Sanji

However, when Locke saw that the notice also included a speculation about the ship's current location, he realized the Marines probably knew someone else might falsely claim credit for finding the ship. That was why they had specifically described in detail the ice giant ability Locke had displayed back then.

"Forget about that. Let's keep moving," Locke said to Big Bear after reading it, tossing the notice aside.

They had only been at sea for a few days, but Locke considered the three Kuma brothers' combat strength to be lacking, and they had not possessed their Fruit abilities for long. So he had Yun Zhinnan put the three of them through intensive training in preparation for the upcoming battle at the Marine branch.

Because of Big Bear's injuries, his training was less intense than the other two's. Locke had him keep a close eye on Marine news at all times, which was why Big Bear had come in to report.

"There's one more thing, Captain," Big Bear said, not hurrying to leave.

"What is it?"

"We just spotted a restaurant at sea!"

"A restaurant? Could it be the sea restaurant Baratie?" The moment Locke heard of a floating restaurant, Baratie—the ship where Sanji was—was the first thing that came to mind.

"Tell Yun Zhinnan to stop the training for now and bring the ship over," Locke said after thinking for a moment.

Originally, Locke had not intended to go there. But Carmen had learned cooking because of Sanji. If she got to see him again, she would probably be happy.

With that thought, Locke left the room with Big Bear and headed toward the kitchen.

Ever since Carmen had eaten the Telekinesis Fruit, she had wanted to use its power in her cooking. Recently, she had been practicing in the kitchen constantly. The others besides Locke had suffered because of it—they had to eat dishes Carmen made with telekinesis every day. Only Locke still got to enjoy Carmen's carefully crafted delicacies.

Soon, Locke arrived at the kitchen. When he opened the door, he saw a kitchen knife chopping vegetables on a cutting board, yet no one stood behind it. Carmen was sitting to one side, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper in her hands with rapt attention.

"Carmen!"

"Locke! Why are you here? It'll be a while before we eat." Carmen asked curiously when she saw him.

"Don't cook today. We're going out to eat at a restaurant," Locke explained.

"A restaurant? I looked at the sea chart today. Isn't it all ocean around here? Where would a restaurant come from?"

"You'll see when you get there!" Locke said no more, taking Carmen's hand and leading her out.

By then, the Phantom had slowly approached the sea restaurant Baratie. To avoid attracting attention, Locke had already used his ability to hide the lettering on the ship before they came here.

"There really is a restaurant!" Carmen exclaimed in surprise as she looked at it.

"Of course there is! When have I ever lied to you?" Locke said helplessly. They had been together for so many years, and he had never lied to her. Why did she sound as though he deceived her all the time?

"How could you say that? Once, you put wasabi in chocolate and tricked me into eating it. And then there was..." Carmen began listing the pranks Locke had played on her when they were young.

With every incident Carmen mentioned, Yun Zhinnan's gaze toward Locke grew stranger, as if he were saying, So this is what kind of captain you are.

Locke had never expected her to remember even such trivial matters. He quickly cut her off. "All right, let's go take a look!" Without waiting for Carmen, he jumped straight down from the Phantom, which had just docked, and headed toward Baratie.

"Hey! Wait for me! I'm not done yet!" Carmen immediately chased after him.

Yun Zhinnan and the three Kuma brothers remained on the ship. They exchanged glances, smiles appearing at the corners of their mouths, then followed after them. As for Annie, since ghosts did not need to eat, she was left behind to watch the ship.

When the group arrived grandly at the entrance, they were greeted by a large-faced man in an apron, his face covered with a thick beard.

"Welcome, honored guests. This way, please."

Before Locke and the others could speak, a blond-haired man with curled eyebrows and a black suit came charging over from the distance. Sanji shoved the man aside and stopped in front of Carmen.

"Beautiful lady, what service may I provide for you?"

"Sanji, you bastard!" the man who had been shoved aside said angrily, but Sanji ignored him completely.

Carmen said nothing, merely turning her head curiously to look at Locke.

Locke did not say anything either. He took her hand and patted it, then stepped directly between Sanji and Carmen.

"You're Sanji, right?" Locke asked the man in front of him.

"Who are you? How do you know me?" Sanji found it strange that Locke recognized him. He had never appeared in newspapers or anywhere else. Besides, this group had never come to the restaurant before. After all, there was no way he would forget such a beautiful young lady if he had seen her before.

"Don't think too hard. You don't know us, but I know you," Locke said with a grin.

"Then what exactly have you come here for?" Sanji's expression slowly darkened, as though he was about to make a move.

"Don't get worked up! We're not here to cause trouble. One of my crew members simply wants to compete with you in cooking," Locke slowly explained their purpose.

"Compete with me in cooking?" Sanji asked in confusion.

"Hello, my name is Carmen. We've met before, though you may have forgotten. But I worked so hard to learn cooking because of you!" Carmen said, signaling for Locke to move aside.

"A beautiful lady learned cooking for me!" Upon hearing that, Sanji completely forgot the tense atmosphere that had seemed ready to erupt into a fight. Both of his eyes had turned into hearts.

"She only wants to challenge your cooking. Don't get carried away," Locke said again from the side, his face dark.

"Hehehe!" Seeing Locke like that, Carmen giggled.

"May I ask your name, milady?" Sanji asked Carmen gentlemanly, completely ignoring Locke beside her.

"My name is Carmen."

"Carmen. What a beautiful name."

"I say, how long are you two going to keep chatting? Hurry up and start the cooking competition," Locke interrupted once more.

At this moment, Yun Zhinnan and the three Kuma brothers sat around a round table, watching their captain's thoroughly displeased expression.

Big Bear said, "Look, Captain's jealous."

The other three nodded in complete agreement. They had never seen Locke act like this before.

"That's enough, you lot. Don't think I can't hear you," Locke said as he turned back toward them.