Chapter 154: Iceburg's Call
"The last piece of bread…"
The final piece of bread slipped from Sanji's hand and fell into the sea.
Fighting off his hunger, Sanji climbed to the top of the rocky hill and looked to the other side of the island's cliffs. "That guy is still alive… and has so much food…"
Dragging his frail body, Sanji had to rest after each step. Breathing heavily, he slowly moved toward the bundle behind Zeff.
"What do you want, kid?"
Holding a small knife, Sanji could no longer stand the hunger. "I'm here to take your food. Kill me if you want. If I don't eat, I'll die anyway."
Clink—the knife stabbed into the bundle, followed by a crisp clattering sound.
Sanji's emaciated face showed a moment of hope, but when he saw what spilled from the bundle, his face turned to despair once again. He dropped the knife, and his knees collapsed to the ground.
"I told you not to contact me unless you saw a ship."
"Why… why is it all treasure?"
"Having money but no food… pretty ironic, huh?"
Sanji staggered over and grabbed Zeff's clothes, shaking him. "What happened? Where's the food? Did you really eat nothing all this time?"
"Hey, say something!"
He walked around to Zeff's front. "What happened… your leg! Did you eat your own leg?"
…
Day 75 stranded on the deserted island.
"Captain, there are two people on that rock island—one big, one small."
"It's not far from Foosha Village. I didn't expect to find them so quickly. Head over."
The two were moved to the infirmary, and Da Vinci was shocked. "How long did they survive on that deserted island?"
Sanji mumbled one word through cracked lips: "Food…"
"No, no, eating right away would damage your stomach…"
"Don't lump these guys in with normal people," Eric rolled his eyes. "They're fine. Take them to the dining room to eat, and have them bathe afterward. The smell on them is horrendous."
Zeff's severed leg was checked—though the bleeding had long stopped, the wound hadn't been properly dressed. Da Vinci cleaned it up again and re-bandaged it with medical-grade wraps.
Akame was already in the kitchen and brought out a large platter of meat, setting it roughly on the table. "Done. Meat."
The starving pair dove into the meat like wild boars, burying their faces and feasting greedily.
"It's so good, so delicious!"
Hearing praise for her cooking, Akame couldn't help but smile. "Slow down, there's plenty more."
Upon hearing the soft and pleasant voice of a woman, Sanji, having regained some strength, immediately lifted his head from the pile of meat. He stared at her, eyes turning into hearts, and began drooling like a fool, forgetting to eat.
"Poke."
Eric extended two fingers and jabbed Sanji's heart-shaped eyes.
"Ow!"
The little pervert fell off his chair, rolling on the ground while clutching his eyes.
"Oh my, Eric, no need to be jealous of a child," Kurumi said, walking over to help Sanji.
"Leave the little pervert be," Zeff stopped eating. "Letting him suffer a bit is good—it might keep him from causing trouble in the future."
"Stupid old man…" Sanji sat back down, still rubbing his eyes, and immediately resumed devouring meat while sneaking glances at the women present.
"Oh my, he really is a little pervert."
"Should we just drop you two off at the nearest town?"
"Yes, thank you so much for saving us."
"Eh?" Sanji voiced his displeasure. He hadn't had enough time to admire the pretty ladies.
"Don't you have your own dream? Go chase it… and die on the way if you must!" Eric's tone suddenly shifted. "And stop eyeing my crewmates like that!"
…
Before disembarking, Sanji spoke to Akame, who had cooked for him. "Beautiful lady, I wonder… will we ever meet again?"
Akame shook her head and replied honestly, "I don't know. But wherever Eric goes, I'll follow."
Eric grinned smugly at Sanji.
"You damn bastard~!" Sanji cursed through gritted teeth.
The two stood on the shore, watching the massive hull of the Fearless disappear over the horizon.
"Are you sure about this? There were some beauties on that ship, you know."
"Stupid old man, I told you before—I'm going to help with your floating restaurant."
"Hah… Let's go, brat. Time to build our own sea restaurant!"
"Yeah!" Sanji followed Zeff closely.
…
"Eric, I can't believe you didn't take all that guy's treasure. That's not like you."
"Hah? I only rob pirate crews. I don't steal from ordinary people!"
"But that man was a pirate, wasn't he?" Esdeath said. "His clothing screamed 'pirate captain,' and judging by his strength, he wasn't weak. To survive 75 days on a deserted island by eating his own leg—he's clearly tough."
"Well, he's not a pirate anymore," Eric replied a smile . "They say 'lay down your blade and become a monk.' For a pirate to retire is no small feat. Besides, his dream is to build a restaurant at sea, so that no one stranded out there has to go hungry again. How could I rob someone like that?"
Deidara scoffed. "In this era of great pirates, building a sea restaurant? He's just asking to get robbed."
Chiron added, "With his strength, he won't be easy to rob. And according to intel, pirates in the East Blue are relatively weak."
"When we get time, let's check out his restaurant, Akame."
Akame nodded eagerly. "Mm!"
She hadn't said much, but her eyes had told Eric clearly—she was very interested in that sea restaurant.
Of course, she was always interested in anything related to food.
Buru buru—Eric's Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.
"Hello, who is this?"
"Eric-, it's me, Iceburg."
"Mr. Iceburg, is this about Tom?"
"I wasn't going to trouble you, Eric-, but today, a group of government agents showed up at Tom's place. I have a bad feeling… Can you make it in time to Water 7?"
"I understand. I'll head to Water 7 immediately at full speed…" Eric hung up.
"Teacher Chiron, we're heading to Water 7 right now. Can we make it there in three days?"
"Captain, unfortunately, even at full speed, the fastest route will still take at least fifteen days."
"What?! That's too long! Fifteen days—by then it'll be too late!" Eric started pacing frantically. "What do I do?! I promised Iceburg I'd save Tom. Damn those government spies for getting there first!"
"Captain, did you forget about the Osprey plane onboard?" Da Vinci said with hands on hips. "With the Osprey's speed, we can get to Water 7 in just over two days—three days tops!"
"Right!" Eric was overjoyed and ran to hug Da Vinci, lifting her into a spin.
"Let go!" Da Vinci scolded. "If you want to hug someone, go hug your Kurumi or Esdeath!"
The group headed to the helipad. Suddenly, Eric thought to ask, "Can this plane even fly that far?"
"Of course not. It's electric. So every hour, you'll need to give it a little 'recharge'…" Da Vinci replied with a mischievous grin.
(END CHAPTER)
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