Norton sat in a chair, crossing his legs, resting his elbows on the tabletop with his fingers laced beneath his chin, a faint smile on his face.
Such a posture in Zeff's eyes was no different from the most glaring provocation.
"Hmph, one hundred million Beli... Let old man Zeff see just how much of that bounty of yours is the real deal!"
Zeff snorted from his nose, his tall frame sinking, his remaining right leg planted steadily on the flooring while his wooden prosthetic leg adjusted to a subtle angle.
Zeff had not truly fought anyone in a long time, but the instincts of battle were long carved into his marrow.
Without warning, without even an obvious stance of gathering force, Zeff's figure suddenly blurred!
"Old man!"
Sanji's exclamation had just left his lips when Zeff already appeared at Norton's side.
Using the cover and angles of the restaurant's tables and chairs, Zeff instantly cut into the most ideal attacking position! That was Norton's rear flank!
"Head Chef's Prosthetic Leg Flying Kick!"
Zeff let out a low growl, his body spinning as his wooden prosthetic leg swept toward Norton like a battering ram!
This kick seemingly used a prosthetic, but the true power stemmed from the waist, abdomen, and the explosion of that robust real leg, enough to shatter rock.
Yet Norton did not even turn his gaze, merely lifting his left hand casually and swinging it backward.
Slap.
Zeff's thunderous prosthetic leg flying kick was steadily intercepted by Norton's palm!
All of that violent kinetic energy seemed to crash against an invisible wall, instantly dissipating.
Zeff's pupils constricted sharply, leveraging the force to withdraw his leg, land, and launch a second attack without a shred of hesitation.
This time it was his real leg! His single foot kicked off the floor fiercely, his body launching into the air as his real leg traced an afterimage through the air, his toe condensing a sharpness greater than before.
This kick could leave gouges in steel!
Norton lowered his crossed hands and swept his right hand upward.
Zeff felt only a gentle yet irresistible wave of immense force travel upward from the sole of his foot!
That force not only completely neutralized Zeff's piercing kick, but further pushed Zeff to lose his balance in mid-air.
Zeff performed a backward flip before landing somewhat disheveled, stumbling back two steps.
"How is that possible..." Patty muttered, the "Food Poisoning Bomb" launcher in his hand slipping to the floor.
Sanji's cigarette dropped once more, staring dead-ahead at Norton with cold sweat seeping from his temples.
Zoro pressed his hand against the hilt of the Wado Ichimonji; he saw it very clearly-that was not a contest of speed or strength, but rather a kind of absolute-level control.
Norton seemed to have long since predicted the trajectory and force of every single one of Zeff's attacks, and then "stopped" them with the most effortless, precise method.
Zeff's breathing grew heavy, not from fatigue, but from shock and a trace of imperceptible humiliation!
This man... was a monster!
Realizing this, Zeff no longer tried to find angles or use feints, instead unleashing the leg techniques he had honed over a lifetime without reservation.
Side kicks, spinning kicks, downward chops, a continuous flurry of piercing kicks...
Zeff's figure blurred into a flurry of offense around Norton.
The gale of his kicks caused the surrounding tables and chairs to creak in protest!
Yet Norton's position seated in the chair still did not shift by even a fraction.
No matter how fierce Zeff's onslaught was, Norton used only a single hand.
Whether blocking with his palm, flicking with a finger, or parrying with his wrist, every single time he precisely "pressed" against the core, most vulnerable node where Zeff's attacking force was transmitted.
Sometimes it was the ankle, sometimes the calf, and sometimes merely the instep.
After a few rounds of storm-like attacks.
Zeff leaped backward sharply, opening up the distance as his chest heaved violently.
His forehead was covered in beads of sweat, his gaze filled with disbelief and a deep sense of frustration.
The leg techniques Zeff was so proud of, enough to survive in the Grand Line for a year, were before Norton as laughable as an infant waving its arms!
The gap in strength between the two sides was despairingly vast.
"It seems I win." Norton slowly lowered his hand, saying with a light smile.
"How can this be! The old man actually..." Sanji's jaw had already dropped to the floor beside them.
He knew Zeff's strength better than anyone; if not for losing a foot, he was definitely the type who could find no match in the East Blue.
Even with a severed foot, his strength remained above his own!
Yet facing this silver-haired young man, he couldn't even manage to shake him!
"So what if you win?" Zeff coldly snorted in defiance. "Even if you stay at the Baratie, you could say it for ten thousand years and old man Zeff still won't change his mind!"
Norton was not angry, watching Zeff with a smile. "Red-Leg Zeff... You used to be a genuine pirate, right?"
"A kicking expert who never used his hands in battle, whose leg strength could shatter rocks and leave footprints in steel. And the so-called 'Red-Leg' refers to the result of the blood splattered from enemies you kicked down staining the soles of your shoes red."
Zeff fell silent; this was both his resounding notoriety and his long-buried past.
"I can no longer live without the food you cook! Zeff!" Norton's tone suddenly grew fervent and direct.
"So direct..." Zeff caught his breath, his expression sinking.
"Don't be so selfish! What I want is to cook for poor people on the sea who have nothing to eat! I won't become anyone's exclusive personal chef!" This was the fundamental creed upon which the Baratie stood.
"Let this restaurant be put to use by me!" Norton ignored whatever Zeff said, speaking entirely on his own accord.
"No way!!" Zeff said with absolute finality.
"What on earth will it take for you to agree?" Norton extended a hand.
"There's no way that'll ever happen!" Zeff crossed his arms and turned around, his back to Norton. His attitude seemed resolute, but his slightly trembling braided mustache betrayed the lack of calm within his heart.
It was not merely the oppression brought by the gap in strength!
Norton's righteous and presumptuous posture of demanding everything also made him feel a long-lost fluttering of the heart reminiscent of facing great pirates.
He had seen pirates like that! That stance of an overlord-once witnessed, it could never be forgotten!
Norton was not discouraged, continuing: "But if you stay in the East Blue, the only stomachs you can comfort are those of people in this sea area! Even if you cruise the East Blue aboard the Baratie, you still won't be able to spread such deliciousness to the entire world!"
His voice rose progressively, carrying a demagogic magic that stirred the heart.
"Become my crewmate!"
"Sail with my ship, and the islands, kingdoms, and countless people along the way will all taste the supreme deliciousness of the Baratie!"
"Zeff! I intend to head to the New World and build a kingdom of my own! And by the way..."
Norton deliberately paused.
He saw Zeff's shoulders stiffen imperceptibly.
"By the way, to pursue the legendary All Blue! Set sail together with me! Didn't you enter the Grand Line back then precisely to search for that sea of legends?"
""All Blue"?! startled Sanji.
"What did you just say?!" Zeff spun around abruptly, his golden braided mustache trembling. "You believe that sea exists too?"
"All Blue", also known as the sea of legends.
It was a miraculous sea area containing all the ingredients from the four great seas of East Blue, West Blue, South Blue, and North Blue.
In theory, however, the four great seas were separated by the Red Line running north-south and the Grand Line flowing east-west, making it impossible for marine life from one sea to reach another.
Therefore, whether the All Blue truly existed remained a mystery.
No one had ever verified its authenticity.
Searching for this legendary blue sea was also the reason Zeff had ventured into the Grand Line in the past! It was Zeff's dream!
Pity that after sailing the Grand Line for a full year, Zeff never found a single clue regarding that sea of legends.
Yet now, Zeff was hearing this long-lost term once more from the lips of an unfamiliar man!
"Of course I believe it!"
Norton stood up, his expression incomparably earnest, his eyes burning with a flame blending ambition and sincerity.
"Precisely because few people believe in it, or because those who believe lack the strength to pursue it, it requires people like us to find it and prove it!"
"Come! Zeff! Bringing your culinary arts to the entire world and searching for the All Blue-my ship can accomplish both of these things! Your dream does not need to be discarded!"
Zeff fell silent.
In Norton, Zeff seemed to catch a glimpse of his younger self, setting sail into the Grand Line harboring dreams.
The picture Norton painted was too grand, and too aligned with the deeply sealed yearning within his heart.
Searching for the All Blue and bringing delicious food to more hungry people-this was practically the dual fulfillment of his ideal.
Watching the silent Zeff, Norton knew the timing was just about right.
He sat back down, his tone softening: "I'm not forcing you to agree right now. My crewmates and I will be lingering at the Baratie for a few days."
"We haven't had enough of your cooking yet. My White Pearl is docked right alongside; you can take your time considering it."
"Old man! Are you really going to..." Seeing that Zeff seemed persuaded, Sanji hurriedly stepped forward.
Zeff raised a hand, stopping Sanji from speaking further. He looked at Norton and, after a moment of silence, said, "I'll think about it."
Seeing this, the chefs opened their mouths as if wanting to say something, but in the end they all fell silent.
Norton's few days at the Baratie became the focal point of the entire restaurant.
He did not order dishes; he simply had the kitchen rotate dishes by region-today it was the cold, crisp sweetness of North Blue style, and tomorrow the rich and sour-spicy flair of South Blue.
The sharp palate Norton displayed left the chefs even more terrified.
After tasting a spoonful of stew, Norton set down his spoon: "Delicious! What a pity, the heat was too high!"
The head chef's face turned pale; he had indeed rushed this dish ten minutes faster than usual.
Facing a plate of exquisite sashimi, Norton pointed: "The fish is top-tier fish! Pity it's sliced unevenly in thickness, breaking the fresh flavor at the cuts."
That chef, who prided himself on his knife skills, instantly blushed a bright red.
It was worth mentioning that Norton especially loved calling Zeff over after meals to chat about trivial matters he had observed while wandering around the kitchen.
Precisely these observations, seemingly unrelated to taste, left Zeff secretly startled.
Until the afternoon of the third day, after Norton finished an experimental tea pastry that fused the four flavors of East, West, South, and North, he fell silent for a rare moment.
"How was it?" Zeff inexplicably grew a bit apprehensive.
"To forcibly twist the flavors of the four seas together is still too strange," Norton wiped his mouth. "Though I don't understand cooking, my sense of taste doesn't lie."
These words were like a key, suddenly unlocking certain sealed thoughts within Zeff and leaving him momentarily lost in thought.
"Following you... can I really find the 'All Blue'?" Zeff looked at Norton, taking the initiative to ask for the first time.
"We will find it!" Norton asserted.
Zeff looked at Norton's confident appearance, suddenly rendered speechless, having no idea where Norton got such confidence.
Right at that moment, an urgent shout shattered the delicate atmosphere inside the restaurant.
"Marines! So many warships! We're surrounded!" Nami pushed open the restaurant doors.
Norton was slightly taken aback, looking out the windows to see that on the sea surface surrounding the Baratie, three warships hailing from different branches and flying the seagull flag had unexpectedly appeared, forming a tight encirclement.
"What's going on? Has our movement been exposed?" Beside him, Zoro stood up holding his sword, his brows furrowed.
"It must have been leaked by the customers who left earlier. After all, your head is worth one hundred million Beli; even if they just leak relevant information to the Marines, they can still collect a reward of five million Beli," Zeff looked at Norton and said in a deep voice.
At the bow of a large warship stood a man smoking a cigar and draped in a "Justice" coat.
"The man who killed the King of the Sage Kingdom is inside the Baratie? Is the intel reliable?" the man asked a nearby soldier.
"Reliable!" The soldier pointed toward the White Pearl, docked not far from the floating restaurant Baratie. "Captain Smoker! That's the ship of 'King Slayer' Norton!"
Smoker nodded, picking up the amplifying Den Den Mushi: "Baratie! Hand over 'King Slayer' Norton and his accomplices immediately! Otherwise, you will be treated as harboring major criminals and sunk together!"
The cannon barrels swiveled, taking aim at the Baratie, the White Pearl parked alongside it, and the Black Cat Pirates' ship docked near the White Pearl.
"What do we do, what do we do?!" Nami clutched her head, ransacking cabinets as she tried to find a place to hide.
"What do we do? We fight, of course!" Zoro let out a cold snort.
That fat guy a few days ago had sold off his sword, ending up paying ten million Beli in compensation just to settle the matter and leave the Baratie alive.
Yet Zoro felt no amount of Beli could compare to his sword, and he was currently harboring a bellyful of anger.
Not to mention, Nami had also played the intermediary and accomplice, pocketing five million Beli.
"It seems..." Norton slowly rose. "My tea time has been interrupted by uninvited unwelcome guests."
His gaze crossed the surface of the sea, spanning hundreds of meters to land upon those three warships.
"I'll go meet them. Nami! Funing! You two head back to the White Pearl first! Sanosuke and Kuro will cover your retreat!"
Though the Norton Pirates were currently rudimentary in scale, Norton had no intention of fighting these warships to the bitter end.
Besides, if it was merely these few warships, they were looking down on him far too much!
At the very least, they should send a Marine Admiral!
"Will you be all right by yourself?" Funing's face showed worry.
"Rest assured! I am invincible!" Norton extended his thumb and pointed it at his face.
As his voice fell, Norton arrived on the deck of the Baratie, stretched his body slightly, and bent his knees.
The marines noticed Norton's movement: "Hey!! Look! What is that guy trying to do?"
Before everyone's eyes, Norton leaped!
Bang!
A violent cracking of wood.
Across hundreds of meters of sea surface, he forcefully leaped from the deck of the Baratie straight onto the bow of the warship!
Smoker took a few steps back, drawing the seven-foot Jitte from his back, staring with a heavy gaze at the man before him...
At Norton, who wore an arrogant smile at the corners of his mouth!