Chapter 12: Baratie Chaos – Sanji's Kick and the Golden Fried Rice
Sol and the others watched impassively as Luffy was about to be dragged off by the Baratie chefs.
"You damn straw-hat brat! You blew up the head chef's room! The old man said if you don't pay up, you're washing dishes for a whole year!" A menacing-looking chef—not someone you'd want to mess with—growled as he yanked Luffy's arm...
"No, no, please! I waited ten years to finally set sail as a pirate with Sol—I can't spend a year stuck washing dishes!" Luffy struggled, then grabbed Sol's leg. "Help me, Sol! I don't wanna wash dishes for a year!"
Sol sighed at Luffy clinging desperately to his leg. They were sworn brothers after all—if his little bro was in trouble, he had to step in.
"How much for the damages, chef?" Sol asked calmly.
"Oh, you've got money? Should've said so earlier, customer!" The chefs released Luffy. Another pulled out an abacus and clacked away. "Let's see… total comes to 125 Berries."
Sol handed over the leftover money from buying the ship in Shells Town. The chefs grinned, pocketed the cash, and happily returned to the restaurant.
Sol looked at the remaining balance—barely 100,000 Berries left—and sighed. "This'll be gone after one meal."
"Food! Let's eat now, Sol—I'm starving!" Luffy bounced back to full energy. "Don't worry, once I find treasure, I'll pay you back! Hehe."
"You really never let me relax, do you?" Sol ruffled Luffy's hair roughly, then called Nami and the others to join them for food.
At the back of the group, Usopp and Nami chatted. "Sol's really good to Luffy—dropping that much money without hesitation."
"Yeah… if it were me, I'd make Luffy wash dishes for a year to pay it back," Nami laughed.
"Hey, hey—are you a demon or something?"
The moment they stepped inside, they saw Lieutenant Iron Fist Fullbody—already there—being kicked bloody by a blond chef named Sanji for wasting food. Sanji hoisted him one-handed. "You dare disrespect food at sea? That's asking for death. Remember this: never waste food!"
"You brat trying to ruin my restaurant?!" Zeff kicked Sanji flying—right at Nami's feet. Sanji looked up, saw her, and instantly fell into love mode, scrambling to his feet and fawning over her.
Fullbody thought Zeff would back him up—only to get another kick. "And you—get out!"
Blood streaming from his head, Fullbody couldn't believe this was a restaurant. What kind of service was this? It felt more like a pirate ship.
The chaos escalated when a Marine burst in. "Lieutenant Fullbody! 'Ghost' Gin from Don Krieg's crew just escaped the prisoner hold!"
"What? That guy was half-dead from starvation when we arrested him—how'd he have the strength to break out?" Fullbody snapped alert despite his dizziness.
The restaurant erupted in murmurs at the name "Ghost Gin," second-in-command of East Blue's overlord Don Krieg.
Luffy scratched his ear. "Man, this place is wild."
Bang!
The reporting Marine dropped dead, shot through the heart. A figure appeared at the door—Gin himself. He limped in, sat at a table, and crossed his legs. "Anything edible—bring it now. Got it?"
"Ah, another customer," Patty approached casually. When he learned Gin had no money and wanted a free meal—even with a gun to his forehead—Patty didn't flinch.
"So you want to eat for free, huh?" Three seconds of silence. Then Patty exploded: Boom! Gin was pummeled like a ragdoll and thrown out the back door with an over-the-shoulder slam.
Patty dusted his hands. "Everyone can continue eating in peace."
Sanji guided Sol's group to an empty table. Sol tossed all their remaining Berries to him. "Forty people's worth of food at this price, please. Thanks."
"Sir, wasting food here won't end well—even for men. Ladies are exempt, of course," Sanji lit a cigarette and warned.
Luffy patted his stomach. "Bring it all! We'll eat everything—no waste!"
Sanji didn't argue further. He asked Nami what she liked.
"I don't have much money left, handsome chef," Nami teased, scratching under his chin. Sanji melted instantly. "Don't worry, beautiful Nami—your meal's on the house!"
"And us?" Usopp asked innocently.
"You pay full price," Sanji deadpanned, heading to the kitchen.
While waiting, Sol chatted with Luffy. "Go squat by the back door where that Gin guy is. Good show's coming."
"Good show?" Luffy's eyes lit up. His rubber arm stretched, grabbed a window frame, and launched him in an arc—landing lightly beside a trash can in the alley.
He watched Sanji carry a plate toward the slumped Gin.
Golden seafood fried rice gleamed in the sunset—shrimp and scallops piled high. Sanji set it down with a glass of water. "Eat."
Gin's trembling hand grabbed the spoon. One bite—and he froze. Huge tears splashed into the rice. "This… this is the best fried rice I've ever had… so good…" He devoured it, sauce all over his face. "I thought I'd starve out there…"
As Sanji turned to leave, Gin called out. The infamous "Ghost" now cried like a lost child. "Why… for someone like me…?"
"Shut up," Sanji tossed over his shoulder without looking back. "Hungry people should eat. That's all there is."
Luffy peeked from behind the trash can, then bounced back to the table. "I'm back, Sol! I found an awesome cook!"
Sol and Zoro were drinking. "So you invited him?"
"Hehe—got rejected. But I won't give up!" Luffy grinned mischievously.
Soon Sanji wheeled out a cart of dishes. As he served, Luffy kept pestering him. Sanji's forehead vein throbbed.
After placing Nami's special plate, she praised him lavishly. Sanji's eyes turned to hearts. "Oh, beautiful Nami—if it's for you, I'd become a pirate in a heartbeat! But there's one huge obstacle between us."
"That obstacle is me, Sanji," Zeff appeared suddenly.
"Shut it, old geezer—no one asked you," Sanji snapped.
"Sounds perfect to me. This is your chance to become a pirate—and we don't need you here anymore," Zeff said nonchalantly.
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