You Two! You're Really Close, Huh!

"Whoosh—"

Luffy's neck suddenly stretched like rubber, his head shooting down from the second-floor deck to the terrace below, nearly pressing against Sanji's face.

"Hey! Cook! Join us! Be the cook of our pirate crew!"

Sanji, who had been immersed in his own emotions, was startled by the giant face suddenly extending toward him.

The cigarette in his mouth nearly fell out, and the serious, somber atmosphere from before instantly vanished.

"Whoa! What the hell are you made of?!"

Sanji took a step back and looked at Luffy with disgust. "I already told you, I have a reason I have to stay here. Whether it's the old man or this restaurant... anyway, just give up."

Without any hesitation, Luffy immediately shouted back:

"Yeah, I refuse!"

"Huh? Refuse what?" Sanji froze.

"I refuse your refusal!!" Luffy yelled self-righteously.

"Are you an idiot?!"

Veins bulged on Sanji's forehead. He felt like there was absolutely no way to communicate with this guy. "Did you even hear what I said?! This is my decision!"

"I'm not listening!"

Luffy stretched out both arms, grabbing the railing like two ropes, then launched himself down with a "whoosh."

He landed in a steady crouch atop the railing, looking down at Sanji.

"Then what's the reason? The reason you have to stay here?"

"I have no obligation to tell you!"

Sanji's eyes turned cold. At some point, a gleaming kitchen knife had appeared in his hand, and he viciously pressed it against Luffy's forehead.

"Keep talking, and I'll chop you into minced meat, you persistent Straw Hat brat!"

Facing the sharp blade, Luffy refused to back down. He widened his eyes and stared Sanji down.

"What did you say?! Say one more bad thing about this Straw Hat, and I'll punch you flying!"

Their foreheads pressed together, sparks flying as neither gave an inch.

"Ah... two idiots. Shut up already. You're so damn noisy."

Just then, a helpless voice came from above.

Victor supported himself on the railing with one hand, flipped lightly over it, and landed steadily, breaking the tense atmosphere between them.

The two snorted coldly, ending their confrontation for the moment as they both turned toward Victor.

Victor ignored them and instead looked toward Gin, who was struggling to get up from the ground.

"You're the Krieg Pirates' combat commander, right?"

Gin clutched his still-aching stomach and watched Victor warily, taking up a defensive stance.

"Yeah... that's right. I'm grateful for that plate of food, but if you want to fight, I'll oblige.

"For Captain Krieg, I won't back down."

"Fight?"

The corner of Victor's mouth twitched as he revealed his trademark smiling expression.

"I'm not interested in fighting a nobody like you.

"However... if you give me a chance to slaughter your 'Admiral,' Captain Krieg, I might reluctantly accept."

"What did you say?!"

Gin instantly flew into a rage, glaring at Victor with bloodshot eyes. "How dare you insult Captain Krieg! Captain Krieg is the overlord of the East Blue!"

"Krieg? What's that? Is it tasty?"

Beside them, Luffy tilted his head and picked his nose with a confused expression.

"..."

Sanji looked at this Straw Hat idiot with a face full of dark lines and couldn't help commenting:

"You don't even know that? How did you become a pirate? He's an admiral with a massive fleet of fifty pirate ships."

Gin shot Victor a resentful look, then took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. He looked at Luffy with a complicated expression.

"You're pirates too, right... What's your purpose in becoming pirates?"

Luffy immediately broke into a brilliant smile, his eyes firm.

"Yeah! I'm going to find One Piece and enter the Grand Line!"

"Oh, that."

Standing nearby, Victor suddenly nodded and seriously chimed in:

"Yeah, that's right. I'm Luffy, the man who'll become the Pirate King."

"Hey!!!"

Luffy instantly exploded, stretching out an arm to grab Victor by the collar and shake him wildly.

"You bastard, Victor! Don't steal my line! I'm the Pirate King! You're the Pirate King's vice-captain! Vice-captain!!"

"Yeah, yeah, got it. Stop shaking me, I'm going to throw up." Victor was shaken like a rattle, yet his expression remained calm.

Gin watched the two fooling around, but there was not the slightest trace of a smile on his face.

On the contrary, when he heard the words "Grand Line," deep fear appeared on his face, and his body even began to tremble slightly.

"For the sake of Sanji saving my life, I'll give you some advice..."

Gin's voice was hoarse, as though he had recalled some nightmare.

"You'd better not go to the Grand Line. That place... is not somewhere humans should go."

"It's only one part of the world's oceans. If all you want is to be pirates, the sea is so vast that you can go anywhere. There's no need to throw your lives away..."

Luffy stopped shaking Victor and revealed a thoughtful expression.

"I see... then what do you know about the Grand Line?"

"Don't ask!!"

Gin suddenly clutched his head in pain and crouched down.

"No, I don't know anything... I don't understand anything... That place is hell... hell..."

Victor watched him break down like this, smiled, and said nothing.

Only a few days after entering the Grand Line, they had run into Hawk-Eye Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman, who had come out to bully rookies. Fifty ships had instantly been cut down until only one battered wreck remained.

How was that any different from a bunch of bronze and iron-ranked players getting matched against the number one player on the national server...

Should one say the Krieg Pirates were lucky to have survived, or that their luck was terrible beyond measure...

The scene shifted.

Gin was, after all, the combat commander. His mental fortitude was fairly solid, and he quickly pulled himself together.

With Sanji's help, he boarded one of Baratie's spare small supply boats.

"Goodbye, everyone." Gin untied the mooring rope.

Luffy stood on the railing and laughed loudly.

"Yeah, goodbye! But I'm still going to the Grand Line!

"Just like this cook said, even though it's dangerous, I have a reason I absolutely have to go too! Shishishi!"

Sanji leaned against the railing. Seeing Luffy's fearless and resolute expression, his eyes softened slightly.

"Fwoosh—"

He took a deep drag from his cigarette, raised his head, and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.

"Cough, cough..."

Victor, whose face had been washed in smoke, frowned and waved a hand in front of himself, glaring at the curly-browed guy.

"Hey, Curly Brows. If you want to smoke, can't you go smoke in the ocean? You're polluting the air."

Victor strongly suspected that this guy had done it on purpose.

"Huh?!"

Sanji held the cigarette between his lips and looked over provocatively. "How the hell do you smoke in the ocean? Is your brain waterlogged? And who are you calling Curly Brows?! You red-eyed bastard, wanna fight?"

The smile on Victor's face widened.

"Sure. Don't hold back. You'll soon get to experience what it feels like to smoke in the ocean firsthand."

"Huh?" Sanji's face filled with dark lines.

Did that mean he was going to throw him into the sea?

"Hahahaha!"

Seeing the two at each other's throats, Luffy not only failed to stop them, but instead slapped the railing and burst into laughter.

"Yeah, you two really are idiots! You're so close!"

"You're the idiot!!"

Victor and Sanji moved in perfect unison, turning toward Luffy and roaring at the same time.

"Huh? Is that so?" Luffy scratched his head innocently.

"Hehe..."

Gin had already rowed some distance away. Watching this lively scene, he couldn't help revealing a long-lost smile.

"Hey—!!"

Gin interrupted their squabbling, stood up, and bowed deeply to Sanji.

"Sanji, thank you so much. You're my benefactor. That plate of fried rice... was the most delicious food I've ever eaten in my life."

He raised his head, a hint of hope in his eyes.

"If I get the chance someday... can I come back and eat again?"

Sanji froze for a moment, then a smile curled across his lips.

The cigarette at his fingertips flickered as he waved a hand and said coolly:

"Yeah, anytime. As long as you want to eat."

"Thank you!!"

Gin turned around and steered his small boat farther and farther away.

Victor stood by the railing, glanced at Sanji, and then kept his eyes fixed on Gin's departing back.

He hesitated.

If he threw a Kunai now, he could precisely deal with Gin and even save himself the trouble later.

But...

He glanced at Sanji beside him, who was still smoking with a somewhat lonely expression.

If he killed Gin now, it would mean denying Sanji's way of saving people just now. It might even completely enrage this future companion.

"Snap."

Victor put away the Kunai and held it in his palm.

Forget it.

He would let him bring Don Krieg here, then deal with them all at once.

It was only a little extra trouble anyway, and he could even farm some Ninja Way Points while he was at it.

"Sanji, you have your principles, and I have mine."

"When it's time to draw my blade, I will never show mercy!"

Victor silently told himself, then turned around and walked toward the restaurant with a smiling expression.

"Hey, Curly Brows, we're your gods now, right?"

"I'm hungry. Bring me another plate of fried rice."

"Ah!" Luffy revealed an annoyed expression. "It looked really delicious when he was eating it earlier!"

"Thanks for the reminder, Victor! Sanji! I want a plate too!"

"Go drink seawater, you two bastards."

Sanji stubbed out his cigarette and walked toward the kitchen.