Under Kushina's control of her Float-Float Fruit ability, the Konoha Senju easily descended from tens of thousands of meters above the clouds and landed safely upon the Blue Sea.
Following the map's guidance, the Konoha Senju set its course straight toward the East Blue.
The sea was calm and radiant beneath the sun, the view breathtaking.
Every so often, a Sea King would breach the surface, its massive body glittering with water. The sight made Yuna cheer with excitement again and again.
She had lived on Sky Island with her brother since childhood, only able to visit the Blue Sea once a year, on her birthday. Unlike her brother, Yuna always found joy in the endless ocean.
She'd once heard that in the Sambas region of the East Blue, there was a famous floating restaurant, the Baratie, and she had long dreamed of tasting its food.
So Arima immediately decided to take his family there for a proper meal.
As luck would have it, the Konoha Senju wasn't far from the Sambas region. At full speed, they reached their destination quickly.
From high above, Kushina scanned the sea and soon spotted the Baratie. Under her guidance, the Konoha Senju approached the sea restaurant.
The Baratie's design was unlike any ordinary ship, its hull formed twin fish heads at either end.
Patty and Carne, both cooks and fighters aboard the Baratie, were as usual busy serving the restaurant's midday guests.
It was lunchtime, and many ships had gathered nearby, some were pirate vessels, others Marine warships.
Yet an unspoken rule seemed to exist here: inside the restaurant, no fighting, only eating.
"Welcome! Gentlemen, this way please!"
Patty greeted a group of Marine captains warmly.
As he led them inside, he noticed another large vessel approaching in the distance and said to his partner, "I'll take these guys in. Carne, go greet our next guests."
The Marines, too, noticed the enormous ship drawing closer. In the East Blue, such a massive vessel was rare.
One Marine raised his telescope to take a look, and the instant he saw the emblem on the ship's sail, his face turned pale.
The others sensed something was wrong. They snatched the telescope to confirm, and what they saw left them frozen.
It was the Konoha Senju, once the flagship of the former "Fifth Emperor," Arima. After nine long years, it had returned to the seas.
Though Arima was said to be dead, two of his fearsome comrades still sailed aboard.
One of them, Tsunade, had first received a bounty of 500 million berries, which had since skyrocketed after the incident years ago.
"Konoha" had long held grudges against the Marines. Now that the Konoha Senju had set sail once more, who knew whether they would seek revenge?
A figure of such power appearing in the East Blue could easily throw the region into chaos.
One Marine quickly pulled out a Den Den Mushi to call Marine Headquarters, but before he could speak, he collapsed, followed by the others, all unconscious in an instant.
From the Marines' reaction, Patty could tell the newcomers were no ordinary guests, perhaps even terrifying pirates.
Panic rising, he grabbed Carne and hurried toward the galley to report to Head Chef Zeff.
But before they could move, a calm voice sounded behind them:
"Excuse me, this is Baratie, isn't it?"
Patty clenched his fists, forcing himself to turn around. "Y-Yes, sir! You are…?"
At that moment, more than ten figures appeared before him as if from thin air. At their head stood a white-haired man whose face carried an oddly familiar gentleness.
Arima smiled. "Those Marines were dealt with by me. Just tell the truth when asked later, they won't trouble you. Now then, we're quite hungry. We'd like to enjoy a fine lunch here."
Patty swallowed hard, suppressing his curiosity. He gave Carne a look to fetch the head chef and stayed behind to stall for time.
As soon as Arima and his companions entered, every diner turned to stare. Their unusual appearances drew every gaze in the room.
Worried that some fool might pick a fight, Patty led the group to a quiet table with trembling caution, muttering to himself, Please, no trouble, no trouble…
Unfortunately, trouble came running.
The sound of quick footsteps made Patty's face twitch, he knew that stride all too well.
He was about to shout for the man to back off, but the newcomer darted around him and bounded straight toward the female guests.
"My beautiful ladies, welcome to Baratie! It's my honor to serve you. I'm Sanji, the sous-chef here!"
With a flourish, Sanji bowed gracefully, his eyes brimming with charm as he addressed Tsunade and the others.
Arima chuckled. "What an interesting young man! Sanji, was it? Bring us your finest dishes for lunch."
Sanji, hearing a man's voice interrupt him from behind, felt instantly annoyed, there were gorgeous women before him! Who had time for anyone else?
Just as he turned to retort, Zeff arrived in a rush and cut him off.
"Welcome, honored Emperor, to the Baratie," Zeff said respectfully, bowing deeply. "I am the head chef, Zeff. Please allow us a moment to prepare!"
Then he turned to the still-clueless Sanji and ordered, "Sanji, this time you'll do exactly as I say. Treat these guests with the utmost respect!"
Sanji opened his mouth to argue, but Patty quickly clamped a hand over it and dragged him aside.
Arima laughed lightly. "Then we'll be in your care, Chef Zeff."
Kushina, amused by the flirtatious blond, smiled. "So your name is Sanji? How old are you?"
Her gentle voice made Sanji's heart skip wildly, pounding in his chest.
With a sudden burst of strength, he broke free from Patty's grip, strode forward, dropped to one knee, and declared, "My beautiful lady! I'm eighteen, and single!"
Natsuka, standing beside Kushina, couldn't help but giggle and nudge her with her shoulder.
"Kushina, someone's fallen for you already. Is he proposing?"
The woman's laughter was melodious, making Sanji's heart melt.
He opened his mouth to say more, but Zeff grabbed him by the collar and hauled him away.
As he was dragged off, Sanji heard the red-haired beauty laugh to her friend, "Bold enough to flirt, but let's see if he's still brave later!"
Sanji wanted to shout back that his love was true and eternal, but Patty and Carne quickly joined forces to carry him straight to the kitchen.
Once there, Sanji snapped back to focus, determined to pour his heart into cooking, to win those ladies' stomachs, if not their hearts.
Zeff glared at him. "Listen, brat. You're not going back out there, understand? If you cause trouble this time, the whole Baratie's finished!"
Sanji scoffed. "What trouble could there be? They seemed nice enough to me."
Zeff's face hardened. He spoke slowly, each word heavy as lead. "You. Are. Not. Going. Out."
Only then did the lovestruck cook regain a bit of sense. Setting down his knife, he frowned.
"Who is that man, old geezer?"
Zeff took out a yellowed bounty poster and handed it to him.
Sanji's eyes widened the moment he saw the number printed on it.
It was a ten-year-old bounty, Arima, once the "Fifth Emperor." Though his appearance had changed, anyone with sense could recognize him immediately.
Zeff had kept the poster on purpose. He'd once watched the legendary Emperor's battle broadcast live, and he had mourned Arima's death deeply.
Sanji stared at the paper in silence before asking, "So you're saying… he's really the Fifth Emperor, Arima?"
Zeff took out another poster, this one of a stunning blonde woman. Her bounty read: 750 million berries, dead or alive.
Sanji gazed at it, whispering, "Tsunade…"
He looked back up sharply. "Old man, do you think they're looking for new crew members?"
Zeff bonked him on the head. "Less talking, more cooking! Don't keep our guests waiting!"
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