"#￥%...&"
"I told you, don't talk while you're eating..."
Watching Luffy, who had already stuffed himself into a round ball, continue shoving food into his mouth while mumbling something, Nami pressed her palm to her forehead in exasperation.
Beside her, Usopp and Zoro remained equally silent.
There was no helping it, after all, every customer in the restaurant had gathered around to watch Luffy's eating spectacle.
They had never heard of someone eating like this.
"...I... burp... I'll definitely beat that uncle!"
After finally managing to swallow the food in his mouth, Luffy blurted out the words he hadn't been able to articulate earlier.
Hearing this, the other three couldn't help but glance at the neighboring table where Naruto sat… along with the even more absurd mountain of empty plates piled in front of him.
Because he ate so fast, the next dish was already served before the tableware was cleared away.
Luffy was lucky to have come at the right time. If it were the usual Baratie, there's no way he would be able to get such a massive feast.
As Usopp and the others observed the blond-haired Naruto calmly enjoying his meal, different thoughts ran through their minds.
'This guy... feels really strong.' Zoro's gaze lingered on the sword at Naruto's waist. His instincts told him that this might be the most formidable opponent he'd faced since setting out to sea.
Usopp's thoughts were much simpler.
'There's actually someone who can out-eat Luffy!? This guy's a monster.'
Nami was different from the other two. She scrutinized Naruto's appearance more carefully.
'Hmm... He looks like he's in his early twenties at most. At the very least, his face seems younger than that green-haired guy next to me.'
Zoro, who was innocently dragged into her mental commentary, naturally had no idea what this girl was thinking.
If he could hear her thought, he would definitely complain loudly-
"I'm only nineteen!"
Looking at it this way, Zoro really did age prematurely.
To everyone else, Naruto still seemed like a young man, but for some reason, Luffy insisted on calling the blond, fox-faced guy in front of him 'uncle'.
Maybe this was the intuition of an idiot?
"Here, drink this. If you can't eat anymore, just stop."
At this time, Sanji walked over and placed a small bowl of soup in front of Luffy.
That was the digestive soup he specially prepared.
"Whoa! You're a really nice guy, cook."
Luffy, who is always quick to respond to kindness, grinned brightly.
After he drank the bowl of soup in a few gulps, under the stunned gazes of the onlookers, his bloated belly rapidly shrank, returning to its original size in mere seconds.
'That's way too exaggerated-'
Everyone who witnessed this scene couldn't help but complained in their hearts. Even Sanji, the one who had prepared the soup, began doubting whether his cooking skills had somehow reached godly levels.
"Delicious! Curly-brows, your cooking is amazing!"
After recovering, Luffy laughed and slapped Sanji on the shoulder. Even after the other party avoided him with a look of disgust, Luffy's grin didn't waver in the slightest.
Then, he turned to look at Naruto again.
He saw Naruto had finished another dish calmly and was dabbing his mouth with a napkin.
'I lost...'
In the brief time it took Luffy to digest, the fox-faced uncle had already polished off an entire mountain of food.
But Luffy wasn't the type to stay down for long. With his usual boisterous energy, he bounded over to Naruto's side, then looked up and down at the other person whose figure had not changed at all with wide eyes.
He couldn't fathom where all that food had gone.
"Uncle, you're seriously amazing."
Facing the grinning Luffy, Naruto couldn't help but smile back.
'He really is alike.'
"You're an interesting kid. What's your name?"
Naruto stood up slowly and asked Luffy softly.
"My name is Luffy, Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm the man who's going to be the Pirate King!"
"Pirate King, huh…"
After hearing this, the smile on Naruto's face suddenly faded, and his deep blue eyes stared quietly at the grinning boy in front of him.
"Kid, let me ask you… where did you get that straw hat?"
At this point, the surrounding crowd seemed to sense a shift in the atmosphere, and the previously lively chatter quickly died down.
Nami and Usopp gulped nervously. These two members of the cowardly trio seemed to have triggered their passive abilities and vaguely sensed something bad was going on.
'Wait, wasn't everything fine just a second ago? Why does it feel like things are about to explode?'
Zoro, on the other hand, smirked like a predator sensing prey, and his hand unconsciously rested on the hilt of his sword.
Even Zhepu from the kitchen poked his head out, silently observing the situation unfolding in the dining hall.
"My hat?"
Luffy, the one at the center of it all, remained oblivious to the tension. He was just stunned by the question, but still answered Naruto truthfully.
"This was given to me by Shanks! I promised him I'd return it once I become the Pirate King."
"I see…"
Naruto nodded slightly, his expression unreadable.
"Well, we've eaten enough. Let's go get some exercise."
"?"
Luffy tilted his head, not understanding the sudden suggestion.
But before he could react, he felt an immense force clamp down on his head, and in the next instant, the world around him blurred.
Before anyone could even process what had happened, Naruto had already dragged Luffy outside onto the deck by his skull.
Zoro was the first to react. He drew his sword and was about to rush over to help.
Although Usopp felt his legs trembling a little, but for the sake of his companion, he gritted his teeth and followed.
Even Sanji, who is completely unrelated, sprinted after them without hesitation.
Only Nami remained inside, her eyes flickering uncertainly toward where Luffy had disappeared.
…
On the deck, Naruto released his grip, letting Luffy drop to the ground as he coughed, clearing his throat after the abrupt movement.
"Hey! Uncle, what the hell was that for?!"
Once he recovered, Luffy immediately pointed an accusing finger at Naruto, shouting in protest.
'He seemed like a pretty cool guy earlier… why'd he suddenly start a fight out of nowhere?'
At this moment, Naruto's demeanor had completely changed. His face became extremely cold and he looked down at Luffy like he was observing an insignificant insect.
"Kid… do you have the resolve to wear that hat?"
"Huh?"
Luffy reflexively opened his mouth to retort, but his words abruptly cut off.
Because he could feel an invisible pressure suddenly emanating from the fox-faced uncle before him, making his expression involuntarily darken.
He felt as if he were a tiny insect trapped in tree resin, struggling to even move a finger.
Luffy's legs also began trembling uncontrollably.
As his gaze withdrew from the other man's legs, Naruto made no effort to conceal the disdain in his eyes, speaking to Luffy in an utterly arrogant tone.
"Come, let me see if you have what it takes."
He stretched out his hand and lightly beckoned toward Luffy.
"If you lack the resolve to be king, then this hat should return to where it truly belongs."
"Who the hell are you?! What do you want with my precious hat?"
The moment he heard Naruto mention taking his hat, Luffy immediately flared up in anger, his fury instantly shattering the oppressive pressure Naruto had imposed on him just moments ago.
'This fox-faced uncle suddenly became incredibly annoying.'
"My name isn't something you need to know yet. Enough talk… make your move first."
"After all, if I strike first, you won't get a chance at all."
Feeling that undisguised contempt, Luffy instantly lost his temper.
He slammed both fists against his knees, forcibly suppressing the instinctive trembling.
Then, with a powerful push from his feet, he charged straight at Naruto.
"Gomu Gomu no… Pistol!"
His body shot forward, but his hand remained in place, his arm stretching like rubber to an incredible length.
Then, as the elasticity snapped back, combined with his own strength, his fist shot toward Naruto's face like a bullet.
Bang!
The punch landed squarely on Naruto's face, but the next moment, it was Luffy who clutched his hand and cried out in pain.
"Ow! That hurts!"
"It feels just like Grandpa's punches!"
Luffy was in so much pain he started rambling.
Here, he was referring to the same kind of pain he felt when Garp hit him with his [Fist of Love].
"Hurt? What's Luffy talking about? Isn't he made of rubber?"
Usopp's head peeked out from the restaurant door, staring in shock at Luffy, who was clutching his right hand and howling.
"Go all out, kid. You've got one more chance."
Naruto slowly raised a single finger.