But as soon as he finished speaking, his companion immediately covered his mouth and pulled him back.
Scarface tried to struggle, but then his companion leaned close to his ear and whispered:
"Idiot, that guy is Lieutenant White Dove! If you want to die, just say so!"
Scarface's face instantly turned pale with fear. He glanced fearfully at Ivan's back and fell silent.
Lieutenant White Dove was a rising star in the East Blue Navy. Though not a match for pirates with bounties in the tens of millions, he was more than capable of handling most pirates with bounties in the hundreds of thousands.
With that level of strength alone, he was far beyond what a small-time pirate like Scarface could handle.
More importantly, unlike other low-profile marines in the East Blue, Lieutenant White Dove, despite his elegant-sounding name, was an out-and-out butcher!
In just the past two years, he had slaughtered dozens of pirate crews, nearly wiping out all pirates with bounties under two million Berries!
Among the pirates of the East Blue, Lieutenant White Dove had even earned a new nickname—Butcher Lieutenant!
This title spoke volumes about how terrifying he was.
From then on, Scarface didn't dare say another word. If he weren't afraid of looking too cowardly, he would have left immediately.
Ivan paid no attention to the minor provocations from the other side—it would only lower his status.
After defeating Alvida, he would soon earn several million Berries from the bounty, so Ivan didn't hold back. He ordered the most expensive dishes at Baratie, enough to feed all the marines under his command.
The waiter looked at Ivan hesitantly, wanting to say something but holding back. These dishes would cost nearly a million Berries—would Ivan really pay?
That's right. At the Baratie floating restaurant, aside from troublemaking pirates, the marines weren't much better.
Too many marines had used their official status to refuse payment. If not for their boss's strength, the restaurant would have gone bankrupt long ago.
Despite his doubts, the waiter took the menu and left to have the kitchen prepare the dishes.
Lieutenant White Dove had a better reputation—surely he wouldn't act like those thuggish marines, right?
Although this waiter trusted Ivan, it was clear that others in the restaurant did not.
Not long after Ivan and Tashigi sat down at a central table, a young man with golden hair and distinctive curly eyebrows walked out from the kitchen.
Holding a cigarette, his expression cold, he strode directly to Ivan's table, tapped the tabletop a few times, and was about to say something to Ivan when he accidentally caught sight of Tashigi beside him.
Instantly, Sanji's expression changed dramatically. The coldness on his face vanished, replaced by a fawning smile:
"Wow, meeting such a beautiful lady at Baratie is truly the honor of my life! What would you like to eat, miss? I'll make it for you right away!"
Tashigi was startled by Sanji's sudden enthusiasm and instinctively shrank behind Ivan, eyeing Sanji warily.
This scene brought Sanji back to his senses.
So she was already taken. Never mind—though he adored beautiful women, he had his own principles.
So, after smiling and nodding politely to Tashigi, Sanji's face turned cold again as he looked at Ivan.
His tone carried the polite professionalism of a waiter as he scrutinized, "Sir, we don't serve food to those who can't pay. Can you afford it?"
Ivan nodded with a smile. "I should be able to."
The smile on Sanji's face faded, clearly unconvinced.
Having been swindled too many times by the unscrupulous marines of the East Blue, in his mind, marine credibility was practically zero.
This so-called Lieutenant White Dove before him was obviously trying to skip out on the bill!
If it were just the usual dishes worth tens of thousands, fine—but this meal was worth a full million Berries, including many rare delicacies from special Sea King Species that were hard to come by even with a fortune!
If they got stiffed this time, the Baratie would be completely out of cash and would have to shut down!
Sanji stared intently at Ivan; he absolutely would not allow that to happen!
Bam!
The kitchen door was flung open, and an old man wearing a tall chef's hat strode out.
Without a word, he lifted his foot and gave Sanji a hard kick to the back of the head, leaving a bright red bump.
Sanji grimaced in pain, but before he could utter a sound, the old man scolded him irritably, "You idiot! Everyone who comes to the Baratie is a guest. Why would they skip out on the bill?"
Seeing Sanji stiffen his neck to retort, the old man moved swiftly, covering his mouth. Then, turning with a beaming smile, he repeatedly bowed in apology to Ivan and the others.
"Guests, I apologize. This kid has some issues with his head. Sorry for the disturbance. We'll prepare your dishes as quickly as possible and ensure you enjoy the most delicious cuisine in the East Blue."
"Wait, we're not like those other marines. We'll pay!"
Tashigi tried to stop Zeff and explain.
She had naturally heard that there were some corrupt marines in the East Blue who exploited their positions for personal gain and bullied civilians, but Lieutenant White Dove wasn't that kind of person!
Lieutenant White Dove was one of the rare marines who truly fought for justice!
Zeff turned back, smiling warmly. "I understand, I understand. You must be righteous marines!"
Although Zeff said this, Tashigi knew he didn't believe it at all.
Seeing her junior officer still trying to explain, Ivan waved his hand to stop her.
In this situation, no matter what they said, Zeff wouldn't trust them.
They had to present the facts right before his eyes!
Ivan suddenly bent down slightly, picked up a bag from the floor, and placed it on the table.
This caught everyone's attention, wondering what Ivan intended to do.
Ivan reached into the leather bag, pulled out a human head, placed it on the table, and slid it toward Zeff.
Seeing this, Zeff's expression changed drastically. Was this guy openly threatening them with a head to skip the bill?
But Ivan's next words made him dismiss that thought, as Ivan said with a smile:
"This is the head of the vice-captain of the Alvida Pirate Crew, with a bounty of 1.2 million Berries. I believe this should more than cover the cost.
As for the remaining Berries, consider it the handling fee for you to personally go to the marine base to collect the bounty. Does that count as payment?"
Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent!
They knew Ivan had the nickname "Butcher," but they never expected him to use a pirate's head as payment for a meal!
Witnessing this scene, several pirates in the corner trembled in fear, and among them, Scarface immediately stood up and fled the Baratie.
After all, he had a bounty of over a hundred thousand on his head. Though not a large sum, the White Pigeon certainly wouldn't mind casually killing him to claim the reward.
Who says small money isn't money?
As for Scarface's departure, Ivan paid it no mind.
Before arriving at the sea restaurant, he had already instructed his subordinates: today, no pirates were to be left alive!
Zeff was also shocked by Ivan's methods. He was a man of wide experience, but even on the Grand Line, few marines were more brutal than the White Pigeon.
However, Zeff had seen his share of big scenes and quickly regained his composure, nodding repeatedly with a smile:
"Of course, of course!"
He then pulled the stunned Sanji away and headed straight to the kitchen to prepare the meal.
Ivan and Tashigi sat in the main hall, ordering a bottle of wine to drink as they quietly waited for the food to be served.
But moments later, the door opened once more.
This time, however, the person who entered was even more arrogant than Ivan!