Chapter 157 - 15

Chapter 15Luffy wasn't laughing and playing around anymore.You couldn't tell if he would dish out some kind of punishment."Hey, Curly Eyebrows, you're a chef too, right?" Luffy slapped him on the shoulder with his usual familiarity."Hm? Can't you tell?" Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke."Then how about coming to my ship to be the chef?" Luffy invited with a grin."You're a pirate? Are you famous?" Sanji was a bit surprised; after all, Luffy's appearance really didn't match that of a pirate.Besides, would a serious pirate work as a chore boy on this ship?Speaking of this, Luffy was suddenly full of energy."I am Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will become the Pirate King! I think you're a good guy and your cooking is decent. How about it? Become my partner."Sanji was slapped so hard he tilted, nearly dropping his cigarette into the sink. He steadied himself and looked at Luffy as if he were a madman: "Huh? Pirate King? Become a pirate? Stop joking, kid! I have no desire to be a pirate."Although he hated the old man Zeff, he similarly had no good feelings toward pirates."Why? Being a pirate is so free."To Luffy, being a pirate was a profession that allowed him to go on adventures all over the world.Therefore, he couldn't understand people who hated pirates.As for the Pirate King, that was the freest person in the world.Because he hadn't become the Pirate King yet, he wasn't free."What's so good about freedom?" Sanji said."Freedom means being able to do whatever you want. Curly Eyebrows, don't you have anything you want to do? Like a dream or something?" Luffytalked on and on.A dream?Hearing this word, Sanji's finger holding the cigarette paused slightly. A fleeting glimmer appeared deep in his eyes, but it was immediately replaced by mockery."Tch, a little pirate like you shouldn't keep talking about becoming the Pirate King. Stop talking and let me laugh for a bit."Sanji bent over laughing.This rookie pirate's strength was unknown, and his bounty probably hadn't even broken a million, yet his goal was the Pirate King?Ignorance truly is bliss."No matter what the dream is, it shouldn't be laughed at," Luffy said seriously. "A man's dream will never end."Sanji's laughter came to an abrupt halt.All Blue. It was the only motivation that had made him willing to leave that family and huddle on this ship as a chef under that shitty old man. It was also the dream he never dared to proclaim.Sanji's expression became extremely complex.[Prompt: Companion Day has ended. Successfully recruited partner Vinsmoke Sanji. Adjusting based on physical condition. Next period: Three minutes for food replenishment. Countdown...]A series of prompt sounds flooded Luffy's mind.Recruitment successful?Wait, did I get the short end of the stick?There should have been a few hours left of Companion Day. Now it's going back to the previous training mode?Forget it, that's not important. What matters is that there's a chef on the ship!"Hahaha! Curly-browed chef, welcome aboard!""Hey, you idiot Straw Hat! Who agreed to join you?" Sanji was slapped so hard he almost lost his breath.What's wrong with this guy?Is he a lunatic?I only hesitated for a moment!Luffy ignored Sanji and turned around to go get food replenishment."Hey, chore boy, it's not mealtime yet."Luffy was blocked by Zeff, but smelling the aroma wafting from the dining room, he couldn't hold back anymore. Under Zeff's horrified gaze, his neck directly elongated.In the dining hall, Nami was savoring her last bite of pudding with satisfaction."Wow, it smells so good! I want to eat too!"A long, elastic neck shot out from the direction of the kitchen with a whoosh, curving its way to their table!Luffy's head stopped precisely next to the pudding plate Nami had just finished, drool flowing in torrents."Uwah—!""A ghost—!"This horrific scene made Nami and Usopp nearly jump out of their chairs, and the surrounding diners also let out terrified screams.A human head suddenly flying to your dining table to watch you eat would give anyone a fright."Lu—Luffy?! You idiot! Don't just appear like that, it's disgusting!"Nami clutched her pounding heart, her face pale with fright."I've been washing dishes inside the whole time, and you guys just started eating without a word," Luffy complained."Isn't that your own fault?"Nami said, both annoyed and amused, "Who told you to blow up their ship?"Luffy just stared straight at Nami.Open your eyes and look at me; I don't believe your eyes are empty.Though she complained about it being disgusting, embarrassing, and telling him not to look at her like that, her body honestly picked up a fork and cut a small piece of steak from the plate."Ah—"Blushing, she quickly glanced at the surrounding diners who were still discussing in terror, and swiftly stuffed the piece of meat into Luffy's wide-open mouth. "Honestly, what a pain, just eat already!""Mmm, Nami, you're the best," Luffy said while chewing the meat. "By the way, I just found a chef.""A chef? A new partner?" Usopp chimed in. "It won't be some weirdo, will it?"He never had much confidence in Luffy's eye for people."He's not that weird, his eyebrows are just a bit curly," Luffy said.Having a chef was a good thing.Seeing Luffy eating happily, Nami sighed helplessly and waved to a nearby, still-startled waiter: "Could we order more, please? Another ten servings of roasted meat.""Make it twenty servings, all kinds of meat!" Luffyadded."You're ordering that much?" Nami couldn't help but ask."Don't worry, I can finish it," Luffy guaranteed.No, it wasn't a matter of whether he could finish it.Whatever, he'd definitely have to wash a lot more plates to pay off the debt later anyway.Chapter 17: Combining Rubber and Lightning?"A Devil Fruit User? This guy was really hiding it deep."Sanji, with a cigarette in his mouth, followed Luffy's neck out.He happened to see this feeding scene.When his gaze focused on Nami, time seemed to freeze.Sunlight streamed through the restaurant's portholes, outlining Nami's exquisite profile and graceful figure, especially the fair neck peeking out from under her short orange hair—it was simply an angel descending to earth!"Ah, what a beautiful lady."Sanji's eyes were intoxicated, as if he had been struck by Cupid's arrow; heart symbols were almost popping out of his eyes.However, in the next second, his eyes nearly bulged out.He saw Nami finish feeding Luffy, then naturally pick up the spoon she had just used, scoop up the portion of pudding in front of her, and send it into her rosy, tempting lips.It was a subconscious reaction. After Nami realized it, she froze for a second, then continued.She comforted herself mentally: they had already slept in the same room and he had even pinned her down; weren't those things more serious than this?Besides, nobody saw!If nobody saw it, it didn't happen. Yes, the perfect excuse.Sanji: "..."That spoon!That damn spoon!That Straw Hat kid just ate from it!Doesn't this equal an indirect kiss?!The three minutes flashed by. Luffy finished eating and drinking, and his head returned to its original place."Hey, you brat, tell me clearly: what is your relationship with that beautiful lady?"Like a hungry ghost crawling out of hell, Sanjigrabbed Luffy by the collar."Relationship?" Luffy was stunned for a moment.Luffy pondered slightly.After reading some books, his mind had opened up, and he understood a bit about those matters.He couldn't let people misunderstand.Luffy looked at Sanji with a serious face and said, "Nami is my most important Navigator!"Most important Navigator?Just as I thought, heh.Personal feeding.Using the same spoon.What else could it be?Dammit, even this Straw Hat kid can find love. Where's mine?"Are you two very idle?"Zeff walked over, also feeling a bit surprised.He looked at Sanji and gave a warning, "Don't you dare harass the guests on the ship.""I know." Sanji was greatly demoralized."Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him!" Luffy chimed in."Hm?"Zeff looked at Luffy, then at Sanji, pondered for a moment, and then nodded."If he has any strange behavior in the future, just give him a punch.""Is that so? I understand."Luffy nodded; this was like a family entrustment.Initially, when Zoro and the others were recruited individually, there were no such requirements.Luffy grinned at Sanji.The grin gave Sanji goosebumps."Wait, what do you two mean by that?""It doesn't mean anything. Just pack your things and leave when the time comes. You're fired," Zeffwaved his hand."Are you kidding me? I'm the Sous Chef!" Sanji was fuming.