Chapter 12
Sol and the others watched impassively as the Baratie chefs dragged Luffy away.
"You damn straw-hat punk! You blew up the head chef's room! The boss says if you don't pay up, you're washing dishes here for a full year!" A menacing-looking chef—who didn't exactly scream "friendly"—yanked Luffy by the arm.
"Nooo! I waited ten years to sail with Sol and become a pirate! Forcing me to stop for a whole year to wash dishes? No way!" Luffy thrashed, then spotted Sol and latched onto his leg. "Help me, Sol! I don't wanna wash dishes for a year!"
Sol sighed at the rubber limpet clinging to him. They were sworn brothers, after all—when his little brother was in trouble, he had to step in.
"How much is the damage, cooks?" Sol asked.
"Got the cash? Why didn't you say so earlier, customer~" The chefs instantly released Luffy. One pulled out an abacus and rattled the beads. "Let's see... with all the fees added up, that'll be 125 beri."
Sol handed over the leftover money from buying their first boat back in Shelz Town. The chefs happily pocketed it and returned to the restaurant, all smiles.
Sol stared at his now nearly empty wallet—less than 100,000 beri left—and sighed. "That's barely enough for one meal here."
"Food! Let's eat, Sol—I'm starving!" Luffy bounced back to full energy. "Don't worry, I'll pay you back once I find the treasure, hehe."
"You're such a headache," Sol muttered, ruffling Luffy's hair roughly before calling the others to head inside.
At the back of the group, Usopp chatted with Nami. "Sol's really good to Luffy—handing over that much money without hesitation."
"Yeah," Nami grinned. "If it were me, I'd let Luffy wash dishes for a year to pay it off."
"Hey! Are you a demon or what?"
The moment they stepped inside, they saw the Marine lieutenant Fullbody—bloodied from wasting food—being hoisted by the collar by a chef named Sanji.
"Out at sea, picking a fight with cooks is suicide. Never waste food again—got it?" Sanji growled.
"You little punk, you trying to ruin my restaurant?!" Zeff kicked Sanji flying. The blond landed right at Nami's feet.
Sanji looked up, saw Nami, and instantly fell head over heels. He sprang up and began fawning over her nonstop.
Fullbody, thinking Zeff would back him up, got another kick instead. "And you—get out too!"
Bleeding from the head, Fullbody couldn't believe this was a restaurant. "What kind of customer service is this?! It's no different from a pirate ship!"
The chaos escalated when a Marine burst in. "Lieutenant Fullbody! The prisoner Gin from the Krieg Pirates just escaped the brig!"
"What? That guy was half-dead from starvation when we caught him—how'd he have the strength to break out?" Fullbody snapped, suddenly alert.
Whispers spread among the diners—Gin, second-in-command to Don Krieg, overlord of the East Blue.
Luffy dug in his ear. "This place is wild."
Bang!
The messenger Marine dropped dead, a bullet through his heart. A figure stepped inside—Gin. He sat at a table, legs crossed. "Food. Anything. Now."
"Ah, another customer~" Paddy greeted casually. Even when Gin pressed a pistol to his forehead demanding a free meal, the chef didn't flinch.
"So the customer wants to dine and dash, huh?" Three seconds of silence—then Paddy erupted. Gin was pummeled and shoulder-thrown out the back door like a sack of trash.
Paddy dusted his hands. "Everyone, please continue your meal in peace."
Sanji led Sol's group to an empty table. Sol tossed his remaining beri to the blond. "Forty portions, please—whatever this covers."
Sanji lit a cigarette. "Sir, wasting food here has consequences. Of course, ladies are exempt~"
Luffy patted his stomach. "Bring as much as you want—we'll eat it all. No waste."
Sanji didn't argue. He turned to Nami. "And what would the lovely lady like?"
"I'm a little short on cash, handsome chef~" Nami teased, scratching under his chin. Sanji melted.
"For you, beautiful Miss Nami, it's on the house!"
"And us?" Usopp asked innocently.
"Full price," Sanji replied instantly and headed to the kitchen.
Sol leaned toward Luffy. "Go out back and squat near Gin. Something good's about to happen."
"Good stuff?" Luffy's eyes lit up. His rubber arm stretched, grabbed a window frame, and catapulted him outside in a graceful arc, landing beside a trash bin.
He arrived just in time to see Sanji carrying a plate to the collapsed 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 scooped the first bite—and froze. Tears splashed into the rice. "This is... the best fried rice I've ever had..." He shoveled it down, sauce smearing his face. He'd thought he'd starve to death at sea...
Sanji turned to leave. Gin grabbed his sleeve, sobbing like a lost child. "Why... for someone like me...?"
"Shut up," Sanji said without looking back, flicking his hand. "Hungry people eat. Save the whining."
Luffy, hidden behind the bin, watched the whole thing, then bounced back to the table. "I'm back, Sol! I found an awesome cook!"
Sol and Zoro were already drinking. "So you asked him to join?"
"Hehe, he said no—but I'm not giving up!" Luffy grinned.
Soon Sanji wheeled out a mountain of food. As he served, Luffy nagged nonstop—until a vein popped on the chef's forehead.
When Sanji presented Nami's special dish and earned her praise, hearts filled his eyes. "Oh, sweet Nami-swann~ If you asked me to become a pirate, I'd follow without hesitation! But there's one huge obstacle..."
"You mean me, right, Sanji?" Zeff appeared behind him.
"Shut it, old geezer—it's not your place to lecture me!" Sanji snapped.
Zeff shrugged. "This is your chance to sail. We don't need you here anyway."
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