The shadow on the horizon grew larger with every passing minute.
At first it looked like a mirage — a warped silhouette hovering where sea met sky — but as the Going Merry drew closer, details emerged. Wooden stilts rose from the ocean like the legs of some enormous sea beast, platforms layered atop one another, banners snapping in the wind.
A floating restaurant.
Baratie.
Luffy leaned forward at the bow, elbows resting casually on the railing, straw hat casting a shadow over his eyes. The smell reached him before the structure fully came into view — salt, oil, grilled meat, baked bread.
His stomach growled loudly.
"That's it," Johnny said, gripping the railing beside Usopp. "Baratie. Best food in the East Blue… if you can afford it."
Nami narrowed her eyes. "Floating restaurants don't stay afloat without protection."
Zoro said nothing, but his gaze sharpened. There was something about the air here. A pressure. Subtle, but unmistakable.
Luffy felt it too.
Not danger.
Presence.
When the Merry crossed the invisible boundary into Baratie's waters, sound greeted them next — trumpets blaring, bells ringing sharply, echoing across the sea.
The sudden noise snapped Usopp upright. "W-Why does a restaurant have battle alarms?!"
Before anyone could answer, a Marine ship slid into view from the starboard side.
Too close.
Too quiet.
Too deliberate.
The vessel bore the unmistakable markings of Marine Headquarters. Its hull was clean, disciplined. Its cannons were already angled.
Luffy straightened.
Zoro stepped beside him.
On the Marine deck, a tall man with pink hair strode forward, boots heavy against polished wood. He wore his uniform like a badge of worship, chest puffed, chin raised.
"Ironfist Fullbody," he announced loudly, as if expecting applause. "Lieutenant of Marine Headquarters. You may address me as Master."
Luffy blinked once.
"…No."
A ripple of murmurs passed through the Marine ranks.
Fullbody's smile twitched.
"I don't recognize that flag," Fullbody continued, eyes flicking to the hannya jolly roger. "Which pirate crew do you belong to?"
Luffy rested one foot on the railing. "Mine."
That earned laughter.
"Young pirate," Fullbody said condescendingly, "you should consider yourself lucky. Had you flown a known flag, I might've sunk you already."
Johnny stiffened behind Luffy.
Usopp swallowed hard.
Nami watched silently.
"Why don't I recognize your insignia?" Fullbody pressed.
Luffy tilted his head. "Because I painted it yesterday."
The Marine lieutenant laughed openly now.
Then his gaze shifted.
Johnny and Yosaku.
Bounty hunters.
Fullbody's smile sharpened into something ugly. "Chasing small bounties, are we? Hiding behind pirates now?"
Johnny snapped.
He hurled a stack of wanted posters into the air.
Paper fluttered like snow.
"LOOK AT THEM!" he shouted. "DO THESE LOOK SMALL TO YOU?!"
Fullbody didn't even glance back.
"They're an eyesore," he said dismissively. "Sink them."
Cannons turned.
Usopp screamed.
"Relax," Luffy said quietly.
The cannon fired.
The cannonball screamed through the air—
—and stopped.
Luffy caught it with one hand.
The impact drove his feet half an inch into the deck, wood creaking beneath him. Electricity crawled across his arm, crackling softly, angrily.
Marine jaws dropped.
"…That's not good," Luffy murmured.
He hurled the cannonball back.
Lightning wrapped around it mid-flight.
The Marine ship's mast exploded in a flash of blue-white light. Wood shattered. Men screamed. The deck buckled.
Chaos.
Fullbody was already retreating into a skiff, dragged by a woman in a red dress, screaming orders over his shoulder.
Luffy watched the burning ship for a moment.
"They're lucky," he said flatly. "I didn't feel like aiming."
Johnny and Yosaku stared at him like he'd just rewritten reality.
Without another word, Luffy raised his hand.
Thunderclouds formed.
A small craft descended, humming softly with contained power.
"To the restaurant," Luffy said.
---
Baratie loomed massive up close.
Wooden walkways connected platforms at strange angles. Windows glowed warmly. Flags fluttered proudly. Despite its elegance, the structure radiated readiness — reinforced rails, wide decks, hidden vantage points.
As Luffy pushed open the massive doors, conversation died instantly.
Every head turned.
Pirates.
Marines.
Civilians.
All of them felt it.
Luffy stepped inside first.
The air smelled rich — butter, wine, spice. Plates clattered. Chefs moved with military precision.
Several women paused mid-step, eyes lingering just a moment too long on the straw-hatted pirate with the coat and the calm gaze.
A broad man with thick arms approached, smile sharp and practiced.
"Welcome to Baratie," Patty said. "How will you be paying?"
"With money," Luffy replied.
Patty's smile became real.
Menus appeared.
Food arrived.
For a moment — just a moment — the world slowed.
Luffy ate.
Then the doors slammed open.
Ironfist Fullbody stormed in, face flushed, uniform rumpled, ego bleeding from every pore.
He marched straight to Luffy's table.
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"
Luffy kept chewing.
"You nearly killed my men!"
"Shouldn't have attacked me," Luffy replied calmly.
Fullbody slammed his fist on the table.
Plates rattled.
Before Luffy could react—
A foot connected with Fullbody's face.
The Marine lieutenant flew across the restaurant, crashing into tables.
Sanji stood where he landed, leg extended, cigarette burning.
"This is a restaurant," Sanji said coldly. "You don't touch the food."
Luffy watched him.
Eyes narrowed.
Interest sparked.
"I think," Luffy said quietly to Zoro, "I found our chef."
Zoro scowled. "He's annoying."
"You'll get along," Luffy replied with certainty.
Before anything else could escalate—
A gunshot rang out.
A Marine collapsed dead near the door.
A starving man in a gray tracksuit stepped inside, eyes hollow, gun shaking.
"I don't care what it is," he rasped. "Bring me food."
Patty knocked him unconscious.
Dragged him out.
But Luffy noticed something else.
Sanji was gone.
Luffy followed.
Outside, the pirate lay trembling.
Sanji set a plate down in front of him.
"Eat."
The man cried.
Refused.
Sanji didn't argue.
Luffy watched silently.
This wasn't kindness.
This was law.
"People who waste food," Sanji said quietly, "don't deserve to live at sea."
The pirate ate.
Luffy smiled faintly.
The world didn't need another fighter.
It needed someone who understood hunger.