A big head and a thick neck—either a wealthy man or a cook.
Red-Leg Zeff's neck was indeed thick, but his head was of normal size, though he had become so emaciated that he was almost unrecognizable.
Staring at that skeletal profile, Xiano took a moment to carefully observe before he could barely match the figure to the face in his memory.
How tragic… Who knows how long he's been starving? In the original timeline, it seemed Zeff and Sanji endured 85 days before being rescued. He must have arrived earlier, right?
Xiano thought for a moment, then bent down and casually picked up a pile of food from the ship, walking toward Zeff.
He had taken over a million in cash from the secret room and, when leaving Asakura Island, splurged on stocking up on food worth tens of thousands of Berries.
He had thought he'd bought too much, more than two people could eat in a month, but now it had come in handy.
"Junichi," he didn't forget about Sanji and instructed, "take some food too and check if there's anyone else around. If there is, rescue them."
"Got it, boss!"
…
The wind and rain grew heavier.
It wasn't until Xiano was almost right in front of him that Zeff finally vaguely sensed the footsteps behind him.
"Hey, kid…" Zeff continued to stare into the distance, his eyes beneath his bangs seemingly shrouded in shadow. "What are you doing here? Didn't we agree? One of us watches one side, and if a ship comes, you call me…"
Thud!
A package of food was tossed out, rolling down the rocky slope to Zeff's feet. The old man glanced at it, startled, and his eyes locked onto it, unable to look away.
"Bread?"
His hand instinctively reached out but suddenly froze. He forced himself to swallow his saliva, sat up straight, and sneered, "What? Did you think I gave you too little food and came back to ask for more?"
"Didn't I tell you? I'm an adult, my appetite is several times bigger than yours, so of course, I need several times more food! I don't even have enough for myself, so don't expect me to share any with you!"
A few black lines appeared on Xiano's forehead.
Damn it, this old man, who's he trying to act all tsundere for? I already know that bulging bag next to him is filled with treasure.
Instead of secretly drooling and wrestling with his conscience, he might as well turn around and see who the handsome guy behind him is.
Feeling mischievous, Xiano didn't speak up immediately but continued to toss the food in his hands one by one.
Thud!
"Cookies?" Zeff was shocked.
Thud!
"Luncheon meat can?" The old man's eyes widened.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Jerky, chocolate bars, compressed rice balls… even fruits like oranges and bananas. Xiano tossed them faster and faster, and in no time, a small mountain of food had piled up in front of Zeff.
"…This… this…"
Zeff was speechless. Even the dumbest person would realize by now that the one who could produce so much food couldn't possibly be Sanji.
Gurgle, gurgle~
His empty stomach chose that moment to growl.
Zeff suddenly tore open the bread bag and began devouring it like a madman. In a few bites, the entire bag was gone, and he immediately grabbed the next one.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
A clump of saliva-soaked rice ball suddenly got stuck in his throat. Zeff pounded his chest furiously, the sound echoing against his bony ribs.
"Here, catch."
Xiano handed over the water bottle, and the old man immediately tilted his head back, gulping down the murky water mixed with bread crumbs. The muddy liquid dripped down his beard, and it was unclear whether tears were mixed in as well.
After finishing the water, Xiano took the bottle back and tossed over a can of luncheon meat.
"Food, food... it's food!!!"
The old man held the can high, examining it over and over, "It's real food, what an incredible aroma and taste..."
With a crack, Zeff's fingernail dug straight into the can, prying it open with one hand.
The lid cut his palm, but he didn't even notice. The dark red meat was scooped out and stuffed into his mouth. He swallowed it in large gulps, his narrowed eyes filled with satisfaction.
"Slow down, don't choke again."
Xiano sighed softly and sat down on the large rock behind him.
Suddenly, he felt something uncomfortable under his butt. He reached down and pulled out a filthy, severed foot, already rotting and oozing pus, emitting a foul stench.
"..."
Xiano gagged, almost throwing the thing into the sea, but then he realized something. He glanced at Zeff, who was still devouring the food, and quietly initiated the offering.
[Offering: "Red-Leg" Zeff's Severed Foot]
[Quality: Epic]
[Value: 2000 Points]
[Appraisal Comment: The severed foot of the great pirate Red-Leg Zeff, who once terrified the East Blue with his masterful leg techniques. After a year of adventures in the Grand Line, he managed to return unscathed. Stranded on a deserted island, he gave all his food to Sanji and cut off his own right leg to survive. Sanji was saved, but Zeff knew he could no longer continue his journey at sea. From then on, he passed his dream of finding the All Blue to Sanji.]
The part above the ankle was gone, likely already eaten by Zeff.
The remaining part was rotten and spoiled, but it was just the right waste to provide him with a substantial amount of points.
Xiano didn't immediately close the system panel. Instead, he stared at the appraisal comment, remaining silent for a rare moment.
"This thing..."
He suddenly smiled, extending his empty right hand, letting the rain wash away the dirt on his palm. "Speaking of which, this thing made me shed quite a few tears back in the day."
The iconic scene from his distant memories was suddenly replayed before his eyes.
The feeling was quite subtle.
As the rain washed his hand clean, Xiano turned his head and saw that the small mountain of food was already half gone.
Zeff had stopped eating at some point, clutching a half-eaten rice ball in one hand and holding his forehead with the other. His back was turned, and his body was trembling.
Why was he crying now?
"Shame, shame..."
Noticing Xiano's gaze, Zeff turned his head. Despite grinning widely, tears streamed down his face. "Benefactor, this is the best meal I've ever had in my life. I thought I was going to die, I was sure of it..."
Zeff suddenly turned over and knelt in the heavy rain, kowtowing forcefully to Xiano.
When he rose, his forehead was red and swollen, but the old man seemed oblivious, continuing to kowtow with great force.
"No need, no need."
Xiano quickly reached out to help the old man up. It wouldn't be fair to let you kowtow alone; I haven't even thanked you for the free 2000 points yet!
"Benefactor, there's still a companion. I still have a companion!"
But Zeff remained kneeling, clutching at Xiano's pant leg and pleading, "There's also a little blond kid on this reef, just like me, starving for dozens of days. Please, kind sir, save him too!"
How could this old man, after starving for so long, still have such terrifying strength in his hands? Xiano felt like his pants were about to be yanked off and hurriedly pulled them up with force.
"It's alright, I came with a companion. Don't worry, just before I came over, I already had him take some food to look for other survivors. He should find the kid you mentioned soon."
"That's good, that's good..."
Only then did Zeff feel relieved, sitting back down on the ground. He gave Xiano a grateful glance before burying his head again to continue eating voraciously.
Xiano, meanwhile, turned to look back in the direction where they had run aground, feeling somewhat puzzled.
Wait...
Where's Sanji?
What exactly is Junichi doing? This reef is so small, how can it be so difficult to find a living person? There's been no movement for half a day.
"Uh, boss?"
Right at that moment, Junichi's somewhat guilty voice came through, "Can you come over here?"
"What's up?"
Xiano immediately stood up and walked toward the figure that had appeared in his line of sight, "Did you find him?"
"...Well, it's not convenient to talk here. Just follow me."
Junichi gave a dry laugh and led Xiano all the way to the side of the boat.
Under
Xiano's bewildered gaze, he swallowed hard, crouched down, and with all his might lifted the boat a few centimeters, revealing a small figure in a chef's uniform underneath.
"Here he is. We found him, but, uh, he's a bit flat..."
(End of Chapter)