Sanji didn't expect Takumi to come looking for him, and he certainly didn't expect that his arrival would cause him to drop a plate.
This really ticked him off.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Sanji snapped, clearly annoyed. "Thanks to you, I just broke a plate!"
Takumi smirked. "Did I break it with my own hands?"
Sanji hesitated, his anger faltering. "Well, no…"
"Then what does that have to do with me?"
"Uh…" Sanji knew he was in the wrong, but he wasn't about to admit it easily. "Damn it! Everyone's always picking on me. Those stupid chefs, that old geezer, and now even you, an outsider! One day, I'm gonna make you all see me in a different light!"
Just then, Patty barged into the kitchen, fuming. "Some penniless fool dared to come to Baratie to eat! What a clueless idiot!"
The other chefs burst into laughter.
"Patty, did you throw him out the back door again?"
"Haha, classic Patty!"
Sanji, however, stopped washing dishes the moment he heard that Patty had thrown out a penniless customer.
Takumi watched him closely. From what he knew about Sanji, the kid was definitely going to sneak food to that person.
Sanji could never stand to see someone go hungry.
Sure enough, Sanji discreetly grabbed two pieces of bread and a bottle of milk.
When he noticed Takumi watching him, he put a finger to his lips, signaling for silence, and then slipped out of the kitchen when Patty and the others weren't looking.
Takumi quietly followed behind him.
Sanji headed to the back deck.
There, a man, gaunt and weak from hunger, lay hopelessly on the deck.
Without a word, Sanji placed the bread and milk beside the man.
"Eat up," Sanji said, sitting down next to him and watching closely.
The man weakly turned his head to look at Sanji, then, trembling, he grabbed the bread and milk, devouring them without hesitation.
When he finished, tears streamed down his face as he looked at Sanji. "Thank you, thank you so much. I thought I was going to die out here, starving on this endless sea."
Sanji grinned. "Feels good to have something in your belly, huh?"
The man nodded, a smile spreading across his face. "Yes, it feels amazing. I never realized how lucky I was just to have food. I don't even know how to thank you."
"No need to thank me," Sanji replied. "Food is a gift from nature. Just promise me that when you get back on your feet, you won't waste any of it."
"I promise!"
"Good," Sanji nodded, standing up to head back.
As he climbed the spiral staircase, Takumi was leaning against the wall by the second-floor landing.
As Sanji walked past him, Takumi spoke up. "Hot, fresh food beats dry bread any day, doesn't it?"
Sanji froze mid-step.
Takumi's words felt like a knife twisting in his chest.
"Hey! What do you know?" Sanji shot back, frustration lacing his voice. "I'd love to cook meals for the hungry, but the truth is, I can't cook worth a damn! That old geezer won't teach me, and it's driving me crazy!"
Takumi scoffed, "Hmph."
Sanji clenched his fists in anger. "You're laughing at me, aren't you? What gives you the right to laugh at me?"
"With your level of understanding, why would Zeff bother teaching you anything?"
"What!" Sanji was trembling with rage. "You want to fight, is that it?"
With that, Sanji lunged at Takumi, throwing a punch.
Takumi easily sidestepped.
Sanji's fist slammed into the wooden wall behind Takumi, making him wince and stomp his foot in pain.
Takumi just stood there, unimpressed.
It looked like this kid hadn't even started learning proper leg techniques yet…
Using his hands to fight? That was absurd for a chef.
A chef's hands were meant for cooking, nothing else.
A great chef fought with his legs.
Zeff understood this.
And one day, Sanji would too.
But for now, he was clueless.
As Takumi pondered this, a thought struck him.
Maybe this was the key to advancing his sign-in progress.
With that in mind, Takumi asked, "Does your hand hurt?"
Sanji grumbled, "Of course it does! What kind of question is that?"
Takumi chuckled, "Do you know why Zeff refuses to teach you how to cook?"
Sanji was taken aback, then scoffed. "How would I know what that old man's thinking? You're just an outsider. Don't tell me you think you know."
"I do know."
"What?" Sanji was stunned. "That's ridiculous. You've barely known that old geezer for a day. How could you possibly know?"
"What's your dream?"
"Why are you asking that?" Sanji was still annoyed, but he answered honestly. "I want to surpass that old geezer, and once he's gone, I'll set sail to find All Blue."
All Blue was Sanji's ultimate dream—a legendary sea where all the fish from the four seas came together. It was a paradise for chefs, a place where any ingredient imaginable could be found.
Sanji's eyes lit up as he spoke of it.
But Takumi remained indifferent, simply replying, "Oh."
That single word snapped Sanji back to reality. "What's with the dismissive 'oh'? What are you trying to say?"
"Anyone who spends all their time complaining has no right to talk about dreams."
"Ugh? You jerk! You don't know a thing about me!" Sanji clenched his fists and swung at Takumi again.
This time, Takumi didn't dodge. "Hands are a chef's most important tools. If you hurt them, are you planning to cook with your feet?"
Sanji's fist froze just inches from Takumi's face.
Takumi smirked, "Someone who can't even make an effort has no right to talk about dreams."
With that, Takumi walked away, ready to explore Baratie and get familiar with its layout.
He'd said what he needed to say.
In his experience, Sanji wasn't the type to be slow on the uptake.
He should figure it out soon enough.
Sanji looked down at his hands, then at Takumi's retreating back. "What were you trying to tell me with all that?"
Without turning around, Takumi answered calmly, "Figure it out yourself."
Sanji watched Takumi disappear from view, then stared down at his hands again.
Memories began to flood his mind.
Now that he thought about it, he had never seen Zeff use his hands in a fight.
Whenever there was trouble or when he needed to discipline the kitchen staff, that old man always used his feet!
Of course!
A chef's hands were his life!
How could he use them to fight?
Sanji clenched his fists, determination burning in his eyes. "That's it. From now on, I'm not using my hands to fight!"
But as the realization sank in, so did Takumi's other words.
Spending all his time complaining, not even trying...
Was he really that pathetic?
He had been working hard, hadn't he?
For months, he'd scrubbed dishes and cleaned Baratie top to bottom. How could anyone say he wasn't trying?
But then, a sudden thought hit him.
Sweat beaded on Sanji's forehead.
"What the hell have I been doing all these months?"
[Ding! Guided Sanji and earned his admiration. Sign-in progress +20%. Current total progress: 40%. Reward: Shunpo Level +1. Current Shunpo Level: Lv2.]
Takumi had barely walked away when the system's notification chimed in his mind. Along with it, more knowledge about Shunpo flooded into his brain, making him feel lighter on his feet.
"Not bad, Sanji," Takumi thought, feeling somewhat satisfied.
But admiration? Why does that count toward the progress?
That part puzzled Takumi, but as long as it worked in his favor, he wasn't going to complain.
Stretching his arms, he found himself standing on the second-floor deck of Baratie, soaking in the warm sunlight. The heat made him feel a bit sleepy.
"Time for a nap," he muttered.
With a flick of his hand, Takumi summoned a lounge chair from his system storage, plopped down, and closed his eyes for a quick snooze.
He had barely started to doze off when, not too far away, a pirate ship flying an unfamiliar flag began creeping toward Baratie.
As soon as Baratie came into range, the pirates fired their cannons, aiming straight for the ship's rear.
The cannon fire jolted Takumi awake.
Frowning, he opened his eyes just in time to see the cannonballs racing toward him.
Without hesitation, he leapt from the chair and, in midair, used Night Guy to kick the cannonballs into the sea.
Landing back on the deck, Takumi's gaze locked onto the pirate ship that had dared disturb his nap, several hundred meters away.
In one swift motion, he drew his sword, swung it once toward the pirate ship, and sheathed it just as quickly. Then, he calmly returned to his chair and closed his eyes again.
Before he could fully relax, the pirate ship split cleanly in half and began to sink, its crew's screams and cries echoing across the water before fading into silence.
Everything was calm again.
"You've gotta be kidding me…"
Sanji had been looking for Takumi, wanting to thank him for the advice earlier. Takumi's words had unraveled a knot that had been weighing on his mind for a long time.
But as he followed Takumi's path, he witnessed something unbelievable: Takumi had kicked away cannonballs and, with a single swing of a wooden sword, sliced a pirate ship clean in half.
Sanji froze, too stunned to approach.
Swallowing hard, he slowly backed away, then turned and sprinted back toward the kitchen, his mind racing with what he had just seen.
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He couldn't help but test his own kicks in the air as he ran.
"Takumi's incredible! And he's my age... I can't waste any more time!"
With that, he ran straight to Zeff's room.
When Zeff saw Sanji coming, he frowned. "Did you finish washing all the dishes?"
Sanji grinned. "Old man, I've made up my mind. I want to learn your leg techniques!"
Zeff raised an eyebrow, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha! You? Learn my leg techniques? Don't kid yourself! Get back to work."
"I'll work hard!" Sanji said earnestly. "I'll master cooking too, and in my spare time, you'll teach me how to fight with my legs!"
Zeff stared at him, slightly taken aback.
Something was different about Sanji. He wasn't the same kid who had been sulking half an hour ago. Had he finally started to figure things out?
Zeff frowned, his voice gruff. "I never said I'd teach you how to cook."
Sanji just smiled. "That's fine. I spend enough time in the kitchen, anyway. If you won't teach me, I'll learn by watching. I'm not the same Sanji I was before. Just you wait, old man. I'll surpass you soon, both in cooking and in fighting."
"Hahaha, you? Surpass me? In this lifetime? Get back to your chores, kid."
"Say whatever you want. I've made up my mind, and nothing you say will change it!"
Before Zeff could respond, Sanji dashed off.
Zeff's grin quickly faded as he fell deep in thought.
That kid… Did someone talk to him?
It definitely wasn't Patty or the other kitchen brutes. And aside from them, the only other person with access to the kitchen was that one guest he had given special privileges to.
Zeff narrowed his eyes slightly.
It couldn't be… that kid, right?
Meanwhile, Takumi had enjoyed a peaceful nap for over an hour. Upon waking, he instinctively reached for his gourd of wine.
It was empty.
Before leaving the village, Takumi had stocked up on plenty of booze from the local tavern. But after eight days of sailing—filled with drinking, sleeping, and occasionally fending off sea monsters—he was down to just two jars of the special brew Koshiro had gifted him.
After some thought, he decided against drinking Koshiro's wine for now.
Standing up and stretching, he stowed his lounge chair back in his system storage and followed the faint scent of alcohol toward Baratie's second-floor storage room.
As luck would have it, Sanji emerged from the room carrying a bottle of wine.
When the door opened and Sanji spotted Takumi, he froze.
"Uh, what are you doing here?" Sanji asked, startled.
Takumi's eyes were fixed on the bottle of wine in Sanji's hands. "How much for that?"
"Oh, this? Five Berries per glass. You're not thinking of drinking, are you?" Sanji asked cautiously.
"Yeah."
"Here, take this bottle. I'll just grab another," Sanji said cheerfully, handing the bottle to Takumi.
Takumi blinked. "?"
"It's no big deal," Sanji assured him. "Next time you want a drink, just let me know. I'll sneak you in here, you drink, and I'll keep watch."
Takumi chuckled softly.
This kid sure knew how to cozy up to people.
Takumi appreciated the gesture but wasn't one to take advantage of someone's hospitality without paying his dues.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pouch with 100 Berries and tossed it to Sanji.
Sanji fumbled to catch it. "Wait, what's this?"
"For the wine."
With that, Takumi uncorked the bottle, took a swig, and found the taste acceptable.
He emptied the rest into his gourd and handed the empty bottle back to Sanji.
As he turned to leave, Sanji called after him. "Where are you going?"
"Hunting," Takumi said simply.
Sanji's eyes widened, and his excitement from earlier came rushing back as he remembered witnessing Takumi kicking away cannonballs and slicing a pirate ship in half. Bursting with energy, he followed after Takumi as they headed downstairs together.
"So, are you going after pirates? I saw it! You kicked away those cannonballs and cut that pirate ship in half with a wooden sword! That was amazing, Takumi! Tell me, when did you start learning leg techniques?"
Takumi's eye twitched slightly.
This question sounded awfully familiar...
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