You've got to be kidding. With two such useful lackeys at his disposal, there was no way he would just let them run off.
They were doing the same dirty work anyway; being a pirate was the same no matter whose ship they were on.
Under Allen's sweet words (physical coercion), the Nyaban Brothers finally hung their heads in resignation.
Immediately after, he shifted his gaze back to Sanji.
"What about you? Don't brush me off. I can tell you want to set sail. Whether it's the All Blue or beautiful women, my ship has room for all dreams."
"So, how about it? Come be a pirate with me."
Allen grinned, extending the invitation once more.
Sanji stared at him for a moment, then let out a long sigh and said,
"I admit I've thought about setting sail, but I can't. At least, not right now."
"I have something else I need to accomplish. Until then, I'm not going anywhere."
Sanji refused again.
Allen naturally knew what he was referring to and spoke up.
"It's about Boss Zeff, right? While I was eating, I heard the chefs talking about how you were taken in."
"Tch, those loudmouthed idiots."
Sanji scoffed toward the restaurant's interior, then waved his hand at Allen.
"Since you know, stop pestering me. There's no way I'm leaving with you."
Of course he wanted to set sail. Even without Allen's invitation, he wanted to search for the All Blue. It was just...
Zeff had saved his life and raised him. Staying by Zeff's side until the end of his days was Sanji's deepest conviction. Until then, he would never leave the restaurant.
"I get it. So as long as Boss Zeff is alive, you won't leave this place, right?"
Watching Sanji's back, Allen sighed. An idea had already formed in his mind.
"In that case, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"What are you trying to pull?"
Sanji paused his steps, getting the distinct feeling that this guy was about to do something wicked again, and looked back.
He saw Allen raise an index finger and say,
"Let's just tie him up and drag him onto the ship with us."
"Who the hell is teaming up with you?!"
Sanji rolled his eyes and glared fiercely, cursing in exasperation,
"Forcing a nearly seventy-year-old man to become a pirate! Are you an animal?!"
"Tch, he's only seventy."
Allen turned his face away and smacked his lips.
"Some people are still Emperors of the Sea at seventy. Some are still sailing the world catching pirates at seventy. Isn't this the prime age for striving?"
"Enough! Drop this ridiculous idea!"
Sanji yelled, spit flying everywhere.
Ultimately, Allen decided to appeal to reason and emotion. He waved his hand dismissively.
"Alright, alright, it was just a joke. I'm sure you can tell I'm not that kind of person."
"No, we can't tell at all..."
The Nyaban Brothers beside him waved their hands in denial.
Allen ignored their opinions. He turned to face the sea, leaning both hands on the railing. After a moment of silence, he spoke at a leisurely pace.
"Sanji, have you ever thought about what happens to Zeff's dream?"
Hearing this.
Sanji, who was just about to leave, suddenly froze and looked back at Allen's silhouette.
He listened as Allen continued,
"You plan to wait until he passes away peacefully before you set sail to chase your dream. That's right, isn't it, Sanji?"
"The All Blue... isn't that Zeff's dream too? Don't you want to prove that legendary sea actually exists while he's still alive to see it?"
A gentle breeze swept across the sea, bringing a hint of coolness to the deck. Allen looked back at Sanji with a faint smile.
"Someone has to go see it for him, right? The legendary All Blue."
"Letting a man who dared to risk his life for his dream die with regrets... do you really think that counts as a 'peaceful end'?"
After saying that, Allen fell silent, simply meeting Sanji's eyes.
"Zeff's dream..."
Sanji muttered soundlessly, his expression slowly sinking into deep thought.
If it hadn't been to keep him alive back then, perhaps Zeff would still be active on the seas as a pirate today.
If he hadn't lost that leg...
Closing his eyes, fragments of painful memories continuously surfaced, piecing together a vivid picture in his mind.
Sanji clenched his fists.
For a split second, he felt as though he had returned to that barren rock where he and Zeff had been stranded over a decade ago.
Back then, they had encountered a violent storm during their voyage, and Sanji had tragically fallen overboard.
To save him, Zeff had recklessly thrown himself into the terrifying, churning sea.
Eventually, the two washed up on a rocky outcrop with only a tiny amount of salvaged food. To ensure the young boy survived, Zeff gave him every last scrap of it.
Before being rescued by a passing ship, the two had endured a grueling forty-eight days on that rock!
Nearly starving to death, Sanji had to tear a single piece of moldy bread into smaller chunks to make it last for days.
Meanwhile, Zeff, who had absolutely no food, ruthlessly ate his own leg to sustain his life.
For forty-eight whole days!
He would never forget the psychological shock he experienced back then, nor could he ever fully comprehend the horrifying torment Zeff endured every single day during that time.
From then on, Zeff permanently lost his proud right leg, and the name "Red-Leg" Zeff vanished completely from the seas.
And the East Blue gained a one-legged cook.
...
After a long while, Sanji unclenched his fists and let out a long breath.
His life had been snatched from the jaws of death at the cost of Zeff's entire future. He had always viewed Zeff as a father and was determined to repay that debt with his life.
Thus, he had buried his own dream, resolving to stay by Zeff's side forever.
However...
Sanji lit a cigarette, took a drag, tilted his head toward the sky, and exhaled a long plume of smoke.
Allen's words forced him to reevaluate everything he had done up until now.
If he continued living like this, he would stay with Zeff until the end of his days. That didn't seem so bad.
But that was all it would ever be.
A man who had once wagered everything and set out to sea in pursuit of his dream... would he truly be content letting his life fade away in silence?
Had he really given up...?
"When exactly did I start thinking like that? I've been such an absolute fool..."
Sanji muttered in self-deprecation.
The dream that Zeff once cherished but buried deep in his heart for Sanji's sake—it was only right that Sanji pick it back up.
At that moment, a complex emotion flashed deep within Sanji's eyes. He turned and walked back into the restaurant, seemingly carrying a newfound resolve.
...
"Boss, what do we do now? It looks like we haven't recruited a single chef."
Sham tilted his head and threw his hands up.
Allen waved his hand nonchalantly and pulled out the remaining two million-plus Berries he had on him.
He tossed the money to Sham and said,
"Coordinate with the restaurant staff. Have them prepare a banquet for eighty people. If the budget isn't enough, then..."
"Just tell them to add it to the damages from the earlier fight and bill the Marines for it."
"That... probably won't work..."
Sham looked awkward and scratched his head sheepishly.
Allen shot him a cold glare. Sham shrank back and bit the bullet, heading off to get it done. He then told Buchi to go to the ship and call the rest of the crew down to eat.
After giving his orders, Allen remained where he was, leaning against the railing and gazing out at the sky and the sea.
Sanji inherently wanted to set sail. His only reason for staying was Zeff. To coax Sanji into making a decision, Allen naturally had to use Zeff as the focal point.
Maybe his execution wasn't perfect, but the direction was definitely right. If it still didn't work, there was nothing more he could do.
...
He didn't know how long he stood there, but the liquor bottle in his hand had long since been emptied.
*Thump—thump—thump.*
On the second-floor balcony, Zeff's figure emerged, stopping on the wooden planks right before the railing.
He stared at the calm sea in the distance for a while, then shifted his gaze to stare at Allen's back.
The black pirate coat fluttered gently, as if whispering of its yearning for the wind and freedom.
*Capes and pirates truly are a perfect match...*
Zeff thought with a sigh of nostalgia.
After a moment of silence, he spoke in a low voice.
"Why do you want to go to the Grand Line?"
"With your strength, you could easily rule over a territory here in the East Blue. Why do you insist on throwing your life away in a place like that?"
Before Allen could answer, Zeff continued,
"Since you're a Marine who came from Marineford, you should know the horrors of the Grand Line."
"Extremely treacherous weather, islands with harsh environments, terrifyingly powerful beasts, not to mention the formidable powerhouses of the sea chasing fame and fortune."
"You might encounter an absurd tsunami in some stretch of sea, get hunted by bizarre, unknown creatures the moment you land, or inexplicably catch the ire of some great pirate..."
Looking up at the overcast sky, Zeff spoke as if talking to himself.
It was as if he were describing something to Allen, or perhaps recounting his own past experiences in a different way.
Allen didn't turn around. He simply kept his eyes on the sea, listening quietly.
In this sea where all pirates turned pale at the mere mention of the Grand Line, the old man probably hadn't met anyone he could discuss these things with in a very long time.
Allen silently played the role of a listener, hearing an aging man ramble on.
His words lacked structure; one second he was talking about a certain pirate crew, and the next he was describing a waterspout in some random sea.
Allen actually wanted to hear the story of how he and Sanji met, but it never came up. From start to finish, Zeff never mentioned a word about what he did to save Sanji.
Until Zeff's voice abruptly stopped.
Having listened to his tales, Allen glanced back at Zeff on the balcony and couldn't help but ask,
"So, how exactly did you lose your leg?"
"..."
Zeff looked down at his severed leg. After a moment of silence, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"I bet my dream on the next generation!"
Allen: "..."
*Old bro, don't tell me you also bet it on a new era.*
"As for you, you still haven't answered my question. What exactly is drawing you to the Grand Line, knowing full well how dangerous it is?"
Zeff asked again, his gaze fixed earnestly on Allen.
Allen didn't know why the old man cared so much about this question. He turned back to the sea and said calmly,
"The sky in the East Blue is too small..."
"Knowing how vast the outside world is, yet deceiving oneself to comfortably hole up in this tiny little corner."
"That's just too suffocating..."
A faint smile touched Allen's lips. The oncoming sea breeze lifted the black tips of his hair, and his eyes seemed to hold the vast, starry cosmos.
"My life must bloom in the most dazzling way possible, on the most magnificent stage!"
"So, old man."
Allen turned around. Under Zeff's gaze, he placed his hands on his hips and flashed a toothy grin.
"Why don't you persuade Sanji to set sail with me? If that doesn't work, you could always come out of retirement and fight again. Seventy is the perfect age to risk it all."
"..."
Zeff gave him a speechless, deadpan stare.
He wouldn't even spare an old man with one foot in the grave. Just how obsessed was this guy with getting a chef?
It couldn't be helped. Allen had nearly suffocated from eating that disgusting, unpalatable garbage over the past two days.
In this era without artificial additives and chemical flavorings, the food cooked by ordinary people was truly atrocious. He had no idea how they stomached it.
If he couldn't recruit a good chef, he would seriously have to reconsider whether he should just go back to being a Marine.
...
"What do you mean, 'persuade'? I have no idea what you're talking about."
Faced with Allen's request, Zeff simply turned around, looking as though he was about to leave.
Just as Allen felt disappointed again, Zeff suddenly changed his tune, speaking with his back turned.
"I don't know what you said to him, but he's already preparing to leave."
"Eh?"
Allen looked stunned.
Zeff remained expressionless as he walked straight toward the ship's interior, grumbling in annoyance,
"He knocked on my door out of nowhere, spouting nonsense about dreams, witnessing the All Blue for me, and telling me to stay alive until he comes back to fulfill his filial duties."
"I'm not even seventy yet. I could easily live another fifty years."
"That arrogant brat doesn't know his own limits. He learns a few tricks and suddenly thinks he's the center of the world...!"
*Bang!!*
"Tch! Idiot!"
The door was slammed shut violently, leaving only a gruff curse echoing across the quiet deck.
Watching Zeff's cursing figure disappear inside.
Allen stood there, blinking in bewilderment.
So...
Did it actually work...?
——————
Inside the restaurant, the pirates filed in one after another, looking around with excited eyes, chatting and boasting among themselves.
The group was incredibly rowdy. For the first time, Allen felt that the phrase 'country bumpkins coming to the city' was shockingly accurate.
Sham had already coordinated the banquet with the Baratie staff. Two million-plus Berries was actually more than enough to host a feast for eighty people.
Although the Baratie was a very famous restaurant in the East Blue, it didn't exclusively serve high-end dining.
For instance, their alcohol ranged from vintage wines costing hundreds of thousands of Berries a bottle to entry-level booze for just a few thousand. The cost depended entirely on the customer.
Eighty people seated at eight tables, with dishes served at a standard of 300,000 Berries per table.
With some decent quality alcohol and regular meals, this budget was enough for them to eat until they burst.
When Sham presented the menu drawn up by the kitchen, the pirates were so excited they practically drooled.
For men who usually treated cheap rum as the source of life, they had never experienced such luxury in their entire lives!
Meanwhile, in the kitchen...
Upon receiving the order, more than half of the Baratie's chefs mobilized, rubbing their hands together and gearing up for a massive cooking session.
Zeff and Sanji were impressively among them.
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