Part 11 - Sanji 5/21

Naturally, despite his impressive flight, Sanji was back inside the restaurant within a minute, though soaking wet. Zeff himself often sent the guy flying into the water with similarly powerful blows, so Sanji wasn't easily taken down. Zeff only learned the reason for the commotion when Sanji returned to the table where he had been feasting — there was no other way to describe it, given how much food was on the table — where the guy in the hat was. It turned out that the guy had shown disrespect for Sanji's cooking and the food itself. This was something that couldn't be overlooked — Zeff was entirely on Sanji's side in this matter! The problem was that, despite his anger, Sanji's kicking had no effect.

The guy, who kept hurling insults at Sanji, his cooking, the restaurant, and the other cooks — what was even more remarkable, he didn't stop eating and managed to speak clearly even with a full mouth! — had no trouble fending off all the attacks of the enraged cook. Although, it was hardly accurate to say he was "fending off." From what Zeff saw, the guy in the hat used less effort to block Sanji's blows than an average person would use to shoo away an annoying fly. And this seemed completely impossible. For this to be possible, the guy in the hat would have to be incredibly strong — at Zoro's level for sure! — but he didn't seem that way. However, before Zeff could make any sense of what was happening right before his eyes, Zoro spoke to him:

"Old man, I liked the wine and the rum, so I'm giving you one warning: either you calm down your cook yourself, or I'll kill him right now."

"Why?" Zeff smirked, running a hand over his bushy mustache. "I don't think your guy needs any help," the old pirate said, keeping his gaze on Sanji and the guy in the hat. "He seems pretty strong."

"It's not about strength, it's about pride," Zoro's lips twisted into something like a smile. "Your cook is attacking my captain, and as his first mate, I simply can't ignore such… disrespect."

"He… he's your captain?" Zeff had lived long enough and seen so much that this revelation wasn't a huge shock, but he was definitely surprised. "And how did that happen?" the old man asked involuntarily.

"I just stumbled upon him one day, interrupted his fishing, got beaten up for it, and then things just kind of worked out," Zoro shrugged slightly.

Considering Zoro's strength and how easily he admitted that someone had beaten him, Zeff immediately got up from the table to stop Sanji's "fight." The little brat sometimes irritated him so much it was indescribable, but Zeff had long considered him as a son if he had one. The old pirate couldn't allow his clueless son to be killed. Yes, killed. If Zoro was telling the truth — and he had no reason to lie— Sanji's actions could only end in death. The guy in the hat looked like he was amused by Sanji's actions, but Zeff knew from experience how fickle such people's moods could be. Even if Sanji's actions entertained him, there was no guarantee how long it would last. Sanji could die in a second or not die at all.

Suddenly standing up from the table, Zeff barely took a step before the guy in the hat made his intentions regarding Sanji clear. It must be acknowledged that he made them quite impressively. First, there was a loud clap, followed by the clanging of metal and the sound of a fall. Zeff looked in surprise at Zoro, who had fallen from his chair. One of the swords drawn and held in a defensive gesture in front of his face, and the fork that had clattered to the floor, immediately told the old pirate everything he needed to know… or almost everything. At that moment, Zeff couldn't immediately determine whether the guy in the straw hat had some fruit that could reinforce various materials or if he had used the Armament Haki. Although ordinary logic suggested that the guy was more likely to have the fruit's power, rather than be able to use Haki, given Zoro's words and strength, the second option seemed much more realistic to the old pirate this time. Although it raised many more questions than answers.

"Zoro, you idiot, why would I kill our cook?" The guy in the hat didn't speak loudly, but his cheerful voice was clearly audible in every corner of the common room. "Better come over here and meet him!"

Zoro obediently came over and introduced himself, after which Zeff, along with all the other employees of the Baratie, witnessed the emergence of the strangest relationship they had ever seen.

Firstly, that evening, they all learned that the famous pirate hunter had become a pirate himself… although he effectively continued to be a pirate hunter. However, except for Sanji, all the Baratie employees — meaning, all of them — had once been pirates themselves, so this revelation didn't surprise them. Although even the slowest of the slow-witted could see the irony in the situation.

Secondly, Luffy, also known as the Monster, immediately handed Zeff one hundred million Berries —one hundred freakin' million!!! — for Sanji. In other words, Zeff was to let Luffy take Sanji for a few weeks, at most one or two months. Needless to say, Sanji didn't even have a chance to utter a word before he was bound and tossed into Luffy and Zoro's boat. Patty and Carne — two veteran cooks who had been at the restaurant since nearly its opening — were so moved that they waved handkerchiefs at the departing boat, wishing it a good journey. Sanji's loud and indignant moans were unanimously ignored by everyone, including Zeff. After all, it was a hundred million!

The next time they saw Sanji was after a month and a half, and at first glance, he seemed to be the same old Sanji. However, this was only on the surface. It quickly became apparent after his return that it was best not to approach him unnoticed. Caught off guard, Sanji became a serious threat to anyone around him. Moreover, he had his own corner in the kitchen now. The other cooks needed only one instance of a boiling kettle blasting through a wall from a lightning-fast kick to draw the right conclusions. Sanji had become extremely sensitive to loud noises, but the whistle of steam from a kettle instantly transformed him into a paranoid and completely uncontrollable Death Machine. On some days, the sound of a kettle whistle would not only make him jump or start kicking but also throw him to the floor or make him try to hide, looking around wildly. Sometimes he would mumble about a little train and that it would never catch him. Then he would usually snap out of it, calming himself by insisting that there was no train and there never could be one. No one ever understood what the train was about, but just one instance was enough for everyone to avoid asking about it. In reality, compared to the mention of the train, which he could—"Not could, but COULD! COULD!!!" — Sanji's reaction to a boiling kettle was only slightly nervous, nothing more.

However, no one regretted anything!

Yes, Sanji had become "a little" neurotic and developed a few additional quirks — say: phobias! — on top of the ones he already had, but it was a small price to pay. The most important thing was that his "sacrifice" — or should we skip the quotes here? — was not in vain! The money received from his "sale" — or should we skip the quotes here too? — allowed not only to update all the kitchen utensils and purchase long-desired gadgets for cooking exotic dishes but also to refurbish the entire interior of the restaurant and even significantly increase its size with a thorough reconstruction, adding more floors! As a result, the Baratie now looked just like one of those expensive, fancy restaurants where a glass of water cost ten times more than the most expensive dish on the Baratie's menu. Not that Zeff was chasing prestige, but he wasn't immune to vanity. The old pirate couldn't help but be proud of his updated restaurant!

After the reconstruction was completed and the list of available dishes had increased almost tenfold, the influx of visitors began to grow almost daily. It reached the point where a few tables had to be kept for reservations, which had never been necessary before. And finally, there were waiters who didn't try to run away after the first shift due to all the constant brawls. In fact, the number of brawls had noticeably decreased. The atmosphere no longer encouraged them. The hunchbacks, however, could only be corrected by the grave, so some brawls were inevitable — just not when all the cooks, led by their owner, were former pirates.