Arrival at Baratie

The vast East Blue, the sun glaring overhead.

The Eclipse glided steadily through the waves. On the spacious aft deck, an astonishing cloud of white steam rose from the blazing heat.

"Whew—"

Ace stood bare-chested, slowly exhaling a breath of scorching air. Across his towering two-and-a-half-meter frame, the muscle fibers he had just torn through his superhuman weight training were wrapped in Vermilion Bird Divine Fire, healing and rebuilding at a visible pace until they became denser and more formidable than before.

The price was an enormous expenditure of stamina.

"Captain! The roast is ready!"

Wearing a chef's hat, Buggy hurried over with a huge iron platter, his face blackened with soot and on the verge of tears. On the platter lay the leg of a nearshore sea beast, weighing several hundred pounds. Its surface was charred black, but blood still seeped from the inside.

Ace said nothing. He picked up the enormous beast's leg and devoured it in a ravenous flurry.

In just three minutes, he had eaten every last bit of the hundreds of pounds of meat.

Ace tossed aside the bone and frowned slightly. Such crude cooking could never bring out the sea beast meat's full flavor. It was barely good enough to fill his stomach and fuel his body.

"We're almost at the place I mentioned, right, Carina?"

Ace picked up the towel beside him and wiped the sweat from his body, then threw on his dark red coat.

"Yes, Captain."

Carina wore a sharp, practical women's suit. She jumped down from the top of the cabin with a spyglass in hand, a smile glinting in her purple eyes. "Going by the currents and wind direction, we're no more than five nautical miles away."

"Finally, I won't have to cook anymore," Buggy muttered under his breath. But when he met Ace's gaze, he immediately hunched his shoulders, then expertly grabbed a mop and went to clean up the mess.

Half an hour later.

A peculiar structure appeared on the horizon, its two ends shaped like enormous fish heads.

It was none other than Baratie, the most famous top-tier restaurant in the East Blue.

Quite a few merchant ships and pirate ships of all shapes and sizes were already anchored outside Baratie. But when the Eclipse's conspicuous, black, dagger-like hull glided into its berth, it instantly drew the attention of countless diners and bodyguards inside and out.

Under the mingled stares of greed and awe, the Eclipse came to a steady stop.

Thud.

Heavy footsteps landed on the wooden deck extending from Baratie.

Ace led the way. At two and a half meters tall, he towered over the East Blue locals, whose average height was only around one meter seventy-eight, like an impassable wall. Even with his presence reined in, his natural chill and oppressive aura made the few vicious-looking pirates blocking the entrance swallow nervously and step aside.

Sabo carried the Alloy Staff and followed calmly on the left. Carina walked elegantly on the right, while Buggy trailed behind them, fawning and looking around.

The four pushed open the restaurant doors and took a seat at the largest round table in the first-floor dining hall.

"So this is the East Blue's best restaurant? The decor is pretty impressive," Carina said, surveying the exquisite tableware and chandeliers.

"Hey, waiter! Bring out all your most expensive, high-calorie meat! Our captain's hungry!" Buggy shouted, pounding the table with an arrogant air.

As soon as he finished speaking, a figure shot out from the kitchen, gliding across the floor with astonishing speed.

He was a young man in a black double-breasted suit, with short blond hair and bangs covering his left eye.

He carried an elegant tray with perfect balance and had apparently been about to scold Buggy for making such a racket. But when his gaze swept over the round table and landed on Carina, with her purple hair and eyes and stunning figure—

Bang!

The blond man's eyes instantly turned into exaggerated pink hearts, and he glided to a kneeling stop beside Carina like a whirlwind.

"Oh! I never knew the sea could give rise to such a beautiful, enchanting violet! My noble lady, your beauty outshines every light in Baratie!"

The blond man—Sanji—dramatically clutched his chest with one hand and used the other to set a glass of specially blended juice from his tray in front of Carina.

"I made this Deep Sea Love especially for you. Please enjoy it. And if you don't mind, I'd be honored to offer you all of my culinary skill and my very soul." Sanji's body twisted like a noodle, pink bubbles seemingly floating all around him.

Carina was startled by his sudden display, then gave a savvy little laugh behind her hand. "Hee-hee, aren't you a sweet-talker, handsome?"

Watching this, Buggy couldn't resist pounding the table.

"Hey, curly-brow! I said bring out the meat! Didn't you hear me?!"

The pink hearts in Sanji's eyes vanished at once.

He turned around, thoroughly annoyed, and gave Buggy a cold, disdainful glance. "Shut up, Red Nose. Can't you see I'm serving this beautiful lady? If you want what a wild boar eats, go get it from the kitchen."

"You wanna die?!" Buggy snarled, pulling out his Seastone Knuckle.

"Easy, Buggy."

Sabo reached out to stop Buggy before he could fly off the handle, then looked at Sanji calmly. "Since you're the chef, we'd appreciate it if you brought us ten servings of the signature dishes on the menu to start. Money's no problem."

Sanji exhaled a ring of smoke and clicked his tongue dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. A bunch of rude men. Please wait a moment, beautiful lady. Your special feast will be right out~"

With that, Sanji blew Carina another kiss and slipped back into the kitchen like a cheerful little eel.

The commotion died down for a moment. Carina shook her head, amused.

Ace sat at the head of the table, resting his chin on one hand as he took in Sanji's entire performance.

He recognized the blond chef, of course: Black Leg Sanji from the future. The moment Sanji had glided over, Ace had also keenly sensed the impressive explosive power in the young man's leg muscles.

His cooking was truly top-notch, and he had a solid foundation.

But this guy's shameless, lovesick act was unbelievably stupid.

Ace shook his head inwardly, exasperated.

Reading the manga was one thing. Seeing a grown man abandon all dignity for a woman and twist himself into a noodle was another. It gave Ace goosebumps.

Besides, Ace knew Sanji's true nature: his "chivalry" and his principle of "never kicking a woman, even if it means dying."

That kind of personality was a perfect fit for Luffy's romantic, eccentric crew. But on the Eclipse, a ship bent on conquering the world and ruled by ruthless, domineering principles, he would be completely out of place. If they ever ran into a particularly troublesome female enemy, Sanji would never be able to handle her. He might even make a complete mess of things.

Forget it. That kind of catch is better left for Luffy.

Ace decisively crossed Sanji off his recruitment list.

The sea was vast and boundless, full of hidden monsters. With the Eclipse Pirates' current wealth and Ace's strength, surely they could find a chef who could satisfy his monstrous appetite and suit his temperament.

All he had to do on this trip was pay for Baratie's top recipes.

Just as Ace had finally abandoned the idea of recruiting Sanji and settled in to wait for the food—

Bang—!!

The two heavy glass doors of the sea restaurant were suddenly kicked open with brutal force from outside.

The crash of shattering glass, followed by a set of arrogant footsteps, instantly shattered the restaurant's refined atmosphere.

"Hey, everyone in this restaurant! Get out right now! From this moment on, this place is reserved exclusively for His Highness, the Third Prince of the Lubneel Kingdom!"

A haughty, grating voice rang out through Baratie's dining hall.