Naturally, Luffy ended up having to work at the sea restaurant to pay for the damages.
It didn't matter if it was an accident or not; if you break something, you pay for it.
Ray found the whole situation strangely familiar.
Even with his presence changing the story, some things, like Luffy blowing a hole in the Baratie, seemed destined to happen.
He didn't dwell on it.
All he had to do was keep getting stronger.
The timeline was still on track.
That meant Gin and Don Krieg would be showing up soon.
And with them, Zoro's greatest challenge yet: Hawkeye Mihawk.
As he ate his steak, Ray considered the possibilities.
He would never stop Zoro from challenging Mihawk, but what if the Hawkeye in this world was different? What if he didn't spare Zoro?
With Zoro's current strength, he stood no chance.
But if his crewmate's life was truly in danger, Ray would step in, no matter what.
"Hmph. So what if he's the world's number one swordsman?"
A confident smirk touched Ray's lips, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes.
As for Don Krieg's fleet, they were nothing more than clowns.
…
Across the restaurant, Marine Lieutenant Fullbody was in full-on date mode.
He took a sip of wine, swirled it around, and began to lecture his date on its vintage and origin with the air of an expert.
Unfortunately for him, he was immediately called out by the blond waiter serving their table.
Humiliated, Fullbody slammed his fist on the table and lunged at the waiter, Sanji.
"Oh? Is a Marine Lieutenant really about to attack a waiter?" a guest whispered.
Fullbody swung his iron-knuckled fist at Sanji's face.
Sanji, completely unfazed, dodged the punch with effortless grace.
In a blur of motion, he swung his long leg up and brought it crashing down on Fullbody's head, planting him face-first on the floor.
Zoro grinned. "Heh. This waiter's got some skills."
"I didn't expect a random waiter to be that strong," Nami added, surprised.
"This restaurant is definitely not simple."
Usopp, chewing on a chicken leg, offered his analysis.
"Well, any place that serves both Marines and pirates has to be tough."
…
Fullbody, a Lieutenant from Marine HQ, was used to being praised and respected.
Being beaten by a waiter in front of his date was an absolute outrage.
"How dare a mere waiter do this to me, a great Lieutenant of the Marines!" he roared, his face beet red.
Sanji just smiled coolly.
"Sir, I'm the sous chef of this restaurant."
Fullbody staggered to his feet.
"Sous chef, waiter, who cares! You're dead!" he seethed. "Just you wait, I'll call my warship over here and blow this whole place to kingdom come!"
Sanji's smile vanished.
"Then I guess I'll just have to make sure you never leave," he said, his voice suddenly cold and full of murderous intent.
That one sentence scared Fullbody so badly he sobered up instantly.
He swallowed hard, staring at the blond chef.
Fortunately, the other chefs in the restaurant intervened, and Fullbody's men helped him stumble shakily toward the exit.
Just as he was about to escape, he saw the Straw Hats at their table.
Now that his head was a bit clearer, he felt a jolt of familiarity.
White hair, green hair, and wasn't there a guy in a straw hat earlier…
Thinking of this, a cold sweat broke out all over his body.
At that exact moment, Ray glanced over at him.
Fullbody's mind broke.
He collapsed to the floor and started crawling back into the restaurant, away from the door.
"What is that Marine doing?" a man asked.
"He was acting like such a gentleman before, but now he's a mess," a woman commented.
"Why would he run back inside when he was already at the door?" a pirate wondered.
"I saw him!" a little kid said. "That navy uncle looked at the people at that table right before he fell down!"
Everyone turned to look at the table by the entrance.
A wave of gasps and whispers spread through the restaurant.
"Oh my god, it's them!"
"The one with the green hair is the Pirate Hunter, Zoro! His bounty is 15 million!"
"Wow, and the white-haired man is Ray! He's even more handsome in person than on the wanted poster!"
At the sight of Ray, all the women in the restaurant began to lose their composure.
His wanted poster had become a collector's item, and now, seeing him in person, their minds went blank.
The men in the restaurant noticed their dates staring dreamily at Ray, and their faces darkened.
"He's the 30-million-berry man, all right," one woman sighed, clutching her chest.
"He's so captivating… Damn it, I can't control myself anymore!"
With that, she charged toward Ray.
Her cry broke the dam.
A whole swarm of beautiful women in dresses and high heels rushed at Ray's table.
Seeing this, Nami immediately whipped out her staff.
"You shameless hussies!" she shouted. "You're not allowed to touch him!"
She then jumped into the fray, wrestling with the mob of fangirls.
Faced with this chaotic scene, even Ray couldn't stay calm.
"Chouchou, transform and scare them off," he muttered, then turned and walked out of the restaurant and back to the Merry.
"I really need to start wearing that mask," he thought with a shudder.
…
Back in the restaurant, Chouchou transformed into his giant dog demon form.
"ROAR!"
A terrifying roar, filled with demonic power, swept through the restaurant.
Everyone, especially the rampaging women, froze in fear and instantly calmed down.
Even Sanji and the other chefs stared at the giant dog with caution.
Then, just as quickly as he had transformed, Chouchou shrank back down into a harmless-looking little white dog.
The sudden contrast left everyone speechless.
…
As the silence settled, everyone finally understood why Fullbody had been so terrified.
The Straw Hat Pirates had defeated the overlord of the East Blue, Buggy the Clown.
With Ray's bounty matching Buggy's, most people assumed their crews were on the same level.
A lowly Marine lieutenant like Fullbody never stood a chance.
Just as the awkwardness was peaking, Zoro spoke up.
"We're just here to eat. You can all go back to what you were doing."
Hearing that, Fullbody's eyes darted around, and he quickly had his men drag him away.
Back on his warship, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Lieutenant" a subordinate reported, "the prisoner we captured from the Krieg Pirates, Gin, just escaped. Should we search the restaurant?"
"Do you think I haven't been embarrassed enough today?!" Fullbody snapped.
"Just let him go! Get us out of here, now!" He took a deep breath. "Those were the Straw Hat Pirates, and I just shot at them."
He remembered his instructor telling him that the one person he must never mess with in the East Blue was Buggy the Clown.
And these guys had beaten Buggy.
In fact, he'd heard a rumor from a resident of Orange Town that Ray had beaten Buggy in a one-on-one fight.
"If they hadn't let me go, I'd be dead today," he shuddered, glancing back at the Going Merry.
He happened to see Ray, now wearing a black and white patterned mask, staring right at him.
Fullbody's legs, which had finally stopped shaking, turned to jelly again.
"Faster!" he screamed at his men. "Get us away from here!"
"Lieutenant, did you spill wine on your pants?" a subordinate asked.
"Y-yes! I spilled the wine!"