Chapter 45: Aren't You Afraid of Getting a Beating?
Sanji was momentarily taken aback by Ralph's tone, taking half a step back in slight surprise. His gaze shifted between Ralph and Lufia, seeming to understand something.
The frivolous playfulness on his face faded slightly as he looked at Lufia with a hint of apology: "This... Miss Lufia, could it be that this gentleman beside you is your partner?"
He then bowed slightly to Lufia in apology:
"In that case, it was my discourtesy. As a gentleman, I should never cause any trouble to a lady who already has a partner—this is my principle."
Immediately after, he actually turned to Ralph and apologized with equal seriousness:
"Sir, if I offended you earlier, please accept my apologies. You are a fortunate man to be accompanying such a vibrant lady."
Finally, he even added, "I hope you can always bring happiness to Miss Lufia."
To Ralph's ears, this last sentence was downright infuriating!
Do I need you to remind me about making the girl I like happy?
Just then, Lufia—who had been focused on her appetizer—suddenly looked up, food still in her mouth, and declared loudly though muffled yet with absolute certainty:
"That's right!"
This "That's right!" came at the perfect moment, as if directly confirming her special relationship with Ralph.
Ralph felt his heart skip a beat, instantly flooded with joy and anticipation.
However, Lufia's next words immediately brought him back to reality:
"Everyone at this table is my closest companion! Going on adventures with everyone makes me super—happy!"
"Pfft—" Usopp was the first to burst out laughing, Zoro's lips curled into an amused smirk, and even Nami shook her head with suppressed laughter.
Sanji's curly eyebrow twitched as an understanding expression spread across his face, accompanied by a sly grin. He looked at the stiff-faced Ralph and drawled:
"Oh—so this gentleman, along with these others... well, the green-haired gentleman, the long-nosed gentleman, and this beautiful orange-haired lady, are all just members of Miss Lufia's 'closest companions,' correct?"
"Of course!"
Lufia replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The others at the table nodded in agreement, all wearing expressions of wanting to enjoy the spectacle.
Sanji turned his gaze back to Ralph,
"I see... a lion fighting arduously for love! I completely understand and deeply admire this!"
But then he abruptly changed tone, hearts reappearing in his eyes, "However! This will not prevent me from offering sincere greetings and service to Miss Lufia, and all the beautiful ladies in the world! Showing gentlemanly demeanor and care to all ladies is the knightly path I devote my life to!"
Upon hearing this declaration, Ralph thought, typical of you.
But it still made his forehead vein throb in anger, "Aren't you afraid of getting beaten up for this?"
Hearing this, Sanji showed no fear but instead smiled, "My affection for girls comes from genuine feeling and stops at propriety. If I get misunderstood and beaten for it, that would be my honor. Perhaps it might leave an even deeper, more tragic impression in the hearts of all the beautiful ladies!"
At this moment, Ralph understood a truth more profoundly—violence truly cannot solve all problems.
Especially when facing someone who holds certain principles dearer than life itself. Beating or even killing such a person won't make them yield; instead, they might feel they're martyring themselves for their beliefs, considering it glorious.
Just like how Lufia would disregard life and death to become the Pirate King, or how Zoro would do the same to become the world's greatest swordsman.
This curly-browed chef seemed to have one more layer to this.
Beyond his unknown dream, he adhered to the ways of a gentleman and a knight—for a woman, he too would risk his life.
In such circumstances, if Ralph were to actually beat him up over jealousy, it would only make Ralph appear narrow-minded and inferior.
What's more terrifying is that these people's persistence not only fulfills themselves but also influences others, making them recognize their dreams.
Take the Pirate King—Roger, for example.
Hiss...
Ralph felt as if he was gradually being assimilated by this world, beginning to understand and accept the thought logic of these "monsters" that ordinary people couldn't comprehend.
Sanji didn't linger too long, after all, his main profession was that of a chef.
After asking for everyone's preferences, he hurriedly turned and went back to the kitchen to prepare the main course.
The moment he left, the entire dining table erupted in uncontrollable laughter.
Usopp slapped the table, Zoro chuckled with his arms crossed, and Nami laughed so hard she trembled.
The most infuriating part was that Lufia, though not entirely clear what everyone was laughing about, got caught up in the joyful atmosphere and joined in with a silly "Hahaha."
Silly girl, do you even understand what they're laughing about? And yet you're laughing along!
Looking at Lufia's carefree smile, Ralph's frustration and embarrassment strangely dissipated largely in the midst of this laughter. Eventually, he couldn't help but shake his head and laugh himself.
Since arriving in this world, he hadn't been at a disadvantage many times.
The last time he felt this stifled was when he couldn't get the oden right no matter how hard he tried. This time, it was because of this suddenly appearing curly-browed chef... In the end, it all came back to being related to Lufia.
He was truly being controlled by these feelings.
However, on second thought, encountering difficulties and overcoming them is what proves one's progress.
Ralph quickly adjusted his mindset and had a sudden inspiration—he thought of a way to possibly solve another headache here.
That oden bottleneck he had been pondering over and practicing repeatedly without breakthrough—could he find the answer in this sea restaurant filled with renowned chefs?
Action now! Taking advantage of the moment when everyone was focused on eating, Ralph directly stood up and sought out Boss Zeff.
He handed over the secret oden recipe given by Old Man Ganzo and honestly recounted the various problems he had encountered while trying to replicate it.
Boss Zeff took the recipe, initially not paying it much mind. But after carefully looking it over, a flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes.
Although oden wasn't within his expertise, at his level of culinary skill, all paths ultimately lead to the same destination.
He immediately recognized the exceptional qualities of this recipe—the unique craftsmanship in handling many ingredients and the details of broth preparation reflected wisdom accumulated over time.
He raised his head again, carefully studying Ralph for a moment, seemingly finding it difficult to connect this sharp and imposing young man with someone devoted to culinary studies.
After listening to Ralph's brief account of Old Man Ganzo and Woonan's story, as well as the origin of this recipe, Boss Zeff nodded slightly and offered his evaluation:
"This oden truly embodies the craftsmanship of someone who poured their heart into it. It's only natural that you haven't grasped its essence. Many flavors aren't just about technique and recipes—they're the accumulation of time, experience, and emotion."
Pointing out key details in the recipe, he gave Ralph some advice on fine-tuning the heat and allowing ingredients to absorb flavors fully.
"I can only offer you these directional pointers. Whether you can reach the level of the original depends on whether you can truly understand and integrate it into your cooking."
Just as Ralph was listening intently and expressing his gratitude, a sudden commotion and exclamations erupted from the restaurant's main hall.
Exchanging a glance, the two quickly headed over.
They saw Sanji, who had been refined and polite just moments ago, now beating a guest until his face was bloody and he collapsed on the floor. To their surprise, Ralph and the others actually recognized the unfortunate guest.
It was none other than Navy Lieutenant "Ironfist" Fullbody—the same person who had fired at the Going Merry earlier and, after Lufia deflected the cannonball, ended up causing damage to the restaurant!
They'd heard of guests turning on chefs after a meal, but they'd never seen a chef beating a guest! Today was certainly an eye-opener.
After asking Nami and the others, who had already gathered around, Ralph learned the reason.
It turned out that Lieutenant Fullbody, trying to show off his knowledge and sophistication in front of his female companion, had ordered an expensive bottle of red wine. However, he knew nothing about the wine's name or origin and still tried to flaunt his nonexistent expertise. Sanji, who had come to deliver the meal, exposed him on the spot.
Furious and humiliated, Fullbody not only nitpicked the meticulously prepared dishes but also violently overturned the table, wasting food, and proceeded to insult the chef's character.
So, Sanji took action... or more accurately, used his feet!
Those sharp kicks were clearly not the moves of an ordinary chef.
The surrounding guests watched in panic, but Lufia's eyes sparkled with excitement.
She tugged excitedly at Ralph's sleeve: "Ralph! Look! A chef who can fight! So cool!"
Just as Boss Zeff and the hot-tempered third chef, Patty, were about to step in to stop Sanji and prevent the situation from escalating further, another unexpected turn of events occurred!
A Navy soldier rushed into the restaurant in a panic and reported to the bloodied Fullbody on the floor:
"Lieutenant Fullbody! It's terrible! That officer from the Krieg Pirates we captured three days ago has escaped from the Navy ship's prison!"
Clutching his swollen, painful face, Fullbody shouted in disbelief:
"Impossible! When we caught him, he had already been starving for three days! And he's been starving for another three days in the prison! How could he possibly have the strength to escape?!"
However, as if in response to his doubts—
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, and the Navy soldier who had come to report fell to the ground.
At the restaurant entrance, a man dressed in clothing bearing a pirate flag, looking haggard and as if he might collapse at any moment, staggered in, holding a still-smoking pistol.
With a fierce glare, he walked arrogantly to the center of the restaurant as if no one else was there and swaggered into a seat.
The pirate named Gin swept his sinister gaze across the room before finally settling on Lufia's table.
He observed Usopp and the trembling Nami, then glanced at the curious Lufia who still had meat dangling from her mouth. Finally, his eyes met the calm yet scrutinizing gazes of Zoro and Ralph.
A pirate ship was docked beside the restaurant—probably belonging to this group, right?
Gin quickly assessed: the long-nosed man and orange-haired woman appeared weak, the Straw Hat Girl eating was hard to read, and the other two men... definitely didn't seem like easy targets.
Better to fill his stomach first and avoid trouble!
Ignoring the others, he rasped: "Isn't this a restaurant? Hurry up and bring some food!"
Patty, who had just been trying to restrain Sanji, immediately put on a trained professional smile and stepped forward to serve.
However, the experienced Patty instantly saw through Gin's penniless state.
If Sanji beating up Fullbody earlier demonstrated how the Sea Restaurant treated customers who disrespected food and chefs;
Then now, Patty would show everyone another rule of the Sea Restaurant—his rule.
No money means no customer. Not a customer means get out of the restaurant!
"No money?! Daring to eat without paying at the Sea Restaurant?! Looking to die!"
Patty roared, swinging his arm—thicker than an average person's thigh—and landed a punch on Gin!
CRACK!
Even the wooden chair beneath Gin shattered instantly!
This demonstrated Patty's tremendous strength!
Gin, the previously arrogant member of the Krieg Pirates, couldn't react in time before being knocked to the ground by this punch.
Without mercy, Patty followed with a barrage of punches and kicks, beating Gin until he was barely breathing, before finally throwing him out of the restaurant like garbage.
As for Captain "Ironfist" Fullbody, he had taken advantage of the chaos during Gin's beating to scramble away from this troublesome place, leaving this escaped pirate with nobody to receive him.
After starving for six days and suffering this brutal beating, Gin lay on the deck outside the restaurant, consciousness fading, feeling his life slowly slipping away.
Just as he was about to lose consciousness completely, an enticing aroma of food reached his nostrils.
He struggled to open his swollen eyes and saw a steaming plate of golden, glistening seafood fried rice placed before him.
Sanji lit a cigarette, leaning against the railing, saying calmly:
"Eat. As a chef, I can't just watch someone starve to death at the restaurant's doorstep."
Driven by survival instinct, Gin struggled to rise, grabbing a spoon with his hands and frantically shoving food into his mouth.
The unprecedented deliciousness mixed with humiliation, gratitude, and the complex emotions of surviving a near-death experience made him devour the food while weeping.
"So... so delicious... never had... something this delicious..."
He choked out, "This is so shameful..."
Then continued intermittently: "Thought... thought this time... I was done for..."
Just then, an energetic voice sounded above him:
"I've found a great chef!"
Lufia had somehow ended up squatting on the upper deck, chin propped in her hands, looking down at Sanji with sparkling eyes.
"Hey, Curly Brow! Would you come be the cook on our pirate ship?"
The moment Sanji saw Lufia's radiant smile and heard this direct invitation, heart-shaped sparkles instantly burst in his eyes again. Without a second thought, he eagerly agreed:
"Of course! It would be my honor to serve such a beautiful and lively lady!"
Ralph, standing behind Lufia and watching the whole scene unfold, helplessly raised his hand to rub his forehead.
...Why am I not the least bit surprised?
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