disbelief, covering their mouths as they whispered in alarm.

"See his eyes? That's Hawk Eyes, the World's Greatest Swordsman!"

Just then, Hawk Eyes slowly stood up in the corner. He put on his hat and coat, then casually picked up the black sword leaning nearby and slung it across his back.

He spoke coolly to the cooks. "The bill."