Chapter 13
"Hey, straw-hat kid stuffing his face over there—you're the one who blew up my break room, right?" Zeff eyed Luffy, who was battling Sol for the last piece of meat.
"So what, old man? Did the explosion mess up your leg too?" Luffy asked nervously, nearly choking on a chunk.
Zeff snorted. "As if. I lost this leg ages ago. What I'm saying is—let's make a deal. Take this troublemaking eggplant off my hands, and I'll refund your repair costs."
"Really?! Leave it to me, old man!" Luffy swallowed hard and agreed instantly.
The two completely ignored Sanji's protests. Zeff hooked an arm around the blond's neck and dragged him back to the kitchen. "Get back to work!"
"Hey, wait—old geezer! I'm not leaving this restaurant, so give it up!" Sanji struggled.
"Like I care!"
Zoro took a swig of sake. "Luffy, you really planning to recruit that perv cook? Doesn't look like he'll come easily."
Luffy's hand snaked over and stole the meat Usopp had been saving. "Don't worry—I'll definitely make him our crewmate!"
"Ahh! Luffy, that was the best piece I saved for last!" Usopp wailed.
Sol picked his teeth with a grin. "Usopp, when Luffy's at the table, it's a battlefield. You've gotta think ahead if you want the good stuff. Your training's far from over!"
Usopp's eyes widened in realization, fist smacking palm. "I get it! This is training—to become a brave warrior of the sea!"
Luffy tried the same trick on Nami's untouched steak—only for a fork to flash and stab the table right in front of his fingers. "Owww! See, Usopp? That's the brutality of the battlefield!" Nami calmly cut and ate her last bite.
Johnny and Joseph hugged each other in fear. "Big bros' dinner table is a full-on war zone!"
After eating their fill, the crew headed back to the Merry to rest. Luffy stayed behind to pester Sanji about joining.
Usopp gnawed on grilled meat, gazing enviously toward the restaurant. "Man, I'm jealous of Nami... having a lovestruck cook footing the bill."
Sol tore off a huge chunk of meat and smirked. "Why not try being a girl yourself? You might be even more popular!" He pinched his voice high. "I'm Usopp-chan~"
Pfft—! Luffy sprayed meat bits laughing. "No matter how pretty, that nose is still huge! Hahaha!"
"You jerks!!" Usopp's nose flushed red with rage—just as Nami's voice emerged from the dark.
"Oh? What's so funny?" She stepped into the campfire light, sack clinking over her shoulder. "Sanji forced all this booze on me... I can't drink it all anyway."
Zoro sniffed a bottle. "East Blue vintage? That curly-brow's pretty generous."
Two peaceful days passed like that, with Luffy still nagging Sanji daily—until a massive, battered galleon anchored beside the Baratie.
The doors slammed open. Gin—thought long gone—supported a hulking man inside. "Please... food and water. I have money this time."
Paddy eyed the weakened Krieg and considered turning him in for the bounty instead. He stepped forward—only for Sanji to set down a plate of fried rice.
Krieg devoured it, then reverted to form—choking Sanji and slamming him across the room.
"Captain Krieg, didn't we agree not to attack this place?!" Gin demanded.
Krieg seized Gin's shoulder, crushing it with terrifying strength. "Hah—too delicious. Changed my mind."
"Hey, cooks—prepare food and water for a hundred men. Oh, and this ship's not bad. I'll take it." Krieg grinned wickedly at the staff.
Diners fled out the back in panic. Paddy rallied the chefs. "He's alone right now—everyone together, we can take him!"
As Paddy organized the attack, the downed Sanji stood back up. "Food and water for a hundred? Got it—give me a minute."
The chefs aimed guns at him. "Sanji, you seriously siding with this guy? We're not letting you mess around in the kitchen!"
Sanji spread his arms. "Then shoot. I know they're scum—doesn't matter to me. I'm a cook. I know what starving feels like. What they do after eating? Not my problem."
His bold words earned no support—the chefs grabbed him to stop him from cooking.
In the standoff, Zeff walked out with a massive sack. "Here—food and water for a hundred."
"Boss, what're you thinking?! If they get their strength back, we're done for!" a chef protested.
Zeff shrugged. "Let them come if they want. Right, Grand Line failure?"
Krieg's eyes gleamed. "You're Red-Leg Zeff... Thought you were dead."
"Hand over your Grand Line logbook. With that and this ship, I'll conquer it next time. The One Piece will be mine!" Krieg's voice rose triumphantly.
"Bullshit—the one becoming Pirate King is me!" Luffy, who'd been watching quietly, jumped up.
Krieg sneered. "Don't talk big, brat. How many crew do you even have?"
"Uh... one, two... five if we count Sanji!" Luffy counted on his fingers.
"Ahahaha! Fifty ships, five thousand men—wiped out in seven days on the Grand Line. Barely a hundred of us crawled back!"
He turned grim. "But if you idiots stick around... I'll come back and kill you all. Zeff—hand over the logbook and the ship nicely, and I might spare you."
Krieg left with the sack and Gin.
The moment they were gone, Sol's group walked in. "Looks like we missed a good show, Luffy."
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