C23 Baratie Restaurant Familiar Problems and Familiar Recipes

[Beep! You've successfully guided Sanji and earned his admiration. Check-in progress increased by 20%, bringing the total progress to 40%. Reward: Flash Step level increased by +1, current Flash Step level is Lv2.]

Lin Mo had only been gone a short while when the system's alert chimed in his mind. A more comprehensive understanding of Flash Step merged with his thoughts, making him feel significantly lighter on his feet.

"Sanji's got a pretty sharp mind," Lin Mo noted with satisfaction.

But what's with the admiration? And how does it factor into the progress of the mission? That left Lin Mo scratching his head.

Still, a good outcome is all that matters.

He stretched lazily.

Lin Mo had made it to the deck at the back of Barati's second floor. The warm sunshine bathed him, lulling him towards sleepiness.

"Time for a power nap," Lin Mo decided, pulling out a lounge chair from his system space and settling down comfortably, his eyes soon closing for a brief rest.

He'd barely dozed off for a few minutes when, not too far away, a pirate ship bearing an unfamiliar flag crept closer.

As Barati came within firing range, the ship's cannons were swiftly lit.

A volley of cannonballs roared towards Barati with a series of loud bangs.

These pirates were attempting a surprise attack from behind.

The noise jolted Lin Mo from his slumber, his brow furrowing as he opened his eyes to see a black cannonball zooming in.

Without hesitation, Lin Mo leapt from the lounge chair, vaulting off the deck. With a swift move of Night Market, he sent the cannonballs splashing into the sea.

Back on the deck, Lin Mo's gaze fixed on the pirate ship hundreds of meters away that had dared to disturb his rest.

He drew Lake Toya from his waist without a second thought and delivered a swift, decisive strike at the offending vessel.

Sword now sheathed, he returned to his lounge chair. As he closed his eyes, the pirate ship was cleanly bisected by his strike, the two halves sinking slowly into the depths.

Cries of despair echoed over the water, but they soon faded into silence, and peace reigned once more.

He was on the trail of Lin Mo when he witnessed something astonishing: Lin Mo was kicking cannonballs and slicing through a pirate ship with a wooden sword. The sight was so intimidating that Sanji didn't dare approach him. Swallowing hard, Sanji backed away slowly, then broke into a run, Lin Mo's feat replaying in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more exhilarated he felt, even giving his own feet an experimental kick. "Lin Mo is incredible! He's about my age... I can't afford to waste any more time!"

With resolve, he made his way to Zeff's door. Zeff, seeing Sanji return, asked irritably, "Have you finished washing the dishes in the kitchen?" Sanji flashed a cheeky grin. "Old man, I've made up my mind. I'm going to learn the Leg Technique from you!" Zeff was taken aback, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha, you want to learn my Leg Technique? Dream on! Finish your work first, then we'll talk."

"I'll work hard!" Sanji insisted earnestly. "I'll master cooking, and in my spare time, you can teach me the Leg Technique!" Zeff regarded him, puzzled. This wasn't the same kid who'd shown up half an hour earlier. Had he had an epiphany? Zeff, frowning slightly, retorted, "I never intended to teach you how to cook."

Sanji's laughter rang out. "No worries. I'm in the kitchen every day. If you won't teach me, I'll learn on my own. I'm not the old Sanji anymore. Just wait, old man. I'll soon surpass you, both in cooking and the Leg Technique."

"Hahaha, you? Surpass me? I doubt you'll ever do that in this lifetime. Stick to your chores," Zeff scoffed.

"Say what you will, but once I've made up my mind, nobody can change it!" With that, Sanji dashed off, leaving Zeff's smile to fade into a contemplative stillness. Something—or someone—had gotten through to Sanji. It wasn't likely to be Patty or the other roughnecks. There was someone else who had recently been given access to the kitchen. Zeff's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Could it really have been that kid?

Meanwhile, after sleeping for over an hour, Lin Mo's first act upon waking was to reach for his wine gourd.

Lin Mo woke up from a satisfying slumber of over an hour, and the first thing he did was reach for his wine gourd—it was empty. Before leaving Frost Moon Village, he had made a point to stock up on wine at the tavern. But after nearly eight days at sea, his routine had dwindled to little more than sleeping and drinking, with the occasional skirmish against overconfident Sea Kings. Now, all that remained were two jugs of special vintage gifted by Koshiro. After some thought, he decided against drinking Koshiro's wine. Rising to his feet, he stowed the recliner back into his system space.

Yawning, Lin Mo caught the faint scent of wine in the air and headed to a second-floor room dedicated to storing liquor. As he approached, Sanji emerged from the room, cradling a bottle of wine. Sanji, spotting Lin Mo, paused in surprise.

"Ah, what brings you here?" Sanji asked, a touch of panic in his voice.

Lin Mo's eyes locked onto the bottle in Sanji's arms. "How much for that?"

"Five Berry a cup. You're not thinking of having a drink, are you?" Sanji inquired cautiously.

Lin Mo replied with a nonchalant "Yeah."

"Then this bottle's on me. I'll just grab another," Sanji said, grinning as he handed over the wine.

"Don't worry about it," Sanji assured him breezily. "Next time you want a drink, just hit me up. We can come here together—you drink, and I'll stand guard."

Lin Mo offered a smile. The kid sure knew how to ingratiate himself. He appreciated Sanji's kindness but wasn't the type to take advantage of someone's generosity. Patting his pocket, Lin Mo pulled out a pouch containing a hundred Berry and tossed it to Sanji.

Sanji caught it, bewildered. "What's this for?"

"For the wine," Lin Mo said, popping open the cork and taking a swig straight from the bottle. It was decent. He then transferred the remaining wine into his gourd and handed the empty bottle back to Sanji.

As he made to leave, Sanji called out, "Where are you off to?"

"Hunting," Lin Mo replied with a casual air.

Sanji stood there, momentarily stunned, then recalled seeing Lin Mo kick a cannonball just an hour earlier. His excitement surged, and he quickly followed Lin Mo downstairs.

As they walked, Sanji couldn't contain his curiosity. "Are you heading out to take on the pirates? I saw you kick that cannonball away and slice through the pirate ship with a single strike of your wooden sword. You're incredible, Lin Mo! Can you share with me when you started practicing your Leg Technique?"

Lin Mo remained silent, the question striking a chord of familiarity.