"I'm just a chef."
Hearing Oboro's words, Zeff clearly lost interest in the conversation and turned around, waving his hand dismissively to signal the Hell Pirates' departure.
"No... You're not just a chef. You were once a pirate," Oboro stated slowly, his voice carrying quiet authority. "I'm negotiating business with you as a pirate, not as a customer... Red-Leg Zeff."
The use of his old epithet caused several people around them to shift uncomfortably, exchanging uneasy glances.
"Then you shouldn't be negotiating business with me," Zeff replied in a gravelly voice, his expression hardening. "Talk to them. They're just restaurant employees. If you can pay them a good salary and convince them to come aboard, I naturally have no reason to interfere. But if they refuse, I can't force them."
Unmoved by the refusal, Oboro stood up first, his crew following suit in perfect synchronization.
As if he hadn't heard the rejection in Zeff's words, Oboro walked directly up to the old man and locked eyes with him. "How about this? I'll give you some time... I won't steal your people. In exactly one year, my crew will return looking for you. During that time, you must train a team of chefs for me... Of course, I'll pay whatever price you name."
With that, Oboro's lips curved into a cold smile. "Well? Now it's about you personally, isn't it?"
"..."
"Me."
Zeff's eyes narrowed, and he was about to speak when Oboro's hand landed firmly on the old man's shoulder.
"Think about it carefully and give me an answer..." Oboro's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Right now, you're just a chef, not a pirate. Or... are you planning to communicate as a pirate?"
"..."
Zeff remained silent, but he could see the icy coldness lurking in the God Slayer's eyes.
While he wasn't afraid of these youngsters, Baratie Restaurant served a greater purpose. If it disappeared, it would drag everyone present down with it...
"You should understand, I'm being polite to you simply because you can't stir my 'interest'..." Oboro continued, his palm resting on Zeff's shoulder with deceptive gentleness. "But we're pirates, and we'll get what we want, no matter what methods are required."
With that, Oboro patted Zeff's shoulder a few times before leading his crew toward the restaurant's exit.
As sunlight caught his silhouette, Oboro raised his arm in a casual farewell gesture. "Remember... one year from now."
The group slowly lifted off and soared into the sky, their forms disappearing into the distance.
Zeff ultimately swallowed the words of refusal that had been building in his throat.
Being associated with the Hell Pirates wasn't a good thing, that much was certain. But they were gone for now... and besides, it was merely helping the God Slayer train a group of chefs, not an impossible task.
Zeff was a hardened man. In the past, he wouldn't have bowed to someone like the God Slayer, no matter how dangerous the threat. But circumstances were different now.
The fact that they had addressed him by his full epithet showed they knew his history well, and that meant they understood exactly what leverage they held.
And then there was Sanji to consider.
Zeff knew in his heart that the God Slayer couldn't possibly be Sanji's friend. Judging by the chaos the God Slayer had unleashed across the seas, such a person would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. If Zeff refused this 'request,' Baratie Restaurant and everyone associated with it would vanish from the East Blue forever, the price would be far too heavy to bear.
Given Sanji's personality, if he learned what had happened, he would definitely seek vengeance and fight the Hell Pirates to the death. What would be the outcome of such a confrontation? Most likely, Sanji would throw his life away for nothing.
Alternatively, the God Slayer might simply track down Sanji directly...
No matter how the subsequent events unfolded, Zeff could only agree after carefully weighing all the consequences.
Fortunately, the Hell Pirates' demand wasn't entirely unreasonable.
"What are you all staring at? Get back to work and clean this place up!"
Zeff snapped back to reality and barked at the assembled staff.
"Yes, Chef!" everyone responded hurriedly, scattering to resume their duties.
The Hell Pirates' departure brought a collective sigh of relief to many, the feeling of having narrowly escaped with their lives.
Oboro's strategy was straightforward and practical.
While the future Hell Pirates would resemble crews like the Red Hair Pirates, Straw Hat Pirates, or Blackbeard Pirates in having minimal core members with a focus on individual strength, they still needed to maintain a presence and establish bases throughout the seas.
For example, the Straw Hat Pirates would eventually command a Grand Fleet of thousands, Red-Haired Shanks maintained fleet alliances across the New World, and Blackbeard, who had claimed Beehive Island as his stronghold, commanded countless subordinates under his banner.
Therefore, when Oboro mentioned having a relatively small number of members, he was referring specifically to the official crew and primary combat personnel, not the organizations and support staff that would inevitably attach themselves to their faction.
A skilled team of chefs was absolutely essential for such an operation. They would serve not just the core members, but the entire faction's hierarchy.
Charlotte Linlin of Whole Cake Island commanded an even more impressive culinary operation, but the principle remained the same, proper infrastructure was necessary for any major pirate organization.
After all, this detour to Baratie had been merely a minor side mission.
Several days later, the Hell Pirates had successfully entered the first half of the Grand Line, following the same route once taken by Monkey D. Luffy and his crew.
To accomplish this navigational feat, they had seized a Log Pose from another pirate crew encountered along the way.
This time, their entry into the Grand Line proceeded remarkably smoothly, with no signs of Marine forces or World Government personnel attempting to intercept them. This observation further confirmed Oboro's growing suspicions about the government's true intentions.
Logically speaking, with Rob Lucci present among his crew, the Celestial Dragons would never permit him to enter the Grand Line so easily. Entering the Grand Line, or worse, reaching the New World, would establish him as a potentially destabilizing force and a ticking time bomb operating directly under the World Government's nose.
Oboro didn't believe the Five Elders would simply retreat after their previous failures. Such a minor setback wouldn't shake the resolve of those ancient rulers.
While there were clear signs of a larger conspiracy at work, Oboro chose not to investigate further. They had more pressing priorities, reaching Jaya Island took precedence over unraveling political machinations.
Currently, only a portion of Jaya Island remained at sea level. The other half had been launched into the sky by the legendary Knock Up Stream approximately 400 years ago, becoming part of what was now known as "Sky Island" or Skypiea.
That missing section contained Shandora, the fabled "Golden City", a place that truly lived up to its glorious reputation.
News of the Hell Pirates' entry into the Grand Line, revealed through their seizure of the Log Pose, spread across the seas within days. Speculation ran rampant that the God Slayer might be preparing to launch an assault on the New World itself.
Surprisingly, both the Marine and World Government maintained their unusual silence, offering no official response to these developments.
Due to their urgent timeline, the five crew members barely rested during their journey. Soon enough, they arrived at Mock Town on Jaya Island.
This small settlement served merely as a temporary "supply point" for passing vessels. Due to the complete lack of official government authority, Mock Town had long since devolved into a lawless haven where pirates gathered for entertainment, supplies, and information exchange.
However, the relatively chaotic situation remained confined to Mock Town itself. The rest of Jaya Island was comparatively safer, primarily due to its sparse population and the absence of valuable resources worth fighting over.
Furthermore, during their voyage, Dom had received intelligence from his network of information brokers confirming that the battle on Drum Island had concluded. As expected, Monkey D. Luffy had defeated Wapol decisively. The Straw Hat Pirates were presumably already operating within the Kingdom of Alabasta by now.
Oboro found himself quite interested in Wapol's unique abilities. The Baku Baku no Mi appeared to grant its user the power to create Wapometal, a precious and extremely rare shape-memory alloy with remarkable properties. It was precisely because of this revolutionary material that Wapol had received backing from the Celestial Dragons and earned approval to attend the World Conference as a recognized monarch.
However, Oboro had no intention of specifically seeking out the deposed king. The resources waiting on Sky Island remained his top priority.
That afternoon, light rain fell across the waters surrounding Jaya Island, and thick clouds cast the sky in gloomy shades of gray.
Under the overcast heavens, a group led by Oboro materialized at the main crossroads outside Mock Town and began walking forward with purposeful strides.
They were heading directly into the heart of the infamous pirate settlement.