Rowan could tell that Tsunade was thrilled by this success, so instead of dampening her mood, he gave her some encouragement. After chatting with her for a while with a smile on his face, he hung up.
Robin put away the Transponder Snail and offered her congratulations. "Congratulations, Rowan. If nothing goes wrong, the Door-Door Fruit should be in your hands soon."
"I'll take that blessing."
Rowan was happy too, because the Door-Door Fruit really did suit his cheat ability. Maybe, just like everyone had guessed, it really could help him understand it more deeply.
So he was genuinely looking forward to it.
A day later, Rowan and the others rode the waves back to the Baratie.
As soon as they stepped inside, the one greeting them was Sanji again.
That left Rowan more than a little speechless, and he couldn't help muttering, "Does this restaurant have no one else? Why is it always you, you lovestruck kappa, every single time we walk in?"
"Who are you calling a lovestruck kappa, you bastard?!"
Even Sanji got annoyed at being called that. Sure, he admitted he was a little woman-crazy, but did Rowan really have to put it that bluntly? Didn't he have any dignity?
So he immediately fired back.
"And where exactly did you kidnap such a beautiful lady from this time? Don't tell me you're some kind of human trafficker."
As he spoke, Sanji couldn't help glancing at Cosette.
Another beautiful woman.
The jealousy in his eyes was practically overflowing.
And yet, even while his face was twisting with envy, Sanji still managed to give Cosette a smile.
After all, he was a gentleman devoted to protecting women.
But the moment Cosette saw Sanji's smile, she instinctively took a step back. Her face went pale, and she began trembling as if she had just seen some kind of horrifying monster.
Sanji's smile froze on his face.
Just one tiny step.
And the damage was catastrophic.
He genuinely couldn't understand it. Was his smile really that scary? Had he somehow been smiling wrong?
That couldn't be right. In order to charm women, Sanji had practiced smiling in front of a mirror countless times. He was absolutely certain his smile was the most harmless, the most reassuring smile a woman could see.
So he truly could not understand why this blonde girl looked at him as if she'd seen a ghost.
"Relax. This is the East Blue, not the North Blue."
Of course Rowan knew exactly why Cosette was scared, so he quickly stepped forward and tried to calm her down.
"You can see it for yourself. This guy is just a complete lovestruck kappa. He's nothing like the Vinsmoke family."
Hearing Rowan's reassurance, Cosette finally calmed down. "You're right, Lord Rowan. I overreacted a little. I'm sorry."
Then she turned and bowed to Sanji. "Sir, I wasn't afraid of you. It's just… your curled eyebrows really look too much like my former boss's."
At the same time, Sanji's expression gradually turned cold.
He had heard that very clearly.
This woman was connected to the Vinsmoke family, and the mere sight of a Vinsmoke-like feature was enough to make her afraid.
That gave Sanji a very bad feeling.
These people… they hadn't specifically come here for him, had they?
"What's your connection to the Vinsmoke family?"
Cosette, not noticing the change in his expression, answered instinctively, "I used to be the head chef of the Vinsmoke family, but I don't work for them anymore. Now I'm Lord Rowan's cook."
Sanji turned to Rowan. "And you? What's your relationship with the Vinsmokes?"
At this point, he was sure of it. Rowan coming back to the Baratie over and over had to be because of him.
No wonder the guy always came in with an attitude and kept giving him a hard time.
It looked like the Vinsmokes had found out where he was.
At the thought of that, Sanji's mood turned dark and irritable, and his tone became colder and more serious than ever.
Rowan took one look at him and knew he had gotten the wrong idea.
"You're overthinking it. What are the Vinsmokes? A bunch of trash fish and rotten shrimp. They're not even worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as me."
The contempt on Rowan's face was genuine. He really did look down on that family.
Even if they were a whole kingdom, he still wouldn't think much of them.
He didn't even think much of the Celestial Dragons, so why would he care about some little Germa Kingdom?
Sanji froze for a second and carefully studied Rowan's face.
He quickly realized Rowan wasn't bluffing.
Every expression, every glance, every cell in his body radiated contempt for the Vinsmoke family.
This guy truly looked down on them from the bottom of his heart.
That made Sanji both angry and relieved, leaving his emotions in a mess.
He was angry because, whether he liked it or not, he was still a member of the Vinsmoke family by blood. Even if that was in the past now, blood ties weren't something you could completely cut away.
Thankfully, he had stopped thinking of himself as one of them a long time ago, so the anger only lasted for a moment.
What reassured him was that these people really weren't Vinsmoke allies and had no intention of dragging him into trouble.
So his identity hadn't been exposed after all.
Once he realized that, Sanji let out a quiet breath of relief. But to avoid revealing too much, he quickly made up an excuse and left.
Rowan didn't stop him. If Sanji stayed, all he'd do was stir up Cosette's bad memories.
So it was better for everyone that he left.
After that little interruption, Cosette adjusted her mood, found a seat, and sat down as a diner. Then she asked for the restaurant's menu.
After carefully reading through it, she called over a waiter and started placing her order.
The Baratie's waiters were all chefs too, and as the chef listened to the dishes she ordered, his expression slowly grew serious.
"You look young, miss, but I didn't expect you to be in the trade too."
Rowan asked curiously, "How could you tell?"
He was sure the chef hadn't overheard their earlier clash with Sanji and hadn't even been nearby.
Seeing Rowan's confusion, the chef replied calmly, "The dishes she ordered at the beginning test the basics. The dishes in the middle test fire control. And the final few dishes test overall skill."
"There are only two kinds of customers who order like that. One is a fellow chef. The other is a gourmet."
"I looked at her hands. There are calluses on her palms, the kind that come from holding knives for years. Those aren't the hands of a gourmet. They're the hands of someone in the trade."
Cosette smiled faintly. The fact that he had seen through her identity so easily meant this chef had real ability.
"I'm starting to look forward to this meal."
Maybe this restaurant really would surprise her.
The chef grinned proudly. "The Baratie never disappoints its guests."
He made up his mind on the spot. This time, he would give one hundred and twenty percent and make sure this guest left satisfied.
~~~
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