Part 11 - Sanji 21/21

After Luffy literally overwhelmed Zeff with money, the old pirate did not hide it under the bed or deposit it in the bank; instead, he decided to put it to use. The first hundred million, as previously mentioned, went into improving the very "Barati." Not only did the restaurant become larger, cozier, and more impressive than before, but the kitchen was modernized to the point where even the most snob-cooks living on the Holy Land and cooking exclusively for the High Nobility wouldn't consider it beneath them to cook in such a kitchen. Nonetheless, these improvements cost Zeff considerably less than a hundred million. Of course, over time, Zeff continued to purchase various kitchen gadgets he couldn't afford before, so eventually, the amount spent on the "Barati" went far beyond a hundred million. Most of the items Zeff bought could only be found on the Grand Line, and delivery of these items had to be paid for separately, which automatically increased the price of the goods by several orders of magnitude. Paying tens of millions for goods that could be bought on the Grand Line for only a hundred to two hundred thousand was a stretch. Zeff could never afford such expenses before, but with Luffy's arrival, everything changed.

So, when the money became more than enough, Zeff decided to expand, resulting in the creation of a new floating restaurant with a very memorable appearance and a rather controversial name — "Sister Anko." On the other hand, considering that the new floating restaurant was actually a genuine submarine resembling a deep-sea anglerfish — well, that fish was indeed the basis for the new restaurant's design—such a name became obvious. After all, the word "Anko" means "anglerfish."

To avoid competing with "Barati," "Sister Anko" specialized exclusively in various desserts and, additionally, sailed along a slightly different route. The idea for a submarine restaurant had long been on Zeff's mind, but as in all other cases, it all came down to money. However, even so, it did not prevent him from scouting out various scenic locations where, in the future, he could float the already long-planned submarine restaurant. Why scenic spots? Obviously, no one would venture into an ordinary submarine, even if it resembled an anglerfish rather than an iron sausage. That's why almost ninety percent of "Sister Anko's" outer bulkheads were made of special glass—despite its great thickness and, consequently, strength, it was crystal clear, allowing diners to enjoy the view of the underwater world. It was clear that, for this reason, the depth of immersion of the anglerfish was only a few meters. Nevertheless, these meters were enough to provide entirely new and unforgettable dining experiences. For couples in love, this restaurant was almost the ideal place for dates. There was no question about the success of such an undertaking.

The entire crew was in complete delight. The surprise was indeed a success, and to celebrate, they threw a new feast, but this time with the entire "Barati" staff, the new "Sister Anko" staff, and on the submarine itself

And yet, as pleasant as it was to indulge in idleness, it was time to move on... In reality, it was long overdue, but as mentioned earlier, everyone was so la-a-azy that it took nearly a whole month before Luffy finally gave the order to get ready and scheduled the departure for the next day. People were still incredibly reluctant to go anywhere, but no one argued or protested; it was already clear to everyone that they had been there for far too long. And considering that there would be no more delays, the issue of Sanji came up front and center… or at least, that's what the whole crew thought, with one notable exception… which was quite obvious.

"We're leaving tomorrow morning," Luffy said casually, enjoying a chocolate parfait prepared personally by Sanji for the new dessert restaurant. "And you're coming with us," he added after another spoonful. "Your stupid objections aren't accepted."

It was evening, and as usual, there was nothing to do, so Luffy, having raided the fridge in the "Sister Anko," went to Sanji's room to set the dot on 'i'.

"These aren't stupid objections," Sanji replied with little enthusiasm, taking another drag from his cigarette, already the god-knows-what-number of the past few hours. After Luffy gave the order to get ready, Sanji knew he would have a tough conversation today, so while waiting for Luffy's inevitable arrival and trying to calm his nerves, he managed to smoke his weekly quota of cigarettes and continued to smoke. "I owe that damned old man too much... I just can't leave him."

A whole month of pondering and argumentation, but when it came down to it, the same old song played that had been playing for a good two years. After all, in the end, old man Zeff was almost the only reason Sanji stubbornly wanted to stay working as a cook at "Barati." And old man Zeff was definitely the reason Sanji couldn't leave "Barati." The restaurant, which had been Sanji's home for a good ten years, the restaurant staff who had long since replaced his real family, the familiar work, and certainty about tomorrow—Sanji could have stepped over all these reasons. All children eventually grow up and leave their homes, and Sanji had long been ready for that. However, the debt to old man Zeff, which existed only in Sanji's imagination, as has been mentioned before, firmly bound him to "Barati," preventing him from spreading his wings. What's worse, Sanji didn't understand and refused to understand this. Although, to be fair, in the last two years, Luffy had done an excellent job of significantly eroding Sanji's confidence in his own motives. The past month had eroded that confidence to the size of a toothpick, and to its same strength. Now all that was needed was to grip tightly… And then it might just turn out that it wasn't Nami who was the reason why the whole crew had stayed at "Barati" for so long. And Usopp, over the past month, had become almost an order of magnitude stronger than before. Maybe that was the outcome Luffy was counting on by delaying the departure so much? Though, one couldn't discount plain laziness either. In truth, the only person who could clarify this was Luffy himself, but that was out of the question. Until he wanted to, no one would learn the truth.

"You're such an egoist… okay, I'm an egoist also, but at least I don't deny it and even take pride in it," Luffy said instructively after another spoonful of parfait. "You keep talking about me, me, me… Have you ever seriously asked what the old man wants? I'll never believe he wants to keep you with him. There are plenty of parents who can't find the strength to let their children into the big world, but Zeff is definitely not one of those; it's just not in his nature… Besides, how are you even going to surpass him if you haven't seen anything beyond a small part of the East Blue? Zeff has sailed all the seas of the world, cooked food from creatures you've never even heard of, and seen things you can't even imagine. I don't need to explain to you how important experience is. The more you've seen and know, the wider the road you can travel. But right now, you're not on a road, but a forest path surrounded by impenetrable thickets, and you can't even take a step. As a cook, you're nothing more than a pathetic imitation of old man Zeff, and you risk staying that way forever if you continue clinging to your guilt. And an absolutely unwarranted guilt at that."

"Unwarranted?" Unable to hold back, Sanji got up from his chair and began pacing the room while continuing to speak. "Unwarranted? If it weren't for me, the old man would still be a formidable pirate! I deprived him of everything! Do you understand? Everything!"

"Only you certainly didn't ask him to do what he did."

"That doesn't matter!"

"Well, to me, it does. Besides, you say you deprived him of everything… Personally, I know that the old man always dreamed of two things: that All Blue where fish from all the seas of the world swim, and his own restaurant… I assume it's quite possible that over the past ten years you haven't noticed this, considering the ship your home, but right now, and this is a fact, we are on a ship-restaurant owned by old man Zeff. It turns out that he has already fulfilled one of his dreams, and he tried to fulfill the other for many years before meeting you. And he couldn't. And I can even guess why."

"...You're saying that All Blue doesn't exist, which is why he couldn't fulfill his dream?" Sanji asked somewhat gloomily… after all, finding All Blue had been his dream since childhood. And since that same childhood, Sanji had heard everyone around him say that All Blue didn't exist. And Sanji had no desire to hear something similar from Luffy. Especially from Luffy. Unlike other people, Luffy's opinion meant a lot to him.

"Have I ever told you to forget about your dream?" Luffy seemed even slightly surprised. "If you truly believe in the existence of All Blue, don't let anyone mess with your head and go find it. Here's a simple example: most of the people in the East Blue don't believe in the existence of Devil Fruits, thinking they're nothing more than a fantasy, and if you ask them about these fruits, they will immediately tell you they don't exist. And yet, they will be absolutely certain of their correctness. Is their confidence justified? We both know it isn't. Still, our knowledge doesn't stop most of the residents of the East Blue from not only disbelieving in the existence of Devil Fruits but also insisting on their own truth… There are many truths in the world; the main thing is to know what the truth is… With All Blue, it's a similar situation, except with this sea, we have no idea about the truth and only know one truth or another."

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