The blond teenager let the pan heat up while he turned and took the tuna from the center island. He flipped the fish over on the cutting board, inspecting it to see what he could use. Whoever had cleaned the tuna had done an excellent job. All the cuts were very precise. It had probably been Chef Zeff, and recently as well. The fish was still very fresh. The man had always been good at cleaning fish. It was almost completely gutted. Sanji stared at the tuna's head and his eyes widened. Zeff had left the cheek. It was probably for an expensive order.
The chef in the black suit shook his head and gripped his knife. He'd make it up to her later. The tuna cheek was the perfect side dish for his meal.
Sanji carefully sliced off the fish's head, not losing a single fiber of the cheek. The tuna would provide the necessary protein and, with the right seasonings, would pair wonderfully with the green tea and rice. The rich flavor of the cheek helped. He frowned, pausing for a moment. Was the tuna too strong?
The blond man carefully picked up the butchered meat and began slicing it into thin strips, cutting the tuna into slivers thin enough to be easily digestible, yet thick enough to be a good source of protein. He took the sliced beef cheeks and placed them in the pan one by one, letting the tuna dry while he went back to the pantry to get a lemon. With the fruit in hand, he hurried back to the cooking area and quickly cut it in half, squeezing the juice from one of the halves into the pan. It would give it a more intense flavor.
The surface of the pan hissed and crackled as the blond man flipped the tuna and let the other side cook. He looked at the top of the fish and almost fainted at the golden sheen of the lightly seared flesh.
The other side of the tuna finished browning and she removed it from the pan to assemble the dish. She placed a generous amount of jasmine rice in a bowl and slowly poured green tea over it. As the steam from the tea rose, she finally arranged the thin slices of tuna on top of the rice, finishing the bowl with a handful of spring onions and a few final touches of seasoning.
Sanji took a step back and admired his dish for a moment. It was perfect.
The chef filled a glass of water, smiling to himself, before picking up the bowl of food and walking toward the back patio door. The man he wanted to feed must be waiting there. His feet carried him to the door he was looking for, and he opened it. The blond man squinted as he saw the setting sun shining in his eyes. He looked around and it didn't take him long to find the person he was looking for.
The gaunt man was leaning against the railing, his back to the sea. His head was in his lap, and he was hunched over, uncomfortable. As soon as Sanji entered through the door, he looked up, and a wonderful aroma reached his nose. He couldn't resist and crawled on all fours to the blond chef: "It smells delicious. Please, sir. May I have some?"
"A little?" Sanji asked, looking amused at the man.
The man paled. Was the young man going to torture him with the delicious aroma of the food he was carrying?
The furrowed-browed teenager gave him a friendly smile and placed the food in front of his face. "You can have it all." He stood up, watching as tears welled up in the man's eyes.
"Thank you so much! I'm speechless with gratitude for this meal!" the man exclaimed. He reached out and grabbed the spoon Sanji had left in the bowl, immediately plunging it into the plate he'd been served. He dug his fork into the tuna, his mouth watering as it slid right through him like butter. He quickly filled the rest of the spoon with jasmine rice and green tea, then swiftly brought the now-laden spoonful to his mouth. Moans of ecstasy escaped him as the morsel slid down his throat. It was as if a floodgate had opened. He couldn't stop himself and shoveled the food into his mouth at top speed.
"Relax. I don't want you to choke with me," Sanji said. He watched the man for a moment before approaching the railing, seeing him slacken and eat more slowly. The chef gazed out to sea as memories of his own encounter with starvation flashed through his mind... How much pain and suffering could go hungry... He sighed to himself. That was why he had always fed anyone who was hungry. And that was why he couldn't leave the restaurant until he had paid Zeff... for everything.
The only noises that could be heard were those of someone eating while the man silently finished his meal.
"What happened to you?" Sanji asked, hearing the sound of a spoon hitting the bottom of a bowl.
The man burped loudly and sighed as he stood up and leaned over the railing next to the man feeding him. Suddenly, he felt much better. "I was on a merchant ship," the man began, gazing at the blue water with the setting sun reflecting on it. "It all happened so fast…" He took a deep breath before trying to explain: "One second I was in my cabin getting ready for bed, and the next… the ship was just… exploding."
Sanji looked at the man in puzzlement. "Exploding? Like cannons?" he asked.
He shook his head. "Not exactly... No." He paused before continuing: "Explode might not be the right word. It was more like everything was... crushed... which caused everything to explode."
"Crushed?" asked the blond boy. "What does that mean?"
The man searched for the right words, but he wasn't even sure the chef believed the truth. And he knew it was the truth. He'd seen it with his own eyes. "Well... There were some... Chains..." he murmured, "Gigantic. I think whoever used them... Maybe..."
"What could happen?" asked the blond man.
"He may have... eaten a devil fruit," the man replied, looking at the chef and trying to gauge his reaction.
Sanji glared at him. "Well, don't tell me." He waved him off. If the man was just going to lie, what was the point of asking? Devil Fruits were a myth.
"It's true! I swear! I don't know how, but those chains crushed our entire ship!" the man exclaimed. "When I came to, I was the only one left there. The rest either abandoned me or... are dead." He sighed. "I grabbed onto some wreckage and, by sheer luck, ended up here."
Sanji sighed, just like the man beside him. His work was done... Time to go see what his Nami-Swan was up to! "Well, you're fed now. You're not my problem anymore, old man." He stepped away from the railing and started walking toward the door.
That was the last straw. The man's face seemed to burn as he blazed with anger. He was the third person to call him that. "I'M NOT AN OLD MAN!" The dark-haired man shouted and rushed behind Sanji, swinging his arm back to throw a punch at his head.
Without turning around, Sanji dodged the man's punch and stuck his leg out in front of him. Caught off guard, the man tripped over Sanji's foot and tumbled toward the back door. The boy said nothing as he stealthily approached the stunned body on the ground. He drew his leg back and kicked the man like a soccer ball... straight into the pantry... and straight to Patty, still unconscious. Had no one ever taught him not to bite the hand that feeds him?
The man lost consciousness when his head collided with the other man's and couldn't help but think one last thing before fainting: "I hope I can eat his food again someday."
.....
Hi everyone, what do you think of the story so far? The book has over 300 chapters. If you'd like to download the complete book, it's available on my Ko-fi page. Here's the link: 👉 🤩 ko-fi.com/winterstar01 🤩