Sanji glowered at the pirate, the heavy hand of Zeff on his shoulder preventing him from doing more than that. He resented the idea he would, he wasn't stupid. He knew who Akagami Shanks was. Didn't mean the Yonko had any right setting foot here, demanding food for his stores.
Asshole.
"You're just a mini Zeff, aren't you?" Shanks grinned at him, and Sanji realized he had spoken it out loud.
Zeff cuffed him on the back of the head. "Ignore the beansprout."
Sanji continued to glower to cover his pout but kept his silence. He knew very well that Zeff was trying to draw attention away from him while still giving him the opportunity to learn how to negotiate these deals. Shanks was dangerous, and drawing that kind of attention could get him killed right in front of Zeff. So he reined in his temper and listened.
"Akagami you know I don't allow the Baratie to be used like some sort of depot for sailors to just pick up supplies. To even suggest we give you our stores..." Zeff rumbled, his tone bordering on disrespectful.
"And I understand that, I really do, Zeff." Akagami replied, face serious, "But I have something of an emergency and I really need as much fresh meat as you can spare."
"No."
Akagami's second shifted. "I'm afraid we are going to have to insist."
"Are you trying to intimidate me, boy?" Zeff crossed his arms and let out a snort that Sanji echoed. "We use only the freshest ingredients here at the Baratie kitchens and I'll be damned if I just give the meat meant for our customers."
"We'd pay you triple market value." The dark haired man replied calmly.
"You can't put a price on standards." Zeff shot back. "We are happy to serve you and your crew cooked food here at the Baratie, but you'll be getting none of my raw stores, Akagami, and that's final."
The Yonko lowered his head, hat shading his eyes as waves of oppressive anger rolled off him. "Fine." He spat out, turning away to Sanji's surprise. He had expected a fight with that kind of rage. When the man reached the door however he paused. "Just know you just condemned three brats under my watch to starve, Bloody Leg Zeff."
Sanji stiffened at those words, his insides going ice cold even as Zeff laughed. "Way to be melodramatic, Akagami Shanks." He looked down at Sanji as he spoke, "You ask for fresh meat and claim your boys will starve without. What if your dry stores? Or are the cooks of a Yonko so poor?"
The teen relaxed, Zeff was right of course. No ship would be foolish enough to just travel with fresh goods. Any chef worth their salt could keep a crew alive and fed till the next port of call. It was just a scare tactic, preying on the common knowledge of Zeff's past. It was a dirty trick to pull, but of course Zeff saw through it.
Shanks didn't even bother acknowledging being caught in the lie, the coward. He just left. His first mate however offered them a cold stare. "Follow if you don't believe us. Captain's likely gone to feed the little monsters."
It had to be a trick, a gimmick of some sort. Still, Sanji found his eyes sliding over to Zeff for permission. Which was granted with a roll of the eyes and a huff as the man stomped after the pirates, peg leg clacking noticeably on the wooden floor. Sanji followed at a more sedate pace, waving off the other cooks' concerned looks.
"This is a waste of time." Zeff grumbled as the three of them crossed over onto the pirate's flagship.
"We didn't notice the problem right away." The man leading them spoke, ignoring Zeff with practiced indifference. "The three of them don't seem overly opposed to meat if it's partiality cooked, which in retrospect made us optimistic I suppose. We had been feeding them pretty steadily from the fresh stores twice a day and once from the dried thinking they'd been eating, but they must have been using it to bait the rats on the ship." The man came to a stop near the mast, holding an arm out to prevent them from going further. Towards the figurehead Akagami crouched low with a bucket at his feet. "On the plus side, I can say it's the first time since it was commissioned that the Red Force has been vermin free."
Three forms separated from the shadow of the figurehead. Crouched low they slunk up to Akagami who visibly forced himself to relax as he muttered to them. It was obvious how thin they were; ribs showing in painful contrast. Sanji made a sound of protest in his throat and went to go to them, the need to feed them nearly overwhelming. Only the arm of the pirate in front of him stopped him.
"What's the meaning of this?" Zeff snarled. "You're starving those brats!"
"Keep it down or you are going to spook them." Akagami's voice floated back to them.
His first mate spoke softly, "They're actually looking better than they did when Shanks brought them on board." Sanji found that hard to believe, but any rebuttle left his thoughts as he watched the captain toss a piece of raw meat into the air. All three thin bodies jumped for it, teeth snapping at it and at each other, hands clawing at chests until the blond one caught the meat. Then the other two gave a short chase, hunched on all fours like animals before focusing back on the pirate with frightening intensity.
"Wh-what's wrong with them?" He gasped out, horrified.
"Physically? Nothing."
Zeff swore, and Sanji wished someone would explain it to him. "They won't eat dried meat?"
"Won't touch dried, salted, or heavily spiced meats. Hunters must have used that to bait poison traps. So, fresh or nothing."
"Greens?"
"We're working on a mash in sausage skin that they seem to like. Smells to high heaven."
Zeff sighed explosively. "Send your chef to the kitchens. I'll have the beanstalk show him some tricks. You and I will go to the store rooms and see what I can spare. It might not be much," Zeff warned, "with some help from Sanji's frugal mind and a bit of creativity you should be able to make it through the Calm Belt easily though."
"I appreciate it." The first mate inclined his head. "Captain does too. We'll pay you for your time." He told Sanji.
"That's not a problem. If the shitty old geezer wants me to show your chef some tricks it's no big deal." Sanji hedged. He had a feeling that he was missing a lot of what wasn't being said but even if Zeff had ordered them away, he'd have snuck them food. Those brats looked like they needed it. His mind furiously catalogued every trick he knew for mixing in fruits and vegetables with meats.
Turning to smile at him the first mate of the redhair pirates didn't look as intimidating anymore. "Sanji, right? I insist. Those brats might be little monsters most of the time, but they're nakama and you're helping them."
When he put it that way… "My services don't come cheap."
"I wouldn't expect them to. Not of someone Bloody Leg Zeff speaks highly about."