Part 11 - Sanji 15/21

Thanks to everyone, now we have 10 reviews, and because of that we can have a rating. So lets celebrate this with 2 more chapters !!!

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Luffy's loud acknowledgment of his mistake didn't fit into the usual world view of everyone present, so everyone except Luffy immediately tried to comprehend where the blow was coming from. Well, Zoro, Johnny, Sanji, and Yosaku were thinking in such a way. Meanwhile, Usopp, still a newcomer to the crew, hadn't yet picked up on such nuances, though he had learned enough about Luffy to become wary. However, Nami picked up on everything she needed and drew the correct conclusions.

"Usopp, please repeat your question," Nami asked, not taking her intense gaze off Luffy's face.

But instead of the long-nosed guy's question, everyone heard a different one:

"Who's Usopp?" Sanji asked in bewilderment.

Nami, Johnny, Zoro, and Yosaku stared at the blond in shock.

"What?" Sanji looked at them in confusion, genuinely not understanding why they were so surprised.

The four of them turned their gaze to Luffy. The guy, holding his plate higher so it completely covered his face, worked hard with his spoon, deliberately creating the impression that he knew nothing. The four then turned their gaze to Usopp, but the long-nosed guy didn't reinvent the wheel, using the perfect example in front of him. In other words, he, like Luffy, grabbed the first plate within reach and began to work vigorously with his spoon. Their similar behavior was more than enough for everyone present to draw the appropriate conclusions, but Nami, who was perhaps the most successful follower of Luffy — that is, her "Luffification" had surpassed all reasonable limits — went even further. It took her no more than fifteen seconds to analyze the entire evening and conclude that Luffy, with active support from Usopp, had deliberately concealed the long-nosed guy's name from Sanji. And, it must be noted, he had done it quite successfully… until the last moment… when he clearly began to hide something else, and independently of Usopp.

"I gather he's not really Condoriano, right?" Sanji broke the established silence by lighting a cigarette.

"Condoriano?" Johnny stared at him.

"Usopp called himself Condoriano?" Yosaku asked for clarification. "And you believed him?!" The guy's voice carried unmasked and quite justified astonishment.

"I gather there wasn't an eighty-thousand-strong zombie army either?" Sanji asked rhetorically, without addressing anyone in particular.

"A zombie army?" Zoro raised an eyebrow, then looked again at Luffy and Usopp, along with Nami, Johnny, and Yosaku.

The guys were eating with such enthusiasm that it was utterly unclear how they managed not to choke at such a speed of shoveling food into their mouths… and where it all was going, considering they had already eaten well before.

"How did you manage to believe such nonsense?" Johnny finally asked the self-evident question.

"I didn't believe it at first," Sanji replied with unnervingly calm composure.

"At first?" Nami quickly grasped the main point. "And why did you believe it later?"

Instead of answering, Sanji swiftly attempted to knock Usopp's head off… tried to knock Usopp's head off. The long-nosed guy, letting out a frightened cry, dropped his plate and spoon, ducked under the table, successfully avoiding Sanji's monstrously powerful blow that he definitely couldn't have seen due to his plate… not to mention the fact that he had begun dodging before Sanji's attack. For the first few seconds, except for Luffy and Sanji, who had expected this outcome, everyone stared in surprise at the empty space where Usopp had been. Then they truly began to understand the depth of the situation.

"W-w-w-w-what?!!" Johnny stuttered in shock.

"This is impossible!!!" Yosaku shook his head furiously, which was quite uncharacteristic of him. "After all, it's just not fair!!!" He immediately revealed the true reason for his rage.

After Koby's instantly awakened Haki, the guy was clearly not ready to accept the same instant awakening of Haki in Usopp… not after so many months of all those inhuman trainings!!!

"He started moving before Sanji's attack," Zoro stated, his voice grave, acknowledging the undeniable fact.

Even though he had long mastered two types of Haki, the unfairness of it all still irked him, given the effort it had cost him.

"That's why I believed their crazy story," Sanji said calmly, taking another drag from his cigarette. "So, your name is Usopp?" the blond added after a moment, as the long-nosed guy dared to peek out from under the table.

"P-pleased to meet you," Usopp managed a forced smile, looking pale. "It was Luffy who made me do it," he added, just in case.

"Hah… who would have guessed," Zoro sighed wearily.

"Luffy, where's that damn notebook?" Nami's voice cut through the air like ice.

"What notebook?" Luffy asked, finally tearing his attention away from his now-empty plate, his face and body language exuding an innocent simplicity as if he couldn't deceive even a child. He even managed to look a few years younger, making it seem like a bunch of evil men and an even more wicked woman — though incredibly beautiful! — were intimidating an innocent child. Anyone could have confirmed this, even under threat of death! Of course, there were no outsiders present at the moment, so Luffy's acting was in vain.

Looking into the innocent eyes of the boy, which would have been more fitting on a baby's face, Nami realized that words would get her nowhere: Luffy was clearly in the mood to have fun today. Specifically, to have FUN. Nami knew that if Luffy had really intended to hide something, no one would have suspected a thing. So, without asking any more questions, she boldly tackled her captain and, reaching into his chest pocket, pulled out the familiar notebook most of those present had seen before. This only reinforced Nami's belief that Luffy wasn't seriously trying to hide anything from them; otherwise, he wouldn't be carrying such compromising material. And his notebook was as compromising as it got. The first entry — Item one: Test accelerated Haki awakening on the new family member — was crossed out and marked with a check.

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