Wealth, Fame, Power…

Chapter 21: The Baratie's Sous Chef

Luffy was on cloud nine right now. The food he was inhaling at the moment was easily among the best he'd ever tasted, there was no doubt about that. "I can't stowp eaing," the rubber man declared happily. His cheeks expanded with how much food was in them.

"Don't talk with your mouth full Luffy!" Nami said from across the table, trying to at least enjoy her first classy meal in a while.

"Sowwy Nawi," the boy apologized before swallowing the contents inside his mouth. "I just can't help it! Isn't this place the best!?

Usopp was very quick to answer his captain's question. "Oh heck yeah! The food back in the village has nothing on this place."

"I guess… I just wish they had real booze, not all this fancy wine crap," Zoro added.

Luffy nodded at his crew's opinions, looking to the navigator for hers. "What about you Nami?"

The orange haired girl turned her head up at the three boys waiting for her answer. Admittedly, she really did feel at home in such a luxurious place. After all, that was what she was all about, money and comfort. "It is really impressive considering it's not on land like every other restaurant."

"Yeah, that's for sure! This is truly a place worthy of serving a great warrior of the sea such as myself."

As the Straw Hat Pirates continued their meal in peace, they ended up going through a very hefty amount of food. Of course, this was only because of Luffy and his gigantic appetite. Still, the more the rubber man asked for extra plates, the more uneasy the chef that was serving them became. How were they going to pay for such an enormous meal?

There came a point where the blonde boy from earlier emerged from the kitchen, apparently relieving the other chef that was serving. Bursting through the door to the dining room with flare, the boy called out to all the customers as he looked around. "Alright, who's the one eating the entire kitchen dry!"

The moment Luffy heard the outburst he turned towards the man and raised his hand, ready to ask for more food. "Ooh, waiter, over here! More please!"

Sanji craned his neck to the voice calling out to him in annoyance, making eye contact with the weird looking boy. He slowly began to examine his table as he loudly corrected him. "For the last damn time, I'm not a damn wa-" Pausing mid-sentence, the boy caught sight of an incredible beauty at the table that just called him a waiter. With his heart frozen in delight, the well dressed blonde wasted no time in taking off in the direction of the table.

Luffy, expecting the man to come and take his order again was quite confused when the blonde boy ran right by him. "Hey what gives, I want more food," he said glumly. Watching as the waiter got down on a knee in front of Nami.

"Oh what phenomenal beauty! In all my days, my eyes have never been blessed with such a stunning flower like yourself! Please my love, could you be so kind as to reward my humble ears with your lovely name?" The cook finished romantically, gently grabbing hold of the girl's hand.

The navigator smiled sweetly at the man's praise, already forming an idea in her head. "Finally, someone who knows how to treat a lady. I'm Nami, and you are?"

"Ah, Nami, what a wonderful name," the cook began dreamily. "My name is Sanji, I'm the Sous Chef of this fine establishment."

Hearing the man's position and name, Usopp was quick to compliment the fine cook. "Wow, so you know how to cook this great stuff!? You've gotta tell me, what is in this sauce? It tastes ama-"

"Yeah that's great, long nose, glad you like it," Sanji waved off. His full attention on Nami.

"Hey!" Usopp rose from his seat, slightly ticked.

"Shishishi!" Clearly Luffy was amused with the interaction.

With the attention back on her, Nami didn't hesitate to lure the very forward man in a bit more. "Wow Sanji, this food sure is amazing," she gushed. Raising her finger and gently scratching the blonde man's short goatee, easily winning him over. "But it's a bit expensive for me, do you think you could help me out?" She finished, batting her eyelashes for good measure.

"Of course my sweet flower, it's all free."

"Oh thank you so much!" Nami cheered, wrapping her arms around the boy's neck and hugging him. He was very obviously entranced by the girl, big hearts appearing in his eyes at the physical contact.

Usopp perked up at the news as well. Happily accepting the apology of the blonde man. "Gee, thanks man! That's really thought-"

"It's only for her," Sanji cut off. His face becoming a bored stare in the sharpshooter's direction.

"That does it!" The long nosed teen yelled, getting up from his seat to confront the cook. "Listen here love cook, I'm a great warrior of the sea, so you better show me some respect!"

"Yeah?" Sanji began, getting up from a knee and standing eye to eye with the boy. "I dont give a damn who you are, you wanna start something!?"

Shockingly, Usopp did not back down. "You bet I do! Luffy, Zoro, kick this guy's ass!"

The swordsman just shrugged as he took another sip of wine, denying his friend's request. "Do it yourself."

Luffy on the other hand did confront Sanji, but not for the reason Usopp gave him. "Hey cook guy, can I get more food?"

Sanji looked at the boy curiously, just now noticing all the plates scattered across the table. "So you're the jackass that ate the entire kitchen, how do plan on-"

But all chatter in the dining hall was cut short by the sound of both front doors being slammed open violently. And out of those open front doors came flying a well dressed purple haired man. The very same one that had been pummeled by Sanji half an hour or so before. The marine officer tumbled very ungracefully onto the dining room floor, looking even bloodier than he did last time.

The person responsible for his condition cautiously stepped in behind him, his intimidating appearance along with the pistol in his hand drawing gasps from the customers. He was a relatively thin man with short hair and a grey headband covering his forehead. He wore a small grey jacket that matched his pants along with a green undershirt. The most horrifying thing about him was the death stare on his face, which was heavily enhanced by the enormous bags under his eyes. In all honesty, it was a glare that could go head to head with Zoro's

The newcomer steadily made his way to a table, every single person in the dining hall watching him silently. Not waiting for an invitation, the scary looking intruder took a seat at an empty table. Even going as far to put his feet up.

Before the man could even make a single request though, the door to the kitchen swung open, revealing many of the ship's chefs. At the head of them was a tall blonde man with an absurdly tall chef's hat. Along with a braided out beard and a peg-leg, he definitely had a presence about him. "What the hell is going on out here!?" The blonde bellowed deeply.

The presence of the burly man seemed to affect Sanji more than anyone else because he immediately straightened up in surprise. Before he could address him though, the new 'customer' spoke up. "Get me some food, I don't care what it is. I just want something warm."

The man with huge forearms from before emerged from the crowd of chefs to confront the intruder. "Don't worry Head Chef Zeff, I'll handle this."

The huge man known as Zeff looked like he wanted to intervene but decided against it. Settling for just watching Patty as he walked up to the gunman. "Hello there you damn crook! How may I help you?"

"I already told you, all I want is a warm meal. Anything will do, just hurry!"

"Oh? And how do you plan on paying for this meal?"

Sanji shook his head in disgust as he bagan walking away from Luffy's table and heading for the kitchen. This guy clearly hadn't eaten in days, he wasn't gonna tolerate watching someone starve. Unbeknownst to him though, Zeff was watching him out of the corner of his eye, a proud smile making its way onto the head chef's face. While he watched the blonde boy walk all the way back into the kitchen, yelling made him turn his attention back to Patty.

Much to the surprise of everyone in the room, Patty took the gunman by the neck and slammed him into the table, breaking it in half. "No money, no service! You damn crook!" The chef accentuated, picking the thin man back up and walking to the exit, all while getting a round of applause from all the guests.

"That's the second fight today," Nami shook her head. "Maybe this place isn't as fancy as we thought."

"Are you kidding!? This is awesome!" Luffy said childishly at the action that just took place.

Zoro didn't really seem to have an opinion on the matter, he just continued downing the bottle of wine at the table. Clearly no longer caring for the taste. Usopp on the other hand was still pretty ticked at how the blonde guy had just treated him. Who did he think he was!? "Hmph, sorry I wasn't born a girl you perv."

Nami watched how the long nosed boy complained and found it mildly funny. "Aww, cheer up Usopp, at least I get to eat for free."

"That's not helping!"

"Hey look, Sanji came back!" Luffy pointed out, drawing everyone's attention to the kitchen door.

The crew watched as the blonde haired boy came out with a bowl of seafood rice in his hands. It looked like he snuck out of the kitchen just in time too, as all off the normal chefs were piling back to the cooking area. The only one who stayed in the dining hall was the big head chef, he of course already knew where Sanji was going but still wanted to keep an eye on the boy.

"He's a weird one, now he's not even looking this way," Zoro spoke as he observed the well dressed man.

Luffy watched the blonde like a hawk until he disappeared through the door that the gunman was thrown out of. Feeling even more curious, the rubber man got up from his seat and followed the sous chef. He was definitely an intriguing character.

Sanji didn't hesitate to put the plate of food on the ground in front of the thin man. This was no way for anyone to die. Moving to take a seat next to him, the sous chef lit a cigarette and placed it in his mouth. The smoke entering his lungs calming his nerves. "Eat up, before it gets cold."

The very demonic looking man glanced up at the bowl in front of his eyes. The savory aroma tempting him in a way that he had never felt before. "Get it away, I don't want your charity."

Sanji took another puff of his cigarette before calmly replying. "Just shut up and eat it. I know what it's like to starve, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. As far as I'm concerned, if you're hungry you're a customer."

The suffering man only stared at the bowl with pleading eyes, trying not to give in to the desire. "But I…"

"The ocean can be absolutely ruthless sometimes. It's unpredictable and never ending. And trust me, being without food is easily the worst way to die out here. Just eat now so you can live. There's a time and place for pride, and now isn't one of them."

The horrifying man could only sit there and listen as the boy's words slowly broke down his resolve. He was making more and more sense with each word he uttered. Without wasting another second, the man dove for the bowl and began taking enormous mouthfuls. At last giving into the needs of his flesh.

Sanji could only smile widely at the sight before him. Taking that first bite of food after going so long without it was truly an indescribable feeling. "There you go, eat up."

As the thin man ate like his life depended on, he began to shed tears of joy at the perfect taste. "T-thank you… I don't know how I could ever repay you!"

"Well you could start with who you are."

Pausing his eating, he looked up to face the blonde cook. "My name is Gin, and I'm a pirate."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that. I'm Sanji, Nice to meet you."

The pirate now identified as Gin happily bowed to the blonde chef, thanking him once again. "Sanji, words cannot describe how. Much I am in your debt. Thank you for this delicious meal."

Sanji laughed a little at the pirate's formality. "Hey don't worry about it, just finish up so I don't get caught."

"Oh, right," Gin agreed. Quickly diving back into his delicious meal.

"Shishishi, it looks like I found my next crew member!"

Both Sanji and Gin craned their necks up at the new voice in surprise. The last thing that Gin wanted was to get his new friend in trouble. He had no reason to fear though, because a soon as the cook laid eyes on the newcomer he recognized the stupid grin instantly. "Oh, it's you."

Luffy didn't even take time to respond to the greeting, getting straight to the point right away. "Hey, Sanji right? Join my pirate crew!"

The well dressed chef coughed on some smoke in his throat at the boy's question. Of all the things he was expecting to hear, that wasn't one of them. "What!?"

"You heard me. My ship needs a cook, and I just decided that it's you."

"Yeah well, I refuse. Sorry kid, but I have a debt to pay to the owner of this place. So until that's paid off I'm staying here," Sanji recovered.

The rubber man however, didn't seem to like this answer one bit. Jumping down from the rail to stand next to the two men. "Too bad, I already decided you're on my crew so that's final."

"W-what!?" The sous chef stuttered. This guy just kept catching him off guard. Starting to get annoyed, the blonde haired man bounced back. "No means no kid! I don't care what you want, I refuse!"

"Yeah? Well I refuse your refusal!" Luffy argued childishly.

With the immaturity escalating, the two boys found themselves clashing foreheads in trying to get their way. It was seriously turning into a battle of stubbornness. The only reason their little dispute came to a close was because of Gin interrupting.

"Hey, guys," the man began. Grabbing the shoulders of the two arguing men, his meal already finished. When the two stopped butting heads for a moment and looked at him, he spoke again, specifically to Luffy. "Hold on a sec kid. If you don't have a cook yet then your crew can't be all that big."

The rubber man nodded enthusiastically at the thin man's claim. "Yep, your right. Counting me, there's only four of us!"

"Well, then what is it you seek? If you don't mind telling me that is."

"The One Piece! I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

While Gin didn't have a visible reaction to the very ambitious dream, the same could not be said for Sanji, who's cigarette fell from his mouth in shock. He was familiar with unrealistic dreams and all, but this one really took the cake. Too surprised to speak, the well dressed cook stayed silent. Instead letting Gin continue his tangent.

"Hah, good one kid, but that was a serious question."

"Yeah? Well that was a serious answer," Luffy said with slight annoyance.

Narrowing his eyes a bit, Gin spoke cautiously. "Well, then I recommend giving up on that. There's lots of men trying to be Pirate King, and you just don't cut it. Trust me, I've been to the Grand Line, and a little crew like yours isn't going to last long."

"Woah, you been to the Grand Line!? What's it like?" Luffy exclaimed, completely missing the point of what the man had to say.

Gin was about to tell the boy to take his warning more seriously but decided against it. Poor kid was gonna get squashed like a bug in that hell-like sea. "I… I dont wanna talk about it. Ever Since coming back from that dreaded place all I've wanted to do was forget it."

Sanji noticed how the man began looking off in the distance in deep thought. It was pretty safe to say that his mental health wasn't the best at the moment. "Hey, don't worry about it Gin, you don't have to tell us anything you don't feel comfortable with."

"Thanks Sanji, I appreciate that. The food was really delicious as well."

The blonde man stood up to pat the man on the back to encourage him a little more. "No problem Gin, I'm always happy to serve a hungry customer."

"Aww, so no stories about the Grand Line?" The rubber man pouted.

Gin looked at the boy with an expression of almost disgust. A little kid like this would never survive the waters of that hellish ocean. He doesn't even know what he's talking about, spouting out his naive dream. "Heh, sorry kid. Maybe if we meet again someday."

"Are you leaving?" Sanji inquired.

Breaking his odd stare with the rubber man, Gin turned to Sanji and smiled. He found the cook's personality very admirable, plus he wasn't talking nonsense about some mushy dream. He would have to remember to bring up this cook to his captain. "Yeah, my crew is waiting for me. Thanks again for your kindness Sanji, I'll never forget it."

"Man, where the heck is Luffy?" Usopp slouched in his seat, keeping his eyes on the exit that his friend went through almost an hour ago. "It feels like he's been gone forever."

"Who knows, he followed Sanji so maybe he's trying to get him as our cook. I wouldn't mind, we need a gentleman around to compensate for all you meatheads," Nami answered. Keeping a close eye on Zoro, trying to gauge if he was starting to get tipsy.

"Don't give me that look Nami, I'm fine," the swordsman defended, reading her judgemental face like a book. "This fancy crap is like water to me."

The navigator was about to fire back at the pirate hunter sarcastically, until she felt a heavy presence loom over the table. Turning around, Nami silently gulped at the head chef that was standing over them. Waiting patiently for him to speak.

"So sorry to interrupt, but you three wouldnt happen to be pirates would you?"

The orange haired girl was about to take the smart route and lie to the man, but Zoro beat her to it. And not in a good way. "Yeah, we are, what of it?"

Nami put her face in her hands in frustration. Why did these idiots always have to do things the hard way!?

"Oh, no worries. I will serve anyone, pirates or marines. And I am quite forgiving when hungry people have no money. But this has gotten out of hand. Please, identify your Captain."

Since Luffy wasn't here, Zoro was ready to stand up and take his place for the time being. But another person at the table was quicker than him. "I, the great Captain Usopp, am responsible for these two-woah!"

The long nosed teen never got to finish his flashy intro, because as soon as he opened his mouth Zeff had him in a headlock. "Alright, listen up Captain," the head chef began mockingly. "Your whole crew here has gone through more than five million beris in food and wine. So unless you can cough that up right now, you're gonna be my chore boy for a long time."

Widening his eyes, Usopp looked pleadingly at Nami. He took comfort in the fact that she easily had double that amount on the ship. So there was nothing to worry about... Right?

"Um, excuse me sir," the navigator raised her hand. Usopp was already sighing with relief, she really did have a heart. "Could you subtract a few thousand beris from that bill. Sanji, one of your cooks, said mine was free."

The long nosed teen couldn't believe this treachery, how could she be so cruel!? Hearing Zoro laugh loudly only added salt to his wound as severe regret set in. Being captain is supposed to be cool!

Zeff nodded hesitantly at the young lady's question, though he wasn't very happy about it. "Damn it Sanji, that brat is always giving away free food to any women under sixty," the owner finished as he dragged Usopp away and into the kitchen.