At the dining hall of Baratie,
Wang Shi and the others were seated at several tables.
Nami, Nojiko, and Kaya dined with Wang Shi. Beside them was a pirate slave, Paste Sweetheart, serving them.
Eric, Van Augur, Zoro, Saka, El Drago, and the other skilled fighters sat at one table.
Some nobles, officials, and Guard Army officers sat at another...
Dish after dish of delicious food was brought out.
The people of the Goa Empire enjoyed a feast before the war.
As Sanji served the food, he saw Wang Shi surrounded by beauties. His eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.
When he spotted the blonde beauty wearing a Slave Collar, his gaze grew even more conflicted and pained.
Sanji, who lived by the code of chivalry, couldn't bear to see a beauty suffer.
Fortunately, his professionalism as a chef—and the fact that he knew Wang Shi was not someone to provoke—kept him from playing the hero and rescuing her.
In the kitchen,
"Put those thoughts out of your mind. That slave is Honey Queen, a pirate with a bounty of 7.8 million Bellies."
The moment Zeff saw Sanji's expression, he knew exactly what the boy was thinking. His face turned stern as he immediately warned him.
To begin with, they couldn't afford to provoke the Goa Empire.
Even if the slave had been an ordinary person, they still couldn't have intervened.
Besides, she was a wanted pirate.
Zeff, who had spent years around the East Blue, had already recognized famous bounty hunters like Eric and Van Augur, as well as El Drago, the "Great Pirate" with a bounty of 16.5 million Bellies.
He never expected Wang Shi to bring even a "Great Pirate" like El Drago under his command.
And there were those other pirate slaves: Bear King, with a bounty of 11.6 million; Jango, with a bounty of 9 million; and the Cat Brothers, with a bounty of 7 million Bellies...
Then there was the large force of disciplined Guard Army soldiers...
With this lineup, they could sweep through every pirate crew in the East Blue.
No, the Arlong with the highest bounty in the East Blue had already been killed by the Goa Empire.
The Arlong Pirates had been wiped out, every last one of them. They say they died horribly.
"I know."
Sanji took a deep drag on his cigarette, forcing himself to suppress his urge to free the beautiful slave.
He knew that in this rotten world, it was perfectly normal for royalty and nobility to own slaves.
Especially for an overbearing newly crowned emperor like Wang Shi.
Most importantly, these slaves were pirates, so their enslavement was entirely legal under the World Government's laws.
As Wang Shi sampled the food, he occasionally kept an eye on Sanji, the blond cook.
Who would have thought that this blond boy was the Vinsmoke Family's most successful Lineage Factor modification?
He had not only retained his emotions, but also had the greatest potential among the five siblings.
Unfortunately, his initial Awakening rate was extremely low. He seemed just like an ordinary child, completely unlike his four siblings, who had possessed skin as tough as bronze and bones of iron since childhood.
That was why Vinsmoke Judge had given up on his useless third son.
"Is there something special about that lecherous cook?"
Nami was sharp and observant. She noticed that Wang Shi had glanced at the blond cook several times and even seemed lost in thought.
"He's a man with tremendous potential, and also a prince of a great nation who's been left to fend for himself."
Wang Shi swirled his wineglass and spoke with a faint smile.
He wondered if Sanji would be scared into hiding if he saw his Vinsmoke brothers now.
Sanji's three brothers had left him with plenty of painful memories. They had beaten him badly when he was little.
"That lecherous cook is a prince of a great nation?"
Nami exclaimed in disbelief. Even Nojiko and Kaya looked over at Sanji as he served another dish.
When Sanji saw the three beauties looking at him, he got as excited as a peacock spreading its tail and served the food with all kinds of exaggerated flourishes.
He even forgot all about Honey Queen, the beautiful slave.
Watching Sanji act like a lovesick fool, the three women wore awkward but polite expressions.
Was this really a prince of a great nation?
He was obviously just a lecherous cook.
"Vinsmoke Sanji. I hear Judge wants to arrange a marriage alliance with a powerful faction, but he can't bear to give up the strong children he raised with such effort. So he wants to find his lost, useless third son and send him off to marry."
"What do you think that useless third son should do?"
"Keep running, or seek refuge in a powerful country?"
"By the way, the evil army of Germa 66 will reach these waters soon."
"To make that useless third son submit and agree to the marriage, the Germa army might capture everyone he knows and use them to threaten him."
Wang Shi casually sampled the food that had just been served, talking to himself without even looking directly at Sanji.
Sanji had just finished serving a dish with an elaborate flourish and was about to turn away.
But when he heard Wang Shi's words, he froze. His face gradually turned deathly pale.
Did Wang Shi know who he was?
Impossible. How could that be?
Even old man Zeff didn't know his identity.
And what was this about a marriage alliance?
Germa 66's army was coming to capture him?
They were going to capture Zeff and the others to threaten him?
How could this be?
He had escaped that hell called Germa 66.
Why wouldn't those cold-blooded bastards leave him alone?
Sanji's mind went blank. He couldn't think straight.
Run! He had to take old man Zeff and the others with him!
Otherwise, they wouldn't stand a chance of escaping the Germa army.
In Sanji's eyes, the evil army of the Germa Kingdom was countless times stronger than the Goa Empire's army.
"Are you here to capture me?"
Sanji's face slowly returned to normal. He thought Wang Shi must have already made a deal with Germa 66.
Otherwise, there was no way someone as young as Wang Shi could know about him, the Vinsmoke Family's cast-off son.
"No."
Wang Shi replied coolly and continued enjoying his meal.
"Then how do you know who I..."
Sanji stared at Wang Shi, unable to hide his disbelief.
When Wang Shi didn't answer, Sanji ran in a panic to the kitchen and anxiously urged Zeff to flee with him.
Now that those bastards from Germa knew his identity—and his connection to Baratie—there was no other option but to run.
"What? You're saying the evil Germa army from the North Blue is coming to capture you?"
"You're the Vinsmoke Family's third son?"
In the kitchen, Zeff was shocked by Sanji's news.
They had only just gotten through the Goa Empire's crisis. Now there was an evil Germa army to deal with?
"Let's run, old man. Please."
"Those bastards are heartless, emotionless modified humans, and their soldiers are powerful clones."
Sanji was truly terrified. He feared that he would get Zeff and every chef at Baratie caught up in this.
The Vinsmoke Family would do anything to achieve their goals.
"Are you sure the Germa army is coming for you?"
"I thought I heard the Flaws Kingdom had hired Germa 66 to threaten the Goa Empire's expansion."
A glint flashed in Zeff's eyes as he struck Sanji hard with his staff.
Had that gullible kid been fooled by Wang Shi?