"Krieg, huh?"
Aeridar recognized the light purple-haired man on the wrecked ship. Krieg had been in the East Blue for many years. When Aeridar started his own journey, Krieg was also a newcomer. The two had actually fought the Marines together in Loguetown, though Aeridar had never met him.
Ignoring Krieg, Aeridar teleported onto the Baratie and stood by the entrance.
"Hey, I'm a little hungry. Are you guys still open for business?" he asked with a pout, looking at the chefs standing by the door.
"Hey, man! What kind of time is this to be thinking about food?!" The chefs of the Baratie immediately roared at him.
"What, what, what? What's wrong with a hungry man wanting to eat?" Aeridar said casually.
The chefs were furious. "You—"
"Quiet!"
Zeff, with his braided golden beard, tall chef's hat, and a wooden prosthetic leg, stepped forward and stopped the chefs.
"Boss!" the chefs said, confused.
Zeff looked at the young man with the golden earrings and his eyes narrowed. "A guest is a guest. We can't turn a customer away."
"Hahaha, as expected of a boss! You're a class act!" Aeridar grinned, striding into the restaurant and taking a seat at a table near the window.
"I'll have the large beef curry rice, eight garlic scallops, a big platter of grilled seafood, a squid skewer, sea bass consommé, and this bottle of Etruscan-Brusca Stein," Aeridar said, pointing at the menu. "I can't believe a wine like this exists in the East Blue!"
"Huh? 'Etruscan-Brusca Stein'..." Sanji had just come down the stairs and gave Aeridar a strange look.
"I wanna eat, too!" Luffy said, drooling nearby.
"Uh... esteemed customer, can you really eat all that?" Patty, a chef with a white bandana and unusually muscular arms, asked Aeridar, full of doubt.
"What? You think I can't pay?" Aeridar pulled a thick stack of bills from his coat and placed it in Patty's hand. "Whether I can finish it or not is my business."
"Right away, esteemed customer! Please wait while we prepare your order!" Patty's eyes lit up when he saw the stack of bills, which was worth at least a hundred thousand berries. He immediately went to the kitchen.
Thump... thump... thump...
A slow, heavy footstep was heard.
Creak...
The door of the restaurant was pushed open again. A weak-looking Krieg, supported by a man with a pale, bruised face, entered. The man was Gin, the one Luffy mentioned.
"I... I'm sorry!"
Krieg looked at the chefs, his body trembling slightly as he spoke in a weak voice. "Can I have some food and water? I have money. I'll give you whatever you want. I haven't eaten in... I don't know how long. Please... give me some food and water."
Gin closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, as if he couldn't bear to see the once-mighty ruler of the East Blue begging.
"Wha... what's wrong with him?" Carne, a chef with a thick mustache, asked, confused.
"He has no dignity or charisma," Patty said, equally bewildered. "Is this really the famous pirate fleet's admiral, Captain Krieg?"
"Is he hungry?" Luffy asked innocently.
At the same time, Sanji turned and went back upstairs without a word.
Thud!
Krieg was too weak to stand and collapsed onto the floor.
"Captain Krieg!"
Gin was shocked. He checked on Krieg and then pleaded with the chefs. "Please... please, save our captain! He's really about to starve to death! He hasn't eaten in days! If this keeps up, he'll die!"
"A-hahaha!"
Patty burst out laughing, his hands on his hips. "This is great! So this is the true face of the famous villain, Captain Krieg!"
"We have money this time! We're customers!" Gin said quickly. He was afraid they wouldn't give them food because he had no money the last time.
"Don't be stupid!" Patty pointed to the chefs nearby. "Contact the Marines immediately!"
"What?!" Gin was shocked.
"He's so weak right now, this is a golden opportunity! Don't give him anything! Grab him!" Patty was once a pirate, so he knew Krieg's treacherous nature. He also knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
"He's right! Who knows what he'll do when he recovers!"
"He's brought this on himself with all the evil he's done!"
"He deserves to starve to death!"
The customers around them agreed. Krieg was a wicked man who often disguised himself and his crew as Marines or merchant ships to attack villages and ships. In the East Blue, everyone hated him and wanted him dead.
"If he recovers, he'll definitely attack this restaurant first. Don't even give him a drop of water!" one of the chefs said sharply.
Gin gritted his teeth. Sanji had given him a meal and let him escape. He thought the people here would also help his captain, but he never expected this.
"I... I won't do anything!" Krieg struggled to get up, kneeling on the ground. "I won't do anything, I promise! I'll eat and then I'll leave quietly. Please... save me!"
"Captain Krieg! Don't do this! Don't bow to them! You shouldn't have to grovel like this! Please don't!" Gin was furious and heartbroken to see the great Krieg humbled like this. If it weren't for the debt he owed to Sanji, he would have already fought them.
"I promise!" Krieg begged, his head touching the ground. "Please, even if it's just leftovers or anything else! Anything at all!"
"Captain..." Gin said, turning his head away in despair.
"Tch... trying to gain sympathy, huh?" Patty sneered.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Hey, get out of the way, Patty!"
Suddenly, Sanji's voice rang out.
Thwack!
A long right leg in a black trouser flashed like lightning across Patty's face, nearly caving it in. Patty was knocked silly and fell down the stairs. Everyone was surprised by the sudden action.
"Sanji-san!"
Gin looked at the smoking Sanji, who was holding a plate of fried rice and three bottles of wine. Sanji bent down and placed the food and drink on the ground.
"Here, Gin. Give this to him."
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