"Although I don't know what happened between you two..."
Sanji turned around and saw Luffy grinning widely, smiling foolishly at him.
"But from now on, you're my crewmate!"
He was excited, "I'm Luffy, the man who will become the Pirate King; please take care of me from now on!"
Sanji: "..."
Only then did he realize that he had lost the competition and seemed to have handed over his fate.
Sanji looked at the foolishly grinning Luffy, then at Link, who was observing him, seemingly saying, "You won't break your promise, will you?"
And the green-haired guy behind him, who was sizing him up and down, making him feel uncomfortable no matter how he looked at him... This was outrageous!
Sanji's troubled expression deepened.
However, when he subconsciously glanced at Nami, who was also looking a bit dejected, his previously not-so-beautiful mood instantly vanished.
Becoming a crewmate of these people... didn't seem so bad?
"Is this guy an idiot?"
Usopp quietly asked Johnny and Joseph next to him.
Sanji's sudden shift from a look of deep bitterness to one of instant joy, a change of expression so extreme it bordered on split personality, had been clearly seen by him.
Could this new cook they recruited be a lunatic?!
No matter how unreliable Usopp felt, Sanji joining their Pirate Crew was a done deal.
He adhered to the spirit of chivalry, and with his personality, especially in front of a lady like Nami, he wouldn't break his promise.
However, if Sanji just joined like this, he would definitely have reservations in his heart.
Fortunately, the Straw Hat Pirates decided to take a few days off, planning to rest and enjoy the various delicacies from the East Blue at the Baratie restaurant.
These few days also gave Sanji time to think things through and to communicate with his old man, Zeff.
For this, the others, who could enjoy delicious food and wine here, naturally had no objections.
Especially for Luffy, it was both to consider the feelings of his future crewmate and to satisfy his own craving for food.
With these two great benefits combined, he was the first to raise his hand in agreement.
Thus, the Straw Hat Pirates, for once, stayed at the Baratie restaurant for a period of time.
During this time, with Luffy's outgoing and boisterous personality, he successfully grew closer to Sanji and also learned about his dream of finding All Blue.
This was to appeal to him emotionally through shared dreams and compatible personalities.
Subsequently, Link stepped forward to converse with Sanji, telling him about the marvelous culinary delights from various places on the Grand Line.
For example, on a certain island, sea waves would submerge island houses, and after receding, leave behind salty seawater on the rooftops, which would then be exposed to the sun and transform into deeply flavored sea salt.
There were also the Giant Tribe's volcanic barbecue dishes, grilled using the high temperatures of active volcanoes.
And within the Navy, there were almost weekly "Kawo" drill parties.
As well as the Fish-Man Tribe's octopus, made with a secret octopus sauce derived from deep-sea Sea Kings octopus, resulting in incredibly delicious takoyaki... and various other dishes, which left Sanji wide-eyed and longing.
In particular, Link also told him that there existed a type of attack cuisine in this world that could improve the human body's constitution.
This was a form of dietary therapy, capable of enhancing physical fitness and filling the body with strength while supplementing nutrition.
Those who created this cuisine believed that they could change a person's personality, qualities, and physical abilities through cooking, and it indeed had such effects.
Using cuisine to build the human body and improve physical fitness—this was a bold idea he had never conceived of!
Sanji's eyes lit up, and he specifically asked what kind of cuisine it was.
However, when Link told him it was Okama cuisine from Okama Island, Sanji's face instantly turned into a pig's kidney-like expression... But then, Link vividly described the various customs and cultures of the Grand Line to Sanji, especially the charms of the beautiful ladies in those countries.
For example, in the scorching desert of Alabasta, women wearing revealing desert crop tops; Dressrosa, known as the land of passion and fire, where one could dance with girls anywhere; and the most magical, magnificent, and dreamlike, the Fish-Man girls on Fish-Man Island... After hearing all this, Sanji successfully transformed from a pig's kidney face to a pig's head face, with a lecherous expression.
Hmm, no matter what, it couldn't escape the realm of pigs.
His almost schizophrenic change of expression truly opened the eyes of the others, and at the same time, made them understand his inherent lecherous nature.
Of course, Sanji himself didn't admit to being lecherous; he only acknowledged the spirit of chivalry he upheld.
Link also agreed with this point because he knew there was someone whose thoughts completely aligned with Sanji's.
Once, the grandmother of a certain Masked Rider Tendou, the King of Arrogance, once said that there are two things men cannot be forgiven for in this world: wasting food and making girls cry.
And these two taboos happened to perfectly match Sanji.
Therefore, Sanji and Tendou Souji's grandmother must have a lot in common.