In the dishwashing room, water roared and pots and plates clattered.
"Old geezer! Tyrant! Dictator! Fossil!"
"Damn old man—bloodsucking capitalist! Slave-driver!"
Luffy and Sanji stood shoulder to shoulder at the huge sink—one scrubbing with gusto, the other with simmering resentment—yet their complaints rose and fell in perfect counterpoint.
"Huh? Who are you?" Sanji glanced over. "Never seen you."
"Oh, I'm new. Keep cursing." Luffy, hearing Zeff was the target, cheered him on—he'd watched the whole scene outside.
Good cursing!
And when that pirate got thrown out, Sanji still gave the guy a bite to eat. Luffy grinned. This guy fit his taste.
"That bastard old man actually took the side of a Marine who wrecked the restaurant!" Sanji smashed a plate in anger.
"Right! How can you kick out a hungry customer? What kind of restaurant is that?!"
"Hey, careful—you two! Plates are expensive!" a busboy peeked in to warn them.
"Shut up!"
They spun and barked in unison, making the kid turtle his neck.
Just then, the flat mechanical prompt rang in Luffy's head: [ Crew Day remaining: two hours. Please complete core crewmate recruitment immediately. ]
Time's running out?
Luffy stopped fooling around.
You never knew what punishment might come.
"Hey, Curly-brow, you're a cook too, right?" Luffy clapped his shoulder like an old friend.
"Can't you tell?" Sanji exhaled smoke.
"How about being the cook on my ship?" Luffy grinned.
"You're a pirate? Famous?" Sanji was a little surprised; Luffy didn't match the pirate image at all.
And what proper pirate washed dishes here?
At that, Luffy perked right up. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who'll become the Pirate King! You seem all right, and your cooking's decent. Well? Be my crewmate."
Sanji staggered from the slap, almost dropping his cigarette into the sink. He steadied himself and gave Luffy a look reserved for lunatics. "Hah? Pirate King? Be a pirate? Don't kid me, brat. I've no interest in becoming a pirate."
He might hate that old man, but he didn't think much of pirates either.
"Why not? Pirates are free."
To Luffy, being a pirate was just the job that let him adventure around the world.
So he couldn't understand people who hated pirates.
As for Pirate King—that was the freest person alive.
He wasn't Pirate King yet, so he wasn't free.
"What's so great about freedom?" Sanji said.
"Freedom means doing anything you want. Curly-brow, don't you have something you want to do? A dream?" Luffy talked on.
Dreams?
At that word, the fingers holding Sanji's cigarette paused, a flash flickering deep in his eyes before sarcasm washed it away.
"Tch. Little pirates like you should stop yapping about Pirate King. Save it—let me laugh first."
He bent over laughing.
A rookie with unknown strength, probably not even at a million in bounty, aiming at Pirate King?
Ignorance really is fearless.
"No dream deserves mockery," Luffy said seriously. "People's dreams don't end."
Sanji's laughter cut off.
All Blue—that was the only thing that made him leave that family, hole up on this boat, and slave under the geezer. The dream he didn't dare trumpet.
His expression tangled.
[ Notice: Crew Day concluded. Crewmate Vinsmoke Sanji recruited. Adjusting per current condition. Next phase: three minutes for food intake. Countdown… ]
A barrage of prompts flooded Luffy's mind.
Recruitment complete?
Wait—did I get swindled?
There were supposed to be hours left of Crew Day. Back to training again already?
Whatever. What mattered was—they had a cook!
"Hahaha! Curly-brow cook, welcome aboard!"
"Oi, you idiot in the straw hat! Who said yes?" Sanji nearly choked.
What was with this guy?
Was he nuts?
He'd only hesitated for a second!
Luffy ignored him and turned to go fuel up.
"Hey. Dishwashers don't eat yet," Zeff blocked him. But the aroma wafting from the dining room was too much; before Zeff's horrified eyes, Luffy's neck shot out, stretching long.
In the hall, Nami was savoring her last spoon of pudding.
"Wow, smells great—gimme a bite!"
A long, elastic neck whipped out from the kitchen, curved around, and reached their table!
Luffy's head stopped right beside Nami's empty pudding dish, drool pouring like a faucet.
"Waaah—!"
"A gh—ghooost!"
The ghastly sight had Nami and Usopp nearly vaulting from their chairs, nearby diners shrieking in chorus.
A human head suddenly flying to your table to watch you eat—anyone would jump.
"Lu-Luffy?! You idiot! Don't show up like that—it's disgusting!"
Clutching her pounding heart, Nami had gone pale.
"I've been washing dishes in there, and you just started eating without a word," Luffy complained.
"That's on you," Nami said, exasperated and amused. "Who told you to blow a hole in their ship?"
Luffy stared straight at her.
Open your eyes and look at me—I don't believe those eyes are empty.
Mouthing off that it was gross and embarrassing and to stop staring—her body betrayed her. She picked up her fork and cut a small piece of steak.
"Ah—"
Blushing, she darted a look at the still-spooked diners, then popped the bite into Luffy's open mouth. "Honestly—so troublesome. Just eat!"
"Mmph—Nami, you're the best," Luffy said around the meat. "Oh, I just found us a cook."
"A cook? A new crewmate?" Usopp deadpanned. "Not some weirdo, right?"
He'd never had much faith in Luffy's eye for people.
"Not weird—just curly eyebrows," Luffy said.
A cook was good news.
Watching Luffy chow down, Nami sighed and waved to a shaken server nearby. "More orders, please—ten portions of roast meat."
"Make it twenty. All kinds," Luffy added.
"You're ordering that much?" Nami blurted.
"Don't worry. I can finish," Luffy guaranteed.
That wasn't the point.
Forget it—he'd be washing a mountain of plates to pay for it anyway.