What would happen in the future was something Zoro naturally could not know.
Just as he could not know that the plate of fried rice Sanji made for Gin would become the crucial trigger that drew Hawk-Eye to the Baratie.
At Red's subtle hint, none of the Straw Hat crew interfered with the interaction between Sanji and Gin.
What followed afterward was largely no different from the original storyline.
After eating his fill, Gin knelt before Sanji in deep gratitude, then boarded a small boat and departed the Baratie.
Everything returned to calm once more, as if nothing at all had happened.
In the blink of an eye, four more days passed.
And after a full week of contemplation, Sanji finally made a decision at this moment—one crucial enough to change the course of his life.
Early in the morning, as the first rays of sunlight streamed through the bay window and fell upon the floor…
Inside the owner's bedroom on the top floor of the Baratie, Zeff sat with his legs crossed on a wooden chair, looking at Sanji across from him with blatant disdain.
"So… you're saying you're going out to sea with those guys to become a pirate!?"
Sanji, holding a packed bag in his hand, pressed his lips down. Though reluctance filled his eyes, he still forced himself to act carefree as he spoke:
"That's right! I'm going out to the sea to achieve my dream!"
"From now on, I'll be leaving the Baratie to you alone!"
Though he was deeply attached to both the restaurant and Zeff, ever since his conversation with the Straw Hats, Red's words had lingered relentlessly in his mind.
Those painful memories he had long sealed away had begun to invade his dreams night after night, waking him from constant nightmares.
Some people are healed by their childhood for their entire lives.
Others spend their entire lives trying to heal their childhood.
"Hmph—"
Zeff snorted, blowing two streams of white air from his nose as he spoke dismissively:
"Don't talk like you're some irreplaceable asset!"
"Even if you didn't leave, I was planning to kick you out eventually!!"
"This is fantastic! I've been waiting for this day forever!!!"
"Hey! You damn old geezer! I'm the sous-chef of this restaurant, you know!?"
Seeing Zeff act like this, Sanji immediately grew displeased.
But Zeff shot back without hesitation:
"Your cooking skills, I won't deny. After all, I taught you myself!"
"But you perverted brat turn into a freak every time you see a beautiful woman, causing chaos in the restaurant day in and day out. Without you, Baratie's business will only get better!"
"You—!"
Sanji glared furiously.
Yet in the end, he realized in frustration that he couldn't find a single argument to refute Zeff's words.
"Hmph!"
With a rapid shift in his thoughts, Sanji hoisted his backpack onto his shoulder, spun around, and walked toward the door.
"Take good care of yourself without me around!"
"And don't die before I even have the chance to come back!"
"Hahaha! That's something you should be telling yourself! I'll live at least another hundred years!"
Creeeak—
Sanji pushed open the wooden door.
At that moment, as he looked at Sanji's retreating back, the expression in Zeff's eyes softened.
He suddenly spoke in a low voice:
"Anyway… don't catch a cold, Sanji."
"..."
That sudden line of concern caused Sanji to freeze mid-step.
Uncontrollable tears streamed down his face, gathering at his chin before dropping onto the floor one by one.
Plap.
Sanji suddenly dropped his bag, turned around, and fell to his knees before Zeff, smashing his forehead firmly against the floor.
"For all these years… thank you so damn much for taking care of me!!!"
"You smelly old man—!!!"
"Hmph…" Zeff's lips curved upward slightly as he gently pulled his chef's hat down, hiding his dampened eyes.
After a long while, Sanji finally walked out of the Baratie.
At the entrance, Luffy, Red, and the others had already been waiting.
Luffy grinned widely, revealing two rows of bright white teeth.
"Shishishi~! Welcome aboard, Sanji!"
"From today onward, my pirate ship finally has a real chef!!!"
"Huff—"
Sanji pinched his cigarette between two fingers and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"Let me say this upfront—if I decide you guys aren't worth sticking with, I'll leave without a second thought!"
Once ambition takes root, it's not easily extinguished.
At this point, Sanji had yet to witness Zoro risking his life for his dream. His decision to join the crew was entirely because their captain, Luffy, was the highest-bounty pirate in the East Blue, and because their vice-captain, Red, seemed to possess mysterious abilities.
This time, he was boarding with his dream in tow.
"Oh?"
Hearing Sanji say something so similar to his own stance, Zoro's lips curled upward as his hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
"Just a cook, yet you dare spout such arrogant words."
"You've got quite the nerve."
"Hahahaha~! Now that fits our crew's style perfectly!"
Red laughed and clapped his hands.
"Alright, Sanji is officially one of us now!"
"Next, all we have to do is wait for that man to arrive—then we'll move toward our next objective!"
"Zoro, Nami—are you ready?!"
"Of course!" Zoro gripped his sword handle. "I'm always ready!"
Nami's eyes flashed like lightning as killing intent and battle spirit intertwined.
Over these four days, she had grown stronger every single day.
After clearing the Vermilion Gym, Red's available daily game time finally surpassed the three-hour mark.
Over four days totaling twelve hours of playtime, Red first led Nami through Route 11 east of Vermilion City.
After encountering a Snorlax that simply could not be awakened, they turned back and entered Diglett's Cave instead.
With the Clima-Tact Usopp had crafted, Nami was no longer afraid of Ground-type Pokémon.
And thanks to Usopp's genius creativity, this Clima-Tact was far stronger than when it first appeared in the original storyline.
Knowing that Nami could release electrical power, Usopp had specially added a charging device to the Clima-Tact, allowing her to use electricity to boost its output—producing cold bubbles and heat bubbles faster and in greater quantities.
After learning of Nami's needs, Usopp further installed a special humidifier function, enabling it to spray fine streams of water or release water bubbles, creating even more opportunities for Electric-type techniques.
With this perfectly tailored weapon, Red and Nami speed-cleared Diglett's Cave.
Upon exiting, they were immediately stopped by a researcher.
Claiming to be Professor Oak's assistant, he waited here specifically for players.
His task was to teach one of the player's Pokémon the Secret Technique Light Up.
After thinking it over, Red had Nami learn the new move.
This Secret Technique allowed her body to emit an intense light, disrupting the enemy's vision…
Perhaps it could be paired with her Clima-Tact technique Mirage.
After learning Light Up, Red and the others used Zoro's Chop Down to cut through the game's rule-based trees and entered Route 9.
At the end of Route 9, they defeated an Elite Trainer and obtained a brand-new TM—Brick Break.
It was a Fighting-type physical move.
Though it only had a base power of 75, it possessed the special effect of breaking barriers and screens.
Moves with such unique utility were greatly favored by Red.
After all, there was no telling when these special effects might come in handy.
Eventually, their game progress halted at the entrance to Rock Tunnel.
By then, Nami had successfully reached Level 25, with major breakthroughs across all her stats.
[Pokémon: Nami]
[Level: 25]
[Moves: Buzzy Buzz, Thunderbolt, Zippy Zap, Switcheroo]
HP: 92Attack: 63Defense: 61Sp. Atk: 101Sp. Def: 64Speed: 66
That was Nami's current status!
With the boost from various stat candies, her total stats had reached 447.
With triple-digit Special Attack, Nami's combat power had effectively reached the level of a 50 million Beli bounty pirate in the Grand Line.
And when factoring in the Clima-Tact and her devastating Electric-type damage, her true strength might climb even higher!
Thank you all for your tips and votes~I'm typing this on my phone while out, so I'll thank everyone properly once I'm back~The key issue is I'm not sure what time I'll get home tonight.
If I'm back early, I'll do two chapters.If it's late, I'll make it up tomorrow~
(End of Chapter)