"This is just the chefs in our restaurant acting on their own will."
"Boss! Why are you so protective of Sanji?"
"Yeah, it all happened because of that jerk!"
"That guy wants to destroy your precious restaurant, boss!"
"Shut up, you brats!" Zeff shouted after listening to the chefs. "Have any of you ever experienced the pain of starving to death!? Do you know how terrifying it is to lose food and water in this vast ocean? The fear, the agony?"
"What do you mean, boss?" Paddy asked in confusion.
"I'm asking if you understand the difference between Sanji and me." The chefs were confused, not sure what Zeff was talking about. "Tch, instead of wasting time complaining, why don't you escape through the back door now?"
After a moment of silence, not one coward chose to run. They all stood up with weapons in hand, ready to defend the restaurant.
"What are you doing?" Ajin was the one to panic. "You've seen Krieg's power, haven't you?"
"Hey, Gin, let me make this clear first.
As a chef, it's my duty to feed the hungry until they're full."
Sanji stood up, hands in his pockets, and kicked up the food that had been knocked over by Clover.
He set the table, then sat on it. "But the next opponent is no starving man, he's a predator.
Even if I have to take down your crew, you'd better not even think about complaining."
"If you try to take over this restaurant, I'll kill you without mercy."
"Heh, you end up having to kill the guy you saved. I've got to hand it to you, Sanji," Paddy said after hearing this.
"Shut it, you damn cook," Sanji retorted.
"Hey, I think that guy's pretty cool," Luffy said, pointing at Sanji and talking to Zoro and Usopp.
"I don't care if he's cool. We need to get out of here!" Usopp shouted.
"Calm down. Even Krieg's been beaten up pretty badly," Zoro remarked. As a former bounty hunter, Zoro seemed to know a bit about Krieg.
"Gin, you said earlier you don't know much about the Grand Line, right?" Luffy then turned to Gin and asked.
Gin swallowed hard, his face full of fear. "I really don't. On the seventh day after entering the Grand Line, it was hard to tell if what happened was a dream or reality. It's unbelievable... just one man... defeated a fleet of fifty ships!"
Everyone was shocked to hear this. Even Zeff, who was usually composed, was startled. Usopp screamed in terror, and Luffy's jaw dropped.
"Nani!!!" The entire restaurant echoed with a unified shout.
"When that man appeared, the ships sank one by one. If it hadn't been for a storm, our main ship would've been destroyed too.
I don't know how many of my crewmates' ships survived, but I was so terrified I couldn't accept it as reality. I really don't want to think about it again."
"That man's... that man's eyes... sharp like an eagle's, as if they could kill with a glance!" Gin said this, already trembling in fear.
"Uh!" Hearing about eyes sharp as an eagle's, Zoro was immediately startled, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.
"That man... must be 'Hawkeye.' You might not be sure just by saying he had eyes like an eagle, but doing something like that proves it's him." Zeff said.
"Hawkeye..." Zoro whispered.
"Oh? Do you know him, Zoro?" Luffy asked, noticing Zoro's reaction.
"Yeah, that's the man I'm after," Zoro said, finally stopping his trembling. "I went to sea just to meet him."
"Mihawk," Clover said at that moment. "The man you're talking about is Dracule Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the world's greatest swordsman."
"Seven Warlords of the Sea? What's that?" Luffy asked.
"Well... it's a bit complicated to explain, but you'll find out soon enough," Clover replied.
"Do you have some deep grudge against that man?" Sanji asked while smoking.
"There's no such thing!" Gin answered immediately.
"Or did you interrupt his nap?" Zeff added, somewhat sarcastically.
"Stop joking! Do you think our fleet was destroyed for something like that?" Gin shouted, frustrated.
"Hahaha, don't get so worked up. I'm just making an analogy. The Grand Line is that kind of place," Zeff said with a smile.
"What kind of place...?" Usopp asked.
"It means that no matter what happens, nothing's surprising there," Zoro said calmly, which scared Usopp to the point of tears. "Luffy! Let's not go to that kind of place! Luffy!"
But Luffy was trembling with excitement. The others thought he was scared, but Clover knew he was shaking with anticipation.
"Luffy?" Usopp called out again, and this time Luffy responded.
"Ah! This is amazing! It has to be like this!" Luffy shouted excitedly.
"You should at least think about your own safety!" Usopp screamed through gritted teeth.
"But now my goal is set on the Grand Line... and that man. Once I get there, I'll definitely see him," Zoro said.
"Isn't that stupid? I think you'll be the first to die," Sanji commented.
"That's probably true, but it's not up to you whether I'm stupid or not. The moment I decided to become the world's greatest swordsman, I threw away any thoughts of life and death. You can call it foolish, but it was my decision."
"Me too! Me too!" Luffy shouted quickly.
"As a man of the sea, of course, I am too!" Usopp added.
"You're lying, right?" Zoro said, knocking Usopp on the head.
"This is so stupid," Sanji said helplessly, though Zeff noticed the look in Sanji's eyes. A look of longing. Zeff could tell Sanji wanted to chase his own dream. If this whole situation were resolved... maybe it was time to let Sanji go with them.
"Hey, do you realize what's happening? What's parked outside is the massive wreck of Krieg's pirate fleet! We need to get through this life-and-death moment first before you start dreaming!" Paddy shouted.
"What 'leader' Krieg? Just blow his head off," Clover said disdainfully, lighting a cigar he pulled from the suit he had taken.