Part 11 - Sanji 6/21

So, when Luffy appeared in front of Zeff again with another suitcase of money — and this was despite the fact that about a quarter of the initial one hundred million still remained, even after all the expenses — the old pirate personally knocked Sanji out with a kick. No one else in the restaurant could have done it. Sanji was already stronger than anyone before, and after his trip with Luffy, his already considerable strength had increased several times. Another reason why Zeff decided to "sell" — with or without quotes? — Sanji for the second time so calmly was that the damn brat had become a bit neurotic, but it suited him! In their world, it was safer to be a little paranoid… or even not a little. And as for the fact that after his second return — this time just after a month — Sanji had taken up making little straw dolls in suspiciously familiar-looking straw hats, which he hammered nails into each evening with a strange laugh, it was nothing to worry about. Zeff had seen worse in his life. Others, however, did not share this view, which led to additional locks being installed on all rooms so that Sanji couldn't easily get into them if anything happened.

Such peculiar relations had continued for… well… about two years. With a frequency of a few weeks, Luffy and Zoro would regularly appear at the Baratie's doors, after which Luffy would immediately start fetching Sanji. They often spent two or three days there, sometimes meeting with someone — specifically, Luffy would meet with someone, often quite shady individuals — before the pair of pirate hunters would set sail again. After their departure, sometimes as soon as the next day, a new article would appear in all the local — and sometimes even world — newspapers about how the "Pirate Slayer" had dealt with yet another pirate. Or an entire pirate crew. Sometimes even an entire pirate alliance.

About six months after Luffy and Zoro's first appearance at the restaurant, Ryuu — who, for some unclear reason, had initially stubbornly called himself Johnny — and Yosaku joined the guys, and their names began to appear alongside Roronoa Zoro's in the headlines. Soon after their arrival, the nickname "Pirate Slayer" began to be heard more and more frequently, and then it crept onto newspaper pages, acquiring official status. A little while later, Sanji's personal Goddess made her appearance.

At first, as Zeff honestly admitted, Nami was just an ordinary girl. Not unattractive, but certainly not a breathtaking beauty worth losing one's head over. Nami's age was a drawback. It was clear that she had just recently stopped being a teenager. But the age was a drawback for only a short time. Zeff couldn't precisely say how it happened, but the first three months, although she was improving day by day — no joke, she really was! — there was nothing supernatural. The girl was being deliberately trained, so changes were inevitable. And age was also a factor — the girl-who-had-just-stopped-being-a-teenager was rapidly turning into a beautiful young woman.

It all happened roughly four months after Nami's arrival, when their whole crew — or family, as they preferred to call themselves — hadn't shown up at Baratie for an entire month. But when they did return, Sanji had to get a blood transfusion because he had lost so much blood when he saw his beloved "Nami-swan," who, on that day, in an instant, had become his personal Goddess... And to be honest, not only his. Somehow, in just one month, Nami had jumped from being a "beautiful young woman" to... to that very Goddess. Because ordinary people just couldn't be that beautiful—they can't, and they never will. Within a week of the article being published, newspapers dubbed her the "Queen of Monsters." Only Zeff, perhaps, was the only person in the entire East Blue who truly understood how deserved this title was. The "Pirate Slayers" were indeed a gathering of Monsters. And they could be considered monsters not only by the standards of the weakest East Blue but also by the first half of the Grand Line, even if it wasn't so straightforward there.

"That bastard... he'll be here soon," Sanji's voice pulled Zeff from his thoughts. "I need to prepare... I need to prepare properly to end this once and for all," the boy began muttering incoherently to himself. "That bastard will be here soon, and I'm still not ready... I need to train more," continuing to mutter, Sanji staggered towards the exit. "Prepare... I need to prepare... " and the boy disappeared behind the door.

Everyone present, watching the clearly out-of-sorts boy, turned to Zeff in unison.

"What now?" the old pirate looked at them.

"Is he going to be okay?" asked one of the cooks.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop paying attention to him? The damned brat just loves to dramatize everything... that damn little eggplant! "

Nevertheless, for the next few days, after the article came out, everyone, except Zeff, tried to keep their distance from Sanji. Because most of the time, he looked like a complete psychopath, and the rest of the time, like a very ordinary psychopath. He didn't take his cigarettes out of his mouth during those days. As soon as he finished one, he immediately started another. People were ready to swear he even smoked in his sleep... if he ever slept. Because several times, his nightly training seamlessly flowed into his morning training. So, by the time Luffy showed up — which was as predictable as it was inevitable — Zeff had to forbid Sanji from appearing in the restaurant's main hall during the day, as his crazy appearance could scare off all the customers!

Luffy entered the restaurant just as everyone expected, having tormented Sanji in this way for an entire year. But even so, it couldn't be denied that this time, he managed to outdo himself, and by a long shot. When Luffy first decided to torment Sanji so cruelly a year ago, there were only five young beauties around him. Then their number gradually increased with each visit, reaching fifteen in the penultimate visit. Now? The restaurant doors opened, and a whole stream of diverse girls flowed in — blondes, brunettes, chestnut-haired, pink-haired, blue-haired, green-haired, blue-eyed, brown-eyed, black-eyed, tall and short, slender and not so much — basically, something for every taste and color.

The variety was also evident in their clothing. The girls were dressed in everything from nearly monastic robes to something utterly indecent, far beyond the bounds of propriety. The only thing that clearly united them was their beauty. The grading went from "just beautiful" to "stunningly beautiful." And although none of them, no matter how beautiful, could even remotely compare to Nami, the girls were charming in their diversity. Nami, despite her almost otherworldly beauty, couldn't simultaneously be a blonde, a brunette, short, and tall. It never stopped anyone who saw Nami from recognizing her beauty, but tastes differ. Here and now, you could find a girl for almost any taste, even a few cute chubby ones. Luffy had covered all bases.

"Zeff-sama, we're back!" a chorus of charming female voices rang out, and the man who had long sensed Luffy's approach was now surrounded on all sides, and his cheeks were bombarded with a hail of welcoming kisses.

The other cooks, quickly assessing the situation, also rushed to the main hall. Except for a few unfortunate souls who couldn't leave the stove at that exact moment! As soon as the cooks emerged into the hall, they were immediately surrounded by a whole flock of beautiful ladies. At least that's how it seemed to them all. Like Zeff earlier, all the cooks received a generous amount of welcoming kisses. The most enterprising cooks, who had been carrying autograph books and permanent markers for several days, quickly got memorable signatures from various divas. All the girls who came with Luffy were active actresses, singers, and dancers, and most had achieved considerable success in their respective fields. This was evident from the fact that almost all the cooks — former pirates, rough, uncultured men far from polite society! — could name almost all the girls by name. And they could name them even if none of them had ever visited Baratie before in Luffy's company.

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