Summary:
Sanji’s flashback: Sanji’s ship is attacked by Zeff and his crew. Suddenly a storm comes and Sanji goes overboard because of the massive wave. Against all odds, Zeff jumps into the sea to save him. A few days after a storm, they find themselves stranded at sea on a barren, inhospitable rock.
9 years ago, a cruise ship was attacked by pirates, fresh on its way to the Grand Line. They are fearsome chef pirates, captained by pirate chef Zeff. The two captains meet, and not a second has passed after the cruise ship captain inquired about their demands when Zeff orders his men to take everything of value. After looting, they bring their loot back aboard to transfer to their ship. Zeff notices something wrong with one of the sacks his subordinate has put down and orders him to stop. Knowing he’s been caught stealing food from a sack, the pirate starts to make excuses, but Zeff delivers a megaton punch and sends him overboard. Zeff reiterates that you should never touch someone else’s food. Meanwhile, Sanji does not accept this fate and decides to boldly attack the pirates with his chef’s knives. He is easily defeated but does not give up. The young boy does not want to die until he realizes his dream of finding All Blue. Zeff has a thoughtful look on his face when he hears this, as if considering Sanji, but all the other pirates burst into raucous laughter, declaring that there is no such place, not even on the Grand Line.
As the storm intensifies, Zeff orders his men to return to their ship. But Sanji is caught by a large wave and thrown overboard. Zeff immediately kicks the pole off and grabs him as he jumps in to save him against his better judgement. Unfortunately, an even bigger wave smashes both ships to pieces, and with the storm continuing, everything is in chaos.
After a few days, Sanji wakes up on a large rock, abandoned at sea. He sees that he only has Zeff as a companion and begins when he realizes the potential threat. However, after kicking, it’s clear that he’s in no condition to move that fast. Sanji asks about his ship and Zeff guesses that there are no survivors. The wreckage of his own ship around him suggests that no one probably made it. They have no choice but to wait for rescue, which they both know is unlikely given their precarious situation. He informs Sanji that the storm was two days ago and they were washed up on this barren rock, stranded without any resources. They still keep up their rival banter, but Zeff at least decides to give him some of the food they washed up with. Sanji complains about how much bigger Zeff’s portion is, but he just says he needs more because he’s bigger. Sanji is not at all happy about this, but Zeff is in full control of the situation and without this food, they face the dire possibility of having to resort to cannibalism. Zeff tells him to stay on one side of the island while he goes to the other so they have a better chance of spotting the ship.
Now Sanji alone is watching the sunset over the ocean. Very hungry, he turns to look at his food supply, but thinks about what Zeff said earlier: Normally, it would last five days, but as cooks, they should be able to last longer. He hangs his head, starving but determined to stick it out. On the other side, Zeff holds a boulder aloft and through a piece of wood clenched in his teeth, says determinedly that this is the end of Zeff “Red Leg”. He brings the rock down on the leg and cuts it off just below the right knee.