The Floating Restaurant: Sanji Begins Self-Reflection

The condition Zeff proposed meant that Lin Mo only needed to stay here and do nothing at all.

What was there to hesitate about?

Of course he agreed.

Favors were quite troublesome things to repay.

He had no intention of owing anyone in this world a favor and being led around by the nose.

"Haha, I win," Zeff smiled with a crooked mouth. "I never thought there'd come a day when you, Garp, would be rejected."

Garp was silent for a moment.

Then he burst out laughing.

He seemed not to care at all that Lin Mo hadn't chosen him.

"Hahahaha," Garp laughed loudly. "You really are an interesting brat. In that case, I've decided too—I'll stay here for the time being. Whenever Lin Mo leaves, I leave!"

"Eh?" Zeff was shocked. "Are you really going to go this far for a brat? Don't forget your status. Aren't you supposed to go catch pirates?"

Garp pointed at Zeff and smiled: "Pirates naturally have to be caught. I heard your restaurant is often frequented by pirates. To be able to eat delicious desserts while catching those pirates who deliver themselves to your doorstep—killing two birds with one stone, isn't it wonderful?"

Zeff: "..."

Lin Mo: "..."

Lin Mo hadn't expected Garp to go to such lengths.

This stubborn urge to force him into the Marines was remarkably similar to the tenacity with which future Luffy forced Zoro, Sanji, and the others to join his pirate crew when he was looking for companions.

They really were grandfather and grandson...

Whatever, let him do as he pleased.

Lin Mo had no intention of staying here any longer.

Without saying much more, he walked directly toward the kitchen.

Zeff asked: "Where are you going?"

Lin Mo answered calmly: "The kitchen."

Zeff's gaze flickered slightly: "You can cook?"

Lin Mo's expression remained unchanged as he said matter-of-factly: "No."

Zeff: "..."

Garp couldn't help bursting into laughter: "Hahahaha."

After Lin Mo entered the kitchen, Garp also prepared to return to the dining area.

Zeff suddenly called out to him: "Garp, are you really staying here?"

Garp grinned and said: "Of course."

With that, he walked down the Spiral Staircase and returned to the restaurant downstairs.

Zeff's gaze fell once again on the kitchen entrance: "Just what kind of background does this brat have..."

Arriving in the kitchen, Lin Mo's gaze bypassed the dozen or so busy chefs and landed on Sanji, who was standing in front of the sink, washing dishes diligently.

Judging from the check-in experience in Shimotsuki Village, Sanji's progress quest should account for a significant weight.

Without overthinking it, Lin Mo walked over to Sanji.

Sensing that someone was approaching, Sanji turned his head to take a look.

Seeing that it was the kid who had just exchanged kicks with Zeff coming over, Sanji was stunned for a moment, and a plate he was holding slipped from his hand.

With a crash, it shattered.

Sanji's expression changed drastically: "Ah! Crap, that old bastard is going to yell at me..."

The Floating Restaurant: Sanji Begins Self-Reflection

Sanji hadn't expected Lin Mo to come looking for him.

Finding him was one thing, but he had even made him break a plate...

This made him furious.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Sanji said unhappily. "Thanks to you, a plate got broken!"

Lin Mo chuckled: "Did I break it with my own hands?"

Sanji was stunned for a moment, then pouted: "No..."

Lin Mo: "What does that have to do with me?"

"Huh?" Sanji knew he was in the wrong, so he could only swallow this frustrating anger. "Damn it! You guys only know how to bully me. Those stinking cooks are like that, that stinking old man is like that, and even an outsider like you is too. Sooner or later, I'll make all of you look at me with new eyes!"

Just then, Patty angrily pushed open the door from outside the kitchen and complained as he walked, "A penniless freeloader actually dared to come eat at the Baratie. He really is a fearless bastard!"

Those busy cooks burst into laughter.

"Patty, did you throw that guy out the back door again?"

"Hahaha, that really is Patty's style."

As for Sanji, upon hearing that Patty had thrown a penniless freeloader out the back, the motion of washing plates in his hands paused.

Lin Mo looked at him indifferently.

Based on his understanding of Sanji, this kid would definitely secretly take food to those who couldn't afford a meal.

After all, Sanji could never sit idly by while people went hungry.

Sure enough.

Sanji secretly took two rolls of bread and a bottle of milk.

When he noticed Lin Mo watching him, he even made a gesture to Lin Mo telling him not to speak.

Then, taking advantage of the moment when Patty and the others weren't paying attention, he slipped out of the kitchen.

Lin Mo followed behind him.

Sanji came to the deck at the back door.

There was a gaunt, starving man lying flat on his back on the deck in despair.

Without a second word, Sanji placed the bread and milk next to the man.

"Eat up." Sanji sat down nearby and stared at the man as he spoke.

The man weakly turned his head to glance at him, picked up the bread and milk Sanji had placed beside him with trembling hands, and wolfed them down without hesitation.

After finishing, he wept tears of gratitude toward Sanji. "Thank you, thank you so much! I almost thought I was going to starve to death on this ocean."

Sanji grinned and asked, "Having something to eat feels pretty great, doesn't it?"

The man nodded with a smile. "Yeah. For the first time, I feel like having something to eat is such a blissful thing. I really don't know how to thank you."

"You don't need to thank me. Food is a treasure bestowed upon us by nature. Just promise me that even if your life becomes wealthy in the future, you won't waste food."

"Alright, I promise you!"

"Mm." Sanji nodded and turned to walk back.

When he came up the Spiral Staircase.

Lin Mo was leaning against the wall beside the second-floor stairs.

Watching Sanji walk past before his eyes, he spoke up, "Hot, freshly cooked food is always better than dry, stale bread."

Sanji abruptly stopped in his tracks.

That remark from Lin Mo was like a sharp blade stabbing fiercely into his heart.

"Hey! What do you know!" Sanji couldn't help shouting angrily. "I want to cook for those hungry people too, but the food I make tastes awful! That stinking old man simply refuses to teach me, and I'm troubled by it as well!"

"Heh." Lin Mo let out a cold laugh.

Sanji was so angry he gnashed his teeth. "You're mocking me, aren't you! What right do you have to mock me?"

"With comprehension like yours, why on earth should Zeff teach you?"

"What!" Sanji shook all over with anger. "You bastard, do you want to fight?"

As he spoke, Sanji lunged toward Lin Mo and threw a punch straight at him.

Lin Mo sidestepped and dodged.

Sanji's fist smashed into the wooden wall behind Lin Mo, hurting him so much that he stamped his feet in place.

Lin Mo was utterly speechless.

Judging by the looks of it, this kid hadn't started learning leg techniques yet...

He was actually using his hands to fight?

A chef's hands were meant for cooking.

An excellent chef should use his legs for fighting.

Zeff was like that.

The future Sanji would be like that too.

It was just that he was too slow to catch on.

While holding him in contempt, Lin Mo suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

Perhaps this was the key to the progress of this check-in mission!

Thinking of this.

Lin Mo spoke up, saying, "Does your hand hurt?"

Sanji snapped irritably, "Duh, of course it hurts!"

Lin Mo chuckled softly. "Do you know why Zeff has always been unwilling to teach you culinary arts?"

Sanji froze for a moment, then snorted. "Who would know what goes on in that old bastard's head? You're an outsider, don't tell me you know why."

"I know."

"Huh?" Sanji couldn't believe it. "Are you kidding me? How long have you even known that old bastard? How could you possibly know!"

"What is your dream?"

"Hey, hey, what are you asking that for?" Even though Sanji was dissatisfied, he still answered Lin Mo honestly. "I want to surpass that old bastard, and then after that old bastard kicks the bucket, I'll set out to sea to find All Blue."

All Blue was a place Sanji had always yearned for. It was where the four great seas intersected, and legend had it that it contained all the ingredients from the four seas, making it a heavenly paradise that chefs dreamed of.

When talking about All Blue, Sanji's eyes were shining.

Lin Mo, however, let out a very indifferent "oh."

He instantly dragged Sanji back to reality. "What's with that perfunctory 'oh'?"

"What qualifications does someone who only knows how to bury their head and complain have to talk about dreams?"

"Huh? You bastard! You don't know a thing!" Sanji clenched his fist and threw another punch at Lin Mo.

This time, Lin Mo did not dodge. "The hands are a chef's most important things, right? If you injure them, do you plan to cook with your feet?"

Sanji's fist stopped less than five centimeters away from Lin Mo's face.

Lin Mo curved the corners of his mouth and continued, "A guy who can't even put in the effort has no qualification to talk about dreams."

With that, Lin Mo walked past him, preparing to wander around Baratie and get familiar with the layout here.

Anyway, he had said everything he needed to say.