Zeff looked down, taking inventory of the ingredient list, and said in a deep voice,
"This will probably be your last time working in this restaurant. Don't you dare tarnish my reputation before you leave."
"You should be worrying about yourself. Don't let your hands shake when you cook at your age, you shitty old man."
Sanji, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, meticulously cleaned his cooking station and replied nonchalantly.
Zeff didn't even bat an eyelid, scoffing in retaliation,
"Hmph, when I first picked up a ladle, you were still crawling around on the floor with a pacifier in your mouth, you wet-behind-the-ears brat."
"This... Boss, what's going on?"
Hearing their conversation, the surrounding chefs who were prepping ingredients all looked over, their faces filled with confusion.
"Did we hear that right? Sanji is leaving?"
"What happened? Wait a minute, are you really going to become a pirate with that crew outside?"
"Focus on your own work and mind your own business."
Faced with their questions, Sanji simply gave a flat reply.
Perhaps he was afraid of shaking his newly made resolve, or maybe he feared he wouldn't be able to control the deep-seated emotions within him.
Sanji feigned a cold expression and went about his work.
But in Zeff's eyes, his disguise seemed incredibly childish. The stiff, unnatural movements of his hands completely exposed the inner turmoil he was feeling.
"You damn brat, if you aren't ready yet, then forget it."
Zeff mocked him with an indifferent tone, "As for what you said when you ran into my room earlier, I'll just treat it as a spur-of-the-moment fart."
Hearing this, Sanji tightened his grip on the brush in his hand. He lowered his head, hiding his expression beneath his bangs, and remained silently speechless.
...
The atmosphere in the kitchen suddenly took a subtle turn.
The chefs froze in their tracks, not daring to breathe as they watched the two of them. It was as if even their heartbeats had slowed down.
The air was dead silent.
It was only then that the chefs finally fully realized that Sanji was actually leaving the restaurant.
"What is that supposed to mean? Since when were you in such a hurry to kick me out, you bastard," Sanji gritted his teeth, his face looking grim.
Perhaps his suppressed emotions had been brewing for too long.
It was supposed to be a reluctant farewell, but when the words finally left his mouth, they twisted into something awkward and defensive.
Watching this father and son express themselves so contrary to their true feelings, the group of chefs hesitated. They wanted to speak up, but feared saying the wrong thing and detonating the emotional powder keg between the two.
The kitchen was terrifyingly quiet. The silence lasted for only a dozen seconds, but it felt as agonizingly long as several minutes.
"Of course I've wanted you to leave for a long time."
Ultimately, Zeff was the first to break the silence. He let out a long sigh and continued,
"Hasn't entering the Grand Line always been your dream, Sanji?"
"I just know what you're thinking, and I know even better that you won't listen to a word I say."
Zeff's expression was complex. Beyond those words, perhaps there was also a lingering sense of reluctance in his heart.
As a father, he would proudly watch Sanji chase his dreams, yet equally hope that his child could just live out the rest of his life safely and peacefully.
These two mindsets were highly contradictory, yet they coexisted perfectly naturally.
"But Sanji, if I become the shackle that holds you back from your dream..."
"As a father, I would be ashamed of myself!"
Zeff turned around and locked eyes with Sanji, his gaze gradually turning resolute.
"So..."
"Go, Sanji! For your dream, or for freedom, whatever it is, just set sail! And don't look back!"
"I have already taught you everything! The moment you set foot at the end of the sea, I will proudly declare that you are my disciple!"
"And more importantly, my son!!"
His voice was steady and profound, echoing through the sweltering kitchen and ringing in everyone's ears.
Sanji kept his head down, biting his lower lip tightly. Beneath his bangs, his eyes inevitably began to turn red.
The sorrow of parting, after being suppressed for so long, finally erupted, instantly igniting Sanji's near-collapsing emotions.
He fell heavily to his knees, slamming his forehead forcefully against the floorboards.
Bang!
"Old man...!!"
"For all this time...! Thank you so much for taking care of me!!"
Sanji cried out at the top of his lungs, his voice hoarse. Biting his trembling lower lip, he could no longer hold back the snot and tears streaming down his face.
"I will never forget your great kindness for as long as I live...!!"
"You stupid brat... what are you doing!"
Zeff slapped his large hand over his own face, his tears threatening to spill over at any second.
"Boss Zeff... Sanji..."
The chefs likewise covered their faces, fighting back the tears welling up in the corners of their eyes.
"Waaah! I can't take it anymore!"
"You bastard, Sanji!"
"You've made it impossible for us to work properly!"
"Waaaah!!"
As if it were contagious, the kitchen suddenly erupted into a chorus of wailing. Outside, the pirates' attention was entirely drawn toward the kitchen, their faces blank with confusion.
Then, they heard waves of impassioned, tearful shouting coming from inside.
"Hoo-hoo-hoo! Brothers, roll up your sleeves and work your asses off!"
"Let's do it our way! Let's throw Sanji a proper chef's farewell party!!"
"Make sure to stuff those noisy idiots outside full!!"
"Ohhh!!"
In no time, the kitchen instantly became a bustling hub of fiery activity once again.
The pirates: "..."
Just who were the noisy idiots here?
A short while later, accompanied by the passionate clattering of various kitchen utensils, a mouth-watering aroma gradually wafted out from the kitchen.
It permeated the spacious dining hall, filling the very air with an enticing scent that left the pirates drooling uncontrollably.
Before long, two chefs emerged, each pushing a dining cart. Drinks and appetizers were the first to hit the tables.
The moment they saw the booze, the already impatient pirates' eyes lit up, staring fixedly at the bottles.
"Brothers, the carnival has begun! Bring out ten thousand percent of your energy and eat until you drop!"
"Ohhh!!"
"Long live the Captain!!"
Allen's passionate shout whipped all the pirates in the hall into a frenzy, kicking off a small yet wildly enthusiastic banquet!
The chefs' serving efficiency and timing were impeccable. They left almost no downtime, delivering new dishes at the absolute perfect moments.
The sky darkened early. Outside the restaurant, a slanting drizzle pattered down, dropping onto the sea surface and being mercilessly swallowed by the rolling waves before it could even form ripples.
This only added to the festive atmosphere for the pirates.
Sham and Buchi wandered between the tables with liquor bottles in hand, frantically egging their subordinates on to perform and liven things up.
Tone-deaf singing and utterly ridiculous dancing ensued endlessly, along with a few clumsy magic tricks and circus-style acrobatics.
Allen was brought to roaring laughter several times, unable to help but marvel at how a large group of people truly harbored all sorts of talents.
The gloomy, lightless sky and the mind-numbing fine wine gradually blurred the pirates' perception of time as they reveled in the carnival atmosphere.
It continued until people drunkenly collapsed onto the dining tables or slumped directly onto the floor from sheer exhaustion.
...
When the banquet's revelry finally drew to a close, Allen had his still-sober subordinates drag their comrades back to the ship. He then stepped out of the restaurant onto the Baratie's spacious deck to catch some fresh air.
It was already late into the night. The light rain that had been falling for quite some time had long since stopped, and a crescent moon parted the thin clouds to scatter its silver light across the tranquil sea.
Sanji, wearing a blue-striped shirt, was leaning against the railing by himself.
Noticing Allen approaching, he glanced up briefly before turning back to continue smoking his cigarette.
Allen walked straight up to him and said, "What's the matter? Isn't it a bit too cold to treat your future captain like this?"
Sanji didn't look up, merely stating flatly, "Save it. I only decided to set sail. I never said I was going to be a pirate, let alone join you guys."
"Is that so? What a pity."
Allen smiled dismissively and stopped beside Sanji. Leaning his back and elbows against the railing, he looked up at the moon and asked,
"What are your plans now? Become a pirate? A bounty hunter, or something else?"
...
After a few seconds of silence, Sanji looked up and slowly blew a smoke ring before finally speaking,
"I don't know. I'll probably just be a cook on some ship."
Since he had decided to enter the Grand Line, drifting alone at sea was definitely out of the question. He either had to form his own crew or find one to join.
He had never planned for any of this before.
Joining Allen's pirate crew was a decent idea. After all, their goal was also the Grand Line, and he wasn't opposed to being a pirate.
But Sanji was still somewhat hesitant.
With chivalry as his creed, once he joined a pirate crew, quitting later wouldn't be as simple as just saying the word.
Whether Allen was worth following was a very important question.
...
"There's something I'm curious about."
After a moment of quiet, Sanji suddenly spoke up.
Allen glanced at him. "What is it?"
"Earlier, the Nyaban Brothers asked you what the consequences would be if they didn't want to go to the Grand Line and chose to quit the crew..."
Pausing for a moment, Sanji looked directly into Allen's eyes and asked,
"I want to know what you would do."
"Oh, that."
Allen looked at Sanji with a strange expression, not expecting him to care about such a thing.
"It's nothing much. I'd kick them into the sea, mock them mercilessly, and then tell them to get the hell out of my sight," Allen said, spreading his hands.
Although he had initially absorbed this pirate crew through sheer force, he had no intention of ruling them through fear.
Because it was useless.
These outlaws, who only had themselves to feed, could easily run away the moment they docked at any random island if they truly didn't want to stay.
The same went for the Nyaban Brothers.
If they really didn't want to follow Allen, they could have snuck onto another ship and fled during the day.
The only reason these pirates had stayed until now was that they felt life would be more comfortable following Allen. Clinging to a more powerful leader was simply the pirate way of survival.
Seeing that Sanji's eyes still held a hint of disbelief, Allen smiled and added,
"My goal is to sail across the magnificent, boundless seas. If I can't do it alongside like-minded companions, wouldn't that journey be far too lonely?"
"Fair enough. I'll assume you're telling the truth."
Sanji stopped dwelling on the issue.
Having spent so many years at the sea restaurant, he had seen all sorts of pirates. Allen's way of doing things indeed gave him an indescribably different impression.
Sanji took a drag from his cigarette and finally relented, telling Allen,
"If I'm going to board your ship, I have one condition."
"Speak."
"I will not allow any wasting of food on the ship, and that goes for you too. Everything related to food must be under my command," Sanji said, his eyes completely serious.
Allen's mouth curled into a grin, revealing two rows of bright white teeth, and he replied,
"I agree. From today onward, you are the head chef of my ship. I won't interfere with any work inside the kitchen."
Sanji lowered his head, the corners of his lips turning up slightly. "Hmph, I hope you can keep your word."
...
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