Sanji Is Shocked / Heading for Loguetown

Noil hurriedly explained, "I can cook too. If you don't mind, could I use your kitchen to make a dish myself?"

He could cook?

Sanji's expression softened a little, but he still refused. "Our restaurant cooks for its guests. We don't let them do it themselves."

Seeing that Sanji wouldn't budge, Noil was about to give up. Then an old but powerful voice rang out.

"Let him in, Sanji!"

Noil turned toward the voice and saw an old man in a chef's uniform and an enormously tall chef's hat walking over.

The golden mustache beneath his nose was braided into two stiff plaits that jutted out to either side. His wooden right leg clacked against the floor.

The old man looked as if he had been born in a foul mood. He glared at Sanji and said, "If a guest isn't satisfied with your food and wants to cook for himself, let him."

"If we can't satisfy a customer's tastes, then no matter how you look at it, that's our responsibility as cooks."

"Damn old man! But..." Sanji tried to protest, only for the old man to cut him off with a wave.

He walked up to Noil and said fiercely, "But if we find out you're messing with us..."

Noil listened to the threat without a care.

This old man had to be "Red-Leg" Zeff. Anyone who had sailed the Grand Line for a year and made it back had to be strong.

But that wasn't enough to scare Noil.

Noil wiped his hands and mouth with a touch of elegance, then rose and headed for the kitchen. Zeff followed close behind.

Sanji scratched his head and muttered in frustration, "What a mess..."

Meanwhile, the F4 squad, now down one member, kept fighting on the front line without the slightest sign of stopping...

Noil entered the kitchen. Zeff took one look at his flustered cooks and stroked his stiff mustache, his face darkening.

Seeing Zeff bring in a stranger, the cooks asked curiously, "Head chef, who's he? Someone new?"

Zeff shook his head. "He's the guest at that table eating so much. He's not satisfied with your cooking and wants to come in and make it himself!"

"What?!" the cooks cried, shocked and furious.

They might have been rushing to get dishes out, but they had never let their standards slip. And this guy dared say their food wasn't good?

He even wanted to come into their kitchen and cook for himself?

That was an insult to any chef!

Everyone glared at Noil. A few particularly fierce-looking cooks even rolled up their sleeves, ready to teach him a lesson.

A roar from Zeff stopped them all. He made room, pointed at the cooking tools on the counter, and said, "Go ahead!"

Noil ignored their hostile stares. He picked up a kitchen knife, and his lazy gaze suddenly sharpened!

Time to get serious!

He picked up a fresh fish. The blade flashed several times, and the fish's flesh opened like a flower.

Noil slid out the white fishbone without the slightest resistance. Not a scrap of meat clung to it.

That move alone instantly changed the way Zeff and the cooks looked at him.

Sanji watched Noil's movements in surprise and silently praised him. That's some clean knife work.

Sanji Was Stunned ### Noil removed the fish's scales, organs, and bones with movements that were crisp and pleasing to watch.

His knife rose and fell. Chopped scallions and garlic fell into a bowl in neat rows. He heated the sauce, added sake, and slipped in the sliced fish.

After that seamless sequence, even the cooks who had been seething with anger began to calm down.

In fact, the longer they watched, the more astonished they became.

His knife work, cooking technique, and attention to detail were all on the level of a veteran chef who had spent years in a kitchen!

A tempting aroma gradually filled the kitchen. The people there sniffed the air, their faces turning rapt.

Even before the dish was done, the scent alone told them that his cooking skills far surpassed theirs.

Sanji looked startled as he breathed it in, while a smile appeared on Zeff's old face.

A swordsman who carried a blade, yet could cook so well. Impressive.

To Zeff and Sanji, a chef's hands were precious tools for cooking. They must never be injured or sullied in battle.

That made Noil's skill in the kitchen all the more worthy of their admiration.

Sanji's casual expression grew solemn.

After a while, Noil took the finished dish off the heat.

He picked up a piece with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. Happiness washed over him at once. This was the taste!

The fish was fresh and tender, almost melting in his mouth. It was rich without being greasy—a world apart from what he had eaten earlier!

Sanji stepped forward and asked hesitantly, "May I try some?"

Noil was already wolfing it down, but he generously pushed the plate over. "Go on! Don't be shy."

"Excuse me." Sanji bent down, scooped up a little fish broth with a spoon, and tasted it.

Noil's dish was a little different from the food of this world. He had used a fish recipe from China in his previous life, while cooking in the world of pirates was mostly Japanese or Western-style.

So when Sanji first saw Noil's dish, he was somewhat puzzled.

But the taste of the fish quickly swept that confusion away.

The cooking method was a little different from what the restaurant's chefs used, but how could the difference in flavor be so vast?

After just one taste, Sanji set down the spoon and sighed. "You really are skilled."

His feelings were complicated. Sanji had learned to cook since childhood and trained under the master chef Zeff. He had thought his own skills had already reached their peak.

But Noil's arrival today had been a resounding slap in the face.

At seventeen, Sanji was at an age when he thought he could take on the world. This experience had knocked some of the arrogance out of him.

Zeff was deeply gratified to see it. Sanji was his apprentice in name, but Zeff had long since come to care for him like a son.

Sanji had an exceptional gift for cooking and might surpass him in just a few years. If this setback taught him a little humility, that was a good thing too.

Noil finished his meal with satisfaction, let out a burp, and said, "Thanks for the meal!"

The cooks lowered their heads in embarrassment. Zeff stepped forward and said, "No, we're the ones who failed to take care of our guest. We're sorry."

Noil waved it off. Just then, a shout came from the kitchen doorway. "Mr. Noil, someone's targeting our ship!"

It was Skull's voice. Noil's expression turned grave, and he hurried outside.

Sanji and Zeff exchanged a glance and followed him.

Noil ran out of the restaurant and looked toward the nearby waters. A ship flying a pirate flag was bearing down on his own.

A number of pirates leaped aboard his ship as the two vessels drew close. The sight made Noil furious!

All my money's on that ship!

Noil was about to charge over when a hand stopped him. It was Ace, his mouth stuffed with food.

Ace swallowed and said, "Don't worry. Mihal's on the ship!"

Mihal? Noil paused. That prickly sniper?

Just as Ace had said, the moment the pirates storming aboard set foot on the deck, lead bullets struck almost all of them square between the eyes!

It was as though the shooter didn't need to aim. Bullets carrying death simply found their marks.

The pirates couldn't tell where the shots were coming from. In an instant, a great many of them had fallen!

Noil sucked in a breath. That guy who barely says a word is that good a shot?

Ace said proudly, "Mihal can snipe without anyone figuring out where he is. No matter how far away an enemy is or how well they're hidden, he can hit them."

That kind of marksmanship probably involved Observation Haki.

Noil was secretly amazed. It seemed no one on Ace's crew was ordinary.

Ace rolled his shoulders and said fiercely, "Leave it to me. I'll sink those pirates' ship!"

Noil put out a hand to stop him. At Ace's puzzled look, Noil smiled faintly and said, "I'll do it. I've been wanting to try out a new ability."

Ace tilted his head. A new ability?

Noil leaped into the air, and blazing orange-red flames suddenly burst from his body!

Ace's eyelid twitched. Isn't that my Devil Fruit power?

Imitating Ace's movements, Noil sent a torrent of fire surging out. It dyed half the blue sky red before flowing like a tide and converging around his arm.

The flames compressed until his arm glowed molten gold. Noil hurled a punch at the pirate ship and roared in an imitation of Ace's voice, "Fire Fist!"

Ace: What the hell?

The knockoff Fire Fist was nothing to scoff at. An enormous fist of explosive orange-red flame slammed into the pirate ship.

Boom! The pirate ship broke apart instantly. Pirates aboard were killed or maimed, and the shattered planks burned fiercely.

One Fire Fist had taken out an entire ship. Not bad. Pretty powerful.

Noil lowered his fist in satisfaction, paying no attention to Ace's aggrieved, bewildered expression beside him.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Ace asked, "Noil! How can you use my power?"

Noil answered with perfect honesty. "I copied yours."

Ace froze. Copy a Devil Fruit power?

Then it clicked, and he asked in shock, "You can copy Devil Fruit powers? What kind of ability is that?"

"Did you eat a Devil Fruit too? The Copy-Copy Fruit?"

"Wow, that fruit's incredible."

Noil was thoroughly lost as Ace jumped to his own conclusions.

Noil blinked blankly. "Huh? Oh... uh... yeah. That's right."

Noil and Ace were still fooling around, oblivious to the fear and shock written all over Zeff's and Sanji's faces behind them!

Even Zeff, who had sailed the Grand Line, felt a chill. "Is that guy a monster?"

Sanji stared at the spot where a large ship had been destroyed before his eyes. A trace of fear rose in his chest despite himself.

Who the hell is this guy?

Heading for Loguetown ### The wreckage of a pirate ship burned fiercely as Noil and Ace stood outside the Baratie.

The chefs inside had heard the commotion from the Fire Fist and rushed out.

Several rough-looking cooks came charging out with rolling pins and clubs, ready for a brawl.

The Baratie was built at sea. Who knew how many pirates set their sights on it each month? Its cooks had seen their share of fights.

But the moment they stepped outside, they were dumbfounded.

Sanji and Zeff stood in a corner, still trembling. Ace and Noil were enthusiastically exchanging baffling remarks like "Was I awesome?" and "You were amazing."

More importantly, a thick column of smoke rose into the sky farther away, and the water beneath it was littered with pieces of a ship.

The fight was already over?

Weren't pirates supposed to start with a couple of stupid laughs, make a token threat, trade some tough words, and only then draw their blades?

They hadn't followed the routine at all!

Ace patted his full stomach contentedly and said to Noil, "I'm stuffed. Time to go?"

Noil nodded, then said goodbye to Zeff and the others. "Thanks, head chef. We're heading out."

Sanji finally recovered from the shock of the Fire Fist and quickly asked, "Heading out? Are you pirates?"

Ace grinned proudly. "Of course! We..."