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East Blue – Baratie
As they entered the kitchen, Zeff dragged Luffy to the dishwashing area and said, "With the amount of food you and your friends ate, you'll be washing dishes for me for at least a year."
"A year? Are you crazy, old man? I'll stay here for a week, take it or leave it", Luffy said, looking at the mountain of dirty dishes piled up in front of him.
"Hahahahaha, you're funny. Just get to work, kid", Zeff laughed, not taking Luffy seriously.
As Zeff left Luffy to wash the dishes, he ran into Sanji entering the kitchen dressed as a chef, no longer wearing a suit.
"Why are you dressed like that? I put you on waiter duty in the dining room", Zeff said, displeased that Sanji was defying his authority.
"I'm a chef, not a waiter. Serving tables out there is just a waste of my time", Sanji said, trying to move to his workspace in the kitchen, only to be blocked by Zeff standing in his way.
"Oh yeah? You gonna stick to the daily menu instead of cooking random stuff like that dish over there?", Zeff asked, pointing to the plate of food Sanji had made, now sitting beside Luffy.
Hearing the conversation, Luffy looked at the plate next to him, shrugged, and started eating it. Even though it was cold, it was delicious.
"I'll cook whatever I want, you stubborn old fart", Sanji said angrily.
"If you can't stick to the damn menu, then get back out there and serve tables", Zeff said, pointing to the dining room.
"You know, you're not making this easy. Every day I feel more and more like leaving this place", Sanji said, irritated and not thinking clearly.
Zeff stared at Sanji for a moment before saying, "Feel free. It's about time you started chasing that place."
"Nah, without me, this place would turn to crap", Sanji said, unwilling to admit Zeff was right.
Not wanting to argue any further, Sanji returned to the dining room to wait on tables. Meanwhile, Zeff leaned against a counter, let out a long sigh, and stared at the floor before leaving the kitchen as well.
=Scene Break=
After a long day of work, Sanji finished his shift in the evening and entered the kitchen to rest a bit.
As he sat in the break area in the corner of the kitchen, he heard the sound of a plate breaking. Looking over, he saw Luffy breaking a plate while trying to wash it. Next to him was a pile of broken dishes.
"I think the old man will regret putting you on dish duty", Sanji said as he grabbed a cigarette to smoke.
"I don't get how these plates are so fragile. I'm being as careful as possible, and they still keep breaking. So far, I've only managed to wash five plates without breaking anything", Luffy complained.
"Maybe you're just not cut out for washing dishes", Sanji joked.
"That's probably true. Anyway, how long have you been a waiter?", Luffy asked as he tried to wash another plate, only to break it again by accident.
"I'm not a waiter, I'm a cook. The best in East Blue. Not that it matters now, while the old man's in charge, I can't cook what I want. I'm practically banned from the kitchen", Sanji said, lighting his cigarette and taking a drag.
"But your food was amazing", Luffy said, giving up on washing the remaining dishes.
"The Yellow hake? You tried it?", Sanji asked, surprised.
"Tried it? I ate the whole thing", Luffy said, walking over to where Sanji was sitting to talk.
"Your food is incredible. Why doesn't the old man let you cook?", Luffy asked, confused.
"Because he's a stubborn, narrow-minded old man who doesn't know how to innovate. If I were in charge of this restaurant, the food would be ten times better, bet on it", Sanji said, blowing smoke from his mouth.
"So that's your dream? To be the head chef and run Baratie?", Luffy asked, wondering if this Sanji had the same dream as the canon Sanji.
"Nah, I don't want to run this place", Sanji said, adjusting his hair.
"So you just want to cook? Doesn't matter where?", Luffy asked, leaning against a counter.
"There's this place called the All Blue. They say you can find ingredients from all the seas there, East Blue, North Blue, South, and West, plus some ingredients that are only found there. I'm going to find that place. That's my dream", Sanji said enthusiastically.
"So your dream is to find the All Blue? You know, I've heard some theories about what the All Blue really is. Interested in hearing them?", Luffy asked, eager to share his theories.
"You've heard of the All Blue?", Sanji asked, surprised to meet someone interested in the same things as him.
"Well, the All Blue is one of the biggest mysteries and legends in the world, and I love mysteries", Luffy said excitedly.
After that, the two started talking enthusiastically, with Luffy sharing his theories. "Have you ever noticed how the geography of the world seems artificial? Like it was made this way by someone? There's this theory that the All Blue will appear when the Red Line is brought down, because then technically all the seas would connect."
"Interesting theory. Zeff and I came up with several theories over the years, but I never thought of something like that", Sanji said, pondering what Luffy had said.
"There's another theory that says the All Blue is actually underground, like a hollow earth. And they say the entrance is where the One Piece is. Some other theories say it's in the sky, but most of them kind of connect the All Blue with the One Piece", Luffy said, sharing more of his ideas about the All Blue.
"Man, this conversation has definitely given me a lot to think about", Sanji said, putting out his cigarette in the ashtray on the table.
At that moment, they heard loud knocking coming from a door that led outside the restaurant.
When Sanji opened the door to see who it was, a disheveled man stumbled in, collapsing to the floor.
The man mumbled as he tried to find something to grab onto and lift himself up. "H-help me... starving... food..."
Sanji helped the man into a chair and then said, "How about a good Carbonara?"
As Sanji moved around the kitchen, gathering ingredients, Patty showed up and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Feeding a starving man", Sanji said, putting a pot of water on the stove and salting it.
"This isn't a charity, it's a restaurant. We can't just give free food to any pirate who shows up", Patty argued.
"I'm a cook, Patty. When I see someone hungry, I feed them."
"Well, I'm not getting involved. You deal with it when Chef Zeff finds out", Patty said, raising his hands in surrender as he left the kitchen.
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(AN: 1,163 Words)
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