"This is your break! fast!"
The Squid Tentacle guy slammed several plates down in front of Sherwin and the others through gritted teeth, instantly drawing a round of murmurs from the surrounding chefs.
"That too much... Sanji hasn't even been picking fights with him lately, he hasn't called him Squid Tentacle in days."
"Our sous-chef actually has less tolerance than a cat. What a disgrace!"
"Shhh... keep your voice down. If he hears that, he gonna blow up again."
"I already heard you! You bunch of bastards!" Sanji Meow turned around and roared at the ones blatantly badmouthing him like a wrathful demon.
This was already the fifth day Sherwin and his group had been staying at Baratie. Sherwin had long since read through the sea charts and Zeff navigation logbooks. He had also found the location of Arlong Park from the charts Zeff had lent him.
However, the charts didn't directly label anything like "Arlong Park." After all, Zeff had been a pirate many years ago. Even if he had updated some map info since then, he wouldn't go out of his way to investigate the base of some pirate crew that had nothing to do with him.
The reason Sherwin was able to pinpoint the Arlong Pirate base was because one of the places marked on Zeff map was a village with a familiar name—Cocoyasi Village. The name triggered his memory right away.
After recalling that Cocoyasi Village was Nami hometown, Sherwin took a closer look at the map and realized that the Conomi Islands, where the village was located, were actually labeled on the crude charts he had previously purchased. He just hadn't known at the time that the place was within Arlong Pirate territory.
Also...
"The distance is kinda far..."
No wonder he hadn't come across it before. The distance between Cocoyasi Village and Loguetown was far greater than he had imagined.
Fortunately, there weren't many other islands along the route, so even if Sherwin mapped as he traveled toward Cocoyasi Village, it shouldn't take too much time.
Still, even after confirming the Arlong Pirate location, Sherwin didn't leave immediately. The main reason he stayed at Baratie was something he had previously discussed with Zeff—he was going to give Sanji Meow some guidance on his kicking techniques.
Of course, Sanji Meow hadn't forgotten to learn some of Baratie signature dishes. The other chefs were also more than happy to teach their specialties to the adorable little cat.
In addition, Seijuro Meow had shown some interest in the chef knife techniques. According to him, their knife skills had inspired him and could help him advance further in his swordsmanship...
Which is exactly why Sherwin hated these kinds of people the most—those geniuses who seemed to exist just to crush others with their natural talent!Hmm? Turns out those geniuses are his own cats... Well, never mind then.
During their time at Baratie, after calling Sanji "Squid Tentacle" for two days, Sanji Meow had already let go of his anger. Although he never gave the name back, he usually just called him things like "hey you" or "that guy"—rude, yes, but not enough to truly anger Sanji.
The reason Sanji was still so full of resentment was partly because Sanji Meow had already calmed down, but the rest of the crew like Patty kept teasing him with the nickname "Squid Tentacle."
That issue was mostly resolved after Sanji taught them a lesson with his Black Leg techniques. Now, the other chefs just took occasional jabs when the moment was right, like they had earlier.
But another big reason was...
Why was the old man so kind to that Sanji?! Whether it was teaching him kicking techniques or cooking skills, not a single harsh word was spoken!
Sanji, who'd been kicked around by Zeff since he was little, felt incredibly bitter watching Sanji Meow receive such completely different treatment.
What worse, as long as Sanji Meow was still at Baratie, the name "Sanji" belonged to that little yellow cat.
Even though the idiots like Patty had stopped calling him "Squid Tentacle" after getting kicked, their favorite thing now was to call Sanji Meow "Sanji" right in front of him—while Sanji could only pretend not to hear it.
At this rate, even after Sanji Meow left, Sanji might actually start thinking the name wasn't his anymore.
Of course, the most critical point of all was...
All the beautiful women who regularly dined at Baratie were completely smitten by the cat adorable looks.
Watching them cuddle Sanji Meow in their arms, kissing and petting him freely, while giving Sanji himself nothing more than a casual nod... That was pure envy, jealousy, and rage!
So naturally, Sanji couldn't help being annoyed that Sherwin and his group were still hanging around Baratie.
Ahem, of course—Klee Meow the little angel is an exception!
"Klee dear~ What kind of dessert would you like today? Big brother will whip it up for you right away~"
Right after yelling at his shameless coworkers, Sanji turned back around and immediately leaned in close to Klee Meow, trying to curry favor.
"Haa—"
Sanji Meow, sitting nearby, flattened his ears in frustration and glared fiercely at this guy trying to win over little Klee with food...
That clearly his job!
Because Sanji Meow had been busy learning kicking techniques and culinary skills from Zeff these past few days, he hadn't had time to cook.
All of Sherwin group meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—had been handled by Baratie chefs, not to mention any snacks or desserts in between.
Sanji tilted his head toward the fuming Sanji Meow and gave him a smug, provocative grin.
The reason he was fussing over Klee Meow so much—aside from the fact that the little ragdoll was genuinely adorable—was that he'd suddenly realized doing so annoyed Sanji Meow.
Even if it meant getting called "Squid Tentacle" again, Sanji thought it was totally worth it.
Which just goes to show—his own personality is what gets him into these messes.
Sherwin looked at the two Sanjis squaring off again and sighed, shaking his head speechlessly.
Meanwhile, caught in the middle, Klee Meow bit her spoon and glanced back and forth between the two Sanjis with a troubled expression.
(ˇˇ)Although Sanji cooking was a bit worse than Sanji Meow, it was still very tasty. But if she let this Sanji make her dessert, it seemed like her own big brother Sanji would be upset...
The little ragdoll was momentarily stuck in a dilemma.
"Just say what you want to eat. Don't worry about Sanji feelings," Sherwin said as he gently patted Klee Meow on the head, while shooting a glare at Sanji Meow, who was still sulking.
"Hurry up and master what Old Man Zeff teaching you. The sooner you do, the sooner we can leave. Then you can cook whatever you want for Klee."
Although the food at Baratie was indeed delicious, with Sanji Meow around, they weren't the least bit interested.
Sherwin, who had already tasted all the specialty dishes here, had no reason to linger any longer. He was itching to get the sea chart from Nami and to learn swordsmanship from Koshiro.
Under the pressure of "taking back the right to cook for little Klee," Sanji Meow quickly picked up most of Zeff kicking techniques.
His Fire Shadow Style kicks were also further refined with Zeff guidance. All that remained was to deepen his practice and gain more combat experience to fully master the new fighting techniques.
"Little Klee, come play again when you have time! Big bro will make you something delicious!"
"Sanji, make sure you properly practice what I taught you."
"Koshiro, let spar with our blades again sometime!"
Amid the reluctant farewells from Zeff, Sanji, and the rest of the chefs, Sherwin and the Felynes boarded the Explorer No. 1 and left the sea restaurant Baratie without looking back.
Ahem, Sherwin definitely wasn't running away because he felt ignored by that group of chefs. No way. He just wanted to hurry and save those poor villagers being oppressed by Arlong.
That right! That all it was!