Chapter 46: Sanji's Way of the Chef, "Arrogant" Tatsuya?
Inside the Baratie restaurant, a "food war" was taking place.
"Whoa whoa whoa!! Delicious, delicious!!"
Luffy was going all out, his hands turning into afterimages as he frantically stuffed all sorts of food into his seemingly bottomless mouth.
Across from him, Clay, standing on the table, refused to be outdone.
As an "Emergency Paimon" reserve certified by Tatsuya, it seemed to want to prove its value through its appetite.
"Gugu-gaga!!"
Clay directly bit into an octopus tentacle thicker than its own body, swallowing frantically like a lion tearing into prey, happy tears shimmering in its eyes.
"Wooo! So good! It's worth even if I choke to death!!"
Nami, Zoro, and Usopp were used to this scene, eating and drinking as usual.
But Johnny and Yosaku nearby were dumbfounded, their forks dropping to the floor.
Johnny looked at the stacks of plates piling up rapidly and swallowed hard, "Is he the reincarnation of a starving ghost?"
The chefs constantly serving dishes were also drenched in sweat, complaining as they wiped their foreheads:
"This... what kind of monsters are these guys..."
"Forget it, they paid after all, and eight times the price at that... just treat it like feeding pigs."
"Gulp."
With one last loud swallow, Luffy finally stopped.
He patted his round belly and let out a satisfied burp.
"Ahhh! So full, so full! I feel like I've come back to life!"
"Ha? So there are times when you're actually full."
Zoro, on the side, also put down his wine glass, draining the last drop of red wine.
He smacked his lips and commented with a frown: "Ah, sour, not good. As expected, that kind of strong liquor suits me better."
"Yeah."
Luffy ignored Zoro's comment; his gaze was suddenly drawn to a figure.
The blond, curly-browed Sous Chef, Sanji, was carrying a plate of steaming Seafood Fried Rice.
He didn't head toward a customer's table, but instead walked straight toward the restaurant's main entrance.
Luffy adjusted his straw hat, his eyes flickering slightly.
"The person the old man mentioned... must be him."
Thinking of this, Luffy immediately jumped off his chair and followed curiously like a little tagalong.
Tatsuya was wiping grease from the corner of his mouth with a napkin; seeing Luffy's movement, he also looked back.
He seemed to guess something, then stood up, hands in his pockets, and followed leisurely.
Nami watched their departing figures and muttered in confusion:
"Where are those two going? Haven't they had enough?"
"Whatever, never mind."
She sighed, her gaze turning somber...
...
On the deck, the sea breeze was slightly cool.
Gin was curled up in a dark corner, clutching his cramping stomach and gasping for breath.
"Ha... ha..."
He could clearly feel his life slipping away bit by bit along with his body temperature.
That intense hunger, as if his internal organs were devouring themselves, made him wish he were dead.
At this moment, he would have preferred that hateful chef to have finished him off with a knife earlier rather than suffer this living hell.
Just then.
An enticing aroma drifted into his nostrils, instantly awakening his dying nerves.
Clack.
A plate full of Seafood Fried Rice was gently placed in front of him.
Gin struggled to lift his heavy eyelids; in his blurred vision, he saw the figure in a black suit.
Sanji knelt down, leaning back against the railing, and lit a cigarette with a lighter.
He took a deep drag and exhaled a cloud of bluish-white smoke.
"Eat," Sanji said flatly.
Gin looked at the fried rice, his throat working frantically, but his last shred of pride as a pirate officer made him grit his teeth.
"Shut up... don't look down on me..."
He roared hoarsely:
"No matter how hungry I am... I won't accept charity from others... take it away!!"
"Stop talking and just eat."
Sanji didn't even look at him, just gazed at the distant sea and said calmly:
"To me, anyone who is hungry is a customer."
"Sorry... I'm not a customer..." Gin stubbornly turned his head away.
Grumble—
However, at that moment, his stomach let out a loud and dissatisfied protest, completely betraying him.
Sanji glanced at him sideways, a mocking curve forming at the corner of his mouth:
"See, your body is much more honest than your mouth."
Then, his eyes became deep, as if recalling some painful past.
"The sea is both vast and cruel. On this ocean, how terrifying it is to lose food and water, that kind of despair... I understand it better than anyone."
"So, eat. Staying alive is what's most important."
Hearing these words, Gin's body trembled.
He looked at the fried rice and could no longer endure.
"Ugh..."
He lunged forward without further hesitation.
Using his last bit of strength to prop up his body, he grabbed the spoon—and even used his hands—to frantically stuff the fried rice into his mouth.
"Ugh... damn it... damn it..."
Tears mixed with grains of rice slid down his face.
"It's so good... it's really so good!!"
This was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten in his life.
Watching Gin devour the food, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Sanji's lips as he took another puff of his cigarette.
"Hahaha! I've found a great cook!!"
Just then, Luffy's hearty laughter came from the stairs above.
He and Tatsuya were standing there, having witnessed the entire scene.
Luffy leaned on the railing and shouted to Sanji below:
"Hey! Cook! Join us! Become our pirate crew's cook! We need you!"
The two below froze.
Gin stopped swallowing, looking a bit dazed.
Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke, looked up at Luffy, and said irritably:
"Stop joking. I'm not going to be some pirate. I'm not leaving this place; I have something I must finish here."
"Why? Come with us! It'll be fun!" Luffy persisted.
Just then.
Tatsuya, who had been silent, slowly stepped forward.
With his hands in his pockets, his red eyes looked down at Sanji and Gin from above.
He still had that smiling expression on his face, but there was no hint of a smile in his voice.
"Ah, how very kind, Chef-san."
"But if I may be blunt, your behavior isn't just kindness—it's naive."
Sanji's eyes narrowed as he looked at Tatsuya.
Tatsuya continued:
"On this cruel sea, hungry people are indeed pitiful. But have you ever considered..."
He pointed at the devouring Gin.
"When a wolf is starving and dying, it might wag its tail and beg for food.
"But once it fills its belly and regains its strength, its wild nature returns, and its fangs will mercilessly tear out the benefactor's throat."
"To put this ship in danger for the sake of self-satisfaction... is this your so-called 'Way of the Chef'?"
Luffy's swaying body stopped; he looked at Tatsuya, seemingly pondering these words.
Gin, who was eating, froze, then suddenly looked up and retorted loudly:
"Don't... don't joke around! You bastard! I would never..."
"Shut up and eat your food."
Sanji suddenly interrupted Gin.
He slowly stood up, back to Tatsuya, pulled out a new cigarette from his pocket, and lit it.
Sizzle—
The flame flickered in the sea breeze, illuminating his deep, exposed eye.
He took a deep breath, exhaled a ring of smoke, and spoke in a flat but firm tone, without a hint of hesitation:
"...So what?"
Tatsuya raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised: "Oh?"
Sanji turned around, looked up, and stared straight into Tatsuya's eerie eyes through the swirling smoke.
"Hey, red-eyed brat."
"Do you know what the most terrifying fear is on this sea?"
"It's not bloodthirsty pirates, not the powerful Navy, and not some unknown monster..."
"It's hunger."
A flicker of painful memory crossed Sanji's eyes.
"The kind of pain where you can even throw away your dignity, where your stomach walls feel like they're being corroded by strong acid, and every second you crave death...
"A guy like you, with that composed look, high and mighty, wearing that annoying smile, surely has never experienced it, right?"
Tatsuya was stunned.
Sanji flicked his cigarette ash and continued:
"For me, as a chef, as long as someone appears before me with an empty stomach, they are my customer."
"Whether he's a good person or a bad person, a big shot or scum, even a wolf that bites... as long as he wants to eat, I'll let him eat his fill."
At this point, Sanji's gaze suddenly became as sharp as a blade, and a powerful aura erupted from him.
"As for whether he shows gratitude or bares his fangs to bite after he's full... that's something to be considered after he's full!"
"If this wolf really doesn't know what's good for it and dares to show its claws to my restaurant..."
Sanji suddenly threw his cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it fiercely with his polished leather shoe, emitting a chilling killing intent:
"Then, I'll just personally kick every single one of its teeth to pieces!!"
"That's my way. Do you understand, red-eyed bastard?"
The sea breeze blew across the deck, bringing a hint of salt and fish.
Luffy looked at Sanji, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.
Tatsuya looked at the blond man, silent for a long time.
A moment later, the coldness on his face dissipated, replaced by his usual smiling expression.
But this time, there was a touch of genuine respect in the smile.
"Ah... I stand corrected."
Tatsuya said softly.
He smiled and looked up toward where the sea and sky met in the distance.
Is that so...
Although this was the original anime world, everyone here was a person of flesh and blood, with their own beliefs and persistence.
They weren't NPCs who just followed a script, nor were they game data.
Using his "omniscient and omnipotent" God's perspective to judge others, imposing his own "correctness" on them...
"Was I... being a bit too arrogant..."
Tatsuya thought to himself self-deprecatingly.
However...
He glanced at Gin, who was still buried in his food.
Since you chose to feed the wolf, then I hope your legs are indeed hard enough.
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