Sanji had been preparing to stock up on ingredients when a red-haired beauty approached him on the street.
He was delighted and immediately accepted her advances. But just as he was about to kiss the back of her hand like a gentleman...
The woman hit him with a frying pan.
"I am Lady Carmen, the most beautiful chef in the East Blue!"
The woman, dressed in a red evening gown resembling a qipao, put away her frying pan and opened a lace-trimmed folding fan, striking a stereotypical "beautiful Chinese chef" pose.
"I'm here to challenge you, Sanji of the Baratie!"
Carmen pulled out a thick stack of chefs' photographs, showing off her arsenal and declaring that every one of them had lost to her.
But the East Blue newspapers had called Sanji the "best chef in the East Blue," which seriously annoyed her.
"Do you dare face me at this East Blue Cooking Contest?"
Her two assistants struck poses beside her as she finished speaking.
The surrounding crowd started egging them on, too.
Seeing how cocky they were, Gin bared his teeth, trying to intimidate them.
Sanji patted Gin on the shoulder. He had no intention of accepting.
But when he learned that the grand prize was an Elephant Tuna, he changed his mind.
"All right, I accept..."
Before Sanji could finish, a familiar voice came from behind him.
"Sanji."
A shudder ran through Sanji as though he had seen a ghost. He mechanically turned his head.
"S-Sis?!"
Reiju held her left arm across her chest, her right hand supporting her chin, a smile on her lips.
But no matter how he looked at it, that smile sent chills down Sanji's spine.
"Now, little brother. What are you doing?"
Sanji's cigarette fell to the ground.
Reiju turned toward the red-haired