Zeff

Zeff is a thickset, heavily muscled man crowned with pale blonde hair, and his most striking feature is an unusual mustache whose two long strands trail past his face, each end fastened with a blue ribbon. In his pirate days he kept to simple clothes under the standard captain's cape.

Once he lost his right leg and opened the Baratie, he switched to the white dress of a chef, a double-breasted coat with an apron, a blue ascot, and a towering toque that rises nearly as high as he stands. A wooden peg replaces the missing leg, and he handles it with complete ease. As the years in his new trade passed, he worked braids into his mustache and grew a short goatee.

During his outlaw years Zeff was harsh and fearsome, ready to rob ordinary people and feared even by his own men, yet a cook's soul beat under the menace. He believed in the mythical All Blue and prized food so deeply that he would savagely forbid his crew from stealing any of it on raids. Stranded as a castaway, that conviction blossomed into staggering compassion, driving him to give up all his rations and his prized leg so the young Sanji could live.

In his so-called retirement he remains gruff, quick-tempered, and stern, disciplining staff and unruly customers alike, with Sanji catching the worst of it. The same mercy endures underneath, and he refuses to let even the cruelest man starve the way he once did. He claims to dislike children, though whether that is genuine or a story spun to push Sanji toward the sea is unclear, given the father-son bond between them. He also holds a firm code of chivalry toward women, insisting a man must shield them from harm, and because his discipline would violate that rule he has never taken on female staff.

In his prime Zeff was both a celebrated cook and a powerful captain who crossed the treacherous Grand Line, earning the epithet Red-Leg for the murderous kicks that left his shoes stained with the blood of those he beat. He never fights with his hands, instead crushing boulders and denting iron with his legs, and even now his peg can fell a grown man or stagger Luffy and snuff out burning projectiles with a single swing. He retains deep knowledge of the Grand Line, piracy, and Devil Fruits, and proved a gifted teacher by passing nearly all of his Black Leg Style on to Sanji.

Long ago Zeff led the Cook Pirates into the Grand Line chasing All Blue, found no trace of it, and returned to the East Blue. Soon after, his crew raided the cruise ship Orbit during a gathering storm, where he met a young kitchen boy named Sanji who fought back and shared his own dream of the legendary sea. When the storm swept the boy overboard, Zeff dove after him, and a rogue wave destroyed both ships. He saved Sanji and salvaged two bags, one of food and one of treasure, only for the pair to wash up on a barren rock island. Giving all the food to the boy while pretending the treasure bag held his own share, Zeff later severed his own right leg and ate it to survive. After roughly eighty-five days, a half-starved Sanji discovered the truth of the old pirate's sacrifice, and the two vowed that if rescued they would build a restaurant to feed any hungry sailor. Saved at last, Zeff spent his remaining loot to launch the Baratie and spent the next nine years teaching Sanji cookery, combat, and chivalry.

When Luffy arrived after damaging the Baratie, Zeff bound him to labor as a chore boy, then accepted his help against Don Krieg, who sought the restaurant and Zeff's old logbook. After Gin took Zeff hostage and Pearl nearly burned the place down, Sanji refused to stand by, revealing his past with the chef. Zeff watched Luffy triumph over Krieg, and afterward he pushed Sanji to leave and pursue their shared dream, weeping as the young cook finally set sail. In later years he celebrated Sanji's first bounty, read of the Straw Hats' return after the timeskip, and learned that the Big Mom Pirates and Vinsmoke Family had used his life as leverage to force Sanji into the Charlotte Pudding wedding. He continued to feed anyone who came hungry to his door, once cooking for the demanding Gally Pirates, and during the Egghead broadcast he listened alongside Patty to Vegapunk's worldwide message.