Chapter 80

Outside the room.

Sanji leaned against the door, head bowed, expression hidden—only the cigarette in his mouth burned steadily, sending up thin wisps of smoke.

He had heard every word spoken by Gao Wen and the others inside, and his lips curled unconsciously.

For a moment.

Sanji couldn’t help but regret having refused Gao Wen’s invitation earlier.

“Allblue isn’t in the East Blue!”

Sanji murmured, remembering Zeff’s lost leg, then crushed the cigarette butt between his fingers and tossed it into the trash.

He turned and walked down.

……

Tap!

Tap!

Tap!

With steady footsteps, Sanji slowly descended the stairs.

There, in the dining hall, the chefs and waiters of the Baratie all gathered, staring at him with cold expressions.

“What?!”

In response, only the growing coldness of their gazes met Sanji.

As he felt uneasy and prepared to demand an explanation, Zeff pushed through the crowd, stepped before Sanji, crossed his arms, and said coldly:

“Kid, you’re fired—from today!”

“Go wherever you want!”

“But there’s no place for you on this ship anymore!”

Sanji froze, then erupted in fury:

“You old bastard!”

“What kind of joke is this?!”

“I’m the chef on this ship—”

As he spoke, Sanji scanned the crowd—and saw every face, like Zeff’s, filled with cold indifference.

“Everyone—”

……

“Just go, you brat!”

“No one on this ship wants you to stay!”

“Go!”

“Go where you please!”

Angry shouts echoed from the crowd.

Paddy and Karny rolled up their sleeves, stepped before Sanji, and punched him straight to the ground, snarling:

“This restaurant has no place for you from today!”

Then,

they dragged Sanji onto the deck and threw him out, slamming the restaurant’s main door shut before he could react.

Bang!

With the sound of the door closing,

Sanji looked around in daze.

All he saw was endless sea, and a full moon hanging in the sky.

On this vast ocean, where could I possibly go?

As this thought crossed his mind, Sanji froze—then turned to see a pirate flag fluttering in the wind.

In an instant,

Sanji understood why Zeff had fired him, and why the chefs had treated him with such coldness.

“You think I’ll thank you for this?!”

“No way!”

……

Through the restaurant window,

Zeff watched Sanji on the deck, took a puff from his pipe, and muttered:

“This old bones of mine don’t want you to sacrifice your dream.”

Everyone watching the crying Sanji outside the window showed pity in their eyes—but they knew better: a man with his own dream shouldn’t be chained here.

He belonged out there, in a wider world, chasing the legendary Allblue.

Beside them, Paddy and Karny embraced each other and wept openly.

“Browny may be violent, and he breaks the rules by feeding the penniless… but…”

“Damn it!”

“I’m such a coward too!”

The next instant,

two massive men, weighing nearly four hundred jin combined, clung to each other, tears streaming—making Zeff’s lip twitch; he instinctively stepped back two paces, fearing they’d splash him.

“Though earlier than I expected, that man is undoubtedly strong and reliable.”

“Only by following him can you see a world beyond this one!”

Zeff murmured to himself.

At that moment, a familiar voice reached his ears:

“Ara ara~”

“What a touching scene.”

Gao Wen descended the stairs slowly, a faint smile on his lips, accompanied by Keluo and his group; Zoro, still unconscious, was carried on a stretcher by two pirates behind them.

Zeff glanced at him and said coolly:

“You can see it too—he’s just putting on a tough front. His heart’s already on your ship.”

“Take him.”

“Out of sight, out of mind.”

With that,

Zeff turned, clasped his hands behind his back, and pushed through the crowd to leave.

Paddy and Karny looked at Gao Wen, fear plain in their eyes—but still gathered courage to snarl:

“That guy may be a jerk, but he’s a man who walked out of this ship.”

“If you hurt him, I’ll die biting a piece of flesh off you!”

Gao Wen replied calmly:

“Ah.”

“He’s the crewman I want.”

“Don’t worry.”

Seeing this, the two finally exhaled in relief.

The crowd around the restaurant gradually dispersed; under Paddy’s guidance, Gao Wen found the cat-men and the other pirates locked in the storage room.

Seeing Gao Wen unharmed, their hearts finally eased—and joy surged after surviving the ordeal.

“Captain~”

Gao Wen watched the two fat cats charging toward him, his lip twitched, and he immediately grabbed them both.

“Wait!”

“You two need to lose weight!”

They froze, staring at their growing bellies, scratched their heads awkwardly, and chuckled sheepishly:

“Hehe~”

Gao Wen sighed, then ordered the chains on the other pirates’ ankles removed, and led them away.

……

On the deck.

Sanji saw the door open, thinking Zeff had changed his mind—he opened his mouth to speak—then saw it was Gao Wen.

“How’s it going?”

“Kid, if this place won’t keep you, your only option left seems to be my ship.”

Gao Wen said coolly, then casually cast a scan on Sanji—confirmed his gold-tier potential—and his mouth watered instantly.

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

Sanji gritted his teeth without hesitation and refused outright:

“I’m the chef on this ship!”

“I—”

Gao Wen placed one hand on Sanji’s shoulder, and pointed with the other to Nami beside him:

“She’s our navigator—you—”

"Captain, from today on I’m the ship’s cook—please take care of me."

Before the words had even finished falling.

Sanji had already dashed to Nami’s side, nostrils flaring, eyes filled with hearts, looking like a lovesick fool.

He grabbed Nami’s hand, puckered his lips to kiss it, but out of the corner of his eyes he saw a palm growing larger and larger…

Slap!

With a crisp, clean sound, Sanji spun three and a half times in midair and landed headfirst, a visible lump rising on his scalp.

"Are you a pervert?!"

Nami’s temple twitched with veins; she grabbed Sanji’s foot and dragged him aboard.

The deck fell silent all at once.

Every pirate’s face wore expressions of terror, as if seeing Nami for the first time.

"So scary!"

"Big Sister Nami!"

…

Inside the cabin.

Zeff, watching the deck through the porthole, rolled his eyes, feeling his earlier worries had been entirely unnecessary.

"You deserve to die!"

Paddy and Karné gritted their teeth; everyone in the dining room wore stunned, speechless expressions.

Gao Wen’s lips twitched slightly, then he led everyone onto the deck.

Soon.

Two blasts of the ship’s horn echoed across the sea.

As the sails unfurled.

Calm now, Sanji stood at the stern, gazing back at the shrinking Marine Restaurant Baratie, silently lighting himself a cigarette.

(End of Chapter)