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Inside the Baratie, Nami was carefully browsing the menu when the sudden intrusion of the blond waiter made her jump in her seat.
"Ah! My beautiful lady, I smell love in the air. As long as I'm with you, whether it's being whipped by demons or tormented by hell..."
Sanji covered his face, his voice trembling with a level of dramatic passion that seemed physically exhausting. He sprang to his feet, arms wide, his face glowing with an infatuated smile. "I have already made an astonishing resolve!!!"
Three giant question marks appeared over Goku and Nami's heads.
"Who are you?" Nami asked, frowning once she regained her composure.
"Me? I am your knight, guarding your side and protecting you with my life!" Sanji replied, twisting his body like a wiggling loach.
Nami raised an eyebrow. Remembering their desperate need for a third crewmate, she crossed her arms and offered a smirk. "Alright, since you want to protect me so much, why don't you join our crew?"
Sanji instantly calmed down. He took a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and exhaled a slow cloud of smoke. "From the looks of you, you aren't merchants or pirates. What do you mean by 'joining'?"
"We're going to the Grand Line!" Goku shouted excitedly. "Will you join us?"
"The Grand Line?" Sanji looked surprised. "Are you pirates?"
"Of course not!" Nami shook her head. "We aren't those despicable types. We're going there to help Goku find his family and to chase our dreams. Our ship is called the Dream Chaser."
"Chasing dreams, huh?" Sanji's expression froze. For a moment, his eyes grew distant, lost in a memory.
Nami sensed something. This man, despite his frivolous first impression, felt different from the others they had asked. He felt like he belonged on the sea. "My dream is to map the entire world," she continued. "And Goku wants to find the world's strongest fighters."
Sanji exhaled another puff of smoke, a longing look crossing his face. "A dream... I have one of those too."
"What is it?" Goku asked curiously.
Sanji's face transformed from that of a melancholic man into an innocent, excited boy. "Have you heard of All Blue? It's a legendary sea where the fish from all four oceans—East, West, South, and North—converge. It's a chef's paradise. My dream is to find it with my own eyes!"
Nami was stunned. A sea where all four oceans met? Scientifically, it seemed impossible given the Red Line's barrier. But she didn't argue. To deny a dream was to deny the soul.
Goku, however, didn't care about the logistics. He grinned broadly. "I believe your dream will definitely come true! So, Sanji, come with us!"
Sanji stood still. He had expected laughter or mockery—the usual reactions to his "fairytale" dream. But hearing such a sincere, unblinking affirmation from this boy shook him to his core.
"What's your name?" Sanji asked quietly.
"I'm Sun Wukong! And she's Nami!"
"Sanji, please," Nami added, her earlier reservations vanishing. "We've been looking for a third companion for so long. We need you."
Sanji looked at Goku's innocent smile and Nami's hopeful face. His heart stirred, but he eventually shook his head, looking down at his cigarette. "I'm sorry. I won't be joining you. Find someone else."
"I say, Sanji," a gruff voice called out from above.
They all looked up to the second-floor railing. Standing there was an old man with an extra-tall chef's hat, two long, braided golden mustaches, and a prosthetic peg-leg. It was the owner of the Baratie, "Red-Leg" Zeff.
"This is a good opportunity," Zeff grunted, looking down at his apprentice. "I think you should just leave with them. We don't need a crappy cook like you here anymore anyway."