**Chapter 16: A Culinary Quest and a Grand Line Appetizer**
The deck of the *Going Merry* was alive with laughter and the smell of roasting meat. To celebrate Usopp's official induction into the Straw Hat Adventure Group, a party was, of course, mandatory. It was a tradition as sacred as any law of the sea.
"Meat!" Luffy cheered, his cheeks already stuffed to bursting as he devoured a leg of roast beast. Zoro clinked a large tankard of ale with Usopp, who was proudly recounting his battle with Kuro for the third time, each detail growing slightly more epic. Nami sipped fruit juice, a contented smile on her face as she watched her crewmates—her *friends*—celebrate.
"Even with all the trouble," Usopp said, raising his drink, "I'm so happy to be sailing with you all!"
"You've only just started," Zoro grunted, a rare, relaxed smirk on his face. "Nami's still a rookie, too. We'll have plenty of adventures. Just watch each other's backs."
As the feast began to wind down, Luffy swallowed a massive mouthful and addressed a practical concern. "Speaking of watching backs… the food's been great, but we've just been taking turns cooking. The supplies we got in Syrup Village are good, but the *Merry's* galley still doesn't have a real chef. We can't keep rotating forever; it's inefficient. And a balanced diet is important for strength." He looked around at his crew. "Any ideas?"
Usopp and Zoro just shrugged. "A chef?" they said in unison, the concept seemingly not having crossed their minds until that very moment.
Nami, ever the pragmatist, tapped her chin. "Finding a truly excellent chef here in the East Blue, the 'Weakest Sea,' will be tough. But if there's one place that might have one… it has to be the Baratie. The floating restaurant."
Zoro's interest was piqued. "A restaurant? You making the call, Captain?"
"The Baratie is famous," Nami confirmed. "They say it has the best seafood in the East Blue. Their seafood fried rice is supposed to be legendary. We could go for a proper meal and… assess the talent."
Luffy's eyes lit up like signal flares. "FOOD! A legendary restaurant! That settles it! Helm, hard to starboard! Straw Hat Adventure Group, set a course for the Baratie!" He pointed dramatically toward the horizon, a piece of meat still clutched in his other hand.
The *Going Merry* cut through the waves, her new flag—the cheerful Jolly Smiler—snapping in the wind. They hadn't sailed long when a pitiful sight drew alongside them: a tiny, dilapidated rowboat with two emaciated figures slumped inside, looking more dead than alive.
"Who's that?" Zoro's hand went to Wado Ichimonji's hilt, his Observation Haki flaring out instinctively. After a moment, he relaxed slightly. "No malice. Just… desperation. What's the order, Captain?"
Luffy observed the two men. He recognized them, a flicker of amusement crossing his mind. *Johnny and Yosaku. Even with the world changed, some threads of fate are stubborn.* Despite Zoro never becoming a bounty hunter and meeting them, the sea had thrown them together anyway.
"Pull them aboard," Luffy ordered. "They're suffering from severe malnutrition and exhaustion. Probably been adrift for weeks."
The crew quickly hauled the two men onto the deck. They were skin and bones, their lips cracked, their skin sunburned.
"Feed them some fruit and broth. Slowly," Luffy instructed. "Their bodies can't handle a full meal yet."
After some careful nursing, color returned to the men's faces. They sprang up with a sudden, bizarre burst of energy, dancing a jig. "WE'RE SAVED! FULL HP RESTORED!" they shouted in unison.
Usopp stared, baffled. "What happened to you two? How do you just… faint from hunger on the open sea?"
"We… we don't know!" Johnny (or perhaps it was Yosaku) wailed. "We just ran out of food! The sea is so big!"
"This," Luffy stated, gesturing at them as if they were a textbook example, "is exactly why we need a chef. A proper cook ensures a balanced diet. Prevents stupid things like your bodies shutting down from malnutrition. It's a ugly way to go." He shook his head. "We're headed to the Baratie. You'll come with us, get properly fed, and *rest*. Don't even think about setting sail again until you've recovered. Dying from stupidity is a terrible look."
"The Baratie?! You're going to the legendary Baratie?!" they cried, falling to their knees and clasping their hands. "Please, take us with you! We beg you!"
Luffy shrugged. "Sure. You can hitch a ride." It was a minor detour for a act of basic decency, which fit the crew's new ethos.
As the distinctive, fish-shaped outline of the floating restaurant appeared on the horizon, another vessel drew alongside them—a Marine warship flying a captain's pennant.
On its deck stood a Captain … though not the Axe-Hand Morgan of Shells Town. This was a different, equally pompous officer, Captain Hopalong. He was in the middle of a shipboard banquet when he noticed the *Going Merry* sailing parallel to his course.
"A ship without a standard Jolly Roger?" he mused, squinting. "A white flag? What nonsense is this? Probably some upstart pirates trying a new trick. Should blast them on principle… no one sails so casually beside the righteous Marines!" Decided, he ordered a warning shot fired across the *Merry's* bow.
The cannonball whistled through the air.
Zoro didn't even look up from cleaning his swords. "Where did this idiot come from?" he muttered. In one fluid motion, he drew a blade and executed a perfect, casual **Horizontal Arc**. A flying slash of pure air shot out, bisecting the cannonball in mid-flight and continuing on to cleanly slice through the warship's main mast. The great timber groaned and crashed onto the deck in a tangle of rope and canvas.
Zoro sheathed his sword with a *click*, looking mildly annoyed that he'd had to use it on such a trivial nuisance.
On the warship, panic erupted. Captain Hopalong stared, his jaw slack. "A… a swordsman?! Who can do that?!"
"Hey, Captain," Zoro called over casually. "You want me to sink this guy? It wouldn't take much."
Luffy waved a hand dismissively. "Nah. He's not worth the effort. Just a small-minded fool." He then cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted across the water, his voice carrying perfectly. "If you try that again, it won't be your mast next time! And just so you know… my grandfather is Monkey D. Garp!"
Hopalong's bluster vanished, replaced by pure, unadulterated terror. "I don't care about some—GARP?! THE HERO GARP?!" He immediately began bowing profusely from the railing. "A thousand apologies, sir! A terrible mistake! Please, continue on your way! We meant no disrespect!"
Luffy chuckled as the Marine ship hastily changed course. "Works every time." Using Garp's name was a far more efficient solution than a fight. A minor captain like that would rather face a Sea King than the legendary Vice Admiral's wrath.
Shaking off the insignificant encounter, the Straw Hat Adventure Group finally sailed into the shadow of the magnificent Baratie. The floating restaurant was a spectacle, a multi-storied ship designed like a giant fish.
"Alright," Luffy said, his stomach growling in anticipation. "Let's go find our chef." The quest for the final, crucial member of their core crew was about to begin, and it promised to be delicious.