Chapter 20
"Damn system, no need to tell me—I wouldn't miss a beauty like this."
Arlong muttered inwardly.
A chef who's both skilled and gorgeous? Who wouldn't want that?
[Host, please do not add the word "damn" in front of "system"!]
"Got it, damn system."
Arlong agreed readily.
System: (￣ー￣)
…
Meanwhile,
Back on his warship, Smoker carefully took out Akainu's personal Den Den Mushi and dialed.
It rang twice before a stern voice answered.
"This is Sakazuki."
"Admiral Sakazuki, do you know Vice Admiral Garp's grandson's name?"
Akainu: "Why bring up his grandson out of nowhere?"
Smoker: "I received intel that Vice Admiral Garp's grandson might be a pirate, and…"
He gave a rough summary.
"Good. Very good! A house of sin—the Clan of D."
Akainu laughed coldly in rage. "I'll verify this myself. Until I arrive in Loguetown, no one leaves."
Smoker stood at attention. "Yes, Admiral Sakazuki."
Buru…
…
Navy Headquarters – Fleet Admiral's Office
Crunch crunch~
Garp happily munched on senbei while lounging on the sofa.
Sengoku, however, was fuming over the chaos in the Grand Line.
Seeing Garp act like nothing was wrong only fueled his anger. "Garp, can you sit still for once?"
Garp immediately shielded his senbei. "You're not getting my crackers."
Seeing Sengoku's dark expression, he grinned. "Fine, one piece at most."
Sengoku: …
Buru buru~
The Den Den Mushi for Akainu rang on the desk.
Sengoku picked up. "Sengoku here."
Akainu: "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, is Vice Admiral Garp there?"
Sengoku glanced at Garp. "What do you need him for?"
Akainu: "Vice Admiral Garp, is your grandson named Monkey D. Luffy?"
No need to ask—he already knew. Same family name, same Clan of D.
Garp frowned slightly but answered, "That's right."
"Good to know."
Akainu hung up after that.
Buru~
"What was that about?" Sengoku asked, puzzled.
Garp looked evasive. "Probably… maybe… possibly… because my grandson became a pirate!"
Sengoku froze, then roared, "Garp, I'm going to strangle you!"
The Navy hero raised a revolutionary son—and now his grandson was a pirate.
Garp stuffed the rest of his senbei into his mouth. "You're not getting my crackers."
…
Back at the farmers' market
Sanji finished first.
Carrying a plate of tempura, hearts in his eyes, he approached Carmen.
"Carmen-san, this is a loving meal I made just for you."
The other chefs exclaimed.
"That guy is fast!"
Sanji: ヽ(#`Д′)?┌┛〃
"Carmen-san, please taste it."
Sanji knelt on one knee before her, using himself as a table.
With his free hand, he gently took her slender fingers and leaned in to kiss the back of her hand.
"Who gave you permission to touch Carmen-san?"
A stern shout rang out.
Sanji's heart jumped. Something heavy pressed down on his head.
Instinctively he tried to dodge, but his head was seized—he was flung sideways straight into the stoves.
BANG BANG~
He knocked over two before stabilizing.
"Hey! What the hell?!"
The two chefs whose hard work was ruined glared at Sanji (╬◣д◢).
Sanji ignored them. Standing up, he saw Arlong eating the food he had just made.
"Arlong! That's too far—that was for Carmen-san!"
Sanji roared ヽ(#`Д′)?, veins bulging on his forehead.
"Oh, sorry!"
Arlong's sudden apology threw Sanji off.
Had he changed?
Then came the infuriating sight.
Arlong fed the half-eaten tempura straight to the stunned Carmen.
Carmen's two assistants tried to intervene but froze under Arlong's glare, huddling together and shaking.
Carmen: ∑(O_O;)
A bit grossed out.
But when the tempura's flavor exploded in her mouth, she savored it carefully.
Instant verdict: Sanji's cooking surpassed hers.
Carmen felt a twinge of disappointment…
They kissed. They actually kissed.
Sanji clutched his head, world spinning.
Arlong didn't care. He announced his decision.
"Carmen, starting today, you're the chef on our pirate crew."
Carmen froze, then grabbed a frying pan and roared ヾ(?｀Д′?)?彡: "Who the hell are you to decide for me?!"
She leaped up, swinging the pan at Arlong's head.
Sanji shouted, "Carmen-san, don't agree! He's Arlong—120 million berry bounty, a completely evil pirate!"
Carmen: (°Д°)
She hurled the frying pan at Sanji. "Mind your own business!"
BANG~
It hit Sanji square in the face.
Sanji: ヾ(?|
Arlong's identity revealed, the crowd scattered instantly.
Carmen landed and bowed ninety degrees to Arlong.
"I'm sorry, Lord Arlong. I spoke too loudly earlier."
Her two assistants bowed as well.
Carmen's low-cut dress gave Arlong quite the view when she bent over.
"I actually preferred your rebellious attitude."
Arlong teased. "Skwahahaha~"
"You're joking, Lord Arlong."
Carmen forced a dry laugh. "Lord Arlong… joining your crew—no, your ship—can I think about it?"
Arlong was terrifying, but she didn't want to be forced into piracy.
She had her own restaurant and a decent reputation in the East Blue. Why risk adventure with him?
She didn't dare refuse outright, so she stalled for time.
She knew Arlong wouldn't stay in Loguetown long. Once he left, she'd be safe.
Arlong saw through her little plan easily.
He flipped out the Kitchen-Utensil Fruit. "This Devil Fruit lets you transform kitchen tools."
The Kitchen-Utensil Fruit was tailor-made for chefs—irresistible to them.
Sanji saw it and lit a cigarette, his face full of unspoken melancholy (′?_?`).
Carmen's eyes sparkled—she was about to agree.
But remembering Arlong's identity, she suppressed her desire. "Lord Arlong… can I have a few days to think?"
"Follow me and you can travel the world, exchange ideas with chefs everywhere—not only broaden your horizons but improve your skills."
Arlong's words were pure temptation.
"Most importantly, I can take you to All Blue."
All Blue—the legendary sea where chefs dreamed of finding every ingredient in the world!
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