East Blue, the floating restaurant. Baratie.
"Zoro-aniki, Genrou-aniki, everyone—this is the restaurant we mentioned earlier!"
"Pretty cool, right?"
Yosaku leapt off the Going Merry and landed on the deck of the floating restaurant, Baratie, shouting excitedly back at Genrou and the others.
After finally shaking off Tsuru and Gion, the Going Merry had enjoyed a stretch of peaceful sailing and safely arrived at their destination.
"Whoa! That's a huge fish! Wait—is the restaurant on the fish?!"
Luffy's jaw dropped, and drool began to leak from the corner of his mouth.
"Luffy, that's not a fish you can eat."
"If you're hungry, go inside and eat there."
Genrou chuckled, patting Luffy on the back. As usual, he carried his suitcase full of Berries, treasure, and Devil Fruits, and jumped down onto the restaurant's deck, waving for Luffy, Nami, and the others to follow.
Nami glanced at the suitcase and sighed once more, muttering to herself that one day, she would steal Genrou's treasure.
Luffy and the others, too excited to wait, quickly jumped down and followed Genrou toward the restaurant entrance.
A sharply dressed waiter welcomed them politely and led the group to an empty table.
Genrou looked around curiously. He didn't see "Iron Fist" Fullbody or the infamous Gin, which made him wonder.
"Are we too early in the timeline…?"
He frowned in thought.
"Welcome, esteemed guests! What would you like to eat? We've got everything your stomach could desire—great food, fair prices, no tricks!"
A flattering voice snapped Genrou out of his thoughts.
He turned to see a burly man in a chef's outfit with a somewhat menacing face.
Genrou immediately recognized him as Patty—the greedy chef who was always bickering with Sanji.
"MEAT! I want MEAT!"
Luffy shouted, raising a hand without hesitation.
"I'll start with a few bottles of sake."
Zoro smiled casually.
"No problem at all, gentlemen. But if I may—do you actually have Berries?"
Patty rubbed his hands together, his eyes lingering on the suitcase beside Genrou.
"No worries. We've got plenty."
Genrou opened the suitcase, revealing neatly stacked Berries.
"Bring us your best dishes."
"Hm… prepare two tables' worth. Once we finish the first, bring out the second."
Patty's eyes sparkled. He only snapped out of it when Genrou closed the suitcase again.
"Yes sir! Right away!"
He ran back toward the kitchen, shouting orders loudly enough for the entire restaurant to hear.
"Hey! At least bring the drinks first!"
Zoro called out, but Patty was already gone.
Left with no choice, Zoro turned to a nearby man in a sharp black suit carrying juice to a neighboring table.
"Hey, waiter. Bring us five bottles of booze."
"I think you've misunderstood," the man replied coolly. "I'm not a waiter. I'm the sous-chef here."
"Also… you've only got a few people at your table. Are you sure you'll finish all that food?"
"The one thing I can't stand in this restaurant is waste."
This suited man was none other than Sanji.
"Don't worry. We've got two gluttons with us."
Nami suddenly spoke up.
Sanji turned toward the voice—and his demeanor instantly shifted. Hearts filled his eyes as he ran up to Nami, showering her with compliments on her beauty.
Even Nami was momentarily stunned by the over-the-top reaction.
Just as Sanji was about to confess his love, the previously ignored Zoro finally spoke up.
"Tch. So you're just a woman-chasing waiter."
"Hah?! Got something to say, seaweed-head?!"
"You damn kappa. You looking for a fight?!"
Genrou raised an eyebrow as Zoro and Sanji suddenly stood nose-to-nose, clearly ready to throw hands.
He couldn't help but marvel at the destiny that drew these two together.
Just as Genrou was about to intervene—
BAM!
Someone flew in with a powerful kick and sent Sanji tumbling.
It was none other than Zeff, the head chef and owner of Baratie, carrying a crate of booze.
"You old bastard! What the hell?!"
Sanji planted his feet, skidding to a stop, and glared at Zeff as he wiped his face.
"Idiot. Don't bicker with the customers."
Zeff snorted, then turned apologetically to Zoro.
"I'm Zeff, the head chef here."
"If that guy caused any trouble, I apologize."
"As a gesture of goodwill, this crate of sake is on the house."
He shoved the crate into Zoro's arms.
"Uh… thanks."
Zoro scratched his head, confused, and placed the drinks on the table.
"Why'd you give him the booze? Shouldn't you be offering drinks to that beautiful lady instead?!"
Sanji grumbled.
This wasn't like Zeff at all—he never gave stuff away for free.
But Zeff ignored him.
Instead, he gave cautious glances at Zoro, Nami, Luffy, and finally, at Genrou.
"Never thought I'd see such big names show up at my restaurant."
"Roronoa Zoro, bounty 20 million."
"Nami the Cat Burglar, bounty 25 million."
"And you—Monkey D. Luffy, 30 million."
Sanji's frown deepened as he realized Zeff was warning him—these weren't just ordinary guests.
"Pfft. Just 30 million—"
"—And you, sir," Zeff cut in, "the demon Genrou. Bounty: 800 million."
"…800?!"
Sanji froze, eyes fixed on Genrou.
He suddenly remembered the bounty poster the kitchen staff had gossiped about recently—an infamous pirate with an 800 million bounty and a terrifying crew.
"This guy's… him?!"
Sanji gulped as he looked at Genrou's gentle smile. It didn't match the monstrous villain on the poster at all.
"I have one question," Zeff said, gaze locked on Genrou. "Are you just here to eat?"
"No," Genrou replied, shaking his head.
Zeff immediately tensed, alert.
"We're looking for a cook to join our crew."
"Oh—and please stop mentioning our bounties out loud."
"We wouldn't want to spoil the other diners' appetite, now would we?"
Genrou smiled, glancing around at the startled customers nearby.
"Heh… looking for a cook, huh?"
"Now that's an interesting topic."
"Mind if I join you for this conversation?"
Zeff raised an eyebrow and shot a subtle glance toward Sanji.
What had started as a polite offer suddenly turned serious—especially when Nami spoke up.
"Sure! No problem at all!"
She giggled and tugged on Zeff's sleeve, motioning for him to sit down.
"But since you're the head chef, I assume you're paying for this meal too, right?"
"Can we put it all on your tab?"
Zeff blinked for a few seconds, then burst into laughter.
"What a fun little lady. Alright, let's do it."
"If you're looking for a top-tier cook, I might just have the perfect recommendation."
"Of course, that depends on whether he's willing to leave with you…"
(End of Chapter)
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