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Sea Restaurant Baratie.
One of the most famous restaurants in the East Blue!
As a dining establishment renowned throughout the entire East Blue, there was an endless stream of ships arriving daily, bringing numerous hungry customers.
There were even many people who traveled thousands of miles from various parts of the world or the Grand Line just to taste the delicious dishes prepared by Head Chef Zeff.
That's how popular it was!
But to survive on these seas, good food alone obviously wasn't enough to handle the various pirates and travelers who came and went.
In addition to [delicious food], another feature of the Baratie was the fierce [combat] element of its staff culture!
From the owner Chef Zeff to the waiters serving plates, no one here was easy to deal with.
The weak servers had long been scared away by Baratie's terrifying environment, leaving to find more stable jobs elsewhere.
...
...
SLAM!
It was exactly noon, the busiest time for Baratie's business.
An extremely ordinary sandal suddenly kicked open the door of the restaurant.
Then a young man wearing a straw hat walked in with a wide grin on his face.
"Mmm~! It smells so good!!!"
As soon as he entered the restaurant, Luffy's nose instantly expanded, greedily inhaling the aroma of food, and his eyes gleamed like Nami's when she spotted treasure.
Seeing an empty table near the door, he didn't hesitate and sat down immediately. He called to his friends who were still at the entrance and then signaled for a waiter.
"Red, Zoro, over here, over here!!!"
"Waiter, serve us quickly!!!"
Luffy, who couldn't wait to enjoy the food, shouted loudly, instantly disrupting the refined atmosphere in the restaurant.
Some diners who had been quietly enjoying their meals frowned momentarily.
"Really, couldn't Baratie establish some entry standards?"
"Letting just anyone in really affects the dining experience!"
"That's life at sea—you encounter all sorts of people..."
"..."
Whispers echoed from various corners of the restaurant.
But at that moment, a trembling voice that sounded nearly terrified suddenly spoke up:
"Hey! Look... that... isn't that... that man?!"
The trembling voice hesitated for a long time, still not daring to say the name.
But this comment undoubtedly attracted the attention of other diners.
Many people turned and looked toward the entrance.
Then...
CLANG~...
The sounds of various utensils, forks, and plates colliding resonated throughout the restaurant.
But the entire dining hall suddenly fell silent. Everyone's expressions froze at that moment, unified in reaction...
Their pupils dilated, and their eyes showed horror as they stared at the figure at the entrance. Time seemed to stand still.
Even the sound of breathing became heavy and harsh to them.
Until one of the braver diners started muttering quietly.
"It's... it's Straw Hat!!!"
"The infamous pirate with a bounty of 50 million berries from the World Government!!!"
His voice seemed contagious, instantly breaking the silent atmosphere in the restaurant but making the situation even more tense.
Everyone immediately turned around and picked up their knives and forks again with trembling hands, trying their best to pretend they hadn't noticed anything.
But the fear in their eyes couldn't be concealed.
For people who could afford to dine here, it was impossible not to know about the major incident that had caused a sensation throughout the East Blue in recent days!
The audacious pirate who attacked a Marine base and openly insulted the Marines, earning a bounty of 50 million berries—Monkey D. Luffy, the Straw Hat boy!!!
At this moment, they were all trapped by this infamous pirate!!!
The only escape route had been cut off, and no one knew what fate awaited them.
Suddenly, the entire hall was enveloped in a gloomy atmosphere.
Fortunately, a tall, muscular man noticed the strange mood in the room and also spotted the iconic straw hat on Luffy's head.
A flash of fear crossed his eyes as well.
But the next second, he walked over with a fawning expression, rubbed his hands together and smiled:
"Welcome, esteemed customer. I am Patty, a waiter here."
"What would you like to order?"
Luffy had no idea how much psychological distress his casual actions had caused everyone.
Like a carefree country boy, he picked up the utensils on the table and started tapping them:
"Anything is fine! As long as it's delicious! I'm hungry!! Can the food come quickly?!"
"Of course... of course!"
Patty nodded immediately, but then his expression changed and he asked:
"Although it's presumptuous of me, our establishment doesn't welcome those who can't pay. May I ask, do you have money?"
"Huh?"
Luffy's eyes widened as he remembered the allowance that Nami had confiscated because of his excessive spending...
His whole demeanor instantly deflated.
But before he could answer, a voice came from behind Patty:
"If it's money, we'll handle it."
Red smiled and walked past Patty, leading the rest of the Straw Hats, Johnny, and Yosaku to sit down one after another.
Then he smiled pleasantly at Patty:
"Don't worry, we won't be freeloaders."
"But our method of payment may be a little... unconventional..."
With a signal from Red's eyes, Johnny and Yosaku immediately raised their hands and threw the unconscious Jango and the Nyaban Brothers onto the floor. Then Red took out two wanted posters and handed them to Patty with a smile:
"These three men are wanted criminals from the Black Cat Pirates, with a combined bounty of 16 million berries."
"After deducting the collection fee, 15 million berries should be enough for us to dine here for a few days, right?"
"More than enough! More than enough!!!"
After comparing the wanted posters with the three men on the ground, Patty's fierce face suddenly broke into a somewhat frightening smile!
Since Marine officers often dined here, exchanging bounties wasn't a troublesome matter for them.
And although Baratie's prices were high, 15 million berries was enough to cover the entire restaurant's revenue for several days.
"Gentlemen, please wait a moment. I'll ask the chef to prepare food for you immediately!!!"
"The Baratie guarantees your satisfaction!"
Patty easily picked up the three bounty targets with one hand, bowed respectfully to Red and the others, and quickly retreated.
Watching Patty's departing back as he struggled to contain his laughter, Red couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth and chuckle.
"Make sure you keep your word, waiter!"
15 million berries?
If you were only buying ingredients, it would definitely be enough to feed Luffy for quite a while.
But staying at the Baratie, with its very high prices...
A knowing smirk appeared in Red's eyes as he and his friends took their seats.
Perhaps Luffy's reputation gave them special privileges. Within minutes, plates of fragrant food were brought to them by Patty and other fierce-looking waiters.
The Baratie chefs' culinary skills lived up to the restaurant's fame throughout the East Blue.
Everyone was extremely satisfied with their meal.
The two non-crew members, Johnny and Yosaku, were so moved they nearly cried.
With their limited means, they rarely had the chance to dine in such a high-end establishment.
And while everyone else was nearly finished with their feast, only Luffy was still enthusiastically eating...
A chef wearing a tall hat, with one leg replaced by a wooden peg, and sporting two golden braided mustaches walked over.
"Hello everyone, I am the owner of this establishment and head chef, Zeff. Are you satisfied with today's meal?"
When he heard that an infamous pirate with a 50 million berry bounty had arrived, even a veteran like Zeff couldn't contain his curiosity. After completing his duties, he immediately came to the dining hall to investigate.
Although from Patty's description, this group didn't seem to be looking for trouble.
But in the East Blue, where a bounty of 20 million berries was enough to intimidate a quarter of the sea, the significance of a 50 million berry bounty was truly terrifying!
"Satisfied... mmmph... very satisfied."
"Old man! The food here is really amazing!!!"
Luffy, who had been stuffing his face, momentarily paused when he heard that the newcomer was the head chef. He gave a rare thumbs-up to Zeff.
This clearly showed how much he enjoyed the meal.
Seeing how enthusiastic the diners were about the dishes his restaurant created, Chef Zeff smiled with satisfaction.
"As long as you're satisfied! As long as you're satisfied!"
"I never expected my humble establishment would be favored by important figures like yourselves. It seems our reputation will become even more illustrious in the future~!"
Zeff laughed.
Though he didn't explicitly say it, he took the opportunity to indicate that he already knew Luffy's identity, as a way of showing goodwill and avoiding any trouble.
But just as he finished speaking, Red raised an eyebrow:
"Oh? Chef Zeff, do you care about your establishment's reputation?"
"Then I wonder if you'd be interested in making this restaurant's name even more famous~"
"Famous enough... for the whole world to know?"
"Huh?" Zeff raised his eyebrows and looked at Red with some confusion.
At this point, Red gently nudged Luffy's shoulder, stood up on his own initiative, and gave Zeff a gentlemanly bow:
"Allow me to introduce myself, Chef Zeff."
"I'm Red, vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates."
"Actually, besides enjoying the delicious food, we have another important matter to attend to here today."
With that said, Red patted Luffy on the back.
"Oh, yeah, right~!"
At the reminder, Luffy suddenly remembered something. Holding a steak in one hand and a drink in the other, he spoke while chewing:
"The food here is so delicious, I almost forgot..."
"Hey, Old Man Golden Mustache, Red said you have a really good chef here, I think his name is Sandwhich..."
"As it happens, my pirate crew is still missing a chef!"
"We came here specifically to find him!"
"I want him to be our crewmate and go on adventures with us to the Grand Line!!!"
The sauce-covered Luffy smiled sincerely.
It should have been a somewhat comical scene...
But after seeing Luffy's expression, two familiar yet distant words instantly flashed through Zeff's mind from his days on the Grand Line...
Fearlessness... and ambition!!!