Sanji dusted ash from his shoulders as he woke, confused by the hum of busy chatter around him. As his senses adjusted, he froze. The iconic red walls of the Baratie surrounded him, bustling with cooks darting across the kitchen, barking orders for upcoming dishes.
He instinctively moved to light a cigarette, only to freeze mid-motion when Zeff walked past him, barking, "Quit daydreaming, eggplant! You're on soup duty tonight, and it better not taste like dog food this time!"
Sanji stared blankly. "Zeff?" His voice cracked, disbelief painting his expression.
The old man glanced back briefly, Sanji hadn't seen in years. "You deaf or just dumber than usual?" Zeff growled. "Get moving!"
Sanji didn't answer, his mind struggling to process the impossibility. His last memory was on the Thousand Sunny with his nakama—and now? Now he was here, in a moment that felt ripped from the past. He could hear his own heart pounding as questions surged like a flood.
Suddenly, something whizzed past his face, narrowly missing him. A ladle slammed against the wall with a loud clang before bouncing onto the floor.
"Oi, blondie!" Zeff barked, pointing at him. "Don't stand there gawking like a lovesick fool. The customers won't wait for your philosophical meltdown, you good-for-nothing idiot!"
Sanji blinked, startled out of his stupor, and his jaw tightened. "Right," he muttered, regaining a hint of composure.
His hands shook slightly as he moved toward a soup pot, gripping the ladle like a lifeline. He dipped it into the steaming broth, tasting the brew with practiced precision, though his mind was still racing.
"This has to be before Don Krieg attacked," he thought, trying to ground himself in logic. He flexed his foot unconsciously, and Diable Jambe ignited with a faint flicker beneath the sole of his shoe. The fire startled him—this wasn't something he could do back then.
Exhaling a steadying breath, he tucked the thought away for later. "All right. Fine," he murmured, casting a sidelong glance at Zeff. "I'll figure this out. If I'm stuck here, there's no way in hell anything is happening to this place again."