In about a day's time, the only floating restaurant in the world was in sight. Everyone crowded around the front of the Merry to witness it, gawking in excitement.
"Oh goodness, it's just like Father described it!" Kaya gushed, "He used to have important meetings here, the food is supposed to be divine!"
"So, this is where we can find a cook for our ship?" Kuina asked. Looking at the cheery seafoam green paint job and the huge fish head off one side, she was not very confident they would meet someone willing to live a pirate's life.
"Oh, definitely, Big Sis! The cooks here aren't just good, but they're tough as nails!"
"They've gotta be! They get pirates eating here all the time!"
Luffy was excited as any of them, but he turned to the side. Everyone followed his gaze and were surprised to see a Marine ship was pulling alongside them. They noticed a man in a fine light blue suit standing on deck, turning to face them with a raised eyebrow.
"Hm, never seen that jolly roger before…" he noted, "Who are you all? Where is the captain of this vessel?"
Luffy stepped forward immediately. "I am."
"A newbie, huh? Don't recognize any of your crewmates either…" The Marine was about to point out how strange it was that everyone else on board was female, only to spot two figures hiding behind the ajar door to the cabin.
"Hey, you two! I've seen you before, the small-time bounty hunters! Finally got yourself caught, huh?"
Johnny and Yosaku both growled at the insult, quickly pulling out their swords and planning on teaching this guy a lesson. But both were held back by Luffy.
"Don't. He's not worth it."
"Grr, quite the mouth you've got there, pirate…" The Marine was stopped when an attractive blonde lady in a red cocktail dress placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Come now, Fullbody, aren't you supposed to be off duty? You booked this table over a month in advance…"
The Marine turned to his date, his eyes softening before leveling a smirk at Luffy. "Consider yourself lucky, pirate. On any other day, Lieutenant Iron-Fist Fullbody would make an example out of all of you."
He brandished a fist, showing off a set of iron knuckles riveted into his hand. "But today I have more important business, so I'll let you off with a warning…"
The lieutenant turned to head into the restaurant just in front of both ships but stuck out his hand in a thumbs-down.
"Sink the ship. It's an eyesore."
Many of the pirate crew panicked but Luffy just stood still, glaring as one of the Marine ship's cannons slowly pointed up at the Going Merry. A deafening boom shook the sea as an iron ball flies… Right into Luffy's fist, shattering into pieces.
"Don't do that again," he warns the seamen, "Or I'll sink your ship and see how you like it."
"Holy crap! He punched the cannonball!"
"How did he move so fast?!"
"Um, L-Lieutenant?!"
"Keep it down, idiot! If we interrupt his date, we'll get demoted to chore boys!"
While the sailors fretted and bickered, Luffy and the crew let themselves into the restaurant. Yosaku and Johnny were the only ones who stayed put, still trying to figure out how Luffy blurred to a different spot so quickly.
That ugliness soon faded once Luffy stepped inside the Baratie, the ladies all being impressed by the polished linoleum floor, crystal chandelier dangling from the ceiling and the string quartet providing mood music.
"Wow, fancy!"
"This looks… Very expensive…"
"Stop eyeing my pockets, you two…"
Their musing stopped as a woman approached them, dressed in a bright pink sundress that swished around long flowing legs. The clothes matched her bright fuchsia locks, one fringed bang hiding her left eye, as did her high heels that clacked against the tiles.
"Welcome to the Baratie," she bowed before them, "I am Reiju, presently the maître'd of this restaurant. Table for six?"
"Yes, please!"
Soon the pirate crew was sat in the center of the dining room, had their drinks in hand and orders taken. The ladies began chatting about whatever was on their mind, namely how excited they were to be in such a classy establishment. Luffy was just eager for the food, his appetite whetted by the heavenly smells coming from the kitchen upstairs.
As they waited, Luffy looked behind Kaya and noticed the Marine lieutenant from earlier was toasting with his date. Right as the arrogant lieutenant took a sip, he spotted the pirate and almost choked on his vintage.
"Heh, guess he didn't expect you to be here," Kuina laughed.
"Serves the jerk right," Carina agreed, "I mean, I've heard of Iron Fist Fullbody, but you'd think he's an Admiral with how highly he acts."
"Oh, ignore him," Nami waved off, "He can just sit there and play bigshot. Besides, we all know Luffy has one thing better than he'll ever have!"
Four of the ladies present all giggled at the joke, but Kaya didn't. She was extremely confused. Makino noticed and then whispered something into her ear. The blonde turned tomato-red and hurriedly gulped down her glass of water before looking around.
"Wait! You mean… All of you…?!"
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," Nami told her, "He likes us, we all like him. Everybody wins!"
"'Like' seems like an understatement…" she muttered, "I wondered why you and Carina weren't in your beds that first night… And why some of you keep disappearing until morning…"
It was true. While he was all business during the day, once the anchor was raised Luffy felt his lust flare up. He would approach each of his four ladies and ask if they were interested in "coming to his room." If one said no, he respected their wishes and moved on. And so far, he had at least one taker almost every night. Kaya was bound to notice sooner or later…
Right before she could devolve into a mess of embarrassment, Luffy took her hand with a gentle look in his eyes.
"Kaya, it's true. I've slept with all of these girls, and I love all of them. If it makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to be involved."
The blonde marveled at the sincerity in his voice, only giving a little nod as her face slowly returned to its normal color. Reiju thankfully arrived with their appetizers, setting five plates in front of Luffy and one for each woman. The second each of them took a bite, all of them were in awe. Everything was delicious! From Makino's risotto to Nami's langoustine to Kaya's salad, each bite was full of flavor and the plates were masterfully presented. While Luffy did show an improvement in table manners, actually using utensils and taking bites one at a time, he still cleaned off all five plates before any of them finished.
"How was everything?" Reiju asked them once they were done.
"Fantastic!"
"The best I've ever had!"
"Can we have seconds?"
"Ignore him, his stomach is bigger than his brain!"
The waitress just chuckled before taking their plates back upstairs and telling them their entrees would be out shortly. All of them watched and noticed the pinkette was impressively swift, capable of carrying dozens of dishes at once and even caught a falling fork with her foot without dropping the plates.
"Huh, that's some waitress," Makino said, "I wish I was that good at running the bar."
"There's something unusual about her," Luffy noted, "I don't think she's just the waitress here."
"Oi, Captain? Are you sure you aren't thinking with your dick?"
"Kuina, language!" Kaya had to fan herself to stop overheating, getting a laugh out of everyone. A harsh slam stopped them, and much of the idle chitchat of the dining room. They watched Fullbody march out the front door, muttering something about "teaching those pirates a lesson" before stomping back in a few minutes later. He glanced at Luffy before snarling under his breath and plopping back down in his seat.
"Sounds like he got the bad news from his crew," Makino guessed, "Besides, we haven't technically done anything wrong here. He has no right to do anything to us."
The main course then arrived, and once again the focus was on the exquisite food. It didn't matter if it was red meat, white meat or seafood, every piece of protein was cooked to perfection and the sides and sauces complimented them to a tee. Once again Luffy ate faster than them all but even he seemed to be savoring every bite. Reiju once again came to check on them, almost blushing as they showered her with praise.
"I will be sure to tell the kitchen your compliments," she said with the slightest tinge of… regret?
"Are you okay?"
"Oh, yes," she assured Luffy, "It does feel quite strange, serving customers when you're the sous chef."
"Wait, you are?" Kaya asked, "Then what are you doing out here? You should leading the kitchen."
"I should be, yes… Unfortunately, we're quite short-staffed at the moment as all our waiters quit not long ago."
"So, you can cook?" Luffy clarified.
"I'd like to think so," Reiju chuckled, "I've been studying under the head chef here since I was a child."
"Hey, waitress?! I need to talk to you!"
The pinkette bit back a retort as she walked over to Fullbody's table, the Marine whispering something in her ear. She quickly headed off back up the spiral staircase in the center of the room, leaving the Straw Hats waiting for their dessert.
They were quite surprised when the sous chef returned with four bottles of wine under one arm and half a dozen goblets in the other.
"Compliments of the Marine gentleman over there," Reiju explained, "He said he wished to apologize for his poor decorum from earlier."
Luffy stared at the bottles for a minute before looking up. "I don't know much about wine. Can you help?"
"Why, of course!"
Reiju then walked him through what paired with what, then poured each woman a glass before leaving to check on their desserts. Nami and Carina even blew a kiss at the lieutenant, thanking him for the free wine, leaving him furious.
"What the heck is going on?!" he growled, "What kind of pirate turns down free booze?! He should be chugging it all himself and making a drunken ass!"
"Um, who are you talking to?"
Fullbody looked up and noticed his date was looking less than impressed, swirling her wine around in boredom. The Marine then noticed that much of the dining room had gone quiet and was staring at him. The only exception was the Straw Hats, chatting and laughing as they enjoyed his little present.
"Stop looking at them."
Fullbody turned to his date, now glaring daggers. "Moodie, listen…"
"Oh, now you want me to listen? I've been trying to have a wonderful date, but ever since those pirates got here, you've been obsessed with them!"
"It's the principal of it all!" he shouted, "Look at them, mocking me!"
"Mocking you how?! By sitting in here, eating and drinking like everyone else?!"
A full-blown argument broke out, the lieutenant berating Moodie how she "didn't understand" and "Marine protocol" this and "My reputation" that. Soon the entire dining room, along with several of the cooks from upstairs, were watching the lieutenant shout at his own date. Moodie, meanwhile, pointed out how she's barely gotten three sentences out of him since they showed up, he walked out to check on the ship as she was talking, and now has blown more money on that wine than their entire meal.
"Excuse me, sir?"
"WHAT?!" Reiju didn't flinch even as Fullbody screamed at her.
"I'm afraid you're making a scene and disturbing the other diners. Please, calm down."
"Don't you start giving me attitude, too! Why the fuck did you pour wine for them all?! The captain was supposed to drink it all!"
"Your instructions were 'Give that table four bottles of our best wine, on me. Tell him it is an apology for my behavior.' Pardon me, sir, but I believe I can see why you're not a captain."
The entire dining room broke out into laughter at Fullbody's expense. Moodie tittered behind her hand, trying to at least look polite. The same could not be said for Luffy and his girls, all back in their chairs guffawing while the captain pounded the table with his fist.
"THAT TEARS IT!" Fullbody marched past Reiju and pointed at Luffy. "You! You're under arrest!"
"Huh? For what?"
"That's not important!"
"He has every right to ask, jackass," Kuina demanded, "We haven't done anything here."
"Oh, you wanna get arrested too, bitch?! Fine, you can share a cell with him!"
"That's enough!" Moodie called, "I can't believe I ever liked you! Consider us through!"
"OOOOOOH!" The rest of the diners went as Moodie picked up her purse and strode out through the front door, leaving Fullbody shocked while Luffy and his crew just laughed at him.
"Now then, sir, either return to your seat or-"
"OR WHAT, HUH?!"
The lieutenant, now red in the face, marched back to his table and picked up his mostly uneaten plate. "You listen to me, you stupid waitress! I'm the customer here! I pay YOU! I can do whatever I want to this food because it's MY MONEY!"
To prove his point, he slammed the dish down causing bits of sauce and vegetables, and shards of ceramic, to fly through the air while a piece of steak flopped onto the floor. He then stepped back towards Reiju and jabbed his finger into her chest.
"Now, you're going to stay out of my way! This is official Marine business!"
Reiju's eyes were hidden behind her hair as she walked towards the poor piece of meat sitting on the ground. She knelt down, gently picking it up even as it dripped juice.
"This was filet mignon, imported from an organic cattle ranch in the West Blue… Dry-aged for seventeen days and cooked to perfection… And you just ruined it…"
"What the hell does that matter?! Who are you to lecture me, huh, waitress?!"
"I am the sous chef of this restaurant. You will not disrespect food around me, even if it is not my cooking. Now, sir, either apologize or leave."
Fullbody brandished his famous metal fists. "You're going to boss me around now?! You better hope I don't have the inspector shut this place down before-!"
The lieutenant's mouth dropped as Reiju, in the blink of an eye, grabbed ahold of his hands. He desperately tried to pull back but her grip was like iron. Her one visible eye glared through him.
"And since you have refused to leave, it falls to me to remove you personally."
"Aw, damnit! Not again!"
"The princess is on the rampage!"
"Reiju, will you quit doing that?!"
Luffy and the girls looked up as several of the chefs, brandishing knives and ladles but didn't step in as Reiju pummeled the lieutenant with no effort. A single punch could floor him and even his famous iron fists were easily stopped by her hand. Soon she was holding Fullbody by the collar of his suit as blood dripped down his fingers and forehead.
A rhythmic clacking of wood caught the pirate crew's attention, revealing an elderly man in chef's whites including a towering toque several feet tall. Luffy looked down and realized the sound was from the wooden peg that was his right leg.
"GAH! HEAD CHEF ZEFF!" the rest of the cooks yelled in panic.
"Damnit, you brat!" he called out, "Put that customer down right now!"
"This? This is garbage," Reiju insisted, "I'm simply tossing him out."
"We can't keep having scenes like this, you powder puff!" The head chef lashed his peg leg out at blinding speed, especially given his age, and smacked the pinkette in the knee, dropping her and the lieutenant in a second.
"If you aren't causing fights in the kitchen, you're making drama here for the diners! We already lost all our waiters, we don't need this!"
"Well excuse me if these dishwashers you put on the line aren't up to snuff," she bit back, getting right in Zeff's face, "I shouldn't even be out here! I'm the sous chef for a reason!"
"And that damn attitude is why we can't stand you!" one of the cooks yelled, "You're nothing a spoiled princess!"
"Yeah, you treat the rest of us like utter crap!" another accused.
"Just get out of here already!"
The rest of the brigade jumped on, chewing out Reiju for being a prima donna and for causing more incidents than any of the cooks. The woman literally stuck her nose up at them, crossing her arms and insulting them back.
"You all just wait! I'll be the head chef someday and then you won't be so defiant with me!"
"You, head chef?!" Zeff laughed, "Keep dreaming, ballerina! I have a hundred more years in me!"
Zeff then swung his head down, his massive hat conking Reiju and making her back down. "That's enough, all of you! Back to work!"
He then noticed Lieutenant Fullbody smirking, clearly happy that the "waitress" who embarrassed and injured him was getting her comeuppance.
"And as for you…"
That same pegleg smashed into the Marine's face, sending him sprawling and knocking several teeth loose. "Beat it! You've caused enough trouble!"
As the diners murmured and slowly went back to their meals, Fullbody dragged himself to his feet. "What the fuck is wrong with this place?! I thought this was a restaurant, not a pirate ship!"
"Wow, that was some entertainment," Carina said as she finished off the last of her fish.
"Actually, that's the other thing this restaurant is famous for," Kaya mentioned, "The 'Fighting Cooks' of the Baratie. My father once told me that's half the draw of this place…"
"She's awesome!" Luffy awed, "I want her to be our cook!"
"Of course, you do…" Nami sighed, "Although I seriously wouldn't mind her making this duck. It's almost as good as-!"
"LIEUTENAAAAANT!"
A uniformed Marine burst through the front door in a cold sweat. He barely paid any mind to his CO being bloodied and battered. "Lieutenant, we have an issue! The prisoner has escaped!"
"WHAT?!" Fullbody cried, "That's impossible! He was on the brink of starving and we haven't fed him a crumb!"
"I know, sir, we need to-!"
A single shot of gunfire echoed through the dining room, silencing everyone. The seaman fell to the floor, a hole in his chest. Standing in the doorway, literally holding the smoking gun, was a tall, lanky man in gray clothing and a promise in his sunken eyes – whoever stops him is next.
The Straw Hats watched the man stroll in, plop himself down a table and even put his feet up. His voice was raspy yet dead serious. "Well? This is a restaurant, right? Where's the service?"
One of the cooks, a very burly one with massive forearms and fakest grin imaginable plastered on his bearded face, approached. "Welcome to the Baratie, Mr. Crook!"
The other diners all gasped at this. Several of the cooks just chuckled but Reiju was not amused.
"Now then, how will you paying for your meal today?"
The pirate just raised his gun, the barrel aiming right at the chef's head. "Well, I have lead. Does that count?"
"So that means no money…" The smile vanished in an instant. He swiftly raised his swollen arms and smashed the assailant down, the wooden chair shattering as the pirate collapsed to the floor.
"Yeah, good going, Patty!" one of the cooks cheered as the whole crew celebrated. Luffy, however, noticed that Reiju was looking down at the fallen sailor in pity and walked up to the kitchen without anyone noticing. As the bandit crawled out the front door, everyone soon returned to their meals.
"I think Father undersold just how exciting this establishment was," Kaya tittered, a bit shaken from all of this, "But who was that pirate?"
"Ghin 'the Man Demon,'" Kuina answered, "Chief of Staff of the Krieg Pirates, wanted for 12 million beris. Another pretty big name around here."
"Holy crap, you mean those Krieg Pirates?!" Carina yelped, "The one with five thousand men and fifty ships?!"
"So?"
The thief turned to Luffy's confused expression with a glare. "So, that's a small army! Even we'd have trouble dealing with that!"
"Not if they're all weak. It doesn't matter how many there are, it matters how strong each of them is."
"He's got a point," Makino added, "There was this bandit group that terrorized our village for years. They easily had almost a hundred men at their biggest."
"Yeah? And, what, the whole town fought them off?"
"Nope! Luffy beat them all by himself! And he was just ten!"
"Well, yeah, but that's Luffy. I can't do something like that."
"Don't say that."
The purplette was surprised to find Luffy glaring at her. "Don't ever talk like that again. You can do anything you set your mind to. If you want to give up, then you can leave the crew."
"But… But Luffy! I'm not strong enough to fight a huge crew of pirates!"
"Maybe not right now, but that's why you have the Devil Fruit powers and why I'm training you. So that you can stand up to anyone who gets in the way of your dream."
"That's quite admirable."
They all turned to see Reiju walking up to them. "I came to apologize for that spectacle. But I couldn't help but overhear and you, Luffy, are quite surprising for a pirate. To think you'd care so much about your crewmate's ambition."
"Well, yeah. Pirates who treat others like tools are all fakers."
"And here I thought he was just a ladies' man…" she thought with a smile. Luffy then noticed the steaming bowl of seafood rice Reiju was carrying on a tray alongside a carafe of water.
"Ooh, is that for us?!"
"No, but I checked and your desserts will be here shortly. Thank you for your patience."
The pirates all watched as Reiju took the piping hot food out the front door, much to their confusion.
"What, is that her lunch?" Kuina wondered. Luffy didn't think so, standing up and following her out. He then watched as the sous chef sat the tray down right in front of Ghin who was slouched against the deck's railing.
"Get rid of that," he grumbled, "I'm no beggar."
"No, but you are starving." A loud gurgle from his stomach proved Reiju right, "And money or not, it's a chef's duty to feed the hungry."
Ghin just glared up at her, waiting for her to pull the rug out. But as the pained growling of his stomach kept up, his composure finally cracked. He started shoveling the pilaf into his mouth, crying in delight at his delicious salvation.
"Thank you! It's wonderful, the best I've ever had! I really thought I was going to die!"
"Don't mention it. It's all in a day's work."
Only then did Reiju notice Luffy leaning up against the doorway, clearly happy with her.
"Yes? Can I help you?"
"I want you to join my crew!"
"Of pirates, you mean? Sorry, but my duty is here."
"Wait, you're a pirate?" Ghin asked, "You sure don't look like one."
"Yep! That's my ship over there!" Luffy jerked his thumb to the Going Merry bobbing in the water. The Krieg Pirate just raised an eyebrow at the cheery boat before speaking up.
"So, what are you after?"
"I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!"
Reiju's eye widened. "You're completely serious?"
"Of course! I'm going to find the One Piece!"
"You mean you're going to sail to the Grand Line? With just that one ship?!"
"Yep!"
"Kid, let me give you some advice," Ghin grumbled, "You're young, there's plenty to see out there without going to the Grand Line. Trust me, that place is a death trap."
"Thanks, but the Grand Line is where the treasure is! So, that's where I'm going!"
Seeing there was no dissuading him, a well-fed Ghin hopped onto the little raft he sailed to the Baratie on and bid Reiju a fond farewell. The chef waved him off, saying he was welcome back anytime.
"So, now will you join my crew?"
Reiju's eyebrow quirked up. "What would make you think I'd change my mind so fast?"
"Because now Ghin isn't hungry."
She thought about that for a moment before chuckling. "True, but my duty is to the Baratie. I am the sous chef, second only to Zeff and thus I'll be running the place once he finally retires."
"Oh, is that what you think?"
Both looked up to see the head chef himself glaring down at Reiju from the deck above them. "You're going to be waiting an awful long time, cream puff. Why don't you go join these pirates, it'll mean a whole lot less work for me!"
Reiju huffed and slammed the door as she headed back into the restaurant. Luffy was about to follow when he noticed someone looking out over the ocean with a sigh.
"What a blowhard he was…" Moodie grumbled, "What kind of moron goes on a date while transporting a prisoner?"
"Um, hello?"
"Hm?" The blonde looked over and lit up as soon as she realized who it was, "Oh, you're the pirate Fullbody was making such a fuss over. First of all, I'm sorry he was such a pain. I knew he had an ego but yeesh…"
"Eh, it happens. Some marines are jerks like that. But what are you still doing here?"
"I'm a drifter. I simply go wherever the sea takes me." She gestured down to the two purple suitcases that apparently carried everything she owned.
Moodie then picked up both cases, but leaned onto one foot as she stared up at Luffy. "And now it's brought me here on the day you just happen to be here. I watched you break through that cannonball. You're far above any pirate I've seen."
"Thanks."
"I can also see you have quite the taste for women…" Her gaze turned more mature, "Tell me, which one is your girlfriend?"
"All of them."
She chuckled demurely behind her hand. "I guessed that was the case. So, if you happen to like women and you have an extra room-"
"No."
Luffy then headed back inside, leaving Moodie floored. She hurriedly picked up her bags and followed him back to his table.
"Okay, listen, I may not be a pirate myself…"
"Neither was I until a few days ago," Kaya interrupted her, "But that isn't the issue."
"If you're staying on my ship, then you're a member of my crew. I don't accept women just because they're good looking."
Seeing her chance slipping away, Moodie got down on one knee and clasped her hands together.
"Please, I won't be just that! I can cook, I can clean, I'll make myself useful even if you never bat an eye at me! I just don't want to live like this anymore!"
"Like what?"
Moodie then explained that she was once the owner of a fashion boutique on some island called Galgor that had been thoroughly ransacked by pirates. She snuck off on a Marine vessel and from there she lived off the kindness of strangers. The cocktail dress she had on was from her old stock. The jewelry was an early present from Fullbody that she fully intended on selling for a quick beri once she left him.
Nami and Carina both looked at her in pity. Both of them knew just how hard that kind of life was. Luffy's eyes did soften at her offering to help but he wasn't sure about just picking up some random woman. Makino, however, had a compromise.
"Look, we're actually going to be here for a few days. There's some business we have to settle so consider this a trial run: you help out on the ship wherever you can and prove your worth. If you like what you see and we gel with you, then you sign on. If not, then you can find some other way. Sound like a deal?"
That sounded like a pretty fair deal to Moodie. All of the other women quickly saw that there was no real drawbacks for them, and Luffy just chuckled.
"Yeah, Makino is good at ideas. That's why she's the first mate!"
"She is?"
"I am?"
"Good to see you aren't a stickler for hierarchy. Spend enough time with certain Marines and you'll never be able to hear their rank without rolling your eyes…"
And so Moodie pulled up a chair and had a vastly better dining experience at the Baratie since Luffy actually paid attention to her. She also bonded with most of the other girls over dessert, appreciating that she finally had some people to talk fashion with. The only exception was Kuina who just muttered that she better pull her weight.
"Oh, don't worry, I will," the blonde thought as she ate the last bite of her chocolate torte, "A pirate that's powerful, handsome, and is genuinely nice? You'd have to drag me away…"
Over the next few days, the Going Merry stayed moored at the floating restaurant. Reiju had to give Luffy credit. He clearly was not leaving without her. Zeff's policy was that anyone who paid were considered customers and Carina paid their tab every time, although her tipping left something to be desired. She actually found it quite flattering. She even asked Luffy once why he did not try recruiting any of the other chefs.
"Because you're the best!" he said with a grin, "You said so, right?"
Reiju could not hide the blush that compliment gave. As the eatery saw little business between lunch and dinner, the pink-haired beauty was now leaning against the railing and watching as the Straw Hat Pirates were hard at work training. And she could scarcely believe what she was seeing.
Luffy was sparring against all five of his crewmates at once, holding them off with only a bit of effort. He caught Kuina's sword with his bare hands, dodged Carina's sneak attacks even as she was totally silent, shrugged off Makino's blasts, swatted aside Kaya's gem flechettes and even tanked getting zapped by lightning. Luffy even giggled at that last one, saying it made perfect sense that a rubber-man would be immune to electricity.
The only exception was Moodie, resting her muscles after trying to make it through one of his warm-ups. Reiju gave the woman credit, a woman with no fighting experience whatsoever trying to learn now meant she was serious. And according to Luffy, she had been pulling her weight ever since she first stepped onto the ship. Assisting Makino with the cooking, cleaning up after their spars, even keeping lookout at night. The blonde was dead set on joining, and toughening herself up was a sure sign of her dedication.
Once they were done training together, Luffy would start going through his own regiment while the ladies worked independently. And then came the part where Reiju had to rub her eyes and make sure she wasn't seeing things. Makino managed to pull off the same sword-catching feat as her captain. Kuina's sword managed to create blades of air that sliced through a flying barrel. Kaya was able to somehow bend over backwards to dodge a punch from Carina. And Nami managed to somehow move so fast that she went from one side of the deck to the next in seconds.
"How in the world…?" Reiju was only further impressed as Luffy came up to each of them, patting them on the back or giving them a kiss on the cheek at their progress. He then went up to the resting Moodie and started walking her through the basics personally.
Yet another sight she considered impossible – a man being in full control of himself around six sweaty, attractive women.
Once again, it was time for dinner and Luffy led them all inside. Zeff had even reserved the same six-top table to make sure nobody would take their spot. And that proved to be a blessing as the restaurant was packed, barely an empty seat to be had.
But then in walked a man with a horn in his hands, loudly bellowing over the string quartet to the surprise of the diners.
"Presenting their royal majesties! King Sterry and Queen Sarie Nantokanette of the Goa Kingdom!"
Everyone watched as in walked a man almost six feet tall, a royal blue sash over a fine white dress shirt and black pants. A golden crown was perched his smooth brown hair cut to a resemble a bowl, his thick lips stretched into a condescending grin. Right behind him was a blonde woman almost as tall as he was with long blonde hair styled into large curls that flowed down her back and an elaborate yellow gown that draped just above the floor. She seemed far happier, glancing around the restaurant.
"Welcome, your majesties," Reiju said, "Please, we have your table ready for you."
The queen stepped forward to oblige only for the king to hold his hand up and point around the dining room. "I'm sorry, there must be some mistake… I specifically made a reservation for a private dining experience."
"We understand, your highness. This table has been made just now, exclusively for your use."
The king let out a haughty chuckle, making Luffy and the other pirates all tense. This guy made Helmeppo look like a saint.
"No, no, this will not do. As a royal, I cannot be expected to share my eating space with a room full of plebians such as this! Would you accept a ruffian eating here? I think not!"
"Now dear, that isn't not, not necessary," Sarie insisted, noticing how many customers were now glaring at them, "Let's just sit down and eat…"
Sterry spared his wife a stern glance, like she was an unruly child before turning back to Reiju. "Now then, wench, I want this establishment empty and properly prepared in the next five minutes."
Reiju turned to face the others, but otherwise didn't move. "At the Baratie, we serve all kinds as long as they can pay. If you can pay then you are a customer. And here, the customer is king."
She turned around, her face set in stone. "So I am deeply sorry, sir, but it would be a treason to the kings already here to throw them out just because you want to."
A polite round of applause came out, Luffy only being further assured that Reiju was the perfect fit for his ship. The only one unamused was Sterry himself, who was trembling in indignant rage like a little boy who had his favorite toy taken away.
"I'd suggest you reconsider your stance, you pink strumpet, before I have your entire restaurant shut down. Do you think you're little dinghy could possibly stand up to the Goa Kingdom's military?"
Sarie muttered something under her breath before placing a gentle hand on her husband's shoulder. "Honey, why don't we just leave? I think the word of mouth oversold this place-"
"We are not leaving until this impudent little trollop learns her lesson! I am King Sterry, a noble from birth and I deserve respect from a no-name tavern whore like this!"
"No, you don't…"
Luffy stood from his chair and walked over. A pair of uniformed guards pointed bayonets at him, but he swatted them aside like bugs. Sterry flinched in terror at how easily his security was pushed aside before glaring up.
"Care to repeat that?" the king challenged, expecting Luffy to back down. Instead the pirate, who was a good half a foot taller and far more muscular, did just that.
"You don't deserve respect, you earn it. The nobles of Goa Kingdom are all assholes who think they're all better than everyone else."
He then grabbed the monarch by the neck, much to the amazement of the diners. "And you're the worst of them all. You haven't change a bit."
"Unhand me, you oversized oaf! If the World Government hears of this, they'll send an Admiral after you!"
"You're not a World Noble. And even if you were? I'd do it anyway. You were a jerk when you were a kid, and you're even bigger jerk now."
"I'm sorry," Sarie piped up, "But, are you from Dawn Island? I can't recall ever seeing you in the kingdom?"
"Don't talk to the gutter trash! It's beneath your status as my wife! How many times must I-GHK!"
Luffy's hand threatened to crush his esophagus, shuddering in anger. "My brother was a noble, just like you. He hated it so much he wanted to run away… And he did right as one of those fucking World Nobles came to your kingdom… And they shot him dead for daring to cut their boat off…"
Sarie's hands went to her mouth in shock, but Sterry was too concerned trying to pry himself from Luffy's ever-tightening grasp as the pirate kept venting. "You were adopted by his family because Sabo didn't want to be controlled. And you outright said he should die…"
"Luffy, stop!" Makino called, "It's not worth it!"
Her voice snapped him back to reason, dropping the king to the floor as he gasped for breath. But Luffy did plant his foot on the king's face as he made one last thought known.
"My brother is better than you'll ever be. You wanna know why? Because he actually wanted to live his own life. Try it out sometime, jackass."
The straw-hatted young man walked back to his seat where Kaya and Moodie both looked at him in shock. Both of them gave their condolences for Sabo but Luffy waved them off. He knew his brother wouldn't want pity parties on his part either.
Once Sterry was finally off the floor, he pointed right at Luffy. "You mongrel! You dare assault royalty?! The second I return to my palace, I'm calling the Fleet Admiral himself to hunt you down! I'll see you drawn and quartered, you worthless scum!"
"Would you get out of here already?!" Nami yelled, "You're such an ass, you're stinking up the place!"
Several customers assented, urging to just leave before he spoilt everyone's appetite. They might have been starstruck to see a royal at first, but nobody wanted to put up with his attitude. Plus, it was true that Sterry little actual authority outside of his kingdom unlike the Celestial Dragons. Sterry turned around and left but soon noticed something was missing.
"Sarie?" The queen stood perfectly still, anchored to the same spot she was on since this whole episode began.
"You never told me you were adopted," she said, her voice cold, "And who is this Sabo?"
"That's not important. Now, we must go and-"
"If you were adopted into his family, that would make Sabo your sibling and thus my in-law. I find this very important."
"He was just some urchin. Good riddance to bad rubbish, they say. Now, woman, we must-"
A piercing slap stopped him. It took him and everyone else a moment to realize it was Sarie who just smacked him across the face.
"Rubbish? RUBBISH?! You narcissistic maniac! That was a child! A child who died a senseless death and you wish that fate upon him?! Ugh, you just keep sinking to new lows!"
"SARIE! As your husband, I-!"
"You aren't my husband! You're the man whose parents shoved the largest dowry in front of my social-climbing leeches of a mother and father, who signed off on the license without my consent! We may be legally conjoined, but I have never, never, NEVER thought of you as anything more than a miserable little pile of slag with a hideous haircut!"
She then marched over to Luffy, making to pirate flinch as she knelt before him. "I am truly sorry to hear about the loss of your brother. I suspect this was around the burning of Grey Terminal?"
"Yeah… It was right around then…"
"I remember hearing about that disgusting ploy. I urged my parents to vouch against it… Alas, I seem to be one of the few in Goa who doesn't want to live in a gilded cage."
"Sarie, stop debasing yourself this instant!" Sterry cried, "You are bringing shame onto our-!"
"I bring shame?! You're the one who throws tantrums if your shoes aren't polished correctly! You insist on being treated as if you rule the entire world instead of one island! Don't you dare preach etiquette to me, you ingrate! I can only imagine how much good you'd actually do as a leader and a human being if you applied one-hundredth of the effort to economic reform that you did to ordering your breakfast!"
The monarch was floored that his wife of all people was calling him out. He moved forward to give her a piece of his mind only for Reiju to clamp down on his shoulder.
"I am deeply sorry our restaurant didn't meet your standards, your majesty," she apologized with a sickly sweet smile, the king shivering as she almost broke the bones under her fingers, "Please, allow me to escort you back to your ship so you may find a more suitable establishment…"
Reiju then hauled him up with one hand and, judging from the sound of breaking wood and bones, slammed him into the deck of whatever overpriced yacht he rode here. The herald and guards scurried out in short order leaving only the queen. Sarie, however, slipped a ring off of one of her hands before walking up to Reiju.
"I'd like to humbly apologize for his behavior. If you'll still have me, I would very much like to see if the Baratie's food lives up to its reputation."
Reiju, of course, had no problem and escorted her to the same reserved table. Once there, however, Sarie requested that her place be moved to Luffy's table. The girls all scooted over to give the newly emancipated queen some space and the blonde gently held out her hand.
"Greetings, young captain. I am Sarie Nantokanette, soon-to-be disowned queen of the Goa Kingdom. If you'll allow it, please consider adding me to your pirate crew."
"Whoa, wait, just like that?!" Kuina asked, "Don't you live in some huge palace?"
"Yes, and it was dreadfully stifling. As the right to govern Goa is passed from father to son, Sterry held all of the authority. I was to tend to 'ceremonial affairs' as a 'proper' lady of the royal court."
"Damn, that sounds boring as hell," Carina sighed, "But, uh, do you happen to have any money on you?"
"Sadly, no. He was in charge of all finances as well."
"Insult to injury, right there…"
"Hold on," Luffy spoke, "I get that guy was a total ass, but I don't need people just laying around the ship. What can you do?"
"Any task you assign of me, I'll put my best into learning. As long as it isn't piano recitals, tea ceremonies or riding sidesaddle, I'll happily apply myself."
"So, you'll be in the same boat as me then," Moodie chuckled at her own pun, "Be warned, this man might be dashing but his training is no joke."
"I'd actually like something to challenge me. To see new locales… Having brushes with death… It all sounds so much more exhilarating!"
"Oh trust me, you'll get your fill of that," Nami said, slipping the ring she discarded into her pocket to sell later, "But once you do, there's no going back."
Sarie tittered. "Exactly how I'd imagine it. Consider me an assistant of sorts, until we can get something more formal arranged."
"As long as you want to help, I'm happy to have you!" Luffy cheered, "Hey, Reiju, let's have an extra big dinner this time! We have a new crewmate to celebrate!"
"I'll be sure to warn the cooks…" The pinkette chuckled as she headed upstairs. They deserved at least a little notice to deal with that appetite. Even still, she could scarcely believe it. A pirate picking up two new crewmates while still trying to recruit her, and one of them from royalty!
It made her wonder, was every day like this with them? And those insane stunts she saw during their training, could she possibly ever learn them? It would certainly help considering her family…
A slight chill went down her spine but she brushed it off. They would never look for her here. For now, she was sous chef of the Baratie and she had a table of favorite customers to handle.