"A Devil Fruit user? This guy's been hiding his skills pretty well," Sanji muttered around his cigarette, following the path of Luffy's stretched neck out of the scullery.
He arrived just in time to witness the feeding scene.
When his gaze landed on Nami, time seemed to freeze.
Sunlight streamed through the restaurant's porthole, outlining Nami's delicate profile and graceful figure. The fair skin of her neck, partially visible beneath her short orange hair, made her look like an angel descended to earth!
"Ah, what a beautiful lady~♡"
Sanji's eyes became dreamy, his whole body seemingly struck by Cupid's arrow, heart symbols practically bursting from his pupils.
However, the next second, his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
He saw Nami, after finishing feeding Luffy, casually pick up the spoon she had just used and very naturally scoop up a bite of the pudding in front of her, delivering it to her rosy, tempting lips.
It was a subconscious action. After realizing what she'd done, Nami froze for a second, then continued.
It's fine, she comforted herself mentally. We've already slept in the same room, and I've been pinned down by him. Those were way worse than this.
Besides, no one saw!
If no one saw, it didn't happen. Yeah, a perfect excuse.
Sanji: "..."
That spoon!
That damned spoon!
That straw-hat kid just used it!
Doesn't that count as an indirect kiss?!
The three-minute time limit flashed by. Luffy, having eaten and drunk his fill, retracted his head back to its original place.
"Hey, you damn brat! Explain yourself! What's your relationship with that beautiful lady?!"
Sanji, like a starving demon clawing its way up from hell, grabbed Luffy by his collar.
"What relationship?" Luffy was taken aback.
Luffy fell into deep thought.
Since he'd started reading books, his mind had become more perceptive, and he'd gained a slight understanding of that kind of matter.
He couldn't let people misunderstand.
Luffy looked at Sanji with a completely serious face and stated, "Nami is my most important navigator!"
Most important navigator?
I see, huh.
Feeding him personally.
Using the same spoon.
What other relationship could it possibly be?
Dammit! Even this straw-hat brat can find love? Where's mine?!
"Are you two idle?" Zeff walked over, also looking slightly surprised.
He glanced at Sanji with a warning. "Don't go harassing the guests on my ship."
"Got it," Sanji said, utterly dejected.
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him!" Luffy chimed in.
"Huh?"
Zeff looked at Luffy, then at Sanji, pondered for a moment, and then nodded.
"From now on, if he exhibits any strange behavior, just punch him."
"Like that? I understand."
Luffy nodded. This must be what they call a familial entrustment.
When he recruited Zoro and the others individually, there hadn't been any requests like this.
Luffy grinned widely at Sanji.
The grin sent shivers down Sanji's spine.
"Wait, what do you two mean by this?"
"Nothing much. Just pack your things and get going. You're fired," Zeff said, waving a hand.
"Are you kidding me? I'm the Sous Chef!" Sanji was fuming.
"And I'm the Head Chef. Did you forget this is my ship, kid?" Zeff met his gaze.
Zzt!
It seemed like lightning crackled between their locked stares.
No, wait, it wasn't them.
"Um, yes, I have a problem."
Luffy scratched his head somewhat apologetically.
[Multiple plan executions completed. Punishment was downgraded from Phase Two to Phase One. Food resupply time concluded. Warning: The [Learn Navigation with Nami] period begins now. Proceed immediately. Countdown: 30, 29... 1]
For the first time, seeing the countdown didn't faze Luffy. He even felt like laughing.
Go on, electrocute me. It has absolutely no effect on me.
As long as it wasn't that punishment, he could handle anything.
Zeff, having spent a year in the Grand Line and returned safely, was no stranger to all sorts of bizarre Devil Fruit users.
The Gomu Gomu no Mi was, after all, just a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit.
How many tricks could it really have?
But what the hell was with the electricity sparking over his body?
Combining rubber and lightning?
It couldn't be... one of the legendary Mythical Zoan types, could it?
Just then, a deafening explosion erupted from the main dining room.
Was someone causing trouble in the restaurant?
Almost simultaneously, Zeff and Sanji's argument ended. Their expressions darkened, their faces twitching violently.
Just looking at their faces, one could feel the sheer rage radiating from them.
Luffy had thought both Sanji and Zeff were the relatively calm type, the kind nothing could easily ruffle.
Now he knew.
Everyone has a line that must not be crossed.
For Sanji and Zeff, it wasn't simply about someone causing a scene.
What did causing a scene mean?
For a chef, this was more intolerable than a direct slap to the face. It meant the waste of their hard work, a desecration of the food itself!
Luffy understood this feeling intimately. If someone did something unforgivable to his nakama or his hat, he would be furious too.
Just like now, Sanji's problem was his problem!
Was the trouble caused by that Marine from earlier?
"This place has been commandeered by me, Captain Krieg! Everyone except the chefs, get out!"
A voice, laced with arrogance, carried in from outside.
"Tch, troublesome guys are here," Zeff said, the corner of his eye twitching.
Hearing that name, he knew exactly who it was. The East Blue wasn't that big, and only a few notorious pirates were making the rounds.
Krieg, who styled himself as the strongest in the East Blue, was quite famous.
This was why pirates were so obsessed with gaining fame.
You go somewhere, announce your name, and instantly everyone knows you. The sense of achievement causes a massive rush of dopamine.
Sanji took a deep, hard drag from his cigarette and flicked the butt to the ground, crushing it under his heel. "What ill-mannered guests. They need to be taught a lesson."
"This isn't your concern," Zeff said.
"Ha? Of course it's my concern!" Sanji shot back immediately.
It looked like the two were about to start arguing again.
"Alright, alright! I still don't really know what's going on, but Sanji's business is my business now! We're nakama, aren't we?"
Luffy grinned, stepping between them.
"Straw Hat kid, this is my restaurant! It's not a busboy's place to interfere!" Zeff retorted without turning his head.
"Piss off, you stupid rubber! It's none of your damn business what happens in my restaurant!"
Their personalities were stubbornly identical.
Just then, Luffy sensed two moderately powerful auras flash by outside.
Huh?
This hunter-like instinctual perception surprised him slightly.
[This is the Learn Navigation with Nami period. Proceed immediately.]
[Warning. Execute immediately. Punishment escalating: 500,000 Volts!]
Zzt!
Sanji and Zeff were still arguing when a jolt of electricity from Luffy's body instantly made them both shut up and freeze.
What the hell is this?!
Their hearts tightened, suddenly suspicious that Luffy might be a spy sent by Krieg.
Why are you electrocuting us?