Chapter 23: Zeff the Red-Leg

A big head and a thick neck—you’re either a wealthy tycoon or a ship’s cook.

"Red Leg" Zeff certainly had a thick neck, though his head looked normal enough, gaunt and skeletal from extreme emaciation. Gazing at that skull-like profile, Xia Nuo studied him for a long moment before he could reconcile the man before him with the image in his memories.

How miserable. Who knows how long he’s been starving… In the original timeline, it seemed like Zeff and Sanji held out for eighty-five days before being rescued. I must have arrived earlier, right?

Xia Nuo pondered for a moment, then bent down to scoop up a pile of food from the boat and walked toward Zeff. He had taken millions in cash from the secret vault; when he left Qianying Island, he’d splurged and stockpiled food worth tens of thousands of Bellies. He had worried at the time that he’d bought too much—more than two people could eat in a month—but it seemed it had come in handy after all.

"Chun-yi," he said, not forgetting Sanji. "Take some food as well. Go check the surrounding area and see if there’s anyone else. If there is, save them."

"Understood, Boss!"

...

The wind and rain grew stronger.

It wasn't until Xia Nuo was nearly upon him that Zeff dimly sensed footsteps behind him.

"Hey, kid..." Zeff kept his eyes fixed on the distance, his gaze shadowed by his bangs. "Why are you here? We agreed, didn't we? One of us watches one side, and if a ship comes, you call me..."

*Thwack!*

A bag of food was tossed over, tumbling down the rocky slope to land at Zeff's feet. The old man glanced down at the disturbance, froze, and then found himself unable to look away, his eyes locked onto the package.

"Bread?"

His hand moved instinctively, then stopped. He forced himself to swallow, sat up straight, and sneered. "What? Feeling like the share I gave you was too small, so you came back to beg for more?"

"Didn't I tell you? I'm a grown man; my appetite is several times larger than yours, so obviously, I need several times the food! I don't even have enough for myself—don't you dare think you can count on me to share!"

Black lines appeared on Xia Nuo’s forehead.

Damn this stubborn old man. Who are you putting on this act for? Do I not know that the bulging bag beside you is filled with nothing but treasure? Instead of secretly drooling and fighting an internal battle, you’d be better off looking back to see who the handsome guy standing behind you actually is.

Xia Nuo felt a surge of mischief. Instead of speaking, he continued to toss the food items over one by one.

*Thwack!*

"Cookies?" Zeff was startled.

*Thwack!*

"Canned luncheon meat?" The old man’s eyes widened.

*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*

Beef jerky, chocolate bars, compressed rice balls... even oranges and bananas. Xia Nuo threw them faster and faster. Within moments, a small mountain of food had piled up in front of Zeff.

"...This, this..."

Zeff was speechless. Even the densest person would have realized by now that this couldn't possibly be Sanji.

*Gurgle, gurgle.*

His hollow stomach let out a protest. Zeff suddenly tore open the bread bag and began to devour it like a madman. In a few gulps, a large bag of bread was gone, and he immediately reached for the next.

"Cough... cough!"

A clump of bread, swollen with saliva, caught in his throat. Zeff hammered his chest, the dull thuds echoing off his protruding ribs.

"Here, take this."

Xia Nuo handed him a canteen. The old man tilted his head back and drank greedily, the murky water mixed with bread paste streaming down his beard—one couldn't tell if tears were mixed in as well. Once the water was finished, Xia Nuo took it back and tossed him a can of luncheon meat.

"It's food... it's food... it's food!!!"

The old man held the can high, staring at it repeatedly. "It’s real food... such an exquisite aroma and taste..."

*Snap.* Zeff drove his fingernails straight into the can, prying it open with one hand. He didn't even notice the lid slicing into his palm. He dug out the dark red chunks of meat and stuffed them into his mouth, eating ravenously, his narrowed eyes filled with pure ecstasy.

"Slow down, don't choke again."

Xia Nuo sighed softly and sat down on a large rock behind him. He suddenly felt something uncomfortable under him. He reached down to feel around and pulled out a dirty, severed foot, already rotting and oozing, emitting a foul stench.

"..."

Xia Nuo gagged, nearly tossing the thing into the sea, but then he realized something. He glanced at Zeff, who was still frantically eating, and quietly activated the "Sacrifice" function.

[Offering: Severed Foot of "Red Leg" Zeff]
[Quality: Epic]
[Value: 2,000 points]
[Appraisal: The severed foot of the great pirate "Red Leg" Zeff. He once shook the East Blue with his superb kicking technique and even survived a year in the Grand Line. After being stranded on a desert island, he gave all his food to Sanji while chopping off his own right leg to survive. Because of this, Sanji was saved, but Zeff knew he could no longer wander the seas. From that day on, he handed the dream of finding the All Blue to Sanji.]

The part above the ankle was gone; presumably, Zeff had already eaten it. The remaining rotting piece was put to good use, providing him with a substantial amount of points. Xia Nuo didn't close the system panel immediately, but stared at the appraisal text, falling into a rare, long silence.

"This thing..."

He smiled suddenly, extending his empty right hand and letting the rain wash away the grime from his palm. "Come to think of it, this thing cost me quite a few tears back in the day."

A legendary scene from a distant memory was suddenly re-enacted before his eyes. It was a rather subtle feeling.

When the rain had washed his hands clean, Xia Nuo turned to look. The small mountain of food had already been mostly cleared.

Zeff had stopped eating at some point. One hand clutched a half-eaten rice ball, the other rested on his forehead, his back trembling.

Why was he crying?

"Shameful, I am so ashamed..."

Noticing his gaze, Zeff turned around. He was grinning broadly, but tears wouldn't stop flowing. "Benefactor, this is the best meal I have ever had in my life. I really thought I was going to die... I was sure of it..."

Zeff suddenly turned over, knelt in the pouring rain, and slammed his head against the ground in a deep kowtow toward Xia Nuo. When he pulled back, his forehead was swollen and red, but the old man didn't seem to notice; he simply bowed again with even more force.

"No need for that, really."

Xia Nuo reached out to help the old man up. It wouldn't be fair if you were the only one bowing—I haven't even thanked you for the two thousand points you just gave me!

"Benefactor, there's another... there's another companion! I still have a companion!"

But Zeff remained kneeling, clutching at Xia Nuo’s pant leg. "There’s a little kid with blonde hair. He’s on this reef too, starving for dozens of days just like me. I beg of you, Benefactor, please save him too!"

How does this old man have such a frightening grip after starving for so long? Xia Nuo felt his pants being pulled down and hurriedly tugged them back up.

"It's fine, it's fine. I came with my own companion. Don't worry, before I came over, I already sent him to find other survivors with some food. He should find that kid you're talking about soon."

"That's good, that's good..."

Zeff finally let out a sigh of relief, sat back down on the ground, and after giving Xia Nuo a look of profound gratitude, buried his head and began eating again.

Xia Nuo looked back toward where they had landed, feeling a bit puzzled.

Wait... where is Sanji?

What is Chun-yi doing? This reef is tiny; how is it so hard to find a living person? Why has there been no word for so long?

"Uh, Boss?"

Just then, Chun-yi’s voice came from nearby, sounding somewhat guilty. "Could you come over here for a second?"

"What's wrong?"

Xia Nuo stood up immediately and walked toward the figure appearing in his line of sight. "Did you find him?"

"...Well, it’s not convenient to talk over there. Come with me."

Chun-yi gave a dry laugh and pulled Xia Nuo all the way to the side of the boat. Under Xia Nuo’s bewildered gaze, he swallowed hard, crouched down, and used all his strength to lift the boat a few centimeters, revealing a small, thin figure in a chef’s uniform underneath.

"Here, I found him, but... he’s a bit flattened."