Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

Driven by a morbid pursuit of modification, Judge's emphasis on genetic factors far exceeded the imagination of ordinary people. Therefore, when Judge's first child, Reiju, was born, Judge had his wife ingest a drug that could enhance her genetic factors.

Reiju is undoubtedly successful; whether it's her intellect or anything else, she far surpasses her peers by a significant margin. At such a young age, she is capable of working as an assassin, ruthlessly eliminating enemies while remaining hidden in the shadows for extended periods—but for Judge, this is still not enough.

Because Judge knew that Reiju simply wouldn't disobey his orders, rather than truly eliminating useless emotions like pity.

Therefore, during his second pregnancy, Judge increased his dosage of medication. This angered Sanji's mother. Her maternal instincts made her unable to bear the thought of her child becoming a heartless monster. So, she secretly took a drug that enhanced genetic material. Of the children born this time, Sanji was the only one who did not undergo any modifications.

In contrast, Sanji's other brothers were stripped of their compassion and fear during this process, becoming extremely indifferent to everything around them. After learning that Sanji hadn't been modified, they ganged up on him and bullied him. Although Reiju didn't participate in the bullying, she chose to laugh along to avoid being seen as an outsider. From any perspective, this was an extremely pathological family.

Sanji's mother suffered from rapid nutrient loss due to taking large amounts of drugs that altered his bloodline during pregnancy. Because of being ostracized, Sanji began living independently from a young age and developed a love for cooking because of his mother's praise—which was simply a negative factor for Judge.

In Vinsmoke Judge's eyes, cooking was a servant's job. As royalty, his duty was to restore the family's glory. Consequently, Judge blamed Sanji for his mother's death. Just like now, despite being the third prince, Sanji lived in a cramped, filthy cubicle surrounded by rats. Servants were absolutely out of the question; he had to do everything himself.

"I wonder what Father and the others are doing now... and Yongzhi and the others too, I heard they're busy preparing for some great battle." Looking at the little mouse in front of him, Sanji showed no sadness. Or rather, he had long since grown accustomed to this environment, simply grinning and saying, "At least I can finally cook for a while! I wonder if it'll taste good... I really want to go see the legendary Blue Sea, I heard it has all the world's most precious ingredients!"

Sanji was talking to a mouse, and he seemed like a madman. But there was nothing he could do; it seemed that this mouse was the only one in the Germa Kingdom willing to talk to Sanji.

However, while Sanji was still thinking, on the other side, two ravenous guys had already climbed up the outside of the storage compartment wall.

With his head pressed against the warship's metal frame, Sett's nose looked like a high-powered vacuum cleaner.

"I can smell it! The aroma is coming from inside the metal casing!!!"

"I'll do it!"

Hawkeye waited for the green eyes to draw the long sword, and driven by intense hunger, Armament Haki instantly enveloped him. The blade turned jet black; in a single day, Hawkeye had reached the pinnacle of black-sword-cutting mastery!

134. Binge Eating

Just as Sanji was chatting with the little mouse all by himself, suddenly, a series of banging sounds came from the metal wall next to him.

For a moment, Sanji was startled. But then, the sound suddenly stopped.

Just as Sanji was wondering what was going on, outside, Hawkeye stopped Sett's actions, then picked up his knife and stabbed it directly into the iron wall. Hawkeye was not as powerful as he was in later generations. Although he could cut through streets and even some thin steel bars and pipes, it would take Hawkeye a while to cut through a giant warship made of fine steel like this.

But things were different now. With his mind highly focused, Hawkeye exerted force, and the knife went straight into the hilt. Although he still had some strength left, Hawkeye really didn't want to use all his strength on cutting—reason told him that barging in to find food might lead to a fight.

Fortunately, Hawkeye's longsword, stained black, creaked and groaned like a saw as it moved back and forth. To Sanji's astonishment, the steel spear was sawed open by the black longsword, and then a tall man, visibly hungry, and a skinny man, leaning on the longsword, rushed in.

"Don't kill me!!!"

Sanji covered his head in fear, but then he saw Sett rush over and snatch the plate from the rat without saying a word. Without caring what kind of fork or spoon it was, Sett lowered his head and started eating with Hawkeye.

"Damn! It smells so good!"

With tears welling in his eyes, it was hard to imagine the excitement someone felt after a month of eating raw fish and meat, tasting a hot meal again. Meanwhile, Hawkeye had no time for elegance. With his knife beside him, he, like Sett, buried his head in his food, stuffing two more handfuls into his mouth whenever Sett looked up to admire the deliciousness.

"Is it good? Is the food I made really delicious?"

This was the first time Sanji had ever felt praise and encouragement from someone since birth… no, before this, he had his mother. But with his mother's passing, the last person in the Germa Kingdom who had always trusted and encouraged him also disappeared.

Now, five years later, this is the first time he has heard praise from someone else.

"Are you the cook?"

Seti asked.

Sanji nodded excitedly without even thinking. He thought Sett would say something complimentary, but instead Sett turned around and jumped into the water. While Sanji was still confused and bewildered, Sett climbed out of the water again, this time carrying two large fish.

"Take care of this little guy!"

In the past, Hawkeye would never have done something like this. But now, Hawkeye had no objections whatsoever, or perhaps he acknowledged Sanji's identity as a chef, and without a word, he drew his long sword. Before Sanji could even react, the large fish, weighing as much as two or three adults, was dissected into smooth, boneless, whole-cut fish fillets!

"come on!"

He said something indifferently, then Hawkeye lowered his head and continued to eat.

For the first time, he felt needed, valued, and praised. Sanji felt as if some unknown force was surging within him, driving him to stand up. He then picked up a spoon and a heavy wok and went to the side to continue cooking.

Outside the gate, the people who were initially puzzled by the creaking and banging sounds quickly calmed down after hearing the sounds of a wok and a gas stove.

"Is it the Third Prince again? Is he making something inedible again?"

"It must be the Third Prince, after all, he's the only one who would be locked up here. All the other young masters and ladies are diligently cultivating, while he's doing nothing!"

"Even the king doesn't like him. The queen is pitiful, really, because she ate his food..."

"Shh! Don't talk nonsense! The King forbids us from discussing the Queen!"

The servants were gossiping noisily on the other side of the door. In such royal families, sometimes a prince or princess who was not favored by the emperor was not even as high-ranking as a servant.

At least the servants have a designated rest area. Unlike Sanji, who, because his biological father dislikes him, is forced to live in this messy storage room.

Sett's appetite goes without saying, and while Hawkeye doesn't usually eat much, he's now ravenously consuming it like a starving ghost. A fish weighing the weight of three or four adults might seem like a lot, but in reality, the plates are practically licked clean the moment they're placed on the table—you could use them as a mirror to see yourself!

Before long, the people eating were fine, but the cook was already exhausted. Standing on a stool, he could barely reach the stove. Sanji's head was covered in sweat, and his hands, which had been holding the spatula and wok, were aching. But even so, there was no sign of fatigue on Sanji's face. On the contrary, his eyes shone with an indescribable excitement.

He felt as if he had come back to life, his previously dull life now vibrant with color! He had found his own meaning in life!

"What are you all calling me?!"

While cooking, Sanji mustered his courage and asked the question he had just heard. Sett, without even looking up, kept eating and said, "Just call me Sett! As for that guy, you can call him Hawk... wait a minute."

I glanced up at Eagle Eyes, who was eating with his head down. Those eyes, so weak from hunger, lacked the sharpness of a typical eagle's. They gleamed with a sickly green light; they looked more like a vulture's eyes than an eagle's. But even vultures don't grow this thin, like sticks.

"You can just call him Pheasant."

"...I can't be bothered with you."

After swallowing a mouthful of fried rice, Hawkeye merely rolled his eyes at Sett before holding out his bowl. "Another serving, please."

"Oh! Oh! Okay! But we don't have fried rice anymore, is plain rice okay?"

“Okay.” Hawkeye nodded succinctly.

Meanwhile, Sanji, who had been busy cooking, was also working diligently. The meal lasted for more than three hours, until Sanji finally ran out of energy and had to stop.

Satisfied, Sett patted his stomach and said, "Although I'm only... burp... half full... but... burp... so satisfied... so comfortable! This is the first time I've ever discovered that white rice can be so... burp... delicious!"

Hawkeye, standing to the side, didn't say anything. He simply lowered his hat brim, leaned against the pile of junk, patted his round belly, and gave Sett a thumbs-up to show his complete agreement.

"My name is Sett," Sett said. "From now on, if anything happens, just say my name! Even if a Celestial Dragon comes, I'll beat him up!"

Hawkeye gave a thumbs up—Me too.

135 Chat

After eating and drinking his fill, Sett lay on the pile of junk, feeling comfortable enough to take a long nap.

God knows how they survived the past month... The sea is dangerous, like sitting in a wooden barrel and fearlessly setting sail. Sett couldn't imagine what kind of heart that guy had.

"You, how did you get here!"

Sanji, standing to the side, looked at Sett with some curiosity. He had just peeked outside and only saw a steel rod inserted into the stern of the warship, with a small boat being towed behind it by a rope.

Similarly, this was the first time he had met someone in Germa who didn't dislike him, didn't bully him, and was even the first person besides his mother who was willing to eat his cooking.

He was filled with curiosity about Sett and Hawkeye.

"Sailing, I suppose."

Sett picked up a metal chopstick, his fingertips coated in Armament Haki, then sharpened it by yanking one end with his nails. He held it in his mouth, picking his teeth. Lacking in guile and the same motherly tolerance he showed Sanji, he said nonchalantly, "It's alright, tastes good. Just a little undercooked, it's really getting stuck in my teeth."

In people's minds, all fish meat seems to be soft, white flesh that would crumble at the touch of the tongue. But this is not actually the case. The flesh of many large fish is more like red meat, such as beef or lamb, than white meat. For example, dolphin meat, with its coarse muscle fibers, can be even more stringy and difficult to chew than overcooked beef if not properly prepared.

"Oh, okay! I'll be more careful next time!"

Sanji nodded seriously—although the future Sanji would be a powerful chef, as things stood, he hadn't yet met the man who would change the course of his life. And the only person truly willing to taste his cooking was his own mother.

After his mother passed away, Sanji's world consisted only of this small storage room.

But today was different; the wall of the storage room had been broken down. Sanji vaguely remembered that since being locked up here, he hadn't seen the sky, the sun, and the sea like this for a long time…

To be honest, Sanji's cooking is currently quite mediocre... even terrible. In the original manga, the servants, after tasting it, bluntly stated that it was inedible and difficult to swallow. But now, for Sett and the others, it doesn't matter.

Having eaten raw fish for a month, to put it bluntly, if Ser were to ask it about the taste of raw fish, it would immediately vomit. The same goes for Hawkeye; for the next few months, seeing any seafood or sashimi on their table would be absolutely impossible…

It was precisely this arduous life at sea that made them instinctively ignore the unusual flavors in Sanji's cooking—their requirements for food had been reduced to simply being able to eat it.

I will never be picky.

"Where did you come from?"

Sanji looked at Sett curiously. Having just finished eating and resting, Sett, feeling bored, said to the kid in front of him, "I'm from the West Blue. I was originally looking for a red-haired guy, but I ended up running into a bunch of bastards along the way."

"One of them is a guy who looks like a ghost and can eat people's shadows! The bounty alone is over 170 million!"

"Wow! That's amazing!" Sanji looked at Sett with some excitement. After all, he was just a child who had never left the Germa Kingdom and was currently locked in the storage room. It was absolutely impossible for Sanji not to be curious about the outside world.

Now, finally someone is willing to talk to him about things outside. Sanji seems to have turned into a walking encyclopedia of questions, constantly exclaiming in amazement and asking curious questions as Sett explains.

"That has to be awesome!"

Seemingly sensing Sanji's curiosity, Sett immediately launched into a boast: "It's only here in the North Blue that nobody knows me. But if you go to the West Blue, just ask around, everyone knows I'm Sett from Antwerp Island! Back in the day, I smashed my way from the ring to the casino with one punch, and anyone who dared to disagree with me was crushed on the spot. When I walk down the street, a bunch of my underlings wearing sports uniforms with 'West Blue' printed on their chests stand there saluting. Even the Marines have to call me Boss Sett!"

It wasn't a lie; because of Tina's misunderstanding, and also because of Zephyr, the Navy now generally has a favorable impression of Sett.

"I've fought all the Celestial Dragons, you know the Admiral candidate? That guy named Kizaru, he's like a brother to me, even though he's ass-fucked! When CP9 came looking for trouble, I just clenched my fist and slammed it into my old baby. Seven or eight of them were hanging outside like salted fish, not daring to even breathe!"

"Wow, is it really that amazing?!"

Upon hearing Sett's boast, regardless of whether it was true or not, Sanji, who knew nothing about the sea, widened his eyes, with one or two tiny stars faintly visible in them.

"Then, do you know where the Blue Ocean is?!" Sanji asked excitedly.

Sett tilted his head at this; "Blue Ocean? What's a Blue Ocean?"

“I don’t know either!” Sanji said. “I heard it from the chefs. They said that there are all the precious ingredients in the world there! It’s a paradise that all chefs dream of! I heard it’s in the New World, but I don’t know how to get there.”

“In the New World, huh? No wonder,” Sett said casually. “If it’s in the New World, then there’s nothing we can do. We’ll think about whether you want to go when you’re a bit older. If you really want to go, I’ll see when I have time in a few years and ask Zephyr for a sea chart to the Blue Sea… I don’t even know if there’s a sea chart for that place.”

Sett stroked his chin. Given the nature of Celestial Dragons, upon hearing about a place like the Blue Sea, they would definitely think of taking it over for themselves or using it as a kitchen for fishing operations.

The two, one big and one small, chatted casually, one bragging and the other believing it.

Hawkeye, who had covered his face with his hat and listened to Sett's boasting, just shrugged speechlessly. But upon reflection, it all seemed to be true, and he didn't bother to participate in Sett's bragging, so he simply closed his eyes and rested.

But just then, footsteps sounded outside the door. Immediately afterwards, a child's voice rang out: "Honestly! Father said a formidable enemy was coming, and he made us on guard for so long! A whole month has passed and we haven't even seen a shadow of them!!"

Hearing the child's words, another child continued, "Haha! They must have run away because they heard about the Germa Kingdom's fame! After all, the Vinsmoke family is the strongest in the North Blue!!!"

"That's right! We are the strongest! It doesn't matter who comes!!"

The three children's voices were all different, and looking at her three younger brothers, Reiju's face only showed helplessness—they were going to bully Sanji for fun again.