Sanji

The next day dawned clear and cloudless.

The Going Merry sailed peacefully across the endless blue sea.

On deck, Reiner, Luffy, and Usopp sat in a circle, their expressions serious.

Nami and Zoro sat on the periphery, observing them closely.

"Testing the waters with a three."

"I'll counter you with a four."

"Nothing."

"You don't even have a four, Luffy? You're really struggling, aren't you?"

"Oh, come on, don't try to trick me into breaking up my hand!"

Usopp gritted his teeth, looking at Luffy. This guy's getting smart.

Most of their time sailing was boring, especially after Reiner's Undead took over all the miscellaneous chores.

So, Reiner taught them how to play Fight the Landlord. When Luffy and Usopp were fishing, Reiner and Zoro would lift weights.

During breaks, they'd gather to play Fight the Landlord, with Nami and Zoro joining in the fun.

Reiner's luck in cards was, well, he was a charitable player.

He didn't really care; he just thought of it as giving them pocket money.

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

Save money? He wouldn't.

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

Except when it came to Luffy.

If you gave that guy money, he'd genuinely spend it all.

Suddenly, an Undead Hawk from the crow's nest flew down.

It landed on Reiner's shoulder, pecked at it, then pointed its beak towards the bow.

Reiner had Usopp help him hunt these hawks yesterday in Cocoyasi Village.

He'd turned them into Undead specifically to guard the ship when he was busy—which was most of the time, really.

Seeing this, Reiner leaped directly to the crow's nest. He looked in the direction the hawk's beak indicated and, sure enough, a tiny green speck was visible in the distance.

"Baratie Sea Restaurant. We can finally get a good meal."

Reiner jumped down. "No more playing, time to settle up."

"Hehehe, I won 500,000 Beli!"

Luffy grinned.

Great, another 500,000 Beli down the drain.

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

"Time to eat!" Luffy eagerly ran up, clutching the 500,000 Beli he'd just won.

"Hey, wait! Is that a Pirate Ship?"

Reiner followed Usopp's pointing finger. The wreckage of a massive Pirate Ship lay broken in two, half-submerged in the sea, with only the bow and stern slowly drifting.

"That flag... it's the Krieg Pirates!"

Usopp had already recognized the Pirate Ship.

When Reiner heard this, familiar images immediately flashed through his mind.

Is it Hawkeye?

Reiner frowned slightly, his gaze shifting to a small boat moored nearby.

In the boat stood a high-backed armchair, with several candles lit around it.

It was tied to Baratie with a rope.

"How did such a large ship sink?"

"I don't know, maybe it was cut."

"Don't joke, Reiner! How could anyone cut a ship in half?"

Usopp waved his hand, laughing.

The group disembarked and headed straight into the restaurant.

The enormous restaurant had at least dozens, if not hundreds, of tables, yet it was completely silent, with not a single customer.

No, there were two.

In a corner, a man in a white shirt was quietly eating. A black hat lay beside his plate on the table, and a black coat was draped over his chair.

His movements were subtle and elegant; he made almost no sound.

Reiner glanced at him and then ignored him. He shot a look at Zoro beside him, who didn't seem to have noticed anything.

The quiet was soon broken.

Clang! Clang!

"Food, hahaha! I want to order, order!"

"Alright, alright, such a commotion."

A blond man emerged from the kitchen, looking annoyed at the boisterous Luffy.

The man was dressed in a black suit with a blue striped shirt, clearly well-dressed.

Reiner and the others walked over and sat with Luffy.

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

"Meat! I want ten servings of meat!"

"Ten servings? Can you even 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 inexplicably surprised Luffy.

He had never seen such an arrogant chef.

"Don't worry, his appetite is definitely not a problem," Reiner said with a grin, looking up at Sanji. "On the contrary, 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. Go ahead, try your best."

"Luffy, eat your fill today. Money's no object."

"Really?!" Luffy exclaimed 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, their fighting spirits instantly ignited by the other.

"So, what do the others want to—"

Sanji turned to look at the others, but when his gaze fell upon Nami, his words abruptly stopped mid-sentence.

The fighting spirit that had just been ignited on his face instantly crumbled, his eyes turning into pink hearts as he knelt on one knee before Nami.

"Huh?" Nami was a little flustered, clearly startled by the sudden gesture.

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

Before Nami could react, a wooden peg leg came down hard on Sanji's head.

Thwack!

"Ouch!!!"

"You damn punk, harassing customers again!" Zeff scolded, arms crossed.

"I think you don't want this job anymore. Pack your bags and get out. My restaurant doesn't need a chef like you!"

"You old geezer!" Sanji glared, standing up and shouting, "No matter how much you try to kick me out, I won't leave! I'm staying here until you die!"

"What nonsense are you spouting? I'll live for another hundred years!"

Zeff growled, turning back into the kitchen.

Sanji 'tsk'ed, his expression gradually calming down. He turned to Nami and smiled.

"Please excuse my rude behavior just now, beautiful lady. As compensation, this meal is on me today."

Then he looked at Reiner and the others with a poker face. "You all pay as usual."

"Perverted chef." x4

Soon, chefs began to bring out dishes one after another.

"Thanks for waiting."

"We heard you're challenging Sanji, that takes guts."

"He even forbade us from helping, saying he's going to make sure you all waddle out of here today."

Several chefs served the food while smiling and observing them.

A showdown between a chef and customers—they had rarely seen anything like it in all their years.

They were all incredibly excited, waiting to see the show.

Reiner and the others ate and drank while chatting with the chefs.

It was then that they learned the ship outside was the main vessel of the Pirate Admiral Krieg Pirates.

This morning, a pirate named Gin escaped from the Marines, and Sanji saved him when he was on the verge of starvation.

However, after returning, he brought back the Krieg Pirates. Zeff didn't bother to argue and gave them food.

But after eating their fill, Krieg ungratefully turned on them, intending to plunder the ship.

"That Krieg is such a bastard!"

"No wonder there are no customers here."

"So what happened after that? You all seem fine."

The chefs exchanged glances, then cautiously replied, "See the man in the corner? He actually cut the Krieg Pirates' main ship in half with a single strike."

"He annihilated Krieg and his crew all by himself."

One of the chefs leaned in, whispering to them.

"A single strike?"

"He cut such a big ship in half?!"

Nami and Usopp covered their mouths, whispering in disbelief and shock.

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

Just then, Hawkeye slowly stood up from the corner, put on his hat and coat, and casually picked up the Black Blade leaning beside him, placing it behind his back.

He then spoke calmly to the chefs, "The bill."