"Vinsmoke… is that the legendary family from the North Blue?"
At the same time, inside the topmost room of the Baratie—the bedroom of its owner, Zeff.
Ever since Red had revealed Sanji's origins…
Zeff, who had quietly slipped back here, stood concealed by the window, gazing down at Sanji and the Straw Hat crew below with a complicated expression.
Especially when he saw the tears silently streaming down Sanji's face, Zeff's own eyes couldn't help but grow moist as well.
"So you've been carrying this kind of pain all along, huh… you damn brat…"
Zeff murmured softly, a trace of regret flickering deep in his eyes.
Regret for never truly understanding Sanji's past.
Regret for failing to untangle the knot in Sanji's heart, even after all these years.
Over time, the bond between him and Sanji had long since surpassed that of ordinary father and son.
And yet, only today did Zeff finally realize that there was less and less he could still teach Sanji.
…
…
On the second-floor deck.
Sanji suddenly turned away, hurriedly wiping the tears from his face.
Crying in front of such an adorable lady like Nami—showing weakness like that—went completely against the chivalric (degenerate) code he had always upheld.
After steadying himself, Sanji spoke without turning around, his voice sharp with disbelief:
"Y-you… how do you know all of this?!"
"Didn't I already tell you?"
"I've got eyes that can see both the past and the future."
Red stepped forward, handing over a tissue he had prepared long ago. After forcing it into Sanji's hand, he pointed at his own eyes and smiled confidently.
"I can see your past perfectly clearly."
"And your future is within my field of observation as well."
"Otherwise, why do you think we'd suddenly come looking for you?"
Red spoke earnestly.
"Sanji, what I said just now wasn't meant to comfort you or move you emotionally…"
"In the future I've seen, the terrifying power hidden within your body will eventually awaken!"
"Your glory will become a summit your father can never reach!"
With that, Red suddenly stepped forward, standing right before Sanji. Light filled with anticipation and trust danced in his gaze as he locked eyes with him.
"Sanji!"
"Your future is proof enough that Vinsmoke Judge's entire life of effort was a complete failure!"
"And your mother, Sora—she is the greatest scientist in this world!!!"
"Because she created you—her most perfect work!!!"
Smack!
Red firmly planted his palm on Sanji's shoulder.
The sudden weight made Sanji's body jolt.
Feeling inexplicably tense, he slowly reached into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it.
After exhaling a heavy breath toward the sea, he finally turned to Red, asking in a conflicted tone filled with expectation and doubt:
"Can you really… see the future?"
"As real as it gets!"
"Of course—only the future after you join us!"
Red flashed a sincere smile.
"Judge's way of thinking was wrong from the very beginning!"
"In this world, technology can indeed endlessly create powerful strength!"
"But what he doesn't understand is—there's no upper limit to technology, not to the scientist!"
"Judge may be a genius for manipulating Lineage Factors, but that's all he is!"
"People like him will never understand that true strength doesn't come from the body alone—but from spirit and will!!!"
"Come on! Join us, Sanji!"
"The East Blue is too small, and the world is far too vast!"
"If you want to grow stronger—if you want to prove Sora's greatness to Judge, to the Vinsmokes, and to the entire world…"
"Then you need a much bigger stage!"
In truth, convincing Sanji to board the ship should have been simple.
As long as the plot hadn't changed too drastically due to Red's butterfly effect, witnessing Zoro fighting for his dream with his very life on the line would have been enough.
That kind of spirit would inevitably infect Sanji, making him yearn for a broader world.
But to Red…
That version of Sanji was simply too gentle.
So gentle that he was always thinking of others, always sacrificing or giving himself up for their sake.
Just like when they faced Kuma on Moria's turf—when Sanji stopped Zoro and said:
"If you die… what happens to your ambition?"
Yet back then…
Sanji never once considered what would become of his own ambition.
Even after entering the Grand Line, he barely ever mentioned ALL BLUE anymore.
Having lost every bond in his childhood, he gained new ones.
And so, from beginning to end, he devoted himself to protecting those bonds!
Every battle was for Luffy, for his companions, for the dreams of everyone.
Gentleness isn't a flaw.
But if Red wanted to prevent all those painful future plotlines from ever happening again, then he needed to forge the strongest Straw Hat crew as quickly as possible!
A gentle Sanji was bad for the intense competitive atmosphere Red had painstakingly cultivated!
Competition wasn't about comparing yourself to others!
It was about struggling against the person you were just a second ago!
So here—before Sanji even boarded the ship—Red wanted to plant ambition within him, to draw him into this family of relentless self-improvement!
If you won't push yourself—
Then someone else will!!!
This was an ambition Sanji couldn't possibly refuse.
An ambition to prove to the world that—
He was the strongest enhanced human of all!!!
And that his mother, Sora, was the greatest scientist in existence!!!
As for Vinsmoke Judge?
He was nothing but a pile of trash!!!
Clearly, Sanji had already been shaken by Red's words.
Even if, at this very moment, he understood that Red didn't truly possess the power to see the future—this seed had already been planted deep in his heart, beginning to sprout and take root.
"I think… I need some time to calm down and think this through…"
After finishing his cigarette, Sanji neither rejected nor accepted the Straw Hats' invitation outright.
But the moment he chose to consider it—
The answer was already obvious.
"That's fine. We'll be staying here for a while—until you make your decision."
Red smiled faintly, not pressing him further. Like a friend, he gently patted Sanji's shoulder before returning to the others.
Quietly, he flashed an OK hand sign toward Luffy and the rest, instantly earning delighted grins in return.
With the serious business done, Red also made sure Luffy didn't get another chance to keep eating.
No matter how delicious the Baratie's food was, training couldn't be neglected because of it.
Not long after—
Red, Luffy, and Zoro returned to the Going Merry to continue their training.
Meanwhile, Nami and Usopp took part of their funds and ran over to nearby merchant ships, seeing if they could buy any useful supplies.
After all, Usopp was still completely clueless about Nami's Clima-Tact.
He needed to see more novel things to broaden his horizons.
Aside from returning to the Baratie for a massive dinner to replenish their energy, the entire afternoon was spent preparing for future adventures!
On the other side—
Sanji returned to the kitchen, then used "feeling unwell" as an excuse to head back to his quarters to rest.
Zeff, who saw everything clearly, said nothing.
He, too, was waiting for Sanji's final decision.
But no matter what Sanji ultimately chose, for Zeff, his own decision was already made…
Sanji had to leave this place.
…
…
In the blink of an eye, three days passed amidst Sanji's hesitation and the Straw Hats' quiet waiting.
On the night of the third day—
Darkness fell.
Countless stars shimmered across the night sky like scattered jewels, framing a bright full moon at its center.
With a flash of white light, Red's figure instantly descended into the Pokémon world.
This time, however, standing beside him was no longer the sweet girl Nami.
It was a green-haired swordsman—
Roronoa Zoro!!!
"Man, I've missed this feeling~!"
Upon arriving once more in the Pokémon world, Zoro immediately grinned, his sharp gaze sweeping around their surroundings.
Through the bright windows, he could see the vast sky and sea beyond.
They seemed to be aboard an enormous ship.
Standing before them was an elderly, white-bearded man dressed in a sailor's uniform.
Anticipation flashed instantly across Zoro's eyes.
"So… this is the man you mentioned, Red? The one who can teach me that mysterious sword technique?"
"That's right."
Red nodded with a smile, equally expectant.
"No idea whether it'll help your swordsmanship, but hey—skills never hurt to have!"
"Out of all of us, you're the perfect one to learn this move!"
With that said, Red stepped forward without hesitation and initiated dialogue with the captain of the S.S. Anne.
The S.S. Anne was a massive luxury cruise liner located south of Vermilion City.
It was filled with Trainers, each with Pokémon around level 20!
Over the past two days of game time, Red and Nami had done nothing but battle Trainers throughout the ship.
As the enemy Pokémon grew stronger, Nami's battles became increasingly difficult.
It took two full in-game days to finally clear the ship and reach the captain who could teach the Secret Technique Chop Down.
Naturally, tougher enemies meant greater rewards.
Even as more experience was required with each level-up, Nami still managed to reach level 22—at a pace of at least one level per day!
With that strength, combined with her Pokémon's moveset, Red felt she could probably take on Arlong solo right now without falling behind.
And today, Red had brought Zoro here for one purpose—
To have him learn the Secret Technique Chop Down.
With his training steadily intensifying, Zoro was now only one final step away from breaking through to the realm of cutting steel.
Red wanted to see…
Whether mastering this unique secret technique from the Pokémon world could push Zoro's swordsmanship even further.
(End of Chapter)