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Chapter 35: Sanji's Breakdown
As everyone knows, the physical constitution of a human and a Qilin cannot be compared.
The sleeping potion Nami had procured from somewhere had no effect on Ganyu, but she herself passed out as soon as she came into contact with it.
Ganyu gently held the limp girl in her arms, looking down at her peaceful sleeping face, and couldn't help but smile slightly.
"Using a sleeping potion to knock out a Qilin? How could you even think of that?"
Not to mention that her extraordinary divine beast body was immune to the vast majority of poisons in the world, her sheer physical size alone meant that a wet towel soaked with a small amount of sleeping potion could never knock her out.
She picked the girl up princess-style and walked lightly towards the cabin.
Ganyu carefully placed her on the bed in the bedroom, covered her with a thin blanket, admired the girl's beautiful sleeping face for a moment, then got up and left the room.
Squeak.
After closing the door, Ganyu took a brass key from her pocket, inserted it into the keyhole, turned it gently, and completely locked the door from the outside.
"Sleep well. When you wake up, everything will be different."
...
Baratie Restaurant.
When Ganyu returned to the restaurant, she saw that the table was already full of dishes, and Zoro, Usopp, and the others were eating with gusto.
She returned to her seat and said with slight dissatisfaction, "The food is all here, and you didn't even wait for me."
"Big Sis!"
When she returned, Johnny and Yosaku both sat up straight, stopping what they were eating.
"Didn't I tell you not to call me 'Big Sis'!"
Ganyu glanced at them speechlessly. Ever since she had cured Yosaku's scurvy with orange juice that day, the two of them had been calling her "Big Sis," and she couldn't get them to stop.
The two paused, then said in unison, "Yes, Big... Bro!"
"Pfft!"
Hearing this, Zoro, who was drinking, immediately spat out his booze.
"It's fine, just call me 'Big Sis'."
Ganyu sighed helplessly, gave Zoro a contemptuous look, and said, "Don't get the restaurant floor dirty, or someone will come looking for trouble with you."
"Hah, you mean that Curly-Brows guy? You think I'm afraid of him?"
Zoro snorted dismissively, his brow clearly furrowing at the mention of that name. "You think I'm afraid of him?"
Ganyu ignored him, picked up the chopsticks on the table, plucked a piece of food from a brightly colored dish, and chewed it carefully.
The next second, her eyes widened in surprise.
"So delicious~~"
Her eyes curved into crescent moons, and a faint blush appeared on her delicate, fair cheeks.
It was too delicious, more delicious than any dish she had eaten in her previous life!
Sanji's cooking skills are truly amazing; he fully deserves to be the chef for the future protagonists.
"It's really good, right? We all had that expression after we tasted it. I never expected that guy, despite his bad attitude, to be such a good cook!" Usopp said excitedly.
"Yeah, it would be great if we could have a cook like this on the ship."
Ganyu sighed sincerely, ate some more, and then asked, "Where's Luffy? Where did he go?"
"He went out, said he was going for a walk."
Usopp replied nonchalantly, then suddenly remembered something and added, "Oh, right, before you came back, a fierce-looking pirate barged in and was kicked out by the chefs here. Shortly after, Luffy went out too."
A pirate?
A contemplative look flashed in Ganyu's eyes, and she quickly deduced the identity of the visitor; it was undoubtedly Gin.
Gin was an officer of the Krieg Pirates, sent by Krieg to find food.
Their 5,000-man pirate crew had just entered the Grand Line when they encountered one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Hawk-Eye Mihawk. Mihawk annihilated most of their fleet with a single blow, completely crushing their dreams of gaining a foothold in the Grand Line.
The remnants of the Krieg Pirates were in tatters when they returned to the East Blue from the Grand Line, their strength greatly reduced, and what they needed most right now was food!
In the original story, Gin found the Baratie, but he was penniless and kicked out of the restaurant. Just as he was about to starve to death at the entrance, Sanji gave him a plate of fried rice.
This act of kindness saved Gin's life, but it also brought disaster to the Baratie.
"Everyone, I've decided!"
Luffy ran in excitedly and announced loudly as soon as he reached the table, "Sanji is our ship's cook!"
"Sanji?" Zoro and Usopp looked up in surprise.
"That's the cook who made our food!"
Luffy excitedly described the scene he had just witnessed. "I saw him give food to that pirate who was kicked out of the restaurant! He's such a good person!"
"Really? This guy sounds kind-hearted." Usopp said in surprise.
"Hehe, kind-hearted, huh..." Zoro shook his head, a meaningful look flashing in his eyes.
Although he didn't know Gin, he could sense that the man was no ordinary person.
Saving a pirate like that might not be a good thing.
"So, did Sanji agree to join the Straw Hat Pirates?" Ganyu asked.
"No." Luffy shook his head slightly, looking a bit dejected, but he quickly looked up again, his expression firm. "I will definitely make him join us!"
Ganyu, Zoro, and Usopp exchanged glances, silently mourning for Sanji in their hearts.
This poor guy had caught his captain's attention; endless torment awaited him.
...
The midday sun shone on the sea, making it sparkle.
Throughout the morning, a strange scene played out at the Baratie:
A boy in a straw hat followed closely behind a blond waiter, repeating the same phrase over and over again.
"Sanji, join us! Sanji, join us! Sanji, join us..."
Whether it was wiping tables, sweeping, mopping, or going in and out of the kitchen, this sound was always there, except for the brief respite when taking customer orders.
In short: it was like a stubborn band-aid that couldn't be peeled off.
"Old man, can't you just kick this annoying kid out!"
Sanji was on the verge of a breakdown at this point, even trying to get Chef Zeff to order Luffy's removal.
But Zeff just glanced at Luffy indifferently, unmoved. "He's not affecting any customers. Just do your own thing. If you can't even handle a little thing like this, then please leave this restaurant."
"You...!" Sanji trembled with anger, but he was powerless against the old man.
&img; "Hehe, thanks, old man, but I'm definitely taking Sanji back to the ship!" Luffy said with a laugh.
Zeff didn't answer, but glanced at Luffy and Sanji again, a faint, imperceptible smile appearing on his face.
"Kid, if you can, take him with you. He's not doing much good staying at the restaurant anyway."
Zeff left only this one sentence and turned to leave.
"Hey! You old geezer, explain yourself before you go! What did you mean, I'm useless staying at the restaurant?!"
Sanji was furious at Zeff's words, but Zeff ignored him and quickly disappeared.
He turned his head, wanting to vent his anger on the annoying kid, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he immediately closed it again.
Because.
A beautiful woman in blue was sitting at a table not far from them, gazing at them with her captivating eyes.
Alright, Sanji had to admit one thing.
The reason he hadn't kicked this annoying kid out was so he could catch a few more glimpses of her in the restaurant.
D*mn it, why does this guy have such a beautiful female crewmate?!
He was almost tempted to join!
(To Be Continued)...
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