Sanji felt profoundly uncomfortable at the evening's banquet.
It wasn't just about sharing a table with his "father" and "brothers" whom he regarded as enemies. The worst part was Judge's occasional pretense of caring about him—a charade that made Sanji's skin crawl and killed his appetite entirely.
He had abandoned any pretense of eating, leaving the plate before him untouched. Resting his elbows on the table, Sanji kept his head turned away, refusing to witness Judge's performance of paternal concern. He'd planned to maintain this stubborn posture until the dinner concluded.
However, a sudden sound caught his attention—the silver bell-like laughter that reached his ears was unmistakable. It belonged to Reiju, the sister he cherished above all others.
Curiosity finally compelled him to turn his head toward the source of the laughter. Diagonally across from him, seated beside the position of honor, Luffy was engaged in animated conversation with Reiju. Whatever he'd said had amused her so thoroughly that her shoulders shook with unrestrained laughter.
By itself, this wouldn't have troubled Sanji. In his experience, Luffy did possess a certain talent for humor, so making Reiju laugh wasn't particularly surprising.
What happened next, however, was the true cause for alarm.
After her laughter subsided, Reiju leaned closer to Luffy, her cheeks slightly flushed. She whispered sothing into his ear with unmistakable familiarity. Luffy responded with a smile, then leaned in to whisper sothing back, causing Reiju to laugh again while playfully swatting at him in mock indignation.
This scene struck Sanji like lightning. His eyes widened to the point of nearly bulging from their sockets.
"When did these two...?!" His thoughts raced in confusion. "No, that can't be right. They only just t today! What happened? How did they beco so close so quickly?!"
As he watched them chatting and laughing together, an ominous feeling settled in Sanji's stomach. He knew Luffy all too well and had always been simultaneously envious and jealous of his popularity with won.
Sanji had no doubts about Luffy's charm and ability to attract female attention—how else could he have gathered dozens of beautiful won around him? But there was a world of difference between Luffy pursuing won in general and pursuing Sanji's sister specifically!
"That bastard is two years younger than !" Sanji fud internally. "Is he seriously trying to beco my brother-in-law?!"
The ntal image of a potential future wedding where he would have to address Luffy as "brother-in-law" made Sanji want to die on the spot.
In reality, Sanji had completely misinterpreted the situation. Luffy and Reiju were simply discussing the popular comic "Sora: Warrior of the Sea"—a topic that Reiju herself had initiated.
Luffy had rely recounted an incident from the ship, describing how Sanji's face had darkened when subordinates asked for his autograph, mistaking him for the comic hero. This anecdote had made Reiju laugh uncontrollably, her cheeks flushing adorably from amusent.
As for Reiju's playful swats, those ca after Luffy had made a sowhat irreverent comnt about the comic sharing its na with Reiju's deceased mother. Fortunately, she wasn't genuinely offended, though she admitted the na created a strange sensation when reading the comics—almost as if family mbers were fighting against each other.
The unmistakable camaraderie between them naturally attracted attention from others at the banquet. Most of Luffy's companions remained emotionally composed, considering such interactions unremarkable.
On the Germa side, beyond Judge who was already smiling in satisfaction, only the three Vinsmoke brothers remained as observers. Though they were cyborgs largely stripped of emotions, the sight of their sister laughing freely with a man she'd known less than a day elicited strangely instinctive reactions from them.
"That woman," Yonji questioned, "is that really Reiju? When did she start laughing so much?"
"Idiot," Niji replied smugly. "Don't you understand what's happening? Reiju is in love."
"What? Love? Who? Reiju?!" Yonji exclaid in disbelief. "Are you joking?"
"You truly are stupid if you can't see what's right in front of you," Niji taunted. "Ichiji, don't you agree?"
As the two brothers debated, they turned expectantly toward their eldest brother, the fla-haired Ichiji. However, he displayed little interest in the matter, offering only a aningless chuckle.
"It doesn't matter," Ichiji stated coldly. "It would be better if she left this family for that man. I've long grown tired of having an older sister always ordering around. After she departs, I'll be the one with the final say in this family, second only to Father."
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