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"Sanji, come serve the god!!!"
Sanji, who was busy dealing with Hobdy, heard this shout and got a bit annoyed.
"Damn it, Paddy! I'm the sous chef, not some waiter…"
He threw Hobdy aside, grumbling as he turned around—but before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly froze.
Because he saw Nami~
"Whoa!!!"
The next second, starry-eyed Sanji spun around like a whirlwind and appeared right in front of everyone.
But in his eyes, there was only Nami.
He twisted and moved his body like crazy while saying,
"Beautiful lady, it's my honor to take your order and cook for you!"
"If you don't mind, let me recommend some dishes for you."
Only then did Sanji look up at the others.
"Six people, huh? That's a lot of work."
Six people?
Hearing this, everyone suddenly realized Bai Ye had left without them noticing.
Meanwhile, Hobdy had already escaped from Baratie and gotten back onto his ship.
"Damn it, a restaurant that beats up its customers doesn't deserve to exist."
He held his wound, grumbling.
Just then, a soldier came running over in a panic.
"Captain Hobdy, bad news!!!"
"The person we caught trying to track down the Kurekku Pirates—he's escaped!!!"
Hobdy immediately stopped caring about the restaurant.
"No way! When we caught him, he was half dead and hasn't eaten at all these days."
"How could he possibly have the strength to escape?"
The navy soldier lowered his head shamefully, "Sorry, Captain!"
At that moment, a voice suddenly came from nearby.
"Looks like you guys are having some trouble~"
It was Bai Ye, who had been following Hobdy silently all along.
"Who are you? Why are you following me?"
Hobdy's face turned pale. Anyone who could sneak up on him quietly had to be stronger.
"I'm Captain Hobdy of the Navy Headquarters, the 'Iron Fist.' You better watch yourself—"
"You call yourself Iron Fist? I wonder what the navy heroes think of that," Bai Ye teased lightly.
This was probably an oversight by Oda when drawing the manga.
Because there's actually another 'Iron Fist' in the navy.
Hobdy was speechless—he couldn't exactly say he gave himself that nickname to sound cooler.
"Whatever~"
Bai Ye waved it off, not wanting to argue over the nickname, and continued.
"Let's talk about what you just mentioned."
"The Kurekku Pirates."
"Maybe we could cooperate?"
Seeing the sly look on Bai Ye's face, Hobdy's heart skipped a beat.
For some reason, he felt like he was staring at a clever old fox.
"Well then, it's a deal~ Captain Hobdy, looking forward to working with you~"
After a while, Bai Ye said goodbye to Hobdy aboard the ship and then turned back into the restaurant.
By now, the food should all be ready.
But when he got back to his friends, the atmosphere was… weird.
Everyone else looked like they were watching a show, and Sanji was glaring at him with anger.
Huh?
What's going on?
Bai Ye was confused, and before he could ask, he heard Sanji's voice.
"You're Bai Ye, huh? I swear on my pride as a chef—I'm challenging you!"
Sanji looked like he had some serious grudge against Bai Ye.
Huh?
Bai Ye was even more baffled. He turned to the others and asked,
"Can someone tell me what just happened?"
A moment later, with Usopp teasing, Bai Ye got the gist.
Turns out, right after Sanji got starry-eyed and started taking Nami's order, Akin walked into the restaurant.
Paddy kicked Akin out, saying he had no money, but Sanji quietly brought him some food.
Luffy noticed that and kept pestering Sanji, trying to invite him aboard the ship.
Sanji refused, and if it weren't for Nami, he would've run back to the kitchen.
At that point, Nami, maybe on purpose, said,
"Honestly, Bai Ye would be great here—his cooking tastes way better."
That one line made Sanji remember the name Bai Ye instantly.
When he found out Bai Ye was with the crew, he decided to challenge him.
Sanji's thinking was simple:
As a chef, he wouldn't let anyone question his cooking skills.
And the fact that Bai Ye could get a compliment like that from Miss Nami was just...
Too damn enviable~
After hearing Usopp's story, Bai Ye looked at Nami.
Seeing the little thief's meaningful glance, he smiled helplessly.
He reached out and rubbed Nami's head instinctively.
"You've really gotten me into some trouble here~"
"Hehe, I was just speaking the truth! Don't go blaming me, okay?"
Since that heart-to-heart night, Nami and Bai Ye seemed to have gotten closer, and their physical contact increased too.
Like right now, Nami didn't even try to stop Bai Ye's head-patting at all.
"Bastard!!!"
Sanji's eyes practically shot flames when he saw this:
"What the hell are you doing to Miss Nami?!"
"Hmph! Perverted kappa."
Zoro snorted coldly from the side. For some reason, whenever it came to this brow-furrowed guy, he just couldn't help but throw a jab back.
"What did you say, green seaweed head?!"
Sanji, now blinded by lust and jealousy, snapped back at Zoro without hesitation.
"WHAT?! Perverted kappa!"
"Asshole! Green seaweed head!"
The two kept trading insults louder and louder, looking like they were about to start throwing punches any second.
The others watched the brewing fight with eager eyes, ready for some entertainment.
Johnny and Joseph cheered: "Go for it, Big Bro Zoro!"
Usopp shouted: "Take him down, Zoro! Beat that pervy chef!"
Luffy: "Oh yeah, a fight? I wanna join too!!!"
"Hey! You guys, cut it out already!!!"
Finally, under Nami's violent crackdown, everyone quieted down.
Bai Ye glanced at Sanji, shrugged, and said:
"I don't see any reason to accept your challenge."
"Huh? You won't accept a challenge from a cook?"
Sanji was a bit confused. Even now, he thought Bai Ye was a Straw Hat crew member's cook.
"Sorry, I'm not a cook."
"And even if I were, so what?"
"It's normal for Nami, my comrade, to praise me, right?"
Bai Ye continued:
"Once we leave here, no one will mention this again. You'll still be one of the best cooks around here, won't you?"
"So honestly, I have no reason to accept your challenge. Sorry, Sanji-san."
Bai Ye apologized softly, but a sly glint flashed in his eyes.
That move? That's called passive-aggressive sarcasm.
Sure enough, after hearing Bai Ye, Sanji was silent for a moment, then said:
"So, what kind of challenge would you accept?"
At that, Bai Ye's lips curved into a faint smile.
He slowly replied, "At least there has to be a reasonable bet~"
"....."