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Honestly, Bai Ye was overthinking the whole thing.
He kept trying to use Luffy's charm to get Sanji to open up.
But what he didn't realize was—when it comes to a gentleman like Sanji, who lives by the code of chivalry—Nami was actually the best choice.
So after some effort, Bai Ye finally got confirmation of something he already knew:
Zeff lost his right leg to save Sanji.
"Man, this kind of thing is... really tricky," Usopp said with a sigh. A life-saving debt like that is definitely not something you can just brush off.
"Let's just find another cook. I've had a bad feeling about that pervy pervert since day one," Zoro chimed in bluntly. His relationship with Sanji—aka Swirly Eyebrows—had escalated pretty fast over the past few days.
"What about you, Bai Ye? Got any ideas?" Nami turned to him and asked, "Unless you've somehow figured out a way to make Zeff's leg grow back?"
At that moment, even Zoro and Usopp froze—and Nami herself seemed unsure of what she just said.
Sure, Bai Ye always pulls out weird, unexpected stuff... but regrowing a whole leg? That sounded way too far-fetched.
"I've got a way," Bai Ye said quietly.
Boom—like a bomb went off in the room.
"WHAT?!!!" ×3
Zoro, Usopp, and Nami all stared at him like he'd grown a second head.
"Awesome!!! I knew it! I knew Bai Ye could do it!!" Luffy shouted, eyes sparkling like a little kid on Christmas morning. In his mind, if Bai Ye said he could do something, then he definitely could.
"That's right. Now that we know the problem, no point waiting around..." Bai Ye rolled his wrists and cracked a confident smile.
"Let's go fix this—right now."
And so, the group followed Bai Ye to Baratie, where they found Zeff and Sanji.
Truthfully, they didn't all need to come, but everyone was way too curious to stay behind.
When Bai Ye explained what he came for, Zeff and Sanji gave the exact same reaction:
"WHAT?!!!" ×2
Bai Ye didn't even flinch. He was already used to this kind of response. Calmly, he flipped his wrist and pulled out a pill he'd prepared in advance.
An 8th-tier pill — "Flesh and Bone Regrowth Pill"
It wasn't some crazy miracle that could bring people back from the dead, but it could definitely regrow a lost leg.
After listening to Bai Ye's explanation, Zeff tried his best to hide how excited he was. He fell into deep thought for a while, then said seriously:
"If it's just for Sanji, I can't accept it."
His meaning was clear: of course he wanted his leg back—but if this was just a way to get Sanji to join their crew, then it wasn't a fair trade.
That kind of debt would weigh on Sanji. It'd feel like he owed them something.
Zeff didn't want that. He wanted Sanji to go out to sea freely, to live his own life—not sailing with guilt hanging over him.
"Hey, old man, what are you—" Sanji was starting to get agitated, but Bai Ye cut him off immediately.
"You really don't need to worry about that," Bai Ye said with a smirk as he pulled Luffy over to stand beside him.
"Oops, I forgot to introduce him. This guy right here is our captain, Monkey D. Luffy. His dream?" Bai Ye dragged out the words deliberately.
"To become the next Pirate King!!"
Then he pointed to Sanji. "And this guy—Sous Chef Sanji—is the cook that Luffy's got his eye on."
"In other words, Sanji is destined to shine in the New World."
"So, Head Chef Zeff," Bai Ye's face turned serious again, his tone dead earnest.
"Can we trade this one little pill… for the Pirate King's head chef to join our crew with no guilt or hesitation?"
The room went completely silent.
After a beat, Usopp whispered to Nami and Zoro, "Man... I think Bai Ye's even better at BS-ing than I am. He made it sound like Luffy's definitely becoming the Pirate King."
Zoro smiled to himself, remembering the first time he met Bai Ye and Luffy.
"It's not just how it sounds," he said quietly. "That guy really believes Luffy will become Pirate King."
"He believes it more than any of us. That's why those words hit different coming from him."
Nami just stared at Bai Ye's back, lost in thought.
"HAHAHA! That was awesome, Bai Ye!" Luffy laughed loudly and clapped Bai Ye on the shoulder—not because he liked the praise, but because Bai Ye had just said everything he wanted to say.
"Damn right. Sanji's my chosen crewmate. I don't want anyone else as my cook—just him!"
Luffy may be a bit of a dumbass sometimes, but every now and then, he really nails it with the perfect line.
"Become the Pirate King, huh?" Zeff muttered under his breath, looking at the wide-eyed Straw Hat boy in front of him. In that moment, he suddenly felt… really old.
He turned to Bai Ye, let out a deep sigh, and finally relaxed.
"Well, with all that said, I guess this old man has no reason to say no, huh?"
He looked over at Sanji, his gaze soft and gentle.
"After all, letting the Pirate King lose his head chef… that's not something an old geezer like me could live with."
Sanji's expression turned complicated.
"Old man..."
"Well then, this pill's yours," Bai Ye handed it over with a warning. "Just so you know, it might hurt. A lot."
"Haha! If I could handle the pain of losing the leg, I sure as hell can handle it growing back," Zeff said confidently.
Then, seeing the eager eyes around the room, he gave up trying to be subtle—and just popped the pill straight into his mouth.
Within seconds, he felt something change in his right leg.
It was like a million ants biting and chewing at once.
POP!
The wooden prosthetic exploded off at the joint—and a bloody stump burst into view, right in front of everyone.
"AHHH!!!"
Zeff couldn't hold back and screamed in pain.
"Old man!!" Sanji yelled, worried, but too scared to get close.
Then it started—tiny strands of flesh began sprouting from the open wound.
They grew slowly, but visibly—pulsing and twisting as they stretched out.
Zeff could feel it too. He didn't even need to look. His right leg... was growing back. The feeling was returning.
Ten minutes later, Zeff was standing on two legs—barely believing it himself.
He looked down at his brand new leg in awe.
It was like it had never been gone at all. He could move it however he wanted—no stiffness, no hesitation.
"Old man..." Sanji stepped forward, staring at the leg. His eyes were watery.
And then—WHAM!!
Zeff slammed his brand new leg into Sanji's head with a vicious kick.
"You little bastard!! Hurry up and get the hell out to sea already!!!"
"....."