Betaread and final touches done by The Patient One! I love how fast he do his beta work, it's simply amazing :)
Chapter 16. A Restaurant on the Seas
"Nami-aneki…" Johnny whined. "Can I go now?"
Nami's eyebrow twitched. "I told you not to call me that," she said, pushing one tip of her Bo staff into his hands. "Now, hold it tightly. I want to try this again."
As he gripped the staff, the bounty hunter winced, fully knowing what was coming next. The navigator brought one hand on the staff, ripping it off from Johnny's grasp, when shifted her position and twisted her wrist. The staff swung around and the other end of it smashed on the hunter's head.
"Oww…" Johnny moaned, nursing one more lump in his already rich collection.
"Yeah! Finally, I can do it easily!" Nami exclaimed happily, but then she frowned at the bounty hunter as he kept groaning. "Stop it. You're a man, aren't you? Can't you take a little of beating?"
"A little?!" Johnny yelled, outraged. He pointed at his head. "You call this a little?!"
"Whoa!" an awed cheer came from the other half of the Going Merry. "That's amazing, Zoro-aniki! Luffy-aniki!"
Nami and Johnny looked at the commotion. Yosaku, who evaded being the thief's training partner because he was still healing, was sitting on the lounge's roof and observing a sparring between Luffy and Zoro. The stern deck was pretty small, so two pirates couldn't get a serious sparring match. What they were doing was more akin to playing with each other using wooden replacements for their weapons.
Zoro clenched his teeth as the straw-hatted teen eluded his attack again and immediately countered it by seizing a split second opening and successfully delivering a hit to his side. The swordsman felt so weak. He would never be able to win against Luffy – it was impossible to beat your opponent if you couldn't land a hit on him.
"Zoro, focus!" the captain urged, thrusting his staff to the swordsman's stomach and getting a groan as a strike connected. "Losing your focus in a real fight can cost you your life."
Zoro knew that, but he still made such an amateurish mistake. He needed more training. Beating weaklings till now really made him fall under an illusion that he was invincible. The swordsman smirked as he attacked Luffy one more time. Meeting this goofy rubber boy was a fortunate turn of events, making him realize his own weakness much sooner.
"Aniki is strong, but Luffy-aniki is amazing, too!" Yosaku cheered at the sidelines again. "How do you even manage to dodge every attack from Zoro-aniki?"
Luffy slipped past another round of hits and smiled at his swordsman, feeling the turmoil in the latter's presence finally calming down. The teen's attention was solely on the man in front of him, so he replied to the hunter's question without really thinking what he was saying: "In death matches, every strike can kill you, and you learn to avoid it if you want to survive."
"Death matches?" Yosaku and Zoro asked in unison.
Luffy's smile fell, and his face became carefully blank. He was saved from the need to explain by a shout, coming from the crow's nest.
"Boat off the starboard bow!"
Everyone looked up in response to Usopp's call and turned their attention to the direction he specified.
"One man on the boat!" the sniper specified, looking at it through binocular.
Luffy could sense a presence on the boat. It felt muted and dim, like a faded color. The young pirate knew that it meant that the person was either injured or weakened by other means. In any case, he needed help.
"Nami!" Luffy shouted, but at that moment the Going Merry suddenly turned towards the boat.
The navigator appeared from around the corner. "I knew you'd want to investigate that," she said with a knowing smile.
"Shishishishi."
The man in the boat was not happy to see a pirate vessel coming towards his location. He glared at the pirates on the bow deck with a considerable amount of hostility, clenching an oar in his hands.
Luffy eyed the man intently, unfazed by his aggressive stance, noting his pale, unhealthy looking complexion, dark circles under his eyes, and dirt mixed with blood on his gray and green clothes.
"Captain?" Zoro grunted, a hand resting on his white sword, ready to draw it on a moment's notice.
"Wait," Luffy ordered before calling out to the stranger, "Hey! Are you hungry?"
The only answer he got was a startled expression on the man's face, but it was quickly covered by a silent indifference.
"Why is that the first question you ask?" Nami inquired, staring at the captain with a raised eyebrow.
Luffy just shrugged nonchalantly like that kind of question was the most common thing to ask of the person you had met in the middle of the ocean. "He looks hungry," he declared.
Usopp also carefully eyed the stranger in the lone boat. "How do you know?" he asked, honestly curious.
The straw-hatted teen thought for a second, then shrugged again. "It's obvious to me."
Zoro snorted. "Your mystery power again?"
"Shishishishi! That's right."
"What's it to you if I am hungry?" the man in the boat finally threw a question back at them.
Usopp frowned, mumbling to himself, "Mystery power?"
Nami looked between her captain and the stranger before sighing in surrender. She called out to him, "We have some food to spare if you want it."
It took a full minute for the man to respond as he stared at the young pirates, slightly stunned by their un-pirate-like generosity. "...I'd appreciate that," he said in a subdued voice.
"This is good," Gin, as he had introduced himself, complimented Nami, biting another bite of his rice ball.
They were all gathered in Merry's galley. Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku joined their guest and also were eating, while Luffy, Nami, and Zoro were just keeping them company.
"I second that!" Yosaku exclaimed cheerfully.
Johnny gulped down his bite and grinned at the orange-haired girl. "Nami-aneki is an amazing cook herself!"
"Oh, it's nothing special," Nami waved them all off. "And for the umpteenth time, I told you not to call me that." She smacked the bounty hunter across his head. Then she turned to Usopp and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Usopp, this food was for our guests."
The sniper cringed, stuffed the last piece of rice ball into his mouth and hastily slurred, "Iw eawth nogthwingh."
"Oh, really?" Nami asked with a sweet smile plastered on her face. "Of course, you can always pay me for serving you food, and we can call it square. What do you say?"
"None of us are real cooks," Luffy suddenly said to Gin, drawing his attention from the scary pirate woman. "We're actually on our way to a sea restaurant Baratie to try getting one."
"Baratie, huh?" The man smiled fondly from hearing that name. "I just came from there; a blonde chef named Sanji made the best meal I've ever had in my entire life!"
Usopp let out a painful 'Ow!' when Nami's fist collided with the top of his head, but Luffy completely ignored what his nakama were doing. "Oh, you've been there?" He grinned at Gin. "The best meal made by a chef named Sanji... Gotcha!"
"Yeah. Great guy, fed me even when I couldn't afford it. The rest of them are bastards," Gin recalled, wiping away the last crumbs from his face. "Thanks a lot for offering me your food, too. But I should probably get back on my way."
"Oh? You weren't just drifting?" Zoro chimed in.
"Of course not," the man denied, baffled by a question. "Who would be stupid enough to try to cross the ocean without at least having some basic navigation skills?"
Luffy and Zoro blinked at him, then pointed at each other. "He would," they both deadpanned in unison.
Nami facepalmed. "Idiots… All of you."
Gin chuckled. "Well, I'm heading back to my captain, the great Don Krieg," he explained.
"Krieg?" Johnny and Yosaku perked up. They pulled out a pile of bounty posters, quickly rifling through them. "'Foul Play' Krieg, wanted for 17 million beli?"
"Yeah. He's the strongest man I've ever met."
"So, you're a pirate?" Luffy asked. An excited grin stretched across his face. "Is your crew traveling to the Grand Line too?"
"Y-You're going to the Grand Line?"
Luffy pursed his lips into a thin line as he felt a fear spiking in his new friend's presence. "Have you already been on the Grand Line?"
"I… We… We had been there…" the man squeezed out, clenching his hands into tight fists. "And we were decimated. Seven days, that was all what it took to lose all our fleet of fifty ships… It was destroyed by one man."
"Fifty ships?!" Usopp shrieked in alarm. "By one man?!"
Gin put a hand on his headband and pulled it down. "Yeah… You all are still young. There are other waters to sail as pirates. Don't go to the Grand Line."
Everyone was startled. Zoro and Nami stared at Gin with wide eyes, Usopp chewed on his nails, and the bounty hunter duo threw worried glances at the pirates.
"Sounds like you had a tough luck," Luffy stated, not fazed by the shared news at all. He put a hand on his straw hat and grinned. "But we're still going there."
"M-m-maybe we should consider it more carefully…" the sniper tried to object.
"There's nothing to think about, Usopp," Luffy said firmly. "One Piece is somewhere out there, so we're going."
Zoro smirked. "Heh sounds interesting."
Nami stayed silent, an unreadable expression on her features.
Gin smiled as he stood up. "Well, I just wanted to warn you, but you're free to do what you want. It's not that I have the right to stop you."
Luffy beamed at him. "You're a good guy, I like you!" he exclaimed. "If you hadn't had a captain already, I would have asked you to join my crew."
They slowly walked out of the lounge and onto the stern deck where Gin's boat was tied up.
"Thanks, but I'm proud to sail under Don Krieg's Jolly Roger," the pirate said before jumping into his boat.
The straw-hatted teen leaned on the railing to look at him. "As long as he's the true captain and takes care of you and his remaining crew, I will not complain about that," he stated. "Good luck, Gin."
"You, too. Thank you for the food again!"
"Anytime!"
"Zoro-aniki! Luffy-aniki! Usopp-aniki! Nami-aniki! We're here at the restaurant!" the bounty hunters duo's holler rang through the Going Merry, spurring everyone into action.
Nami gritted her teeth. "Why am I 'aniki' now…?"
"Because you didn't want to be their 'aneki'," Usopp supplied while passing by.
The navigator let out a frustrated growl and stomped to the bow to give the hunters a piece of her mind, but all her frustration vanished as soon as she saw a three-storied, fish shaped ship. The boys were already excitedly awing over it, and Nami could only smile at their enthusiasm.
The pirates carefully maneuvered Merry to anchor at the side of the restaurant near the main entrance. Luffy bounced onto the lower deck of the Baratie and eagerly urged the rest of his crew to hurry up. Nami followed him shortly after. While Zoro pushed an anchor to the water, Usopp prepared to leave the Going Merry too, when suddenly a bigger vessel sailed right next to them.
"Oi, oi, little ones," rang a voice full of mockery from the other ship. "This is our target, it would be too much for the kids like you. Go terrorize some kindergarten or something."
Everyone turned their heads to look at the speaker. He was standing in front of the bunch of men under a black flag with a skull and crossbones fluttering high above them, scoffing at Luffy and his crew.
"I don't recognize their Jolly Roger…" Johnny muttered, scanning through his bounty posters.
"Hmm…" Yosaku hummed. "Isn't their captain called 'Butcher' Torp?"
"Oh, you're right. He's worth 4 million beli."
Luffy stared at the unfamiliar pirates for a bit before a wicked smirk tugged his lips. Nami winced. She knew that smile. It was one of those 'If you're asking for a fight, you'll get more than you bargained for' smiles.
"We're good, but thanks for your concern, old man! You can go now, bye!" Luffy answered cheerfully, waving his hand as a goodbye.
Nami snickered. Zoro burst into laughter, ignoring furious glares from the enemy crew.
The captain 'Butcher' Torp, a huge man with even bigger saw sword strapped on his back, grabbed his weapon's handle, with another hand motioning to his men to attack, and ground out, "You'll pay for that, little shit."
It was a common day on Baratie.
Sanji got up with the sun to start the work in the kitchen. It was a simple chore – prepare ingredients, add spices and sauce, be patient and pay attention to small details. Nothing too hard or complex for the Assistant Head Chef.
In these moments Sanji's mind wandered far away from Baratie, outside of the East Blue boundaries into the place he saw only in dreams. The All Blue! A mystical sea of legend rumored to be the only place in the world where the North, South, East, and West seas met. In this legendary ocean, it was said that there were fishes from each of the four seas, and to have such a resource at one's disposal was the ultimate dream of every chef.
One day, Sanji would go and find the sea of his dreams.
One day, but not today. Because Patty was already screaming that there was a customer waiting to make his order, and there were no waiters to wait on tables. The old geezer Zeff was giving him that look again as Sanji passed him, and the blonde tsked in annoyance.
Yeah, it was a day as always.
A good day, if he had any right to say his opinion. There were quite a number of beautiful ladies today visiting the restaurant, and Sanji had his work cut out for him. To please and compliment every lady was not an easy job, as much as it seemed like one.
Sanji was busy cooing around one of the gorgeous customers when a scream came from the outside. A man who had just left came back inside in a hurry, a panicked expression on his face. "Pirates!" he yelled. "Two pirate crews are fighting outside!"
Yep, just a simple day on Baratie.
"I'm sorry, my lady," Sanji apologized and kissed the top of woman's palm, causing her to blush, and her companion to down another shot of sake biting down a snarl. "But there is an emergency I must deal with to keep you safe."
"Oh... Be careful!"
The blonde cook almost melted into puddle pleased to hear a heart-warming concern in the lady's voice. "Of course, my lovely princess, I will!" he promised as he tore himself from her and made his way outside.
Sanji lit a new cigarette as he stepped through an entrance, quickly sweeping the area with his eyes to get an understanding of the battle. There really were two groups of pirates, going by their ships docked nearby. One crew seemed like a run-of-the-mill, typical pirates with a bunch of ugly men, armed to the teeth. Another group was way more interesting, as Sanji could see only six members, four of them being of his age or even younger.
"Don't touch this ship, you jerks! I can't eat the best meal of the lifetime in wreckage! Go away!" A shout drew the chef's attention to the short black-haired kid with a straw hat who easily dispatched a bunch of grown-ups with a single punch and pushed them off the Baratie and into the water.
"Huh," Sanji mused. At least now he knew for which group to cheer. Not to mention, there was a petite orange-haired girl with them. Sanji stared at her and felt his heart skip a beat.
Nami smirked as the pirate she was fighting against suddenly grabbed her Bo staff. The thief quickly used the move she was honing for the past few days and soon her opponent was lying on the floor out cold. Nami grinned in victory. "Yeah! I did it!" she cheered.
"Gyaaaaahhhhh!" a screech of doom came from the Going Merry, and Nami turned to see what was happening. Usopp was running laps around the ship with two guys on his tail. They waved their sabers and spewed curses, unable to catch a fast prey.
Zoro, who somehow ended up on an enemy ship and was wreaking havoc there, suddenly grabbed one of the pirates and threw him over his shoulder into the air towards the Going Merry. A shrieking man crashed right on top of both Usopp's pursuers. The sniper made another lap, not noticing that his enemies were already down, but when his foot got caught by their bodies and he fell flat on the face.
Usopp lifted his head and looked around, noting unconscious men under him. "Ohhh! Nice, Zoro!" he cried out.
The green-haired man glanced at him. "What?" he asked.
"Just like I planned!" Usopp flashed thumbs up to the swordsman, causing him to frown in confusion.
Sanji smiled, amused. What an interesting group of pirates. Suddenly he heard a female's scream, and tensed up immediately, quickly zeroing on the orange-haired girl again. One of the run-of-the-mill pirates had forced her to drop her Bo staff and now loomed over her aggressively. "Shitty bastard…" the blonde hissed as the man lifted his sword to finish the girl.
Sanji didn't even have time to move an inch from his standing spot to protect her when out of nowhere a boy with the straw hat appeared in between the man and his crewmate.
Luffy grabbed the pirate's hand which held the sword, yanked him closer and menacingly growled out, "Try to touch even a hair on my nakama's head, and I'll rip those fingers off and cram them down your throat." He smiled in a dark and sadistic manner. "Maybe if I'll feel generous, I might ask cooks of this restaurant to grill them first for you," Luffy said while tightening his hold on the man's hand. A handle of the sword cracked under the pressure.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! S-s-s-sorry!" the pirate cried out through tears of pain. He vainly tried to free his crushed palm. "I'm so sorry!"
The straw-hatted pirate glared at him for a bit longer. Something dark flashed in his eyes. A glimpse of bloodlust in them was squelched as soon as it appeared. "Piss off!" he ordered, letting the man go, and the latter hightailed out of there, nursing his broken arm. Luffy picked Nami's staff, turned around and grinned brightly at her. "I saw you using that move I showed you earlier. Nicely done!"
Nami just stared at her captain, feeling dazed. His mood swings were starting to give her whiplash. "Um, thanks," she said, taking her weapon back.
Zoro landed next to them, sheathing his katanas, and yawned. "I could use a nap… and sake," he mumbled, absent-mindedly scratching the back of his head.
"Aniki's so cool!" Johnny and Yosaku exclaimed in awe.
"What's so cool about that?" Nami wondered.
Luffy chuckled. He turned to the Going Merry and waved to his sniper. "Usopp, hurry up! Let's go eat!"
"Coming!" the long-nosed teen replied.
Suddenly, Luffy appeared right beside him and pushed him to the side. A battle ax crashed into Merry's deck where Usopp was standing a moment ago. The sniper paled as he realized that his captain just saved him from being cleaved in two.
The straw-hatted teen swung one of his fists back and punched the enemy pirate in his gut. The man staggered, his eyes rolled back and he fell down.
"Sneaky bastard…" Luffy spat out. He glanced at his nakama. "You okay, Usopp?"
"Y-yeah. Thanks."
"How long do you plan to sit there and watch?!" the rubber boy yelled at the enemy vessel. "Your crew is down! What kind of captain are you?!"
A huge shadow moved, revealing 'Butcher' Torp sneering at the straw-hatted teen. "If you want to play, kid, come at me," he invited.
Luffy smirked at the invitation and jumped to the other ship. He ducked below the wide swing of Torp's huge saw sword as soon as he landed.
Sanji walked to the green-haired swordsman. "Aren't you gonna help that kid?" he asked him.
Zoro raised an eyebrow at the question. "Who? Luffy? Our captain doesn't need help against that weakling," he deadpanned.
The blonde glanced at the black flag on the sheep ship. So, that small boy was really a captain. Sanji observed him avoiding yet another sweep of the saw sword. "Why doesn't he attack then?"
"Tch," Zoro clicked his tongue, scowling in irritation. "Luffy, stop playing and let's get something to eat!"
The straw-hatted teen's head literally spun around at 180-degree angle to look at the swordsman. Nami, Usopp, and bounty hunters gasped in horror. Sanji's mouth opened and his cigarette dropped on the floor. Even Zoro's eyes widened in surprise.
Luffy's eyes flickered to the blonde man in a black suit next to his swordsman, and he beamed in pure delight. "You must be Sanji, the cook Gin was talking about!" he exclaimed, not even paying attention to the sloppy strike from the enemy captain because it went way off the mark. Torp was blinking at the black-haired kid's back of the head shell-shocked.
"What the…" Sanji muttered, unable to believe the bizarre sight in front of his eyes.
"DON'T SCARE US LIKE THAT, IDIOT!" Nami and Usopp yelled together.
"Sorry, sorry!" Luffy replied. His head snapped back into correct position as he stretched one of his arms far behind him and brought it back right into Butcher's stomach. The man gurgled and crumpled down unconscious.
"Whoa, captain!" cried out some guy peeking around the corner.
Luffy looked at him. "If you want your captain back, give me all your treasure," he said. "Or else I'll throw him overboard."
"What are you, a devil?!" another man accused.
"I'm a pirate," the teen stated in a matter-of-fact tone. An evil smile slipped on the future Pirate King's lips, sending shivers along Torp's goons' spines. "So, the treasure?"
"Shishishishi," Luffy chuckled happily, jumping from the enemy vessel with their treasure bag in hand. He extended it to Nami. "This is yours, Nami, like we agreed on."
The thief's face lit up instantly. Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku rubbed their eyes, trying to dispel the illusion of beli signs in her eyes.
"Captain, you understand me so well!" Nami squealed, hugging the bag tightly to her chest.
"Ooooh, lovely lady~!" Sanji jumped towards her. "I can be your treasure, too!"
"DON'T TOUCH MY MONEY!" she shrieked, landing a punch to his face and sending the chef sprawling on the floor.
"So… strong, but… so beautiful!" the blonde stammered out.
Everyone just stared dumbly at the scene, before Luffy burst into laughter. "Sanji!" he suddenly called out. "Can you give us that best meal I've heard so much about?"
Sanji closed the door behind him and filled his lungs fully with fresh salty air, feeling a usual piece settling on his shoulders. He lit a new cigarette.
"Having a break?"
Sanji turned and looked up. The straw-hatted pirate was sitting on the third-floor railing, dangling his legs in a carefree manner and smiling down at him. "What are you doing here?" the cook asked. "I saw your crew inside just a moment ago."
Luffy shrugged. "I don't like to be in the crowded places for too long."
"Huh." It was strange. This exuberant teen seemed like the one who would the heart of the party. "Well, did you like the food at least?"
Luffy beamed at him. "Absolutely! It sure was one of the best meals I've ever had!"
The blonde smiled. "Good to hear." He faced the sea again, leaning on the railing. "If only the old fart would acknowledge my cooking..."
The pirate stared at Sanji. He could feel it now. Deep in his presence was the same passion that not only he possessed himself, but could also be found in Zoro, Nami, and Usopp. The yearning for freedom to chase after their dream without any restraints.
Luffy jumped down and settled on the railing next to Sanji. "Do you have a dream?" he asked.
The blonde glanced at him. He blew out a puff of smoke, thinking over to tell this guy his dream or not… "Have you ever heard about the All Blue?"
"All Blue?" Luffy tilted his head to the side and hummed thoughtfully. "Nope."
"What? You've never heard of the ocean of miracles? Well, you see, in the All Blue…" With an excited, wide grin plastered on his face, Sanji happily told him everything about the All Blue and his dream to find it one day.
Luffy listened to his tale, marveled at how the man's presence buzzed with the thrill of joy from simply talking about his dream.
"...and it's in the Grand Line somewhere! So, I want to go out there one day and find it!"
"Alright," Luffy nodded to himself, "I've decided."
"Decided what?"
A sunny grin split the boy's face in two. "Join my crew! Let's find the All Blue together!"
Sanji only blinked at him, stunned.
Maybe it wasn't such a common day after all.
"Luffyyyy~" Usopp whined. "As much as I like the food here—though, it's so damn expensive—when are we going to set sail again?"
"The food here is really delicious!" Nami said with a happy smile, joining her captain on Baratie deck to go inside the restaurant for a late breakfast.
"I enjoy it, too," Zoro agreed, smirking. He also jumped down from the Going Merry.
The sniper's eyebrow twitched. "That's because you don't need to pay for it!" he yelled in anger.
"We second that!" Johnny and Yosaku chimed in.
Luffy smiled at his long-nosed nakama. "It's just for a couple more days until I can convince Sanji to join us. His food is the best!"
Usopp sighed in surrender, checked his wallet again and trailed after his crew to the other side of the restaurant where the main entrance was located.
"Whoa!" they all let out a surprised shout as they rounded the corner and saw a gigantic ship bobbing right next to Baratie.
A loud laugh drew all their attention to the entrance. There was a tall, bulky man with a dark brown fur-lined cape standing in the doorway. The pirates stopped right behind him, unable to enter.
"Excuse me," Luffy called, "let us through." But he was completely ignored. It didn't seem that the man even noticed them.
"I'm ordering you." They heard the stranger growling out menacingly. "Nobody disobeys my orders."
Luffy's face darkened. He lifted his leg and kicked the stranger right in his butt with a considerable amount of strength, snapping in annoyance, "Move, you jerk!"
The man flew across the restaurant and crashed into the spiral staircase in the middle of the hall.
Nami facepalmed. Usopp suddenly felt that he'd contracted the I-can't-go-into-this-restaurant disease and Zoro just smirked, enjoying the fact that his captain started yet another fight.
Luffy's gaze drifted to the side and he perked up as he noticed a familiar man in gray and green, kneeling on the floor. "Hey, Gin!" he greeted him cheerfully. "Nice to see you again! Did you meet your captain already?"
Gin stared at his goofy grin, completely stumped. "Yes," he replied slowly. "You just kicked him."
Luffy glanced at the figure, slumped at the base of the staircase, then rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Oops."
Next Chapter: An Oath Made on the White Blade