The Baratie.
The usually arrogant chefs of the Baratie were no longer as domineering as before, instead trembling as they prepared delicacies for the new diners in the restaurant.
Zeff did not join in but sat upright opposite Garp, calmly watching the various dishes being served one after another.
However, he soon grew restless.
Every time a plate was brought out, a pair of hands would snatch it away like lightning.
Then, before his widening eyes, the food on the plate would be devoured in one gulp.
On two occasions, even the plate itself was shoved into the mouth, as if the person were a starving ghost who hadn't eaten in thirty days.
"Meat, meat, meat!"
The one relentlessly clearing the plates was none other than Luffy, the ultimate glutton.
With his cheeks stuffed full, he casually tossed the empty plates onto the table and mumbled indistinctly.
"I want meat!"
Watching Luffy's whirlwind eating style, even with Garp sitting nearby, Zeff couldn't help but furrow his brows.
Not only Zeff, but Sanji, who had been standing anxiously beside him, also wished he could grab Luffy and throw him out of the restaurant.
The most exasperated were the two chefs constantly serving the dishes—Patty and Carne, the "Extreme Duo" of the Baratie.
Aside from the Baratie chefs, Nami, Zoro, and Ace, who had come to the restaurant with Garp, also widened their eyes in disbelief.
From the moment the dishes started arriving until now, they hadn't even gotten a clear look at what delicacies were on the plates before Luffy devoured everything.
What men can tolerate, women cannot!
Just as Patty brought out another plate of food and Luffy snatched it away, Nami abruptly stood up, grabbed Luffy's cheeks, and violently stretched his face like rubber.
She scolded him with wide eyes, "Put it down! You are not allowed to touch this plate!"
"!!!"
Before Luffy could react, Patty and Sanji, seeing Luffy's face stretched out long, were caught off guard and widened their eyes in unison, exclaiming.
"His... his face is stretched out?"
"A Devil Fruit user?"
Zeff hadn't expected this clueless glutton Luffy to be a Devil Fruit user.
His pupils contracted slightly.
"Nami, what are you doing? Don't interrupt my meat-eating!"
With half his face stretched out, Luffy seemed to feel no pain.
Blinking his eyes, he pitifully repeated, "Meat, meat, meat."
Nami wasn't about to indulge him.
She snatched the plate and placed it in front of herself.
Just then, Carne also approached with two plates of food.
Before Carne could set the plates down, Ace and Zoro reacted with lightning speed.
They each grabbed a plate of food and retreated from the table in a flash, leaving Usopp to silently weep as he stared at the pile of empty plates on the table.
"Ahahaha, youth is wonderful."
Watching the youngsters squabble around him, Garp laughed heartily, his face full of pride.
Although these kids are still young now, he could already see their bright futures.
After all, they were all personally selected by Orion himself.
With Orion—the leader who had infused the Marine with its soul—personally guiding them, he believed it wouldn't be long before these kids became the most dazzling new stars of the Marine Headquarters.
However, he was curious about how Orion would teach these kids.
Nami and Nojiko weren't much of a problem.
Due to everything that happened in Cocoyashi Village, Orion personally arriving to execute the Arlong Pirates, and even posthumously honoring Bell-mère as a Marine hero, the two sisters didn't reject the idea of joining the Marine.
Nami, in particular, yearned for it, hoping to see the young Fleet Admiral who had saved them from their suffering once again.
Zoro and Usopp remained to be observed.
His biggest concerns were Luffy and Ace.
Although he had always hoped Luffy would become a Marine soldier, the outcome definitely wouldn't go as he wished.
Because Shanks had planted a seed named "pirate" in Luffy's heart, and it had long since taken root and sprouted.
Ace was even more special.
As the son of the Pirate King Roger, he had been a problem child ever since he started living with the Dadan Family, with such extreme ideologies that even he felt powerless.
Even though Makino had patiently taught him some basic manners, he wasn't sure if Orion could correct his extreme way of thinking and mold him into a new generation that would shoulder the Marine's future.
"Vice Admiral Garp, if I may ask!"
Suddenly, Zeff, who had been silent all along, glanced at the anxious Sanji standing beside him and spoke up.
"Why does the Fleet Admiral want to take Sanji away? Is it because he's the third son of the Vinsmoke Family? Or is there some other reason?"
"To be honest, I don't know the reason either!"
Garp waved his hand and grinned.
"After all, this is Fleet Admiral Orion's order. I'm just following commands. See these kids with me? They were all personally requested by Fleet Admiral Orion! So instead of wasting time asking questions here, you should hurry up and help Sanji pack his luggage and say your goodbyes! Because it'll be a long time before you can see each other again!"
"Personally requested by Fleet Admiral Orion?"
Zeff's pupils slightly contracted as he recalled the scene when Orion passed by the Baratie during his inspection of the East Blue.
At that time, Orion had merely glanced sideways from his warship.
Even from a distance, the pressure from the Marine's highest authority still left him somewhat unnerved to this day.
He had initially thought Orion had recognized his identity, but now it seemed Orion hadn't been looking at him—he must have noticed Sanji standing beside him at the time.
If that were truly the case, it meant Orion's East Blue inspection wasn't solely for purging pirates; he might have already known about Sanji's identity and had even conducted detailed investigations on these kids who came to the restaurant with Garp.
Going through such great lengths clearly wasn't to trouble these kids, including Sanji.
Instead, the youngest Fleet Admiral in Marine history must have discovered their extraordinary potential through his investigations and was taking preemptive measures to bring them all to Headquarters for training.
At this thought, Zeff secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then turned his head to look at Sanji and spoke in a fatherly tone.
"Sanji, it seems you have no choice but to go to Marine Headquarters this time. Although even Vice Admiral Garp doesn't know why the Fleet Admiral specifically requested to take you away, I believe he means you no harm. Go on, pack your bags and report to Marine Headquarters with Vice Admiral Garp!"
Sanji didn't say a word, silently turning around and walking out.
Though he was two years older than Luffy, he was still just a fourteen-year-old boy.
Suddenly facing a crossroads in his life, it was natural for him to feel at a loss.
After taking only a few steps, Sanji suddenly turned back to face Garp as if having made some major decision, his expression serious.
"I have one question. Now that you know my identity, will you notify the Vinsmoke family after we reach Marine Headquarters?"
Garp blinked, looking confused.
"As the third son of the Vinsmoke family, having drifted to the East Blue, shouldn't you be happy to have the chance to return? But from your tone, it seems... you're quite averse to the Vinsmoke family?"
Before Sanji could respond, Garp suddenly changed the subject and laughed.
"Don't worry, kid. Though I don't know what exactly you've been through, as long as you carry Fleet Admiral Orion's name and shoulder the future of the Marines, no one in this world can control you. Not to mention the Vinsmoke family, even those Celestial Dragons in the Holy Land can't!"
"Really?"
Sanji's eyes lit up, then he asked, "After I leave, will you cause trouble for old man Zeff?"
Garp smiled at Sanji, "That depends on your performance!"
"Alright!"
"I'll go with you!"