"It's not bad..."
Nami said vaguely, crying inwardly as she ate.
All this money spent, it's all my money, all mine!
"As long as you like it!"
Sanji raised an eyebrow, an unstoppable look of triumph in his eyes.
However, he was soon criticized:
"The dishes are perfectly seasoned, and technically flawless, but it's just a shame..." Link sipped his champagne, saying with some regret.
"A shame about what?"
Sanji's attention was drawn.
"It's a shame that the Mr. Chef who made these dishes doesn't have a deep enough love for cooking; it feels like it's missing a tiny bit of soul."
Link replied.
"Love isn't deep enough? Missing its soul?"
Sanji's eye twitched, and his expression gradually became serious, "Could this Guest please tell me how you can tell that my love for cooking is lacking?" Sanji would not tolerate anyone questioning his professionalism!
"It's simple, Mr. Chef, I ask you, what is the most important step after a dish is completed?"
Link glanced at him, asking with a smile.
"Of course, it's tasting!!!"
Sanji answered without hesitation, "Only after the Mr. Chef tastes it and confirms the taste is fine can it be served to the Guests to enjoy!!!"
"Exactly!"
Link nodded, "Then if, during the tasting stage, the Mr. Chef's skill is not up to par, doesn't that mean the dish isn't perfectly made?"
"That's natural," Sanji agreed.
"Good then!"
Seeing Sanji follow his line of thought, Link continued:
"So, if a Mr. Chef could clearly do a very good job in the tasting stage, but he deliberately didn't, then tell me, does such a Mr. Chef lack a deep love for cooking?!"
"Of course!!!" Sanji replied without hesitation.
But very quickly, he realized:
"What do you mean? Are you saying I was lacking in the tasting stage?"
Sanji's tone gradually intensified, "Guest, I assure you, during the taste test, I strictly followed the requirements, and even more rigorously than an ordinary chef, several times over!"
As he spoke, he stood tall, his voice filled with determination. He had indeed always followed those requirements.
However~
"But as far as I know, any chef who truly has a devout heart for cooking would never do anything that harms their sense of taste and smell."
Link directly pointed out Sanji's flaw, "If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Chef, you should be smoking, right?"
A fatal blow! A direct KO!
After Link finished speaking, the determined expression on Sanji's face immediately froze.
Indeed, just as Link said, he did smoke, and had been doing so for a long time.
And the harmful substances contained in tobacco, of course, have a certain impact on taste and smell.
Sanji himself was naturally aware of this, and he immediately fell silent.
Because in this regard, he truly had no way to refute.
"So, Mr. Chef, that's why I find it a pity."
Seeing Sanji's silent appearance, Link also shook his head.
Sanji's serious attitude towards chefs, cooking, or food was absolutely beyond doubt.
However, it was only serious.
Sanji's two biggest dreams were to find and go to Allblue, and a women's bathhouse.
One was ingredients, the other was women, not to become the world's best chef.
From this, it could be seen that his attitude towards cooking was still a bit weaker.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have touched cigarettes, which damage taste and smell, and are the last thing a chef should touch.
"Indeed, I am lacking in this aspect…"
After a short silence, Sanji slowly spoke, "But please rest assured, Guest, the taste of the dishes is absolutely fine."
"I believe that."
Link forked another crab cake, "The taste has already said it all."
Then his other hand suddenly pressed down on a rubber hand that had reached into his plate.
"I say, Luffy…"
Link's gaze looked over with a half-smile, "Isn't your hand reaching a bit too far?"
He said with a forced smile, "As Captain, you wouldn't even snatch food from a crewmate's plate, would you?"
"No choice, it's just too delicious!!"
Luffy was not stingy with his praise for the food, and he didn't care about Link's dangerous smile and eyes.
Instead, his eyes lit up as he looked at Sanji standing there.
"Your cooking skills are simply incredible, what you make is truly amazing, do you want to come out to sea with us and become our companion?!" This sudden invitation, very much in Luffy's style of doing things.
"I'm sorry, I'm the Vice Chef here, there's no way I can go out to sea with you as a chef."
Sanji refused without even thinking.
"Don't be like that, the sea is very interesting, come with us to be pirates, let's go on an adventure on the Grand Line!!"
"I said no means no, are you pirates? I won't go with you!!"
"Sanji!!"
Suddenly, from the spiral staircase on the second floor, a majestic voice rang out.