BECAUSE OF DREAMS

A large pirate ship with a distinctive figurehead shaped like a duck wearing a chef's hat approaches a passenger ship. The pirate ship's sail bears a Jolly Roger with a chef's hat and crossed knife and fork. On the passenger ship, people panic. One person points and yells, "PIRATES! THAT SHIP IS... IT'S THE COOK PIRATES!" Another adds, "HE CAME BACK FROM GRAND LINE!?" The pirate ship pulls alongside, its flag flapping in the wind. A man recognizes the ship, saying, "THAT'S RED-LEG ZEFF'S SHIP...!" On the deck of the pirate ship, a stern-looking man with a large braided mustache and a chef's hat stands at the forefront, surrounded by his armed crew.

The Cook Pirates board the passenger ship. The passengers and crew stand terrified as Zeff, a tall man wearing striped pants and boots, stands before them. A frightened man, likely the captain of the passenger ship, stammers, "Y-YOU MUST BE THE CAPTAIN OF THESE PIRATES, RED-LEGG ZEFF. W-WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM US...?" Zeff simply replies, "MONEY." The scene shifts to chaos as the pirates begin looting. A pirate shouts, "ALRIGHT! TAKE ALL THEIR VALUABLES, DOWN TO THE LAST PENNY!" Passengers scream as the pirates grab their belongings and swing weapons.

The looting continues amidst a raging storm. Lightning flashes as pirates terrorize the passengers, demanding they hand over their valuables. Women scream as necklaces are snatched. In the ship's kitchen, a young, blonde-haired boy named Sanji watches the chaos through a window, gripping a large kitchen knife. He grits his teeth and says, "DAMN IT... I'M NOT JUST GOING TO SIT STILL AND BE KILLED BY THOSE PIRATES...!" Outside, a pirate reports to Zeff, "CAP'N! IF WE DON'T LEAVE SOON, WE'LL GET CAUGHT UP IN THE STORM!" Zeff replies, "I KNOW." Suddenly, Zeff notices something off-panel and says, "WAIT JUST A SECOND! WHAT'S THIS!?" A pirate is shown sitting on the deck, eating something.

The pirate who was eating looks up in terror, crumbs on his face, and stammers, "I WAS... JUST A LITTLE HUNGR... AGHHHH! F-FORGIVE ME, CAPT. ZEFF!" Zeff delivers a devastating kick to the pirate's face. The impact is so powerful it sends the pirate flying backward, smashing through the wooden deck of the ship with a loud "CRRAAAACK!" and "CRASH!". The surrounding passengers and pirates look on in shock as the deck splinters.

Zeff grabs the beaten pirate by the collar, lifting him up. The pirate's face is bruised and bleeding. Zeff scolds him angrily, "DON'T I ALWAYS SAY NOT TO EVER LAY EVEN A FINGER, ON OUR ENEMIES' FOOD...?" The pirate weakly replies, "YES, SIR...!" Suddenly, a voice shouts, "DAMN IDIOT!" Zeff and the others turn to see young Sanji charging forward, wielding two large kitchen knives. A pirate warns him, "HEY KID. YOU SHOULDN'T BE SWINGING AROUND THOSE THINGS. IT'S DANGEROUS." Sanji yells back, "SHUT UP! LIKE I'M JUST GOING TO STAND STILL AND LET YOU KILL ME!" He swings the knives at Zeff, but Zeff effortlessly blocks the blades with his bare leg, not even looking down. Sanji struggles, saying, "LOOK, I'M BLEEDING. I MIGHT BE SERIOUSLY WOUNDED." The pirates exclaim, "AHHH! WHAT'S WITH THIS KID!"

The pirates are annoyed by Sanji's defiance. One yells, "SANJI, NO! DON'T FIGHT BACK!" Another shouts, "STOP IT, KID! DON'T PROVOKE THEM ANY FURTHER!" The pirates tell Zeff, "DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIM! HE'S ONE OF YOUR COOKS, ISN'T HE!?" and "IF THE KID WANTS TO DIE SO BADLY, THEN KILL HIM ALREADY AND BE DONE WITH IT!" Sanji glares up at Zeff, holding his knives, and declares, "IT'S NOT LIKE I WANT TO DIE! BUT YOU PIRATES ARE GONNA KILL US ALL ANYWAYS! SO I'LL KILL YOU FIRST BEFORE YOU CAN KILL ME!" Zeff responds by swiftly kicking Sanji in the chest, sending the boy flying backward with a loud impact.

Sanji crashes hard into the ship's wooden railing, splintering the wood. The other cooks watch in horror, yelling, "SANJI!" One remarks, "DAMN, LOOK AT THE CAPTAIN GO. HE NEVER HOLDS BACK, DOES HE...!" Sanji lies on the deck, battered and bleeding from his mouth, but he struggles to lift his head. With fierce determination in his eyes, he yells out, "I'M GONNA... FIND ALL BLUE ONE DAY...!"

The pirates burst into uproarious laughter at Sanji's declaration. "AHAHAHAHAHA! HE SAID HE'S GONNA FIND ALL BLUE! THAT'S QUITE THE DREAM!" one mocks. Another adds, "GO AHEAD, CAPTAIN! TELL HIM! TELL HIM THAT A PLACE LIKE THAT, DOESN'T EXIST EVEN IN GRAND LINE!" Zeff, however, does not laugh; he stares down at Sanji with a serious, unreadable expression. Sanji, furious, yells back at the laughing pirates, "YOU IDIOT... WHY WOULD YOU GO AND TALK ABOUT THAT NOW OF ALL TIMES...!?" He struggles to his feet, shouting, "THERE'S NO WAY, THAT I'M GONNA BE KILLED BY STUPID PIRATES LIKE YOU IN A PLACE LIKE THIS!"

The storm intensifies rapidly. A pirate urgently calls out to Zeff, "CAPTAIN, WE HAVE TO PULL BACK RIGHT AWAY! THE COMING STORM'S MUCH BIGGER THAN WE THOUGHT!" Zeff agrees, "ALRIGHT. LOAD UP ALL OF THE LOOT BACK TO OUR BOAT!" Suddenly, a massive, towering wave crashes over the side of the passenger ship, sweeping across the deck. The force of the water washes several people away. Amidst the chaos, Sanji is caught in the torrent and swept overboard. Someone screams, "AGHHH!" and another voice cries out, "SANJI!"

As Sanji falls into the churning sea, Zeff reacts instantly. Without hesitation, Zeff dives off the ship after the boy. A pirate yells in shock, "WHA!? CAPTAIN!?" Zeff plunges into the water. Meanwhile, the storm wreaks havoc on the ships. The massive mast of the passenger ship snaps under the force of the wind and waves, crashing down towards the deck where people are scrambling for safety.

In the turbulent water, Zeff struggles against the massive waves, a rope trailing near him. He mutters, "THAT STUPID BRAT..." On the ship, his crew panics, leaning over the railing and screaming, "CAPTAIN! W-WHAT'RE YOU DOING!? IT'S JUST A STUPID LITTLE KID! CAPTAIN!" Below them, a colossal whirlpool forms in the ocean, threatening to swallow everything. The sheer scale of the storm is terrifying as the ships are tossed about like toys.

The storm reaches its peak. The sound of breaking wood fills the air as the ships are torn apart by the violent waves and the massive whirlpool. "CRACK... CRACK... CRASH... AHHHHHHHH!" The ocean churns violently, consuming the wreckage. The scene then transitions to a calm, sunny day. A large, sheer-sided rock formation stands alone in the middle of the vast, empty ocean. Seagulls fly overhead.

On top of the barren rock, Sanji slowly regains consciousness. He sits up, coughing, and looks around in confusion. Zeff is sitting nearby, his back turned. Zeff says, "SO YOU WOKE UP, DID YOU, YOU LITTLE EGGPLANT... YOU'RE A PRETTY LUCKY ONE, ALRIGHT." Sanji winces in pain, holding his ribs, "OW OW OWWW! P-PIRA..." Zeff continues, "OF COURSE YOU CAN'T MOVE EASILY. JUST WHOSE KICK DID YOU THINK YOU RECEIVED?" Sanji asks, "WHERE'S THE SHIP!?" Zeff replies, "WHO KNOWS. WOULDN'T BE SURPRISING IF YOUR SHIP SANK DURING THAT ROUGH STORM." Sanji looks out at the debris floating in the water below and says, "BUT... I KNOW MY SHIP HAS SUNK FOR SURE AT LEAST. I CAN TELL BY THE WRECKAGE. I CAN ONLY BE GRATEFUL THAT I DIDN'T SEE ANY OF MY CREWMATES' DEAD BODIES."

Zeff explains their grim situation. "IN ANY CASE, THE STORM WAS 2 DAYS AGO. MEANING THAT YOU AND I, ARE STUCK ON THIS GOD-FORSAKEN ROCK, WITHOUT A SINGLE PLANT, FRUIT, OR ANIMAL TO EAT." He points out at the ocean, "OF COURSE, THERE'S A LOT OF FISH IN THE OCEAN, BUT THE SIDE OF THIS ROCK'S BEEN CARVED OUT BY THE WAVES, SO THAT ONCE YOU JUMP DOWN, IT'LL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO COME BACK UP." Sanji realizes the gravity of their predicament. Zeff concludes, "IN OTHER WORDS, WE DON'T HAVE ANY WAY TO GET FOOD. FEEL FREE TO CRY IF YOU WANT." Sanji angrily yells at Zeff, "NO. THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!" Zeff glares back, "IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP, I'LL JUST EAT YOU INSTEAD."

Zeff tosses a small sack towards Sanji. "THIS IS YOUR SHARE," he says. Sanji looks at the small bag, then at the massive sack Zeff is holding. "WAIT A MINUTE! YOUR SHARE IS WAY BIGGER THAN MINE! IT'S ALMOST 3 TIMES WHAT I'VE GOT!" Sanji protests. Zeff replies calmly, "OF COURSE! I'M AN ADULT, SO IT'S ONLY NATURAL THAT I EAT MORE." Zeff then advises, "THIS FOOD HERE GOT WASHED UP HERE JUST LIKE US. IT'S A GOOD THING THAT WE'RE BOTH COOKS. EATING NORMALLY, IT SHOULD LAST YOU 5 DAYS, BUT USE YOUR HEAD AND SAVE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN." Sanji looks terrified as Zeff adds, "WAITING FOR HELP IS THE ONLY OPTION WE HAVE. AND IF WE'RE NOT, WE'LL BE WAITING UNTIL WE'RE NOTHING BUT A DRIED UP PILE OF BONES." A comedic image shows Sanji imagining himself as a skeleton.

Zeff stands up, slinging his massive sack over his shoulder. "THAT'S THE SITUATION WE'RE STUCK IN. SO LET'S JUST TRY TO GET ALONG UNTIL HELP COMES, ALRIGHT?" He walks away, adding, "YOU DAMN GEEZER... YOU SHOULD CONSIDER ME NICE FOR EVEN GIVING YOU FOOD IN THE FIRST PLACE. SO DON'T EXPECT ME TO BE ANY NICER THAN THAT." Zeff instructs Sanji, "YOU SIT ON THIS SIDE, AND I'LL SIT ON THAT OTHER SIDE OF THE ROCK. THIS WAY, WE'LL BE ABLE TO KEEP WATCH ON BOTH SIDES OF THE SEA. IF YOU SEE A SHIP, CALL AND LET ME KNOW RIGHT AWAY. UNTIL THEN, DON'T BOTHER CONTACTING ME. BEST NOT TO WASTE ANY ENERGY FOR UNNECESSARY THINGS. PRAY FOR GOOD LUCK." Sanji sits alone with his small bag of food, looking resentful.

Time begins to pass on the desolate rock. The sun sets, casting a warm glow over the ocean. Sanji sits alone, his stomach growling loudly. He reaches for his small bag of food but hesitates, remembering Zeff's words: "EATING NORMALLY, IT SHOULD LAST YOU 5 DAYS, BUT USE YOUR HEAD AND SAVE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN." Sanji pulls his hand back, deciding to endure the hunger, and curls up into a ball, hugging his knees as his stomach continues to rumble.

On the other side of the rock, Zeff sits alone. He looks out at the vast, empty ocean, his face etched with desperation and hunger. He mutters to himself, "SO THIS IS WHERE... EVEN MY RED-LEG WILL MEET ITS END..." He grits his teeth, sweat pouring down his face. In a shocking and brutal act, Zeff lifts a large, heavy rock and violently smashes it down onto his own right leg. The impact is accompanied by a loud "CRASH!!!" and Zeff screams in agony, "I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

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