Sanji turned to face the newcomers as Luffy approached him. For some reason, Sanji suddenly felt as though his long-kept secret had been exposed.

"Luffy, are you..."

Before he could finish, Luffy nodded in confirmation.

"I've known for a long time. Don't forget that you joined the Marines. You must be aware of how thorough the Marines' intelligence system is. Not to mention your features are rather... distinctive."

Sanji subconsciously raised his hand to touch his curly eyebrow. Indeed, he had overlooked this obvious detail.

The main reason was that he had lived too comfortably in recent years, selectively forgetting his childhood. If he hadn't accompanied Luffy to North Blue, those memories might have gradually faded as time passed.

Seeing Sanji fall silent after Luffy's remarks, Usopp's curiosity only intensified.

"What are you two talking about? Can't you just explain what's going on?"

Luffy glanced at Sanji upon hearing this. Seeing that the cook had no intention of either explaining or stopping him, Luffy decided to speak on his behalf.

"It's nothing complicated. The country we're about to visit—the Germa Kingdom—is Sanji's homeland. The ruler of this nation, Vinsmoke Judge, is Sanji's father."

"....WHAT?!!!"

At this revelation, not only did Usopp react with shock, but Ain and Nami—who were learning this information for the first time—along with the eavesdropping Marines, all exclaimed in surprise.

Vivi also cast a curious, questioning look at Sanji. She was puzzled why someone who was a prince would join the Marines and become Luffy's subordinate.

Zoro maintained his frown as he studied Sanji, sensing that the situation was more complex than it appeared.

Sure enough, before the collective surprise had subsided, Sanji vehemently retorted:

"That man is NOT my father. There is no relationship between us anymore!"

Sanji clenched his fists, trembling with anger.

"That man doesn't deserve to be called a father. In his eyes, I was just a disgrace to the Vinsmoke family. And to me—I'm not a prince. I'm just an ordinary chef, nothing more."

After this outburst, Sanji lowered his head again and lit another cigarette, no longer willing to elaborate further on the subject.

Although no one understood why he harbored such hostility toward his family and father, they recognized this wasn't the time to press for details.

Seeing Sanji's distress, Luffy refrained from further comment. He simply placed a supportive hand on Sanji's shoulder and added gently:

"Besides being a chef, you're also an excellent soldier under my command and a qualified officer in the Marines."

With that, Luffy had no intention of pushing the matter further and simply walked toward the hatch.

Usopp stammered a few times, but lacking insight into Sanji's family situation, he didn't know how to offer comfort.

Zoro was even more direct—after determining these were merely personal matters, he simply closed his eyes and resumed his meditation.

For a moment, silence enveloped Sanji. This brief respite gave him space to calm his thoughts and regain his composure.

Just then, from the corner of his eye, Sanji noticed a hand extending toward him, holding what appeared to be an old comic book.

Looking at the title, Sanji read it aloud instinctively:

"Sora, Warrior of the Sea?"

Bill—the owner of the comic, Sanji's deputy since joining the Marines, and the assistant chef of the G66 branch—grinned and nodded with excitement.

"Yes, Captain! I never imagined we'd be from the same homeland. For a fan like me, would you mind giving me your autograph?"

A massive question mark appeared above Sanji's head. Having left North Blue at a very young age, he had never read this apparently famous comic book despite being a native of the region.

Faced with Bill's unexpected request, Sanji appeared utterly confused.

Instinctively, he opened the comic and flipped through a few pages. As he did so, his expression predictably darkened.

Meanwhile, the clueless Bill continued grinning broadly.

"Hehehe, I never would have guessed that you, Captain, are actually a member of the evil Germa 66! Even though I've been a devoted fan of Sora since childhood, getting the signature of a genuine Germa 66 warrior is quite an honor. I'm just curious—are you Sparking Red or Electric Blue? You definitely can't be Poison Pink, hahaha~"

Sanji: ...