72 72. When a New Volume is Published

Seeing Ryūhei's action, some of the onlookers laughed out loud, while some of them looked at Ryūhei disdainfully.

Among them, Yanfei and Xingqiu clearly saw what he did. He was so cool with his words earlier as if he wanted to protect Ningguang from other men's claws. However, he suddenly changed his attitude by 180° with his underhanded method. Naturally, some of them couldn't accept his method at all.

Xingqiu slapped his own forehead as he didn't believe Ryūhei would do something like that.

"Where did he learn something like that? It was too devious."

Meanwhile, Yanfei wrote something in the book.

"There is a loophole that can be exploited in duels, so…"

— — — —

After a while, the shop calmed once again and people began to read the new volume of One Piece manga.

****

It was where Sanji gave a plate of fried rice to a pirate with a striped bandana that was supposed to come for free food. Although he was beaten black and blue by the staff, Sanji couldn't handle seeing someone starve to death in front of him. Luffy saw what Sanji did. So…

"Hey Cook! Join my crew, will you? Be the cook for my pirate ship!"

Sanji turned his head to see a straw hat boy who blew up the restaurant with a cannonball.

"Oh, you're a pirate!? Why'd you try to fire a cannonball at this restaurant?"

Luffy replied with his iconic chuckle.

"Shishishi, that was an accident. It was just a cannonball that was launched in self-defense."

"What's that supposed to mean? In any case, you better not try anything funny while you're here. The owner of this place used to be the cook of a pretty infamous pirate crew." Sanji didn't understand what Luffy meant. He lit his cigarette and puffed out the smoke through his mouth.

"Oh, that old man used to be a pirate? Then, I'll ask him to join my pirate crew!" Luffy decided to try out for that old man to add more crew. After all, that old man was so famous. However, Sanji shook his head.

"That's impossible. He won't leave this restaurant since this restaurant is like a treasure to that damn geezer. And the rest of the cooks who came to work here out of their admiration for that geezer are all hot-blooded and crude enough to be pirates. Well, thanks to that, all the waiters got scared shit and ran away."

Luffy nodded.

"So, that's the reason." Then he pointed at Sanji with his index finger. "Well whatever. Anyway, you should join my crew!"

Sanji puffed out the smoke before answering.

"I'll have to refuse that offer. I've got a good reason to keep working here."

"No, I refuse!" Luffy increased his tone. But, Sanji was puzzled by this.

"Ugh, what?"

"I refuse your refusal! You're a good cook, so we'll be pirates together!"

"Hey, hey, at least hear me out first!" Sanji waved his hand while saying that.

"Okay then. What's your reason?"

"Why should I tell you?"

Hearing what Sanji said, Luffy put on a WTF expression on his face.

"But you just told me to hear you out!"

"All I meant was that you should hear other people's opinions when talking! Don't make me chop you up, you damn straw hat wearing shithead!" Sanji shouted angrily. However, this caused Luffy to be angry as well.

"What did you say? Don't you dare to insult my straw hat or I'll send you flying!"

***

At that time after Ryūhei's fight, Yun Jin happened to read the manga together with Xinyan, Chongyun, and Xingqiu at Yun Jin's house.

"Hahaha. These two are so funny. This "refusal" seems to always work on a few occasions." Xingqiu said that before glancing at Chongyun.

"What are you looking at?" Chongyun glanced at Xingqiu suspiciously. Then, Xingqiu looked away.

"Nothing!"

"Don't just say nothing! I know you're planning something mischievous."

"Hey, hey, don't accuse me of something I won't do!"

"Who would believe you!"

Meanwhile, Yun Jin just chuckled at those two. Then, her gaze turned to the manga.

"This crew is dangerous because it's full of idiotic people. But, they're so funny."

"Yeah. However, I can't believe Ryūhei is the one who made this. I was away from Liyue for 2 months. But, I was surprised that a lot of things changed in that period." Xinyan commented before looking at the manga in front of them.

Then, they continued to read the manga.

****

It was the moment when Sanji noticed Nami from Luffy's group.

"O'blessed the oceans for bringing me this fine day! O'Love! Laugh if you will, at my poor self who cannot endure his torturous passions! As long as I can be with you, I'm prepared to walk across any path, be it the path of a pirate or a devil! But alas! Tragically, there is a great obstacle standing between the two of us!" Sanji approached Nami with passion. His eyes turned to a heart shape, and the background filled with the SFX love.

And at that moment, he heard someone with a hoarse voice.

"By obstacle, do you mean me, Sanji?" It was the owner of the restaurant, an old man with braided mustaches called Zeff.

"Gehh, it's geezer!"

He walked slowly in Sanji's direction. He said,

"It's a good chance. Just go and be a pirate! I don't need a guy like you in my restaurant!"

"Wha– Hey you damn geezer, I'm the assistant head chief of this place! What do you mean exactly when you say I'm not needed?"

Hearing that, Zeff leaned his back to the table behind him before giving out his statement.

"You cause too much trouble with the guests. And if they happen to be female, you drool all over them! You also can't cook a decent meal to save your life. You're just unnecessary baggage, holding this restaurant down. And as you probably know, none of the other cooks want you here as well. So whether it be a pirate or something else, it's just better for you to get the hell out of the restaurant."

Of course, Sanji couldn't accept that. He grabbed Zeff's collar furiously.

"So, that's what you wanted to say to me all along, you damn geezer? Ignoring all of your other comments about me, if there's one thing I won't stand for, it's someone insulting my cooking! No matter what you say, I'm staying here! Got that!?"

But then, Zeff lifted Sanji before slamming him to the nearby table.

*Bang*

"How dare you grab the collar of the head chief!"

After he did that, he walked away from Sanji.

On the other hand, Luffy laughed at seeing that scene.

"Hahaha. Alright, he gave you permission. Now we can be pirat–"

"AS IF!" Sanji interjected before Luffy finished his words.

***

In the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, a man with diamond-shaped pupils and brown hair, Zhongli, let out a smile after reading the manga.

"It seems like Zeff wants the kid to explore the world to experience life rather than sticking around in the Baratie restaurant. As a parent or guardian, even if not by blood, Zeff understands very well that it is not good for Sanji to live in that restaurant all the time. And as a cook, or perhaps a chef, he should explore the world to try any kind of dish."

*Knock* *knock*

At that moment, someone knocked on the door and a woman's voice was heard behind it.

"Mr. Zhongli, someone is looking for you!"

"Let that person come!" Zhongli replied.

The wooden door opened along with a creaking sound.

After that, a dashing man stepped inside. He looked at Zhongli who was sitting in his chair while holding a book. There were also similar books stacked on his desk.

"You are?" Zhongli asked. He never saw that man in Liyue before. In addition, his appearance and attire told Zhongli that the man wasn't a local.

"I'm the Eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers, codenamed Childe, but I also go by Tartaglia. I hear, Mr. Zhongli is my accomplice who wants to cause chaos in Liyue. I didn't expect someone like you to dislike the current situation of Liyue." Tartaglia said with a grim expression. Before he came to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, he heard a lot of things about Zhongli as a gentleman and knowledge consultant. Yet, Tartaglia didn't think that someone like him would have planned something so outrageous.

Zhongli naturally noticed his expression. So he said,

"You didn't seem to like the plan."

"Of course I dislike it. Releasing a weak god has the potential to harm innocent people. But, Her Highness Tsaritsa said that releasing the god won't endanger Liyue as long as the Adepti are still defending Liyue."

Although he said that the plan was to unseal a god, there was a hidden agenda in this plan and he didn't plan to tell Zhongli about that.

— — — —

Author Note: I changed the tier list a little. Klee found the lair of the Primo Geovishap and peeled it scales, so I changed her to B-tier from C. Meanwhile, Qiqi changed from E to D-tier, and I put her berserker state in B-tier because of the Adepti power within her.