Zeff's leg techniques were the martial art he was most proud of, second only to his cooking skills. Many had fallen to his leg techniques in the past, and the blood that stained his feet earned him the nickname "Red-Foot Zeff."
"Kid, what's your name?" Zeff asked.
"Lin Mo."
"Alright, I'll accept the compensation you gave me, but you'll have to work as a janitor here at Baratie for at least a month."
"No way."
"Hey!" Zeff frowned. "All you need to do is take orders and serve food. You won't have to do any kitchen work."
At that moment, a voice suddenly echoed from the spiral staircase in the middle of the corridor: "How much does that kid still owe you?"
Lin Mo and Zeff turned at the same time toward the voice.
Zeff was shocked. "You are... the Navy hero Garp?"
Garp grinned. "Red-Foot Zeff, former captain of the Chef Pirates, now the owner of Baratie. Even though you're no longer a pirate, your bounty is still there. I can still catch you."
Zeff narrowed his eyes. He knew he was no match for Garp.
Even so, he didn't plan to surrender easily. "Since you know Baratie is mine, if you wanted to arrest me, you would have done it by now. Why wait until now?"
Garp continued to grin. "I'm actually quite easy-going. Let the kid go, and I won't arrest you. Sounds like a fair deal, right?"
"Heh." Zeff sneered. "A kid like that can make a Navy hero come personally to save him? His identity must be something special."
"Ha-ha-ha!" Garp laughed. "Don't be so nervous. That kid is just an ordinary kid. I was just bored after my meal, went for a walk, and saw a weak and pitiful kid being bullied by you. My sense of justice compelled me to rescue him from his plight."
Zeff: "..."
"I don't believe you!"
Zeff was speechless. "What exactly do you want?"
Garp looked at Lin Mo and smiled. "Kid, I helped you this time. You owe me a favor. I don't ask for much, just join the Navy."
Lin Mo stared at him in disbelief.
What's wrong with this guy, Garp? Why is he so focused on him?
Actually, after having his dessert at the restaurant, Garp had noticed some noise coming from upstairs. His curiosity got the better of him, so he went up.
It just so happened that he saw Lin Mo and Zeff in a standoff.
Garp knew about Zeff's strength. While Zeff wasn't stronger than him, he could easily deal with those reckless young challengers.
But here, a kid was holding his own against him!
The most telling thing was the wooden sword hanging from Lin Mo's waist. This kid must be a swordsman.
Instead of using his sword to counter Zeff's leg techniques, he was using his legs to respond to Zeff's attacks!
Garp immediately thought of a possibility: This kid was using the opponent's strength against him!
What an audacious kid.
Garp was starting to admire him more and more.
Now he understood why Red-Haired Shanks held this kid in such high regard.
For Garp's bold decision, Lin Mo was thoroughly speechless.
As for Zeff, he had realized something interesting.
Zeff smiled and asked, "Garp, didn't you invite this kid to join the Navy before? And he turned you down, right?"
Garp scratched his head and laughed, "Ha-ha, it's a bit embarrassing, actually."
Zeff continued, "But looking at this kid, he seems very reluctant to join the Navy. If you force him to join, how are you any different from those pirates who stop at nothing to get what they want?"
"Ha-ha-ha! You can't say it like that," Garp chuckled, looking at Lin Mo. "Kid, I helped you this time. In return, just join the Navy. We'll call it even."
Before Lin Mo could respond, Zeff cut in. "Kid, I know you don't want to join the Navy. How about staying at Baratie instead? You won't have to do any dirty work. You can go wherever you want and do whatever you like, as long as you don't cause trouble. And you can stay as long as you want. How about that?"
It was clear that Zeff was intentionally going against Garp's idea.
"Hey! Zeff!" Garp said, exasperated. "Why do you have to be like this?"
"Ha-ha." Zeff laughed. "I'm just giving the kid another option. Whether he picks it or not, that's up to him. Hey, kid, what do you think about my offer?"
Lin Mo smiled lightly and said, "Good."
Zeff's proposal was simple—stay here and do nothing. It was hard to argue with that.
Of course, Lin Mo agreed.
Owing people favors was troublesome, and he didn't plan to get tied down by them in this world.
"Ha-ha, I win." Zeff grinned. "I never thought I'd see the day Garp got rejected."
Garp fell silent for a moment before laughing heartily.
It didn't seem like he cared at all that Lin Mo didn't choose him.
"Ha-ha-ha!" Garp laughed. "This kid really is something interesting! Since that's the case, I'll stay here for now. When Lin Mo leaves, I'll leave too!"
"Eh?" Zeff was shocked. "You're really staying here for a kid? Don't forget your identity! Don't you need to catch pirates?"
Garp pointed at Zeff and smiled. "Pirates need to be caught, of course. I heard your restaurant often gets pirates visiting. You get to enjoy delicious desserts while capturing those self-sabotaging pirates. It's a win-win situation!"
Zeff: "..."
Lin Mo: "..."
Lin Mo never expected that Garp would go this far.
The determination for him to join the Navy was almost like how Luffy insisted on recruiting Zoro, Sanji, and others into his crew.
They really are a lot alike...
Whatever, it's fine.
Lin Mo decided not to stay any longer.
He didn't say much, just walked towards the kitchen.
Zeff asked, "Where are you going?"
Lin Mo replied calmly, "The kitchen."
Zeff's eyes flickered slightly. "Can you cook?"
Lin Mo kept his expression neutral and answered as a matter of course, "No."
Zeff: "..."
Garp couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Ha-ha-ha."
Once Lin Mo entered the kitchen, Garp prepared to return to the dining area.
But Zeff suddenly called out to him. "Garp, are you really staying here?"
Garp grinned. "Of course."
As he spoke, he was already heading down the spiral staircase back to the dining area.
Zeff's gaze returned to the kitchen door, "What exactly is this kid's background..."
Inside the kitchen, Lin Mo glanced over the dozen or so busy chefs and found Sanji washing dishes at the sink.
Based on his previous experience in Shimotsuki Village, it seemed like Sanji's progress task was quite significant.
Without thinking much more, Lin Mo walked toward him.
Sanji noticed someone approaching.
He turned and saw the kid who had just sparred with Zeff.
For a moment, Sanji froze, and the plate in his hand slipped, crashing to the floor.
Crash.
Sanji's face turned pale. "Ah! Damn, I'm gonna get scolded by that old man..."