In the afternoon, although he had a great time recklessly abusing his superpowers, it didn't drain his stamina.
But as a normal human being, by this time of day, it was also normal to be hungry.
Smelling the aroma wafting from the restaurant, Lin Bei clearly distinguished the scents of beef, fish, and noodles.
Especially the noodles. He really wanted to ingest some carbohydrates.
As the old saying goes: Carbs make people happy!
In this world, you don't even have to worry about getting fat. As long as you have Luffy's constitution, even if you eat until you're a ball, you'll snap back to your original shape in three seconds.
Lin Bei looked at Luffy.
"Captain, do we absolutely have to go find a new crewmate today?"
Luffy's drool had already reached the corner of his mouth.
"No rush... Meat!"
The moment he saw a plate of fresh meat being served through the window, Lin Bei was certain that Luffy's body was no longer under the control of his brain. It moved on its own.
Lin Bei followed him right in, ordered directly, and they began to gorge themselves.
Koby, meanwhile, realized he had been rambling for a long time without getting a reply. When he turned around, they were gone.
He hurriedly looked back, only to find the two people who were just talking about going to the Marine base now feasting inside a restaurant.
Koby didn't know what to say. What fickle men!
And the main point was...
"Why didn't you call me to eat?!"
Lin Bei looked up.
"Do you have money?"
This question hit the mark. It would be a miracle if the little pink fatty wasn't beaten to death by Alvida; how could he possibly have a penny on him? Even if he did, it would be Alvida's money.
"...No... Wait, do you have money?"
Koby suddenly realized something. He had watched one of these guys crawl out of a barrel with his own eyes. The other fell from the sky. Neither of them was carrying a bag.
Their pockets didn't look stuffed either — at most, they might have a couple of coins.
Did they look like they had money?
Lin Bei answered calmly, "No, but I'm a crew member. The bill should be paid by the captain, right, Captain?"
Lin Bei turned his head — and wow, Luffy was eating and sleeping at the same time!
Lin Bei took the fork from in front of Koby and popped the snot bubble on Luffy's nose.
"Captain, remember to pay the bill."
Luffy woke up, completely unbothered.
"Got no money."
At this moment, the proprietress of the restaurant happened to be passing by with a tray. Hearing the conversation at this table, dark lines instantly appeared on her face.
So they were openly dining and dashing?
Seeing it was the owner, Lin Bei realized he probably shouldn't have spoken so loudly. But since it was already out, he might as well explain their payment plan.
"Ma'am, we have no money. I'll leave the captain here to wash dishes to pay off the debt. Give this little pink chubby guy a plate of pasta."
Koby roared, "Don't just give people random nicknames!"
Lin Bei glanced at him faintly. "You eating or not?"
"...Eating."
Lin Bei turned back to the owner with a smile.
"This chubby guy will help you clean the restaurant later. So... trouble you to bring me a bottle of red wine?"
Koby: ???
He wanted to object, but when he remembered Lin Bei's power from earlier in the day, he silently sank into his seat.
Anyway, on Alvida's ship, he did chores and scrubbed decks too. If he wanted to eat, working was normal.
He definitely wasn't scared of Lin Bei!
The owner looked at Luffy, then at Koby, and seeing that neither of them objected, she turned and went to the kitchen. She returned with a plate of pasta and a bottle of red wine for Lin Bei's table.
With Luffy there, the three of them practically cleared out the restaurant's inventory.
Lin Bei also noticed something, he had eaten far more than expected, only a few plates of meat less than Luffy.
There was something wrong with this body of his!
Could it be that he automatically converted to the glutton constitution of the One Piece world?
If that's the case, if he trains to become stronger, then even without his daily powers, he should be able to reach the average level of this world.
After eating, he checked the time. There were still five or six hours until midnight.
He hurriedly called the owner over.
"Quick, my Captain and this Fatty will help you wash dishes and sweep the floor. Estimate how much work they need to do to cover the cost of this meal. Please try to finish before twelve o'clock. Leave me one — no, half an hour. We have something to do."
Half an hour should be enough for him to take care of the Marines in the base, defeat Axe-Hand Morgan, and rescue Zoro.
The owner looked at Luffy, then at the chubby pink kid, and sighed.
"Forget it. You're all still kids. Consider this meal my treat. You don't need to clean."
Luffy laughed. He had absolutely zero psychological pressure about dining and dashing. But when the owner offered it for free, he actually felt a bit embarrassed.
"Lady, you're a really good person~"
Lin Bei rubbed his chin. This was the first time in his life he had eaten without paying. Not letting the Captain and Pink Fatty work to pay off the debt made him feel uneasy.
Koby: Listen to me say thank you~
"Boss, even though we're pirates, we can't just eat your food for free. We have principles."
As soon as the word "pirates" came out, the restaurant went dead silent.
She began to tremble. These three kids were actually pirates?!
After all, this is a world where monsters run rampant. Even here in the far-off East Blue, they had heard the story of Charlotte Linlin, who destroyed the kingdom of giants when she was a child, so nobody doubted the three kids claiming to be pirates.
In fact, nobody dared to doubt Lin Bei and the others' strength.
Lin Bei slapped the table.
"How about this! Ma'am, I can do something for you — how about I take down Colonel Morgan at the base on this island?"
While eating, he heard many people in the restaurant whispering complaints about Morgan, wishing he would be transferred away from the island.
That works out perfectly. Since they were going to save Zoro anyway, they might as well use Morgan to pay for the meal. A good Marine Meal Ticket.
However, if the word "pirate" scared the room earlier, Lin Bei saying he would kill Morgan caused every diner in the place to slam their money on the table, abandon their food, and run for their lives!
The people of this island feared two things: pirates and Morgan. Lin Bei had just detonated both bombs at once.
The owner was overwhelmed. "Please, really, you don't need to pay. Just leave quickly. If the base's colonel hears what you said, he'll definitely try to kill you."
The owner was way too kind, he thought. Although these kids said they were pirates, she couldn't watch Morgan wipe out these 'good' children.
Luffy, however, put on his straw hat, revealing that familiar, confident grin.
"Don't worry, I'm really strong! I'm the man who will become King of the Pirates!"
The owner's legs began to shake. Please, stop talking!
"Morgan, right? I'll go take care of him for you!"
The Owner: ...
I'm tired. Destroy it. Whatever.
She slumped into a chair, staring blankly as the three boys stood up and walked out of the restaurant.
As if they were really going to take down the tyrant who ruled this island.
Good words can't persuade someone determined to die…