Chapter 350: The Chef's Belonging, Kaido of the Beasts  

The Sunny, 

"Don't worry, that guy is probably already completely smitten by his young and beautiful 'fiancée.'" 

Roman nodded, facing Zoro, who was resting with his eyes closed on the ship's railing. 

"That's true," 

In every sense, Sanji was completely charmed by Pudding. But on the other hand, only a gentleman like Sanji could win over a girl like Pudding, right? 

"Hey, hey, hey! Why don't you have any faith in Sanji?" 

Roman flicked his fingers, and a photo appeared between his thumb and index finger. 

It was of a shy girl with her hair in twin tails, wearing a blue outfit decorated with floral patterns and side-swept bangs. 

"What's this?"

Nami curiously snatched the photo from Roman's hand. She wasn't worried about Roman being unfaithful—she was just interested in the girl in the picture. 

"What a cute girl! Even I like her…" 

"Right? I'm sure Sanji feels the same way." 

…? 

"Oh no, Sanji's not coming back!" 

?! "No way! Let me see!" 

Luffy grabbed the photo, unwilling to believe it. After one look, he exclaimed, "Oh no, Sanji's not coming back!" 

"I…" 

Watching Luffy and Usopp clinging to Roman and crying, the usually serious and tough Jaguar Pedro stood frozen, his whole body trembling like he'd had a stroke. A numb sensation ran from his fingertips to his scalp. 

The future Pirate King? This is it? This is all he's got?! 

Forget it. This whole trip… I'll just treat it as risking my life for a friend. 

He had completely given up on the idea of "rescuing"—no, "stealing back"—the groom from Big Mom's territory. 

"Sigh, with such a beautiful and gentle fiancée, Sanji is probably…" 

"Hah, that pervy kappa has probably even forgotten his own name by now!" 

"This is bad. Sanji never had much self-control around beautiful women." 

"By the way, whose turn is it to cook dinner?" 

… 

"Alright! Let me show you what I can do!" 

Luffy immediately perked up, put on a chef's hat, and ran into the kitchen. 

Roman raised an eyebrow. "Nami, get ready to put out a fire." 

…? 

Roman still underestimated Luffy. 

A few minutes later— 

BOOM!! 

A loud explosion came from the kitchen of the Sunny, a ship that had survived countless storms and battles without a scratch. Everyone turned their heads sharply toward the noise. 

"Enemy attack?!" 

"Everyone, be on guard—" 

"Could it be that 'mirror ability user' Roman mentioned attacking us—" 

*Cough cough cough* 

The truth was— 

A charred figure staggered out of the kitchen, coughing and grumbling. 

"What kind of fire is this? I only turned up the heat a little, and it exploded!" 

"…LUFFY!!!" 

Usopp and Franky, furious, broke into a cold sweat as Luffy waved his hands frantically. 

"It's not my fault! It's not my fault! The fire exploded on its own…" 

"Give me one more chance! I swear I'll get it right this time!" 

"Forget it. Usopp, Franky, just focus on fixing the ship." 

Roman stepped in to stop the two shipwrights from beating up their captain. 

"It's late already. Let's eat and get some rest." 

Anything else could wait until tomorrow. 

"Leave it to me!" 

Full of confidence, Luffy rushed back into the kitchen. After a long session of clattering and banging, and with the sky already dark, he finally emerged with a huge pot of… 

"Not bad." 

Roman glanced at it and gave an honest review. 

"This toxic stew Luffy cooked up could actually work as a biological weapon in our next mission." 

?! "Luffy, you didn't even cook the rice properly—no, this is just raw rice!" 

Nami winced. 

"Looking at this… the fish heads in here all died with their eyes wide open." 

Brook teared up. 

"Are we sure this isn't poisonous? I think we should test it first…" 

Chopper shivered. 

"You're just wasting food!!!" 

Usopp roared in frustration. 

"Captain Luffy, I sincerely apologize for offending you earlier. Please, I beg you, spare this poor rabbit's life~~" 

Carrot fell to her knees, pleading for mercy as the dish let off an ominous purple smoke. 

The others didn't say anything, but judging by how Zoro, Robin, Franky, and Pedro had all retreated to a safe distance upwind, their opinions were clear. 

"Hmph! I worked so hard to make this, and you guys are being so mean!" 

Luffy angrily grabbed a big chunk and stuffed it into his mouth. Then— 

"BLECH! THIS IS TERRIBLE!!!" 

"Not bad, not bad." 

Roman clapped his hands. 

"Even Luffy, with his insane resistance to poison, is reacting to it. For an average person, just one bite and they'd be vomiting their guts out. Definitely qualified as a biological weapon." 

"See? Even you can't eat it…"

"Don't flip the table!" 

While Usopp and the others were trying to calm down an embarrassed and angry Luffy, on the other side— 

"Hmm, this sake is really good." 

"The snacks are delicious too..." 

"Being able to eat a proper meal... what a blessing in life." 

??? 

Zoro, Robin, Franky, Pedro, and the others had already gathered around Roman, sharing the food he had brought out. As they ate, they sighed with satisfaction, painting a picture of pure enjoyment. 

Meanwhile, beside Luffy— 

"Ahem, Roman, aren't you... not supposed to eat that... that thing...?" 

Using this as an excuse, Nami quickly slipped away. 

"Oh no, I need to change Pedro's bandages!" 

Chopper immediately followed. 

"I—" 

Smack! 

Usopp and Carrot, who had also been trying to sneak off, were caught by Luffy, who grabbed them by the collar with an ominous shadow covering his face. They trembled as they slowly turned to look at him. 

"Uh, Luffy... this thing you made is really..." 

Gurgle gurgle~~ 

A loud rumbling came from Luffy's stomach. When he looked up— 

"Uuuuugh, I'm starving!!" 

"Sanji! Sanji!! Hurry up and come back~~~" 

"Alright, alright." 

Roman walked up to the wailing Luffy and pulled out a huge chunk of meat from his book of storage pages. 

"Here, it's from Sanji." 

"Uwaaaah, Roman, you really get me!" 

Watching Luffy clutch the meat, crying as he devoured it, Roman turned away, unable to bear the sight. 

"I've got more food Sanji prepared and stored away. Just make do with this for now. The real priority is getting Sanji back. You don't actually think he's the kind of guy who'd abandon us just for a woman, do you?" 

—————— 

"Stop being so stubborn." 

Aboard one of the Big Mom Pirates' ships, Baron Tamago was trying to persuade Sanji. 

"Joining the Big Mom Pirates isn't a bad deal, is it? 'Mama' would gladly welcome you. Soir." 

"With your experience at East Blue's Baratie, if you really have the skills, 'Mama' would treat you well. Bon." 

"Keep dreaming!" 

Sanji firmly rejected him. 

"I trained to cook delicious meals for my crew, not for some kingdom, and definitely not for one of the Four Emperors! There's no way I would ever—" 

"This is a picture of your fiancée, Charlotte Pudding." 

!? 

Sanji instantly turned into a lovestruck fool, his eyes turning into hearts and his tongue practically flying out of his mouth. 

Baron Tamago twitched at the sight. As expected of a Vinsmoke… That hopeless love-struck nature really ran in the family. 

But that was fine. 

With Lady Pudding's skills, playing this 'Black Leg' Sanji like a puppet would be child's play. 

Meanwhile, the Straw Hat Crew was already on their way to Whole Cake Island. 

Hmph. 

On our Big Mom Pirates' turf, how many times can they even use that powerful weapon of theirs? And with 'Mama' here, that little girl who messes with the weather won't be able to cause much trouble either. 

Everything was set. The tea party was about to begin. 

Now, all that was left was for the 'guests' to take their seats. 

—————— 

New World, Wano Country. 

"Under the combined attack of the Straw Hat Pirates and the Heart Pirates, Lord Jack barely managed to retrieve the SMILE factory from Dressrosa, but... they found out that they were missing a key ingredient—one that only Caesar could produce. So..." 

"I see." 

The man holding his face couldn't stop the tears from falling. 

"So that means... we can't create any more ability users?" 

Even though the artificial Devil Fruit users had some bizarre appearances, their overall strength had increased dramatically. 

After all, in the New World, where Armament Haki was everywhere, Zoan types made the best soldiers—they were tough and didn't go down as easily as other ability users. 

And if they were preparing for the ultimate battle ahead, there was no such thing as too many troops. 

"Uwaaaaah!! We were supposed to build an army of ability users!!" 

Drunk and wailing, the man let his tears flow freely. 

"My beautiful dream... ruined by a bunch of brats!!"

"Pity, 'Joker'—it's all because you're too weak." 

The infamous Warlord of the Sea, "Heavenly Yaksha" Donquixote Doflamingo, was reduced to nothing more than a "too weak" comment in front of this towering man. 

"Boss, the Straw Hat Crew is the hottest rookie group right now. We shouldn't underestimate them. Maybe we should—" 

A newly recruited subordinate tried to show off his "strategy," but before he could finish, the others around him quickly backed away, their faces pale. 

?! 

Gulp. 

The man, reeking of alcohol, took a big swig from his bottle and staggered to his feet. He slapped Luffy's wanted poster onto the clueless recruit's face, then grabbed a nearby iron club. 

"So what if I underestimate him?!" 

In an instant, the subordinate, who had just crossed the 100-million bounty mark, felt like an invisible hand had grabbed him. A terrifying sense of dread surged through his heart. 

Before he could react, a massive iron club, crackling with black lightning, slammed into him. His body was crushed and twisted in the blink of an eye, and then— 

Boom! 

The overwhelming force shattered his helmet, caved in his chest armor, and compressed his large frame into something as thin as paper! Then, like a piece of straw, he was sent flying toward the ceiling. 

Crash!! 

As his body smashed into the roof, a devastating burst of Haki exploded from within. The roof within a few dozen meters instantly crumbled into dust, sending shattered wood, flesh, and bone flying into the sky. 

The air itself rippled with shockwaves, white rings expanding outward, reaching all the way to the clouds! 

But Luffy's wanted poster floated down unharmed—a testament to the terrifying power and control behind the attack. 

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?!" 

The man who had just obliterated a 100-million-bounty rookie roared, shaking everyone to their core. 

"A bunch of brats playing pirate? I'll crush them! Just like you—" 

Behind him, inside a prison cell, lay a bloodied figure, motionless. 

One of the former Supernovas: Eustass Kid. 

And the drunken man? 

The so-called "Strongest Creature in the World"—Kaido of the Beasts! 

(End of The Chapter)

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