Just then, the emotionless mechanical voice sounded inside Luffy's head.
【Companion Day remaining time: Two hours. Please complete the recruitment of a core companion immediately.】
Time was almost up?
Luffy stopped fooling around.
He had no idea whether there'd be some kind of punishment waiting for him.
"Hey, Curly Brows. You're a cook too, right?"
Luffy casually slapped Sanji on the shoulder.
"Hm? Can't you tell?"
Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke.
"Then how about becoming the cook on my ship?"
Luffy grinned as he extended the invitation.
"You're a pirate? Are you famous?"
Sanji was a little surprised.
After all, Luffy really didn't look much like a pirate.
Besides, would any proper pirate be working as a chore boy aboard this ship?
Now that they were talking about this, Luffy immediately perked up.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who's gonna become the Pirate King! You seem like a good guy, and your cooking's pretty decent. So, what do you say? Become my crewmate."
Sanji staggered from the slap and nearly dropped his cigarette into the sink.
After regaining his balance, he stared at Luffy like he was looking at a lunatic.
"Hah? Pirate King? Become a pirate? Don't joke around, kid! I've got no interest in becoming a pirate."
Although he hated that old bastard Zeff, he didn't exactly have a favorable opinion of pirates either.
"Why? Being a pirate is so free."
To Luffy, being a pirate was simply the path he'd chosen to adventure across the entire world.
So he couldn't understand people who hated pirates.
As for the Pirate King...
That was the freest person in the entire world.
Since he wasn't the Pirate King yet, he wasn't free.
"What's so great about freedom?" Sanji asked.
"Being free means you can do anything you want. Curly Brows, don't you have something you want to do? Like a dream or something?"
Luffy spoke as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
A dream?
At that word, the fingers holding Sanji's cigarette paused slightly.
A faint light flashed deep within his eyes, only to be immediately replaced by mockery.
"Tch. A small-time pirate like you should stop going around saying you're gonna become the Pirate King. Hold on, don't say anything. Let me laugh first."
Sanji doubled over laughing.
This rookie pirate's strength was unknown, and his bounty probably hadn't even broken one million Berries.
Yet his goal was the Pirate King?
Ignorance truly was fearless.
"No matter what someone's dream is, you shouldn't laugh at it," Luffy said seriously. "A man's dream never ends."
Sanji's laughter abruptly stopped.
All Blue.
It had once been the sole reason he was willing to leave that family behind and stay aboard this ship, working as a cook alongside that stinking old man.
It was also a dream he didn't dare openly proclaim.
Sanji's expression became incredibly complicated.
【Notice: Companion Day has ended. Companion Vinsmoke Sanji has been recruited. Adjusting according to your current physical condition. Next period: three minutes for food replenishment. Countdown...】
A rapid series of notifications flooded Luffy's mind.
Recruitment successful?
Wait.
Didn't I get screwed here?
Companion Day should've still had a couple of hours left!
Now he had to go back to the previous training routine?
Whatever. That wasn't important.
What mattered was that his ship had a cook now!
"Hahaha! Curly-Browed Cook, welcome aboard!"
"Hey, you idiot Straw Hat! Who said I'd join you?!"
Sanji nearly choked from Luffy's slap.
What the hell was wrong with this guy?
Was he insane?
He'd only hesitated for a moment!
Luffy ignored Sanji and turned around to replenish his food supply.
"Hey, chore boy. It's not mealtime yet."
Zeff blocked Luffy's path.
But after smelling the delicious aroma drifting over from the restaurant, Luffy couldn't hold himself back anymore.
Under Zeff's horrified gaze, his neck suddenly stretched outward.
Inside the restaurant, Nami was happily savoring the final bite of her pudding.
"Whoa, that smells amazing! I want some too!"
A long, elastic neck shot out from the kitchen with a whoosh, curved around a corner, and stretched all the way to their table!
Luffy's head stopped perfectly beside the pudding plate Nami had just finished, drool pouring from his mouth.
"Waaaaah—!"
"A ghost—!"
The horrifying sight nearly made Nami and Usopp leap out of their chairs.
The surrounding diners also erupted into terrified screams.
Anyone would be scared if a severed-looking head suddenly flew onto their table and started watching them eat.
"L-Luffy?! You idiot! Don't suddenly show up like that! It's disgusting!"
Nami clutched her wildly pounding heart, her face pale from fright.
"I've been washing dishes in there this whole time, and you guys just started eating without saying anything."
Luffy sounded genuinely aggrieved.
"Isn't that your own fault?"
Nami didn't know whether to laugh or get angry.
"You're the one who blew a hole in their ship."
Luffy simply stared straight at Nami.
Go ahead.
Open your eyes and look at me.
I refuse to believe there's nothing in your eyes.
Even though she kept complaining about how disgusting he was, how embarrassing this was, and how he needed to stop staring at her like that, her body was much more honest.
She picked up her fork and cut off a small piece of steak from her plate.
"Ahh—"
Her face reddened as she quickly glanced at the surrounding diners, who were still discussing the horrifying spectacle.
Then she hurriedly stuffed the piece of meat into Luffy's wide-open mouth.
"Seriously, you're such a pain. Just hurry up and eat!"
"Mmm! Nami, you're the best."
Luffy chewed the meat as he spoke.
"Oh, right. I just found us a cook."
"A cook? A new crewmate?" Usopp asked. "It's not some weirdo, is it?"
He had never had much confidence in Luffy's judgment.
"He's not weird. His eyebrows are just a little curly," Luffy said.
Having a cook was a good thing.
Seeing how happily Luffy was eating, Nami sighed helplessly and waved over a waiter who was still recovering from the shock.
"Excuse me, we'd like to order some more food. Ten more servings of grilled meat, please."
"Make it twenty! And bring every kind of meat you've got!" Luffy immediately added.
"You're ordering that much more?" Nami couldn't help asking.
"Don't worry. I can finish it."
Luffy confidently guaranteed it.
No.
That's not the problem.
Whatever.
He'd probably end up washing a mountain of extra dishes to pay off the bill anyway.