'Thoughts'
"Speaking"
'Quotes/Emphasis'
"Techniques/Emphasis"
'The Wolf Within'
"Luffy's words are echoed/amplified by the Wolf Within"
'Luffy's thoughts are overlapped by the Wolf Within'
FLASHBACK START
FLASHBACK END
The Baratie I
Enter Johnny and Yosaku: The Bounty Hunter Duo & Sanji the Cook
NO ONE'S POV
Two days have passed since our pirate crew of four set sail on their ship, the Going Merry, and thus two days have gone by since their training began.
"Do you all know what the key is to true progress?" Luffy asked his crew, on the third morning of their voyage since they left Syrup Village. They were all in the kitchen, just finished with breakfast, when their Captain sprung the unexpected question on them. After a few moments of thought the three gave their own takes on the matter.
"Relentless Training." Zoro answered with absolute conviction, already taking a meditation pose in the corner of the room to begin Observation Haki training.
"A proper night's sleep and a healthy diet." Nami answered as she began stretching from where she sat, the tell-tale signs of muscle growth shown in each flex of muscle in her lithe body.
"No rest for the wicked." Ussop answered half-heartedly, bags under his eyes as he wobbled unsteadily like a freshly reanimated corpse.
"…Well, Nami's the closest…I think." Luffy said eventually after taking a moment to sweatdrop seeing Ussop's zombie-esque appearance. "The full answer is break days, otherwise known as cheat days!"
"Cheat days?" Zoro repeated, staring at his Captain incredulously. Nami and Ussop however froze before they cheered and ran off before Luffy said something like 'Sike!'
"Don't worry Zoro. If you want to keep training you can, it is your hobby after all, and yes I'll be available for a sparring session later this afternoon." Luffy responded, placating his swordsman's ire. "While you and I do find training as an engaging and even relaxing hobby, Nami and Ussop have other interests. Better let them get days of leisure and recreation to look forward to after intense training marathons."
Zoro nodded, accepting his Captain's answer before beginning his Observation Haki training. Luffy, pleased with his Vice Captain's dedication to achieving his goal, cracked a smile as he left Zoro to meditate in peace. 'Well, now what do I do?' Luffy pondered as he walked around aimless on his ship. 'Nami should be finishing up her maps in her room so I should probably not bother her. Zoro, well he's obviously sticking to our usual training regimen. Ussop…Yeah let's see what Ussop's up to.'
Having come to that conclusion, Luffy set out to find his marksman, and find him he did, on the balcony in the backside of the ship, lugging around a box of…cannonballs?
"Mind telling me what you plan on sinking with those?" Luffy asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Hmm? Oh! I remembered coming across a cannon down in the storage room and thought I might take it out for a spin!" Ussop answered excitedly before he suddenly mellowed down a bit. "If uh, if that's alright with you, Captain?"
Luffy stared blankly at Usopp for a few moments, resulting in the marksman building up a nervous sweat before sighing and grinning in relief as his Captain's face formed an ear splitting smile. "No problems here, Ussop." Luffy said before looking to the sides to see if there was anything to target, stopping his search on a lone rock formation quite a few clicks away. "Why don't we see if your aim with a cannon is as good as you are with your bow and slingshot."
Ussop nodded with a confident smile as he pointed the cannon towards the rock formation, pausing briefly before making minor adjustments. "Taking into account the winds and the distance, I angled it a bit higher and towards the right to compensate. It should hit the rock formation right in its center from where it starts to rise from the ocean to its peak." Ussop explained upon noticing his Captain's questioning look.
Luffy reached into his pocket and brought out a lighter, flicking it open and testing to see if it still lit, before passing it over to Ussop. "Well what're you waiting for? Let's get this show on the road!"
Not needing to be told twice, Ussop lit the fuse and let the cannonball fly. To his and Luffy's delight, the projectile hit the rock formation dead center. "Whistle~ You're definitely Yassop's son."
"Hehehehe! Thanks Luffy!" Ussop crossed his arms as he leaned against the railing, suffocating arrogance rolling off the sniper in waves. "You know, this reminds of the time I blah blah blah"
Not interested in hearing another one of the hundreds of tall tales his sniper cooks up, Luffy just nods absentmindedly, making sure to make surprised looks on his face for added effect. Ussop didn't notice and just soaked up his Captain's 'genuine' admiration. Looking away from the sniper, Luffy turned up to admire the Jolly Roger he had Usopp make based on his admittedly poor sketch. A wolf's head wearing a straw hat and crossbones was painted and raised proudly on the Going Merry's mainsail and the pirate flag flapping in the ocean breeze.
The sniper did shut up the moment Luffy's eyes narrowed and snapped to look towards the front of the ship. In a flash Usopp had his bow drawn and an arrow notched as he cautiously made his way towards the deck.
"… One hostile?" Ussop asked his Captain as he sensed someone boarding the ship.
"You're Observation Haki's taking shape. Yeah there's one, keep your weapons out but don't fire." Luffy commanded as he walked to the edge of the balcony just in time to see a tanned man with jet black hair, tattoos on the left side of his face with the meaning "Sea" and dark blue glasses come aboard wielding a sword. "They're agitated but… they're more distressed, worried than outright aggressive."
"COME OUT, YOU DAMN PIRATES!" The aggravated newcomer screamed as he kicked a few empty barrels, breaking them.
"Hmmm?" Zoro opened his eyes, breaking his meditation. "That voice…"
"Can I help you with anything?" Luffy called out to the man as he looked down on him, his coat flapping behind him, flowing with the cold ocean winds.
"Are you nameless pirate wannabes trying to kill my partner?!" The man cried in outrage, his facial veins pulsing violently as he raised his blade to take a swing at Luffy, who he singled out as the Captain, ignoring the marksman with an arrow notched at him. That was his mistake.
THUNK!
The blunt arrow hit the newcomer straight on the head, disorienting him long enough for Ussop to jump down and knock him off his feet. Planting his foot on the intruder's chest he notched an arrow, a lethal one this time, and aimed straight for his brain. "I don't know who you are but you aren't harming this ship!" Ussop growled firmly.
"L-Lost by a hair…" The intruder said under his breath through grit teeth.
"Johnny?" Zoro asked in surprise upon seeing the familiar face after walking out the kitchen.
"Old friend, Zoro?" Luffy inquired not taking his eyes off the downed man being held at gunpoint… arrow point?
"Something like that." Zoro answered as the intruder groaned in pain tilting his head to get a better look at the swordsman.
"B-Big Bro Zoro?!" Johnny shouted in surprise, pushing Ussop's foot away as he jumped up to his feet, the archer letting him stand but still keeping his lethal projectile aimed true. "Wh-Why are you on a pirate ship like this?!"
"Where's Yosaku? Aren't you two glued at the hip?" Zoro questioned, ignoring Johnny's question.
"Ah! He's right here, Big Bro Zoro!" Johnny said running to the side of the ship, Zoro and Luffy walking to his side as Ussop walked over to Nami and briefed her on what was happening as she walked out her work room wondering what all the noise was about. "Y-Yosaku is…"
Zoro sweat nervously seeing his old pal bleeding on the small ship that had been tied to the Going Merry via grappling hooks. The Vice Captain put a hand on Johnny's shoulder as the raven haired man's face cascaded with tears.
"Bring him aboard; we'll treat him the best we can." Luffy said giving his first order to Zoro, before turning to face Ussop and Nami grimly. "Grab one of the spare bed's down in storage as well as our first aid kit. We've got an injured man so get to it, NOW!"
Realizing this wasn't their friend but their Captain speaking, all three crew members rushed to carry out their orders, Luffy jumping down with Zoro to carry Yosaku up to the Going Merry.
Yosaku was a man of average height with a long green coat, black shirt, red headgear, brown boots, and blue striped yellow shorts. His torso was wrapped in bloody bandages and streaks of blood escaped both his mouth and nose.
Upon further examination, once Yosaku had been placed on the spare bed on the Going Merry's deck, Luffy noticed his discolored skin. "He's sick?"
"Yeah! Although a few days ago he was so full of life! He just became like this so suddenly!" Johnny cried, his hand clutching the side of his head in frustration. "Now he keeps getting pale suddenly and then fainting! I have no idea what's-"
"You haven't eaten much citrus fruits recently have you?" Luffy cut in, his grim expression and concern now gone from his face, replaced with exasperation. Nami on the other hand was openly glaring as a tick mark pulsed on her temple, her left eye twitching in irritation as she took in the injured man's symptoms.
"Huh? Uh, no we haven't had any recently." Johnny answered. "We haven't gotten much chance to eat any fruits lately actually, we've just been eating dried meats and other preservatives that would last long on the seas…"
"… You both are fucking idiots." Nami said before disappearing into the storage room.
"OI! What was that, Nami?!" Zoro growled, too agitated about Yosaku's condition to think clearly.
"Cool it, Zoro." Luffy said tiredly, rubbing his eyes with his fingers as he took a seat next to Yosaku's ill body. "Your friend has scurvy."
"Scurvy?" Johnny repeated questioningly as Zoro took deep breaths to calm himself, telling himself Nami must've had a reason for being so cold.
"… Nami was right, you both really are idiots." Luffy commented with half-lidded eyes, aggravating Johnny and making Zoro wonder what the hell it was to make even Luffy act coldly. "In the past, it was a hopeless disease that accompanied sea journeys…"
"It's caused by deficiency of plant-derived nutrients, specifically vitamin C." Nami continued, now carrying a box of limes with her. "Ussop help me squeeze a few of these into this guy's mouth." The archer nodded as Luffy tossed him his hunting knife to speed up the process.
"Wow so he'll be ok after this Big Sis?!" Johnny said, elated with joy as he jumped up excitedly. "That's some pretty knowledgeable stuff! Are you a doctor or something, Big Sis?"
"THIS IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE YOU FUCKING DUNCE!" Nami reprimanded the now quivering Johnny who was now hiding behind Zoro, the swordsman also taking an exasperated expression albeit tinged with a bit of guilt.
"Sorry for flipping out on you." Zoro apologized to Nami who just waved it off.
"You weren't thinking straight, worried about your friend right? It happens." Nami said back with a smile before frowning as she noticed just how much lime juice Ussop had filled the sick dude's mouth with. "Ussop, what the hell! You planning on drowning him or something?!"
"AH! DID I OVER DO IT?!" Ussop cried out, dropping the other limes as he took a look and realized juice was practically overflowing out of Yosaku's mouth.
"GEE YA THINK?!" Nami yelled back with shark teeth.
"AH BIG BRO THEY'RE PLANNING ON KILLING YOSAKU AFTER ALL!" Johnny screamed, shaking Zoro with his hands on the swordsman's shoulders.
Zoro facepalmed at Johnny's last comment as Luffy had his biggest sweatdrop experience yet watching the events unfolding in front of him before he looked down in disbelief. 'It's not possible!'
Gulping down on the overflow of lime juice, Yosaku jumped to his feet and began dancing as he screamed to the heavens. "I WILL SURVIVE!"
Ecstatic with his partner's instantaneous recovery, Johnny joined Yosaku in his dance as they cheered "Yaay! Yaay! Yaay!"
"All those nutrients revived me!" Yosaku proclaimed proudly.
"All right, partner!" Johnny added with glee.
"THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN RECOVER THAT QUICKLY!" Nami screeched indignantly once again bringing out the comical shark teeth and angry pure white eyes.
The two men stopped their dance to strike a pose in front of the pirate crew and said in unison. "Sorry for not introducing ourselves first."
"My name is Johnny." Johnny said with crossed arms.
"I'm Yosaku." Yosaku said, placing a cigarette between his lips.
"The Pirate Bounty Hunter Duo!" They exclaimed in unison once more.
'Is this a practiced bit?' Luffy wondered, taking a peek at his crew's reactions. Zoro looked impassive, Nami still a bit indignant but more surprised at their perfect unison, and Ussop just looked befuddled.
"We used to be colleagues of Big Bro Zoro." Johnny continued.
"Glad to make your acquaintance." Yosaku finished.
"I never thought I'd see you guys here… or again for that matter." Zoro said with a small smile.
"But again, we're surprised…" Johnny started.
"We never imagined that the Pirate Hunter Zoro would become a pirate himself!" Yosaku ended.
"Yeah well, neither did I." Zoro thrust his hand out with a grin.
"Big Bro!" Johnny said with glee taking Zoro's thrust out hand into his own, Yosaku moving to the same only to fall down to the deck, his skin suddenly discolored once more.
THUD!
"H-Hey Partner?!" Johnny called out to Yosaku in distress, Zoro watching with similar anxiousness as blood poured out the man's oral and nasal orifices once again.
"Sigh, Put him back on the spare bed and take him into the men's quarters. He needs to rest." Luffy ordered, getting up and walking into the kitchen. The silent continuation of meeting him there afterwards was not lost on the crew and they carried out the command.
"This is a lesson." Nami began, a grim expression on her face. "Pitfalls like these are around every corner when you travel the seas for a long time."
"Which means on the ship, we have to consider the distribution of nutrients using limited kinds of food…" Ussop continued rubbing his hands together nervously.
"It's a necessary ability, when you think about it…" Nami added, as she wrote on notes in her notebook.
"So basically we need a cook, but doesn't Luffy already fit the bill though?" Zoro deduced before launching a different question, one that got Ussop to smile in relief believing the problem was solved. Those hopes were dashed by Nami however.
"Luffy can cook but…well…" The navigator turned to her fiance who'd been quiet the entire time as he leaned back into his chair at the head of the table, his straw hat covering his eyes.
"I only know how to make foods that require game or can be smoked/roasted. And I don't know much about the endemic life on the Grand Line, what's safe to eat and what isn't, what parts to keep and what not to, etc." Luffy said, looking at them for the first time since they all convened in the kitchen. "I can only get us so far on our journey with my knowledge on cuisine. We need an actual seafaring cook, one that can fight."
Taking this as his cue to chip in Johnny smiled, putting his two cents in. "If you're looking for a cook that can fight, there's only one place to go in these seas."
"Oh? Do tell." Luffy questioned a small smile appearing on his face.
"At the moment it's on the way to the Grand Line, west of here, and…" Turning to Zoro, Johnny grinned knowing the swordsman would like the next bit of info. "Rumors say a certain hawk-eyed man is on the way."
Zoro lit up like a kid who'd just gotten the pet dinosaur they'd begged their parents ages for, only to sober and glance towards Nami.
"Nami… is your hometown near the Grand Line?" Zoro inquired. Meeting the greatest swordsman in the world so soon would be… Zoro couldn't even put into words how wonderful that would be but he knew Nami needed to be home. The specifics weren't shared to him or Ussop but they knew Luffy made a promise to save her home from a tyrant and it sounds like a solution to the problem was long overdue.
"Kind of but… it isn't towards the west…" Nami said, biting her lip in frustration. She knew it was Zoro's dream to be the greatest swordsman in the world and, based on his reaction, the 'hawk-eyed man' was most likely the current holder of that title.
Luffy was conflicted on this matter. On one hand, he would basically be getting in the way of his swordsman's dream and he would die before he did such a thing to any of his friends, but on the other hand he promised Nami he'd deal with Arlong back in her hometown, that was their deal for her becoming their navigator… and his queen. '…I suppose I could send Ussop to accompany Zoro and his two bounty hunter friends to go to the restaurant and meet Mihawk while I go with Nami and deal with that overgrown sardine…' Luffy opened his mouth to suggest it but was silenced by his fiance who answered first.
"Usopp, change the course of the ship, we're heading to the restaurant." Nami said with a tone of finality. Her order shocked Ussop, Zoro and even Luffy himself but the marksman knew better than to argue and left to carry out the navigator's command.
"Nami… are you sure? Your village-" Zoro knew he'd just been granted a golden opportunity but he couldn't just accept it like that. Nami was having none of it however and raised her hand to stop him from going on.
"He won't be expecting me for at least another week. We have time to get a cook AND meet this hawk-eyed man." Nami said, getting up from her seat and giving Zoro a wide smile. "It's your dream isn't it?"
The swordsman could only nod as his lips refused to function, unable to comprehend what the navigator was willing to do for him. Knowing his words would not come out, Zoro bowed his head in thanks, not seeing the satisfaction and happiness that came alive in Nami's eyes before she walked out the kitchen.
"…Well Nami has spoken, better to just listen and go along with it than to argue." Luffy said getting off his seat as well to follow her but he stopped as he passed Zoro's side and leaned down to his swordsman's ear. "For payment, I think making the tyrant's men suffer slow agonizing deaths would be a good start."
"Then they will beg for death thousands of times before I grant it to them." Zoro replied, eyes ice cold and resolved to shine brighter than the sun. Luffy grinned and patted his first mate's shoulder fondly before walking out the door and walking to stand by his love's side.
"Are you sure about this?" Luffy asked, although he knew the answer. Nami's eyes said it all, her decision was final.
"…They say when you fall in love with someone you end up becoming like them." Nami turned to Luffy with a smile on her lips as she threw her arms around her Captain's neck. "Getting in the way of my friend's dreams…I'd die before I ever do such a thing."
Luffy didn't say anything else; instead he closed the distance between them, lifting Nami by her thighs as he captured her lips. The orangette made a startled sound before melting into her Captain's searing kiss, her fingers playing with his hair as he leaned against the balcony's railing.
In the distance a strange ship came to view, it's form reminiscent of a Carp, its front the fish's head and its rudder the tail. The top section above the seat was painted light green and the bottom with a little peeking out the waves painted a faded red, the ship, the restaurant's name displayed in big bold letters on its second story, the Baratie.
"Well the owner certainly has…unique tastes." Nami commented, taking in the ship's appearance. Glancing to her boyfriend expecting to see similar feelings written on his face, the navigator blinked seeing his rather unbecoming display.
"I can smell it." Luffy muttered, saliva waterfalling down his mouth as the scents of what had to be the best smelling dishes he'd ever caught whiff of were brought to him by the ocean breeze. "We're getting a cook from here if it's the last thing we do!"
'…So he can be a complete caveman at times too huh.' Nami thought in amusement, shaking her head at her usually calm collected lover's complete monkey mode transformation. Turning to Zoro she was both relieved and a bit disappointed to see that the swordsman was still sporting his usual resting bitchface. 'Well at least being brought into the pack doesn't automatically make you regress in the evolutionary line.'
Nami didn't have high hopes for Ussop not returning to monke seeing as the marksman was also drooling uncontrollably the moment the scent of the dishes became available to the normal humans on board. 'Well, this is a definite ape. Kaya, what did you see in this guy?'
"I present to you all, the Sea Restaurant, The BARATIE!" Johnny yelled as if he were a showman making a dramatic reveal.
"MEAT!" Luffy cried bouncing with energy, his Monkey D. genes overriding whatever fear of shame for becoming a caveman-esque individual.
"CALM DOWN, YOU IDIOT!" Nami yelled, slamming her fist on her embarrassing fiance's head, sending the wolfman straight into the floorboards of the deck with a grunt of pain. Completely incensed as she was she didn't notice the black sheen her fist had been coated with, her other two crew members did notice however, the swordsman openly gaping.
"A-Armament?!" Zoro exclaimed disbelievingly, staring at the navigator's black fist. His cry of surprise was enough to snap Nami away from her livid state, consequently giving her a chance to notice she had indeed activated Armament Haki. "I spar with this bastard every bloody afternoon until I'm basically dead and you summon Armament Haki perfectly just out of being embarrassed?!"
If Luffy were awake he would have been simultaneously ecstatic and shocked beyond disbelief, unfortunately the haki coated fist his girlfriend punched him with had enough power to actually knock him out. This fact scared him more than it made him proud. He was proud of her, don't get him wrong, but knowing even with his insane devil fruit his queen could knock him out that easily…well that certainly gave him reason to fear for the future. While this fact was lost on Zoro and Nami, the former incensed and the latter still in shock, it was not lost on Ussop, who paled, and swore to himself to never get on the navigator's bad side… yeah this was not a promise he kept.
The noise of a honking ship passing them awoke the downed Luffy who's ears rang in pain, his swordsman gritting his teeth and throwing a glare at the marine ship that came up to the Going Merry's side.
"Wh-What? A Marine ship at a place like this?!" Yosaku cried from the door leading into the men's quarters.
"Ugh, what an unpleasant bunch we've run into." Zoro complained as he held one hand against the side of his head, still reeling from the loud noise. 'Fuck for all the benefits, there are a fuck ton of downsides. This gift curses as much as it blesses.'
"When did they get so close?" Nami wondered if she'd been taking the Cheat Day a bit too breezily. 'I trained so much in Observation Haki I ended up being able to predict and sense everything in battle yet I didn't notice them at all…'
Johnny recognizing the ship and a certain man onboard attempted to discreetly hide in the men's quarters before he himself was recognized in turn. Luffy stood up and watched the marine, the commanding officer he deduced, with a blank stare, giving nothing away.
"I've never seen that pirate flag." The marine murmured. The commanding officer wore a white pinstripe suit, a sky blue collared dress shirt underneath, and brass knuckles on his hands. His skin was tan and his hair purplish pink, narrow dot-like pupils and a scar on his right cheek. The pinkette called out to Luffy and his crew, "I am Iron Fist Fullbody, Lieutenant at Navy Headquarters! Who is your captain?! Come out and state your name!"
"I am the captain, Monkey D. Luffy." The wolfman said, his face still blank as his eyes bored into Fullbody's, filling the Marine Lieutenant with a sense of foreboding danger but the man just shrugged it off. "As for why you've never seen this pirate flag before, it's because it was only flown recently."
At the same time Luffy opened his mouth to speak, Ussop attempted to step forward and speak as well but was stopped by Zoro who held him back by his shoulders, a withering death glare reminding the marksman that now was not the time for jokey insubordination.
"Hmph! Oh, you're just…hmm?" Fullbody's face broke into a smirk before he noticed a familiar pair of jokers by one of the pirate ship's doors. "You two over there, I remember seeing you before. If I remember correctly, you're a bounty hunter duo going after small fish."
"Wh-What?!" Johnny said angrily as both he and Yosaku stepped away from their hiding place to scowl at the Marine Lieutenant.
"So you finally got caught by pirates…That's a laugh." Fullbody chuckled as a rather lovely blonde woman in a red velvet dress approached him from behind.
"C'mon, let's get going." The woman said, hugging Fullbody's right arm, pressing it into her breasts. Fullbody nodded and turned away from the two men, a pair of pathetic bounty hunters worth nothing more than dirt in his mind.
"You think small-time bounty hunters would go after these guys?!" Johnny called out to the Lieutenant, taking a stack of bounties from his blue jacket and tossing them to the wind. Many of these bounties had the faces crossed out in a red x but one of the few without one laid above the pile, a fishman with a saw nose grinning in the picture. Nami noticed it and glared hatefully as she crouched down and held it in her quivering hands. Luffy and Zoro also noticed but made no move to approach the navigator, the two shared a brief glance with one another and decided it best to leave Nami alone for the moment in favor of observing for the Marine vessel next to them may do next.
"Now, let's go to the restaurant." Fullbody said to his lady companion but not before turning to his men for one last command before he had lunch. "They're an eyesore, sink them."
"Sir!" The two marine soldiers saluted, acknowledging the order before rushing to carry it out.
"C-Crap they're gonna fire at us!" Ussop cried out in panic as Johnny and Yosaku nervously observed the navigator quivering in anger as she held the fishman's bounty.
'Shashashashashashas!' The arrogant bastard's condescending laugh echoed in Nami's ears as she saw red, not even registering what was going on around her until the sound of cannon fire knocked her out of her stupor. Subconsciously activating Observation Haki, Nami watched as a cannonball sailed through the air towards their ship, straight at 'LUFFY!'
Realizing where it was headed, Nami's heart thudded against her chest, logically she knew he'd walk out unscathed but that didn't stop her from feeling anxiety. Of course the anxiety was proven unnecessary as Luffy simply raised his arm and caught the explosive projectile lazily, shocking the bounty hunter duo and the marines so much a cacophony of 'THUD!' resounded as jaws dropped and hit the deck.
"I'm too hungry to play catch right now so you can have this back." Luffy said impassively before throwing the cannonball at the marine ship's hull, breaking it and causing the vessel to begin sinking, sending all its occupants running around in a frenzy as panic set in. Turning to his crew, Luffy smiled goofily, a bit of drool leaked out of his mouth as he declared with all seriousness. "I'm ordering all the non-vegetarian, no crustacean dishes they have."
Cue the main crew's sweatdrop and "Oi, oi…" as the bounty hunter duo screams disbelievingly, their brains refusing to accept what they just bore witness to.
Later in the restaurant, Luffy and company are seated by one of the servers on a window-side table, also giving them menus to choose what they wish to order. While the server moved to leave and give them time to choose, Luffy immediately followed through with his declaration from the Going Merry.
"I'll have every non-vegetarian, zero crustacean and/or shellfish dish you got!" Luffy said with a beaming smile, only to have the server sputter in befuddlement as he stared disbelievingly as the wolfman…well they didn't know he was a wolfman but that didn't change the fact he was one.
Luffy's thousand watt smile wavered however as he caught the scent of cigarette smoke, the nauseating smell coming from a blonde man in a black suit, blue collared dress shirt, black tie, and black steel toe boots. The blonde who also had swirling eyebrows faltered seeing the disgruntled look on Luffy's face before immediately tossing his cigarette into a bin, making an educated guess as to what displeased the customer.
"Even if we take non-vegetarian, no crustacean and/or shellfish dishes out of the equation, that's still a lot of food." The blonde man said as he eyed Luffy calculatingly. "You don't look like you've gone that long without food, so why so much?"
"This restaurant is serving dishes wafting with the most delectable aromas I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. It'd be a shame not to indulge in each and every delicacy I possibly can." Luffy answered, his bright smile back in full force as he answered who he assumed to be a high ranking employee of the Baratie.
"Then did you mean to request a sampling of each dish that fit in your given parameters instead?" The blonde asked Luffy, a small smile on his lips as he preened proudly at the praise.
"Nope." Luffy said, ignoring the frown that formed on the man's lips before addressing what he deduced to be the man's concerns. "If you're worried about food being wasted then I'm sure my three companions here can vouch for me and my…well ravenous appetite."
The blande decided to do just that and cast questioning glances to his companions, stopping at the beautiful orange haired girl. "Does he speak the truth, dear mademoiselle?" The man asked in a rather flirty manner.
Nami noticed the rather candid flirting of the admittedly attractive blond man but decided to clarify her status before Luffy, who's eyes took on a dangerous gleam, or Zoro, who's hand gripped tightly on his precious white sheathed blade, tore the man to shreds. "Yes, my fiancé does have quite an insatiable appetite. It runs in his family."
The blonde man blinked before bowing to Luffy, "Apologies sir; I did not know the fair lady was your betrothed."
"Stand up, my good man. My fault, I suppose, for not giving her a ring to openly show it." Luffy said placating the blonde man who smiled gratefully for being forgiven. "No food served to me will be wasted I promise. To waste food while being a sailor on these unforgiving seas is the height of disrespect and stupidity after all."
"Truer words have never been spoken." The blonde man said, fully grinning in agreement. "What would the rest of you like to order? I will personally see to cooking them up for all of you!"
Zoro eyed the blonde man apprehensively. "Awfully generous of you, what's your position here anyway?"
"Ah, right I should've introduced myself first, ahem, my name is Sanji and I am the sous-chef of the Sea Restaurant, the Baratie." The blonde man replied coolly, the green haired swordsman in front of him reminiscent of a wild animal, a ferocious tiger? 'Definitely fills a combat focused role on this lucky guy's ship.' Sanji assessed as he glanced briefly at the man with the ravenous appetite, the captain.
"Dishes cooked and served by the Sous-chef himself?! I must be in heaven!" Luffy exclaimed, too enamored with the offer to care about being assessed or about embarrassing his fiancé who just sighed in resignation.
"My usually calm, collected husband-to-be, regressed in the evolutionary line as soon as he caught a whiff of your dishes and since he has the best sniffer I know…well, surprise me." Nami decided to let the blonde sous-chef serve whatever he wanted. A decision that elated Sanji greatly, just because a woman was promised to another or anything of the sort did not mean they did not receive the treatment any single woman should enjoy.
"I have no preferences either. Ussop?" Zoro turned to the marksman who closed the menu and shook his head as well, both agreeing to let the expert decide for himself.
"Very well then, I'll get to work on your entrées." Sanji said as a basket of freshly baked bread was placed on the table by the server who brought them to their seats in the first place. "Appetizers are fresh loaves of bread, straight out of the oven. Listen closely and you'll hear the crackle inside."
Luffy and Zoro could already hear it without bringing it close but still did so before taking a bite, the swordsman's eyes widening as his jaw slackened. "How the hell is bread this good?" he asked before looking up to see his captain leaning against his seat and eating slowly, savoring each and every bite with bliss. The rather refined display alleviated some of the embarrassment Nami felt for her Monke of a boyfriend as she sighed in relief taking Sanji up on his advice and bringing a loaf close to her ear.
CRACKLE!
The navigator's eyes flew open as her mouth parted in surprise. Yes, she was told there would be a crackle but she wasn't expecting it to be so loud…and certainly not as inviting as it was. 'Great, aside from becoming more considerate of others I also might end up regressing in the evolutionary line at some point.'
Usopp…well the marksman ate like he normally did, probably out of fear as he didn't forget what he saw Nami do back on the ship. If the fricking BREAD was this good, no way was he missing out on the entrées just because he started eating like a pig and triggering the navigator's fury.
Johnny and Yosaku watched enviously from a different table, the two didn't want to impose on Luffy and the others so they asked to be seated separately so they would pay for their own bill. Now? Boy did they wish they hadn't given two shits about protecting their pride.
Luffy grinned in glee as he spotted Sanji walking out the kitchen with a tray in hand before frowning and turning to the restaurant's doors seconds before a certain disgruntled marine lieutenant burst through, soaked.
"STRAW HAT! WHERE ARE YOU, YOU BASTARD?!" Fullbody yelled at the top of his lungs as his eyes darted from patron to patron before landing on Luffy and his crew. Seething with red hot rage the marine lieutenant furiously stomped over the table as Sanji began placing the dishes for the Straw Hat crew, ignoring the soaked man. "HOW DARE YOU OPEN FIRE ON MY SHIP, YOU NO-NAME PIRATE!"
Luffy just stared at Fullbody blankly, before turning to his front and seeing a fillet mignon served with mash potatoes and mixed vegetables, carrots, corn and peas, a sauce plate filled with creamy wild mushroom sauce. Luffy took a knife and sliced into the fillet mignon, parting the juicy piece of meat to see its temperature, medium-rare. 'Perfect.' Luffy praised as he cut off a little bite size chunk to begin his meal. Fullbody was not amused.
"YOU DARE IGNORE ME! QUIT EATING YOU COCKY SHIT!" Pulling his arm back, Fullbody screamed bloody murder as he went to punch the serene captain trying to enjoy his steak. Faster than he could comprehend what was happening, the marine lieutenant's body was suddenly sent flying through the restaurant as the sous-chef delivered a barrage of kicks too fast for the normal eye to see, the only indication that he even kicked at all was his raised leg.
To the normal patrons dining in the restaurant that was the only indication, but to the Straw Hat gang who got a crash course on Observation Haki? They saw the whole thing unfold and boy was it a surprise. Zoro grimaced as he glanced at his captain before sighing in resignation, the decision of who would be their ship's cook was made. 'Why couldn't it be anyone but the flirt?' While Luffy had only taken notice of Sanji when he approached them, Zoro had spotted the man already making rounds around the restaurant doing his job while also flirting with numerous women. 'Least the perv has standards.' While Sanji was quite the flirt he tended to reign it in for the women who were obviously not single, he still treated them highly but his flirting became more joking like the kind shared between old friends rather than a suitor.
"If you have problems with our customers you can deal with them after they've eaten and had their fill, otherwise?" Sanji let the threat hang in the air as he stood protectively between the lieutenant and the pirates. Luffy continued eating his meal with a serene expression on his face, not giving away any of his thoughts on his meal.
"Ah! SANJI WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO OUR CUSTOMER?! AND IT'S A MARINE LIEUTENANT AS WELL?!" A bald man with strangely large arms yelled before he rapidly approached the downed lieutenant, glaring at Sanji all the while. "EXPLAIN YOURSELF SANJI! THE CUSTOMERS ARE KINGS! YOU DON'T TREAT KINGS LIKE THIS!"
"He isn't a customer; he was picking a fight with our customers' right here." Sanji said coolly gesturing to the Straw Hat gang behind him, who all took to their captain's lead and started eating as well. Unlike their captain however, the other three openly showed their surprise and delight as they ate their food, Zoro more begrudgingly than his navigator and marksman. "And don't call me by my name like we're friends, damn cook."
"A damn cook has no right to call me "damn cook"!" The beefy armed man grumbled before standing back up straight, dropping the marine lieutenant to the floor, Fullbody gasping out in pain as his body crashed back down due to gravity. "He telling the truth, boys?" the man with strangely proportioned arms asked a group of waiters by the kitchen doors.
"Yes, Patty. Eggplant here was dealing with the Lieutenant who came in picking a fight with one of our customers." A new voice called out as its owner walked out the kitchen. A rather short, pot bellied man with an amusingly tall chef's hat and a peg leg. Sanji grumbled about the nickname but simply walked back towards the kitchen, pausing for a moment noticing and recognizing what the head chef was bringing along with him.
"Owner Zeff!" Patty yelled in surprise, watching the chef, Zeff, walk towards Luffy and his crew with a large sake bottle.
"Your old man left this with me when he passed by. Figured you'd come across here looking for a chef on your way to the Grand Line." The Chef, Zeff, grunted, carefully placing the bottle in front of the straw hat wearing captain in a black and gold coat. While Luffy showed no visual reaction aside from calmly picking up the bottle and giving the top part a whiff, his crew all stopped eating to stare at the peg-legged chef and then the bottle in shock. Having delivered the young man his father's gift, Zeff turned to the Marine Lieutenant, picking himself off the floor and back on his feet.
"I'll shut it down…I'll shut down this restaurant! I'll shut it down!" Fullbody's grumble gradually became louder and louder, the man facing the ground not noticing the chef walking ever closer. "I'll contact the government immediately and…"
WHAM!
Zeff kicked Fullbody in the face with his peg leg, sending the pinkette crashing into a wall next to the door. "Get out of my restaurant." Zeff said coldly, staring down the government dog with a displeased expression, as if he was a piece of trash that the chef had forgotten to take out the night before.
Fullbody gasped out in pain crumpled against the wall, clutching the side of his face that was struck by the chef. Around this time Sanji walked out the kitchen carrying two trays with 7 dishes each, all varying kinds of meat from land dwelling creatures as well as some fish. Walking to Luffy's table Sanji eyed the empty plate that once held the fillet mignon, empty as if it looked like it just came out the dishwasher, squeaky clean with not a tinge of color aside from white.
"I take it you liked the Fillet Mignon?" Sanji asked as he set about placing the 14 dishes onto the table.
"Juicy and tender, seared to perfection on both sides, the temperature, medium-rare cooked with incredible finesse, a beautiful pink center, the vegetables sautéed in butter giving it a very inviting aroma, and the mashed potatoes, no clumps, completely exquisite with the addition of parsley and just the right amount of cream." Luffy answered in the same way a critique did, cold and calculating. Both Ussop and Zoro's eyes bugged out hearing and seeing the way Luffy talked.
'WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MONKE?!' They screamed demandingly in their minds.
Nami was similarly stunned but was torn, one part of her mind was delighted by the class her lover was exuding, the other part seethed wondering where this guy was while the caveman was embarrassing her earlier. Sanji's mouth gaped, flabbergasted by the complete 180 the wolfman pulled off before a grin of satisfaction settled on his features. "Chef Zeff, mind if I take your sous-chef as my cook?" And there went Sanji's grin.
"Yeah, sure take him…he's the best cook I got and basically my son though so he better make it back here in one piece someday." Zeff said, refusing to turn around and let Sanji see his face. The sous-chef looked like he wanted to argue about Zeff just giving him away like a piece of furniture willy-nilly but the words of protest we're caught in his throat when the chef continued from where he left off.
Before any further touching moments between Zeff and Sanji could unfold though, a wounded marine soldier appeared in front of the door.
"L-Lieutenant! Lieutenant Fullbody!" The man called out, getting the downed Lieutenant's attention as well as everyone else's. "T-The Krieg Pirate we apprehended, he's free sir!"
All traces of pain and fatigue were washed away from Fullbody's features as the marine stood up and faced his subordinate with fear in his eyes. "Impossible! We captured him while he was drifting along the seas, starving! We haven't fed him since either!"
While Fullbody denied the marine soldiers claims, the patrons in the restaurant began murmuring amongst themselves.
"K-Krieg Pirates…"
"No…it can't be…"
"We're doomed…DOOMED!"
"They're said to be the strongest pirates in the East Blue…"
The bloody marine soldier looked down regretfully. "I'm very sorry Liue-AH!"
BANG!
The soldier's body crumpled at the door as the sound of gunfire permeated throughout the restaurant. The figure of a heavily injured scruffy man in steel dark green boats, grey sweatpants, grey track jacket with purple stripes along its side and red dragons at the flaps, a green undershirt and a purple striped grey bandana holding a gun came to view as the marine hit the floor. While the patrons looked at the newcomer in fear, Zeff, Sanji and Patty just looked at him dully.
"A new customer? He better have money." Patty grumbled as he took out a piece of parchment to write the newcomer's orders on. The shooter walked in and took a seat at one of the vacant tables, propping one foot on it as he leaned back into his chair.
"Give me food, anything is fine." The shooter said roughly, eyes and cheeks sunken, ribs poking through his shirt, the man clearly suffering from starvation. "This is a restaurant, right?"
"Welcome to the Baratie, you damn crook." Patty said with a…interesting smiley face. 'Pretty sure you'll scare off more customers than get them with a smile like that.' Nami and Usopp sweatdropped as they had the same thought, Luffy activated his Observation Haki so he could continue eating while still being aware of any sudden attacks the Krieg Pirate might spring. Zoro watched the man with sympathy, remembering the hellish three weeks he spent in the marine base in Shell's town.
"I'll say it only one more time, so listen well. Bring me food." The shooter said, his eyes shadowing as his patience thinned. Fullbody grimaced at the tone and muttered, "This cook's going to be killed."
Scratching his head, Patty asked the shooter, "Sir, I'm terribly sorry, but do you have money for that?" In response the shooter held the flintlock up to Patty's head and replied, "Would a bullet do?"
"So you don't have money, huh." Patty's face lost its creepy smile and morphed into a bored scowled face, the transformation was so abrupt that it caught the shooter off guard long enough for Patty to raised his hands up and put them together before smashing them unto the bandana wearing man's head, striking with so much force he broke the chair the guy was sitting on as well. "If you can't pay for the food, you're not a customer."
The surprised patrons and staff burst into happy cheers.
"Beat the pirate up, Patty-san!"
"Way to go, cook!"
"Teach that scoundrel what's what!"
GRUMBLE-GRUMBLE!
"Oh…your stomach is grumbling, pirate." Patty said coldly as he stared down the shooter who held his stomach in pain.
"That was a fart, you stupid raccoon dog. Just bring me food." The bandana wearing man said, not sporting a nosebleed as well as streak of blood streaming from his oral orifice as well. Patty was not amused.
"If you're not a customer, beat it already!" Patty yelled as he began beating up the downed man, Sanji having left earlier back into the kitchen with an unreadable expression.
Luffy's eyes flashed with disappointment briefly as he observed Patty's display of brutality and the cowardice of the marines who sneaked away with their tails between their legs, before curiosity set in, sensing the resolve blooming to life in Sanji.
'…More and more you make yourself the perfect and only candidate for becoming my cook.' Luffy mused as he dabbed a napkin against his lips before he stood up and left the table without a sound, his crew casting him questioning looks, Nami moving to join him as he gestured towards the back of the restaurant. Ussop looked like he wanted to get up as well but Zoro held the archer down and shook his head, having a pretty good guess what the two were going to be doing.
LUFFY'S POV
I shook my head watching Patty throw the Krieg Pirate off his shoulder and onto the deck with absolutely no regard for the starving man's constitution. Nami's frown deepened as she observed the injured man struggling to even prop himself up against the restaurant's wall.
"What are we here for Luffy?" Nami asked me, turning to me disgusted by the cook's behavior. "I was under the impression we we're scouting out potential crewmates, specifically Sanji."
In response I just pressed my finger to my lips and nodded to the door which was opened by the man of the hour himself, carrying a plate of seafood fried rice; octopus tentacles, squid rings, parsley, shrimp and bite sized portions of fish mixed into the rice.
"Eat it." Sanji said, leaning against the railing, lighting a cigarette which he took a deep breath of before puffing out a long stream of smoke. "God this hits the spot."
"Sh-shut up! Take this away! I ain't so far down I'll take charity!" The starving man yelled, facing away from the meal but never taking his eyes off of it.
"Stop bitchin 'and eat it already. To me, anyone who's hungry is a customer." Sanji took another deep breath before sighing out in relief and exasperation.
"Sorry, but I'm not a customer." The Krieg Pirate retorted, clinging to the last vestiges of his pride.
Sanji's exasperated glare narrowed in fury before he sighed and looked to the skies. "How large and cruel the ocean is…How scary it is to lose food and water on the ocean…How hard it is…I can understand how a hungry person feels more than anyone."
The starving man's pride was on the brink of fading completely as the sous-chef's words hit home but the blonde wasn't finished. "You can die and keep your pride…but if you eat and survive, don't you think there's a future for you?"
The man gasped before reaching for the seafood fried rice and devouring the meal as fast as he could, taking large chunks after large chunks without rest. "Sorry…" the man said, getting Sanji's attention. "Sorry…Thank you…I thought I'd die." The man cried, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably. "I thought I was done…" The pirate resumed eating his meal ravenously. "Delicious…Delicious…I've neve eaten food so delicious."
A smug shit eating grin blessed the blonde's face as he preened. "It's damn delicious, isn't it?"
"Any objections, love?" Turning to Nami, I asked more out of formality rather than necessity, knowing she had probably also found Sanji to be the one. The cook was destined to sail the seas with us.
"None…Well if I had to nitpick it would be not having a dream." Nami answered, turning to me with a beautiful smile. "Not to say he doesn't have one but we don't know if he does and should he have one we don't know if it aligns with our own."
"One way to find out then…" Leaning over the railing I called out to the man who was almost guaranteed to become my seafaring cook. "Sanji! You got a dream? An ambition?"
The sous-chef shifted, startled at being called out so suddenly before locking eyes with me and relaxing a bit. "…What's it to you? Emperor's son?"
"Oh? You know about my father, eh?" I questioned with a grin, going along with his change of topic, for now.
"He may be peg legged and potbellied now but Chef Zeff was once a Grand Line pirate himself, Re-" Sanji replied before being cut off by me.
"Red Leg Zeff." I finished, sparing a glance at the Krieg Pirate who paused in his eating upon hearing about Zeff being a Grand Line pirate. "He made it pretty far in Paradise as captain of the Cook Pirates but didn't break through into the New World. Still made it out and settled into a much tamer livelihood though, an accomplishment not many others can boast."
"You know your stuff…" Sanji said back blinking slowly, probably not expecting me to know so much about his mentor. "I do have a dream…and it does require me to sail through the Grand Line…" I grinned widely and opened my mouth to speak but Sanji continued with a dead serious expression "But I can't set sail until I've paid my debt to Zeff. I honestly don't know when I will be able to so I doubt I can be your cook."
Contrary to Sanji's belief, that his proclamation would displease me, I just took it in stride, focusing on one key detail. "So you do have a dream that aligns with my own, eh? Well then I really can't accept any other cook aside from you now." I crossed my arms and grinned down smugly at the bewildered sous-chef. "Join my crew and let's find that which you seek."
Sanji's eyes widened momentarily before he shook his head with a grin. "Well, if you can wait that long I won't stop you. Food isn't cheap though."
"It's worth every belli." I declared confidently before taking out a pouch of coins and tossing it to the blonde. "That's for our starving friend." I turned away to walk back into the restaurant not really interested in listening to the Krieg Pirates feeble protests or gratitude, Nami following me with a conflicted expression. "If he isn't ready yet, you and I can pay him a little visit and just come back to pick Sanji and the others up."
"Thank you, Luffy…Sorry I'm-"
"You're not a bother or a hindrance, Nami." I stopped her self-deprecating apology as I turned to her and held her chin up, forcing her to face me. "You'll never be anything of the sort. Not to me." As Nami smiled appreciatively at me I basked in the glow, oblivious to how some day she would be a hindrance, She and the entire crew would pull me away from my journey. But that would not come until much later, and even if I lost some time, the choice of being pulled away was one I would take over losing them forever.
A/N: Hey guys, I'm sorry again for not being able to upload but my good friend Typhoon Odette was being a douche. From now on uploads/updates to the Straw Hat Wolf will be weekly instead of every three-four days. Why? Because dear god I need time to breathe. Hope you understand and with that I hope you have a good day…or night, you get what I mean.