-----
-----
East Blue, inside the Baratie restaurant~
In front of everyone, Sanji, who'd only taken one bite of the pasta, suddenly started crying like a kid in his seat.
He even stretched his hand out forward like he was trying to grab something.
Seeing this, everyone was dumbfounded.
What? Did he get poisoned or something?
Only Sanji knew that after his first bite, an intense flavor hit him straight in the head.
It was a flavor that's hard to describe — just one taste completely awakened his taste buds.
It even amplified his emotions beyond control.
It made him remember a memory he never wanted to recall.
He and Zeff were shipwrecked. Zeff gave all the food he had to Sanji, and he himself ended up eating his own leg.
"Ah!!!"
Suddenly, Sanji snapped out of the memory and looked up, meeting Bai Ye's half-smile and the weird looks from everyone around.
"Phew~"
Sanji let out a breath, calming himself down.
Then, he looked at Bai Ye and, with some effort, said:
"You win~"
What's the best flavor?
It's not one of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, or salty.
It's the kind that, the moment you eat it, brings back a flood of memories.
"But I want to know — how did you do it? Why did I feel all that?"
Sanji looked at Bai Ye expectantly, thinking he'd reveal some special technique.
But actually—
"An elixir. Because I added an elixir~"
Bai Ye just casually said that one line.
Ancient Qi practitioners who trained their hearts often went through "calamity trials" in the mortal world.
To ensure these trials worked, they usually took a fourth-grade pill called...
"The Hundred Flavor Pill".
This pill amplifies a person's emotions, letting them deeply feel the joys and sorrows of life.
The elixir Bai Ye used was actually the main ingredient for making the Hundred Flavor Pill.
Luckily, in the inner world of Daoist cultivation, this kind of rare treasure was not so scarce.
Otherwise, Bai Ye wouldn't have wanted to use it for a competition.
"Wait, you mean it was just a difference in one ingredient?"
Sanji couldn't believe it; he was even a little angry.
Losing the competition was already hard to take, but losing because of one ingredient? That was crushing.
"Th-This isn't cheating, right...?"
Just as Sanji was fumbling, trying to make an excuse, Bai Ye's voice cut in.
"Cheating, huh?"
Seeing Sanji's panicked face, Bai Ye smiled and said:
"The rules only said the winner is decided by the taste of the Italian pasta — it never said you had to use the same ingredients, right?"
"Besides, if using ingredients you've never seen before counts as cheating, that'd be pretty boring."
Bai Ye went on:
"Sanji, your cooking skills are great, but your knowledge limits your imagination."
For some reason, hearing that, Zoro nearby felt like he'd heard something familiar.
"A chef stuck in one place and a chef sailing the seas — their cooking is bound to be different."
"Just like you and the head chef, right?"
Bai Ye's sudden mention made Zeff, who was standing at the spiral staircase leading to the second floor, narrow his eyes.
This young guy seems to know who he really is.
Sanji naturally caught Bai Ye's meaning and knew Zeff's true identity.
"Could the gap really be that big?"
Sanji muttered to himself.
"This sea is huge, and this is just one of four seas."
Bai Ye continued smoothly:
"Just like your dream place for chefs, All Blue — if you never set sail, you'll never see it your whole life."
"But…"
"Sanji!!!"
Just as Sanji was about to argue, Zeff's strong voice rang out:
"Since you lost, don't make excuses. Take this chance to become a pirate. I don't need you in my restaurant anymore."
"Old man, you really want me to leave, huh?"
Hearing Zeff, Sanji's expression got complicated.
"I'm the sous chef of this restaurant, you know!"
Zepp's expression just grew more and more disdainful:
"You're always picking fights with the restaurant customers, and you get all flustered whenever you see pretty girls. Now, you can't even cook better than others. What use are you in this shop?"
"Whether you wanna be a pirate or anything else, just get out of my restaurant already!"
But the harder Zepp spoke, the more determined Sanji became.
"You old fart, no matter what you say, I'm staying here as the chef. Don't even think about kicking me out!"
Nearby, Luffy and the others had gathered beside Bai Ye, watching the argument between the two with a bit of confusion.
"Looks like that lecherous old man and the head chef have some kinda complicated relationship,"
Zoro said, crossing his arms thoughtfully.
"Yeah, even though they're arguing so fiercely, you can tell there's some care behind it,"
Nami nodded in agreement.
"I get it! Sanji's actually Zepp's illegitimate son, right?"
Usopp suddenly had a wild idea and exclaimed, as if he'd just cracked the case.
Bai Ye rolled his eyes hard next to them — like, what kind of look was that?
"Bai Ye, Sanji should already be one of our crew, right?"
Luffy jumped straight to the point.
In his mind, Bai Ye would never lose, so Sanji had to be a future crew member.
"If he's already admitted defeat, then he's gotta keep his promise."
Bai Ye first agreed with Luffy's logic but then shifted his tone:
"However, if we just force him onto the ship, it might leave a bad feeling in his heart."
"So, that's where you come in, Captain."
Bai Ye smiled at Luffy.
"Huh? You want me to tie Sanji to the ship or something?"
Luffy looked totally puzzled.
"Of course not. I just need you to spend more time with Sanji for now."
"Given your charm, you'll probably figure out what's going on between those two pretty quick."
Bai Ye pointed to Sanji and Zepp, who were already starting to brawl again.
Though Bai Ye knew the details, he had no real reason to explain how.
More importantly, Bai Ye wanted to stay here a while longer.
After all, they were waiting on two big fish to arrive—
The Kurokikyu Pirates, and that guy who could literally slice the sky in half with one strike.
This was a good chance to let everyone have a break.
Putting everything else aside, Baratie was definitely a great place for a vacation.
Bai Ye wasn't really worried about Luffy's "mission."
Because even if he didn't say it, Luffy would naturally go chat with Sanji.
So, the Straw Hats started their laid-back vacation life.
Every day, Luffy would bug Sanji for a chat, while Sanji fawned over Nami and bantered with Zoro.
No one brought up the whole "Sanji joining the crew" thing anymore, but their bonds were visibly growing stronger.
So what about Bai Ye these days?
Thanks to having money, he was enjoying the restaurant's service.
Getting a real taste of what it means when they say "the customer is king."
Gotta admit, it felt pretty nice.
"....."