Chapter 301: Punching Sanji
Not long after, Sanji began serving dishes to Ian.
Ian looked at the food on the table. It was truly exquisite. The portions weren't large, but every dish appeared to be carefully crafted. Just looking at the presentation made one's appetite stir.
After finishing serving, Sanji turned to leave, but Ian called him back again.
"Customer, your dishes are all served. What else do you want?" Sanji asked in an unfriendly tone, because he wanted to go attend to the beautiful woman in the bohemian long dress from earlier.
"Don't rush!" Ian said, draping his napkin over his lap. "Don't you want to hear my evaluation of your cooking?"
"No need!" Sanji said confidently, holding a cigarette between his fingers and blowing out a puff of smoke. "I'm the best chef at Baratie!"
However, before Ian could respond, a large man in an apron with thick, muscular arms suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He pointed at Sanji with a displeased expression and said, "Hey hey, did I hear that right? Someone just claimed to be the best chef at Baratie!?"
Sanji bit down on his cigarette, equally annoyed, and butted heads with the man. "Patty! You bastard, why aren't you cooking and instead coming here to cause trouble?"
That's right, this large man was Patty, one of the pirate chefs at Baratie Restaurant. He pressed his head against Sanji's and pointed at him, saying, "Damn it, I'm the best chef at Baratie! You skirt-chasing pervert chef who can't walk straight when you see a pretty woman—how could you possibly compare to me, Patty?"
Many of the restaurant's customers, along with other chefs and waitstaff, watched the two arguing with great interest. This was a common daily occurrence at Baratie, and no regular patron was unaware of it.
Ian was a bit speechless as the two started arguing right in front of his table, so he decided to focus on the food in front of him.
You two argue all you want. I'll eat first and talk later, Ian thought, and began to dig in.
As soon as the food touched his lips, Ian's eyes lit up. He had to admit, Sanji's cooking was excellent. The cheese and basil had a rich aroma that made his mouth water. The steak was fried to a tender, smooth perfection, and the sauce was wonderfully seasoned. The creamy mushroom soup was fresh without being greasy, warming his stomach pleasantly. But the seafood fried rice was the highlight—the flavor of the seafood had fully infused into every grain of rice. With each bite, there was an intense, savory freshness that was absolutely satisfying!
If Ian had initially wanted to compare Sanji's and Matthew's culinary skills, once the food entered his mouth, he forgot everything else. All he could think about was one word: eat!
This meal was the most enjoyable Ian had had in quite some time.
He felt that Matthew and Sanji's cooking were on par. Eating this meal felt like being back on the Dragon Hunter Pirates' ship.
Devouring the food like a storm, Ian quickly finished everything he had ordered. He still felt a bit unsatisfied and wanted to order more, but when he looked up, he saw that Sanji and Patty were still butting heads.
Alright, since that's the case, forget it! Ian patted his stomach, and then suddenly his expression changed!
Oh, crap! Ian suddenly remembered something—he didn't seem to have any money on him!
As the captain, Ian was usually in charge of the Dragon Hunter Pirates' finances. The crew's income had been stable recently, and although Ian had handed over the financial management to Fujitora before leaving, he had still brought a considerable amount of money with him.
But the problem was that when crossing the Calm Belt, the Friendship Boat had capsized, and Ian's money bag had been lost. He hadn't noticed this issue at the time, only remembering to protect the Poneglyph rubbing.
And after swimming out of the Calm Belt and reaching the North Blue, he had immediately run into Hawkins and his crew. While hitching a ride on their ship, everything was provided for him, so he didn't need to spend any money. This led to Ian leaving without remembering to ask Hawkins for some cash!
What the hell! Had he finally caught the "dine-and-dash mania" from Ace, and was about to eat a free meal for the first time?
Just as Ian was thinking this, his expression uncertain, Sanji and Patty happened to end their argument at that moment.
Patty sneered at Sanji and said, "I've always said, the customer comes first. Watch how I handle the guests!"
With that, he turned around, clasped his hands together, and put on a fawning smile, saying to Ian, "Customer, did you enjoy your meal? The total is eighty-four thousand Berries! I'll just round it up to ninety thousand Berries!"
Well, damn, this guy was immediately asking Ian to pay the bill. Was it because Ian was a pirate, and they were afraid he'd run off without paying?
Ian didn't know if Patty had noticed his earlier expression, but he was indeed a bit embarrassed.
"Uh, well..." Ian didn't know how to start.
Seeing Ian like this, Patty's fawning expression instantly changed. He placed one hand on the table and leaned in, speaking in a dangerous tone, "Customer, you didn't forget to bring money, did you?"
"Ah, I really didn't bring any money," Ian admitted honestly.
*Smack!* A loud noise rang out as Patty slammed his hairy hand onto Ian's table. "So you're a broke bum!? You dared to come here and eat for free!?"
With his shout, a clatter sounded, and several chefs wielding kitchen knives rushed out. Though they wore chef uniforms, they all had fierce, menacing expressions as they surrounded Ian.
Ian was momentarily at a loss for words. He had technically eaten two free meals before, but both times were with Ace. Back then, they had no money, and Ace would run off, forcing Ian to follow. But now, alone, he had fallen into the same situation, surrounded by a group of armed chefs.
It was probably because Baratie Restaurant often had pirates trying to dine and dash. Patty and the others handled it with practiced ease. After surrounding Ian, Patty shouted, "Beat him! Daring to eat for free at Baratie—you've got a death wish!"
The next second, the chefs charged at Ian with various weapons, raining down blows.
Ian knew he was in the wrong, so he couldn't hurt them. He used the sheath of Thousand Cherry Blossoms to block their attacks. These Baratie chefs might be more than enough to handle East Blue pirates, but against Ian, it was a different story.
Ian deftly spun his sheath, blocking while saying, "Wait, wait! Let me explain..."
But the chefs ignored him and kept attacking. Patty swung a frying pan straight at Ian's head.
After being attacked several times, Ian grew annoyed. He stopped using the sheath and suddenly drew Thousand Cherry Blossoms.
"Flash Sword: New Moon!"
Gripping the sword with both hands, Ian swung the blade in an arc in front of him. A hazy sword light materialized into a crescent moon in the air, catching all the weapons Patty and the others had thrown at him!
This was a technique from Minaka Kamikaze. The crescent-shaped sword light flashed briefly before Ian sheathed his sword. But as he did, the chefs' knives, rolling pins, and frying pans all split into several pieces and clattered to the floor.
Seeing this, Patty and the others froze, staring at the broken handles in their hands, at a loss for words.
Ian breathed a sigh of relief when they stopped and was about to speak, but then he heard a whistling sound beside him. His heart stirred, and he quickly raised his sheath to block!
*Bang!* A tremendous force hit Ian's sheath as a leather shoe connected with it!
Ian's hand went slightly numb from the impact. Turning his head, he saw that Sanji had attacked. With his hands in his pockets and a cigarette dangling from his lips, Sanji had kicked Ian's sheath.
The curly-browed Sanji scowled and said, "A freeloader like you dares to make me personally cook for you?"
When Patty and the others had surrounded Ian, Sanji hadn't joined in. But after seeing Ian break all their weapons with a single slash, Sanji realized Ian might be a formidable pirate. He couldn't hold back any longer and joined the fray.
Though Patty and Sanji often argued and called each other bastards, their friendship was strongest in times of trouble. The owner of Baratie, Red-Leg Zeff, was a former pirate. After opening the restaurant, he had taken in many other pirates, giving them a home. Whether it was Sanji or Patty, they were brothers in this restaurant, and they would unite against any enemy.
Unlike Patty, who preferred using his fists, Sanji's skills were all in his legs. This kick was incredibly fierce.
After Ian blocked his kick, Sanji withdrew his leg, switched his supporting foot, and raised the other high, bringing it down in a brutal axe kick.
Ian didn't want to take Sanji's attack head-on. He sidestepped, dodging the kick, which shattered the table behind him into pieces. As wood chips flew, Sanji spun, raising his heel for a reverse kick aimed at Ian's chin.
"Enough already!" Ian snapped. "Will you let me get a word in!?"
As Sanji's kick came, Ian quickly raised his sheath to deflect it. Then, with a flash of movement, he sidestepped next to Sanji, drawing Thousand Cherry Blossoms halfway and slamming the hilt into Sanji's stomach!
This strike was both fast and fierce. Sanji's eyes nearly bulged out as he clutched his stomach and stumbled back several steps.
Seeing that even Sanji had been bested, Patty and the others grew enraged. They charged together, hoping to overwhelm Ian with numbers.
But just then, a voice rang out, "Bastards! What are you doing!?"
A man appeared, wearing a tall chef's hat, with a long beard braided into a braid, and a iron crutch replacing his right leg. He stood with his arms crossed, watching the scene. The shout had come from him.
The commotion in the restaurant had grown too loud, and Red-Leg Zeff, the owner of Baratie, had finally come out.