Chapter 44: Just Serve the Food, You Damn Cook!
Nami couldn't believe her ears. Those fish-men who had tyrannized her hometown with nightmare-like strength... were actually considered slaves to be bought and sold at will on the Grand Line?
"But they... aren't they a powerful race with physical abilities ten times greater than humans? How could..."
Before she could finish, Yosaku, eager to prove that fish-men weren't as weak as Ralph claimed, urgently rummaged through his clothes and pulled out a crumpled pirate bounty poster.
The poster depicted a ferocious-looking fish-man with a sharp nose and pointed teeth.
The moment Nami saw the poster, her pupils constricted sharply. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and her face grew even paler.
Unaware of Nami's reaction, Yosaku declared loudly:
"How could fish-men be as weak as Brother Ralph says! Besides the Navy and the Four Emperors, there's a third major power on the Grand Line—the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
He continued explaining: "They're legal pirates recognized by the World Government, granted the right to plunder non-government protected areas, and even follow government orders to attack other pirates! The world's greatest swordsman 'Hawk Eyes' Mihawk that Brother Zoro wants to challenge is one of them—just imagine how terrifying these seven must be!"
Pointing at the bounty poster, he said, "And one of the Seven Warlords is the leader of the 'Fish-Man Pirates,' the 'Knight of the Sea' Jinbe!"
Lufia showed a serious expression upon hearing this and confirmed: "That Jinbe... is a fish-man?"
"Of course! What else would the leader of the Fish-Man Pirates be?"
After his retort, Yosaku continued:
"That's not the point! The point is he became a Warlord and gained such high status that some of his former crewmates or other fish-men could exploit his name to come bully people in the relatively peaceful East Blue!"
He showed everyone the bounty poster, which clearly displayed the fish-man's name—
"Arlong."
"Look, this fish-man Arlong is said to have fought alongside Jinbe as a fish-man pirate! Now he's occupied several towns in East Blue and established what he calls the 'Arlong Park'! Even the Navy can't do anything about him!"
Yosaku's lengthy explanation was meant to prove Ralph's claim about weak fish-men was biased—that fish-men from the Grand Line could be equally powerful and dangerous.
However, Ralph merely raised an eyebrow dismissively: "So what?"
He scanned the group, "If the Fish-Man Pirates are so powerful, why aren't they conquering the New World where all the strong gather? Instead, they come to our East Blue—known as the 'Weakest Sea'—to bully ordinary civilians here?"
He paused, his tone laced with sarcasm:
"Obviously, they couldn't cut it in the New World! They're just washed-up failures!"
Ralph's logic was simple and direct, yet it struck at the truth.
Everyone exchanged glances, momentarily speechless.
Indeed, what true powerhouse would be content lording over the "Weakest Sea"?
"If... if fish-men are really so weak..." Nami suddenly cried out agitatedly, "then why doesn't the Navy eliminate them?! Why do they let them run rampant in East Blue?!"
Ralph could see that the cracks were beginning to form in the fear and despair Arlong had planted in Nami's heart.
But it would still take time and the right opportunity for her to speak the truth and fully break down her emotional barriers.
He patiently explained:
"There could be many reasons. The Navy of the weakest sea naturally has the weakest strength. Expecting them to eradicate a fishman gang from the Grand Line isn't very realistic to begin with."
His tone then shifted, growing deeper, "Besides, who says the Navy is always fair and selfless? Who says it's impossible for them to secretly collude with certain pirates, turn a blind eye to certain evils, or even join forces to oppress civilians?"
Nami had vaguely considered such dark and realistic possibilities before, but she never dared to dwell on them.
Over the years, she had tried every possible method, but all proved futile. Instead, every act of resistance led to more people losing their lives.
Her gaze unconsciously swept over her companions on the ship.
Lufia dreamed of becoming the Pirate King, Zoro aimed to be the world's greatest swordsman, Usopp wanted to become a brave warrior of the sea...
They all had bright futures ahead.
Though they hailed from the East Blue, with their potential and fighting spirit, they were bound to become notable figures on the Grand Line someday.
But... should she ask them to take on Arlong?
Nami's heart tightened.
But Arlong was so powerful... They might stand a chance in the future, but now... challenging Arlong now would be nothing short of suicide! How could she sacrifice their future for her own sake?
If Ralph could hear Nami's inner thoughts at that moment, he would have roared at her just as she often roared at them:
"Sis! What kind of logic is that? Did I analyze the fishmen's outwardly strong but inwardly weak nature just for you to conclude that 'we can't win now'?"
Seeing Nami struggle intensely internally but ultimately fail to muster the courage to speak the truth and ask for help, Ralph sighed inwardly.
He knew that some emotional knots had to be untangled by the person themselves; forcing it wouldn't work. He would let nature take its course and wait for the right moment.
Two days later, under the guidance of Johnny and Yosaku, the Straw Hat crew finally caught sight of the famous East Blue restaurant shaped like a giant fish—Baratie.
The sea restaurant was well-known, attracting not only locals but also frequent visits from passing Navy ships and pirates.
However, Lufia and the others seemed to have arrived at an inopportune time. A Navy warship was docked outside the restaurant.
The officer aboard the ship was Navy Lieutenant "Ironfist" Fullbody.
Noticing the Straw Hat pirate flag flying on the Going Merry, and seeing that the ship was small with a young-looking crew, he assumed they were a newly formed, insignificant pirate crew. Full of superiority, he stood by the ship's rail and taunted them, his words dripping with contempt.
For this level of mockery, Lufia, Ralph, and Zoro couldn't be bothered to respond.
But Johnny and Yosaku, who had just joined the crew and idolized their senior crewmates, couldn't stand it!
"How dare you insult our big brothers!"
"Unforgivable!"
With a roar, Johnny and Yosaku, fueled by hot blood, drew their blades and leaped onto the warship's deck, ready to teach the arrogant Navy a lesson.
And then...
There was no "and then."
With two dull thuds, the two men who had charged forward so aggressively were sent flying back even faster, landing bruised and bloody on the deck of the Going Merry—completely knocked out.
"Wow, they're so weak," Lufia remarked bluntly as she watched the two get instantly defeated.
Whether angered by Johnny and Yosaku's provocation or simply wanting to assert his authority, "Ironfist" Fullbody ordered the warship to train its cannons on the Merry.
Boom!
A cannonball shot through the air!
Instead of panicking at the sight of the cannonfire, Lufia was delighted—this was exactly the kind of thing she was best at dealing with! She took a deep breath, her chest and abdomen instantly swelling up like a balloon as she actively moved to meet the incoming cannonball.
"Gomu Gomu no—"
Thump!
"—Balloon!"
The cannonball slammed squarely into Lufia's elastic belly with a muffled sound, only to be rebounded at an even faster speed, tracing a graceful arc through the air...
Ralph watched helplessly as the deflected cannonball flew over the sea, veering sharply and landing with uncanny precision on the top floor of the Baratie, the sea restaurant. Accompanied by the sound of splintering wood, it blasted straight through a room's wall.
The inertia of the plot... was truly something else.
Ralph sighed inwardly. It wasn't that he didn't want to stop it—with his current abilities, intercepting a high-speed cannonball was simply beyond him.
Improving his strength as soon as possible was now more urgent than ever!
As luck would have it, that cannonball struck the head chef's bedroom.
Moments later, an old chef with a bandaged and bloodied head, a mustache braided into two pigtails, and a wooden peg leg stormed out to the restaurant's entrance, followed by a group of equally grim-faced chefs.
This was none other than the owner of the Baratie, "Red-Leg" Zeff.
Naturally, Lufia stepped forward to apologize. After some "friendly" negotiations with Chef Zeff, it was decided that Lufia would work at the restaurant to compensate for the damages and the owner's medical expenses.
If nothing went wrong, she'd likely end up working here for a full year without pay.
At this point, Ralph couldn't just stand by.
He tried to pay the compensation directly with money. Although he had a habit of carrying some gold coins on him, the amount was far from enough to cover the restaurant's repairs and Zeff's medical bills.
So, the question arose: who on the ship had the most money?
When Ralph, Zoro, and Usopp all turned their eyes to Nami, they expected a tough negotiation over the treasure, even preparing themselves to be extorted by her.
However, the outcome took everyone by surprise.
Nami was silent for a moment, a flicker of struggle crossing her face, before she nodded with unexpected readiness. "Fine, I'll pay."
She didn't even haggle, simply turning to fetch the Berry from the ship.
Her uncharacteristic swiftness made Ralph frown slightly, a sliver of doubt rising in his heart: Nami... what exactly are you thinking?
Leaving Johnny and Yosaku to watch the ship, Ralph, Zoro, Usopp, and Nami—who was carrying the money—entered the Baratie as legitimate guests.
After settling the compensation amount with Chef Zeff, the imposing old chef with the wooden leg studied the group of uniquely distinct young people before him with keen interest.
When he learned they were a group of pirates preparing to venture into the Grand Line, a complex smile mixing nostalgia and emotion appeared on his face.
There was a time when he, too, had been as spirited and ambitious as these young people—until he was thoroughly battered on the Grand Line and retreated to the East Blue in disgrace to open this restaurant.
Seeing them felt like looking at his former self.
His gaze unconsciously drifted toward the kitchen, settling on the young chef in a black suit, cigarette in mouth, with a head of golden curly hair.
This kid... should have his own adventures too.
This restaurant shouldn't become a cage that traps him.
The next moment, the blond, curly-browed young chef floated out of the kitchen like a butterfly, carrying a plate of exquisite appetizers. His eyes immediately landed on the stunning Nami in the crowd, turning into heart shapes as he completely ignored Ralph, Zoro, and Usopp beside her. Dropping to one knee, he began his performance with an exaggerated, passionate tone:
"Ah! Such a beautiful lady! Are you an angel who's accidentally descended to the mortal world? Your orange hair, like the most brilliant clouds at sunset, has instantly illuminated my gloomy life! May I have the honor of serving you? I'd gladly offer you all the delicacies this restaurant has to offer!"
Nami, skilled at playing along, was at least superficially delighted by the chef named Sanji's flattery.
She even turned to lecture her companions: "Look how well-spoken Mr. Sanji is! You should all learn from him!"
Usopp responded, "I could never learn such cheesy, flowery lines."
Zoro snorted coldly, "Boring."
Lufia scratched her head, looking completely confused, "What's he saying? I don't understand."
Ralph chimed in seriously, "If even Lufia can't understand it, what's the point of me learning it?"
It was then that Sanji finally noticed there was another female present.
To be fair, with Lufia sitting next to Nami, it was hard to associate Lufia's appearance with a young lady.
Adhering to his supreme principle of "Lady First," he immediately turned to Lufia with the same passionate pose: "Oh! So there's another young lady here, full of vitality and wild beauty! My apologies for the earlier oversight! What would you like to order, dear miss? This restaurant will fulfill any of your requests!"
In an instant, Ralph shot to his feet, his movement so fast it created a gust of wind.
He stepped forward, precisely positioning himself between Sanji and Lufia, blocking Sanji's line of sight.
His expression blank, he stared at Sanji with eyes full of vigilance and warning, his tone rigid as he said:
"Our Lufia likes meat. Hurry up with the food, you damn cook!"
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