"This straw-hatted brat is our captain. We're here to pay for the damages," Viktor said, leaning casually against the doorframe.
He reached into his cloak and pulled out a heavy coin purse. With a flick of his wrist, it traced a perfect arc through the air, landing accurately in the hands of Patty, who had been busy brawling with Sanji.
Clink.
Patty caught the bag instinctively. The heavy weight and the unmistakable chime of clashing metal caused his fierce expression to shift instantly—a transformation so rapid it rivaled a stage performer's mask change.
He peered inside the bag, and his eyes literally turned into the shape of Beli symbols.
"CERTAINLY! DEAR CUSTOMERS!!" Patty's face crinkled into a smile so oily it could give someone goosebumps. His tone became nauseatingly sycophantic.
"Since the compensation is settled, everything is negotiable! In these waters, a wealthy customer is our God! Welcome... to the Baratie!"
"Hahahaha!" Luffy clutched his straw hat and laughed, completely forgetting his narrow escape from a beating.
"Ah! You timed that perfectly, Viktor! Shishishi! I really thought I'd have to work here as a chore boy for a year to pay it off!"
The rubber boy then proceeded to slap Zeff's shoulder with breezy familiarity, totally ignoring the old man's terrifying aura.
"Shishishi! See ya, Old Man! Since we're even, I don't owe you anything anymore!"
Luffy then paused, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Zeff. "Oh, right! Old Man! Our ship really needs a cook right now. Do you have anyone to recommend? Preferably someone who makes super delicious meat!"
SMACK!
Zeff wordlessly slapped Luffy's hand off his shoulder. He stroked his braided golden mustache and let out a cold snort. His gaze swept over the busy chefs, a hint of stubborn pride in his eyes.
"Keep dreaming, brat. This restaurant and every cook in it are my life's blood. They are treasures we protect together. I'm not handing any of them over to become some pirate."
Zeff's tone suddenly shifted, his gaze landing on the somber, blonde-haired man with the curly eyebrow who was currently lighting another cigarette. "Except... that brat." He pointed at Sanji, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes.
"HUH?! What did you say, you shitty geezer!!" Sanji's ears twitched, and he spun around, veins popping on his forehead. "Are you trying to kick me out?! I'm not leaving this ship!"
Zeff ignored Sanji's roar and turned back to Viktor. "Though your offer was generous, fixing a ceiling doesn't cost this much."
Viktor smiled and waved a hand dismissively. "Then use the extra to give us a proper feast. We're a hungry group—especially our captain."
Zeff gave Viktor a long, searching look before nodding. He turned to the spectating chefs and unleashed a thunderous roar: "What are you all standing around for?! Didn't you hear? The customers are starving! Get back to the kitchen and WORK!!"
"YES!! BOSS!!" The chefs scattered like startled birds, and the restaurant returned to a state of frantic, culinary energy.
"OHHH!! FEAST TIME!! I WANT MEAT!!" Luffy cheered, drool already beginning to pool.
"This way, please! This way!" Patty, clutching the money bag, ushered Viktor and Nami toward a table.
However, as Viktor turned to follow, his eyes narrowed.
"God! Behind you...!" Patty's smile froze as he pointed toward the entrance.
A ghostly figure had appeared in the doorway. He held a black pistol, the muzzle aimed directly at the back of Viktor's head. It was Gin.
"Don't... move..."
Viktor, however, had noticed him long ago through his heightened perception. Just as Gin's finger began to squeeze the trigger...
"Too slow."
Without even turning his head, Viktor's right leg lashed out in a lightning-fast back-kick. It struck Gin squarely in the solar plexus with brutal precision.
THUD!
"Guh..." Gin's emaciated, weakened body couldn't withstand the blow. His eyes bulged, and he spewed a mouthful of bile before collapsing into a heap like a cooked shrimp, his gun clattering to the floor.
Viktor retracted his leg with a smile, as if he had simply kicked a pebble out of his path.
"Kya!" Nami jumped, hiding behind Viktor. "What... who is this guy? He looks like a zombie."
The man on the floor wore a tattered gray jacket with a dragon motif. His eyes were sunken, and his skin had a bluish tint; he looked like the walking dead. Gin clutched his stomach, his voice a raspy whisper forced from a parched throat.
"I... I am of the Krieg Pirates... Gin..." He looked up with vacant eyes filled with a desperate longing for life. "This is a restaurant, right... anything... as long as it's food... give me food..."
"The Krieg Pirates?!" The dining room erupted into a flurry of whispers.
"The strongest pirate fleet in the East Blue? Don Gaimon's—no, Don Krieg's men!" "They have a fleet of fifty ships! Why is he here? And in that state?"
"Hah! A penniless guest has entered the shop!" Patty tossed the money bag to Zeff and cracked his knuckles with a "kind" smile as he approached the fallen Gin.
He looked down at the starving pirate. "Guest, you know the rules here, don't you? We don't welcome bums. Do you have money?"
"I am... the Combat Commander of the Krieg Pirates..." Gin reached for his gun with trembling hands, pressing it against Patty's forehead in a weak threat. "Give me rice..."
"Ah, so you have no money." Patty's face went cold, ignoring the gun at his skull. "THEN GET THE HELL OUT!!"
SLAM!!
Patty grabbed Gin's head with his massive hands and slammed him into the floor like a thumbtack. "Agh!!" He then grabbed Gin by the collar and tossed his groaning body out the front doors like common trash. "Scram, pirate! This isn't a charity ward!"
In the corner of the restaurant, Sanji leaned against the wall, the cherry of his cigarette glowing in the shadows. He watched Gin get thrown out, his eyes flickering with an unreadable emotion. He took a long drag, exhaled a smoke ring, and turned silently toward the kitchen.
Zeff caught his departure but said nothing, a meaningful glint in his eyes.
Having finished "taking out the trash," Patty dusted his hands and immediately reverted to his fawning smile, scurrying back to Viktor. "Terribly sorry for the flies. Dear Gods, please take your seats at that window table."
"Seriously... is this really a restaurant? It feels more violent than a pirate den," Nami muttered, her lip twitching.
Viktor didn't sit down immediately. He held up seven fingers and waved them in front of Patty. "We're ordering for a group, but not just for two."
He hesitated, then added an eighth finger. "Make it eight. And keep the portions huge. Bring out every piece of meat and seafood you've got."
"Eight?!" Patty was stunned, then ecstatic. "Ah! I see! More companions? No problem! Baratie's food will not disappoint you!"
"OHHH!! FOOD FOOD!!" Nami and Luffy, lured by the drifting aromas, followed Patty to the table.
Viktor stepped out onto the balcony alone. He looked at the Going Merry anchored in the distance and spotted a black speck circling the mast.
PHWEEEEET—!
Viktor let out a sharp, loud whistle.
Aboard the Merry, Kray's sharp hearing caught the signal. This was the code he and Viktor had practiced during a boring evening. He immediately dove down, shouting at the four people lounging on the deck:
"Caw-caw!! Master sent the signal! Everyone to the restaurant! It's feast time!!" Kray flapped his wings frantically. "I'm going first! MEAT! MEAT!!"
"Oh!! Really?! FOOD!!" Usopp dropped his hammer in excitement and jumped up.
"Finally... can we eat?" Zoro woke from his nap against the mast, watching the flying crow with a dark expression. "How the hell do they communicate... he understood a whistle?"
"Aniki... can we... really go?" Johnny and Yosaku looked at Zoro, star-struck. That was a high-class restaurant—could small-timers like them really enter?
Zoro stretched, hanging his three swords at his waist, and glanced at them. "If Viktor called, there's a spot for you. Stop talking." He pointed at the rowboat. "Get in and row."
"YES!! ANIKI!!"
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