Novel Chapter
Kai tied off their small boat at the docking platform, and together with Nami, they climbed aboard the Baratie.
"Wow." Nami spun in a slow circle, taking it all in. "I've sailed past this place a dozen times, but I've never actually been inside. It's gorgeous!"
A waiter appeared immediately, bowing politely. "Welcome, honored guests. Please, follow me."
The Baratie's reputation stretched all the way to the Grand Line—which meant anyone could walk through those doors. Pirates with hundred-million-berry bounties. Marine Admirals in disguise. Warlords looking for a decent meal.
The staff had learned long ago: treat every customer like they could kill you.
Because they probably could.
"Lead the way." Kai smiled pleasantly.
They followed the waiter inside, weaving through tables filled with well-dressed diners and the soft murmur of conversation. The interior was surprisingly elegant—polished wood, crystal chandeliers, white tablecloths.
Nami's eyes were everywhere, drinking it all in.
They'd barely sat down when a blonde figure materialized beside their table like a heat-seeking missile.
"Good evening, mademoiselle." The young man—curly eyebrow, sharp suit, absolutely radiating charm—set down an elaborate fruit platter in front of Nami with a flourish. "I'm Sanji, sous chef of this fine establishment. Please, accept this complimentary dessert as a token of our—"
His eyes went full-on heart-shaped.
"—overwhelming gratitude for gracing us with your radiant presence."
Nami blinked. "Oh. Um. Thank you?"
Sanji clasped his hands together like he was praying. "The pleasure is entirely mine, my goddess of—"
Kai cleared his throat.
Sanji didn't even glance his direction.
"—celestial beauty, whose smile could—"
"We'd also like to order food," Kai said flatly.
Still nothing. Sanji was fully locked onto Nami, pouring out compliments like his life depended on it.
Kai's eye twitched.
Seriously?
Then—
CRASH.
The sound of splintering wood echoed across the dining room.
Every head turned.
Across the restaurant, a man in a Marine coat stood over the wreckage of a table, steel-knuckled fist still raised. Food and broken dishes scattered across the floor in a spreading mess.
"What the hell kind of establishment is this!?" The Marine's face was twisted with exaggerated outrage. "There was a bug in my soup! A bug! I demand an explanation!"
Kai's eyes narrowed.
Fullbody.
Marine Headquarters Lieutenant. Mediocre fighter. Massive ego. And—if Kai remembered correctly—the kind of idiot who'd plant a bug in his own soup just to start a fight.
Sanji's flirtatious expression vanished.
He turned slowly, gaze locking onto the destroyed food on the floor.
"Excuse me." His voice was ice. "Did you just say there was a bug in your soup?"
"That's right!" Fullbody jabbed a finger at him. "Your kitchen is filthy! I want a refund, an apology, and—"
"So pick it out."
Fullbody stopped mid-rant. "...What?"
"The bug." Sanji's eyes were cold and flat. "Pick it out of the soup. Then eat the rest."
"Are you insane!? I'm not eating—"
"Why did you waste the food?"
The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.
Sanji walked forward slowly, each step deliberate. "If there was a problem, you tell the staff. We fix it. We bring you a new dish." His voice was getting colder with every word. "But you don't get to destroy food. Not here. Not ever."
Fullbody's face flushed red. "I'm a paying customer! You're just a damn cook! Know your place!"
"Money." Sanji stopped in front of him. "Can money fill an empty stomach when you're starving? Can you eat money when there's nothing left?"
The two men stared each other down.
The entire restaurant had gone silent.
"Fullbody, stop!" His date grabbed his arm desperately. "Just apologize and—"
"Sanji, don't!" One of the other cooks rushed forward. "He's not worth—"
CRACK.
Sanji's foot slammed into Fullbody's face with the force of a cannonball.
The Marine went flying backward, crashing into a support pillar hard enough to crack the wood. He slumped to the floor, blood streaming from his nose.
Sanji stood over him, expression carved from stone.
"On the ocean, picking a fight with a chef is suicide." His voice was quiet. Deadly. "Remember that. And remember this: Never. Waste. Food."
Fullbody spat blood, eyes blazing with humiliation and rage.
"You—you bastard!" He staggered to his feet, swaying. "I'm calling Marine Headquarters! I'm going to have this whole pirate-loving shithole burned to the ground! You hear me!? Burned!"
Something shifted in Sanji's eyes.
Something dangerous.
"You want to destroy this restaurant?" His voice was barely a whisper.
"Damn right I—"
Sanji's leg came up in a high arc, poised to come down like an executioner's axe.
Aimed directly at Fullbody's skull.
"SANJI, NO!"
An old man burst from the kitchen—tall, white chef's hat, braided mustache, wooden peg leg clicking against the floor.
Zeff.
His face was twisted in panic.
Shit. Shit, shit, SHIT—
If Sanji killed a Marine officer, Headquarters would send Captains. Maybe Commodores. They'd tear the Baratie apart looking for him.
And Zeff—crippled, past his prime—couldn't stop them.
Sanji's foot began its descent—
And stopped.
Frozen in midair, inches from Fullbody's head.
Sanji's eyes went wide. He pushed, muscles straining, but his leg wouldn't move. It was like the air itself had turned solid.
"That's enough."
The voice was calm. Almost bored.
Sanji's head snapped toward the source.
The dark-haired man from the table. The one he'd ignored.
Kai sat there, one hand raised casually, like he was gesturing to a waiter.
"Fullbody was in the wrong," Kai continued, tone conversational. "But he's still a Marine. If he needs to be punished..." His eyes flicked to the Lieutenant, cold and flat. "We'll handle it internally."
Fullbody's face had gone from red to white.
Because he'd just recognized that face.
Oh no.
Oh no, oh no, oh NO—
"Ad—"
"Lieutenant Fullbody." Kai's voice cut through the word like a knife. His smile didn't waver, but his eyes promised pain if Fullbody finished that sentence. "I believe we need to have a conversation about conduct unbecoming of a Marine officer."
Fullbody's mouth snapped shut.
Kai stood, brushing off his coat. "Let's see. Abusing your authority. Destroying property. Wasting food." He ticked off each point on his fingers. "Attempting to falsely accuse a civilian establishment. And—most impressively—doing all of this while representing the Marines in an official capacity."
Fullbody looked like he wanted to sink through the floor.
"Effective immediately, you're demoted to Seaman Third Class." Kai's tone was pleasant. His eyes were not. "Report to Headquarters for disciplinary processing. And Fullbody?"
"Y-yes, sir?"
"If I ever hear about you pulling something like this again..." Kai's smile widened. "I'll make you wish I'd let the chef finish what he started. Clear?"
"Crystal, sir!"
"Good. Get out."
Fullbody scrambled for the exit, his date hurrying after him.
The restaurant remained dead silent.
Kai turned back to Sanji, who was still frozen in place, staring at him with wide eyes.
"Sorry about that." Kai's expression shifted back to friendly in an instant. "Now then, sous chef—I believe my companion and I were about to order?"
Sanji blinked. Once. Twice.
His leg dropped slowly back to the floor.
"I... yes. Of course." He fumbled for his notepad, mind racing. "What can I get you?"
But even as he took their order, one thought kept circling through his head:
Who the hell IS this guy!?
Across the room, Zeff stood motionless, eyes locked on Kai.
He'd seen a lot in his years on the Grand Line.
Emperors. Warlords. Monsters in human skin.
And that man—sitting there calmly, ordering wine like he hadn't just stopped a full-force kick with a thought—
Zeff's instincts were screaming.
Whoever he is... he's not someone you cross.
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