Inside the restaurant, things returned to normal.
As Sanji worked, he kept a wary eye on the Straw Hats, especially Zoro.
After all, a 15-million-berry bounty made him a big deal in the East Blue.
Zoro noticed the cook's unfriendly stare and glared right back.
'Tch, the more I look at this cook, the more annoying he gets.'
'Tsk, this green-haired moss-head looks like he's asking for a beating.'
Their eyes met, and you could almost see the sparks fly between them.
Just as the tension was building, Nami started tidying up her clothes, which had gotten messed up during the earlier scuffle.
In an instant, Sanji forgot all about Zoro.
His eyes turned into literal hearts, and he practically floated over to Nami.
He bent down, took her hand, and looked at her with passionate eyes.
"I am the luckiest man alive! I didn't realize there was such a beautiful lady in our restaurant. May I treat you to a meal?"
When Nami heard the offer, she immediately nodded with a sweet smile.
Sanji was overjoyed, blowing kisses in her direction.
Zoro, Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku just stared, completely unimpressed.
At that moment, Ray, now wearing his black and white mask, walked back into the restaurant.
Nami instantly dropped Sanji's hand and ran over to Ray.
She put her hands on her hips, looking for praise.
"Hehe, I just stopped those crazy fangirls from touching you. Pretty impressive, right?"
Out of politeness, Ray gave a slight nod.
Nami's eyes lit up with hearts.
Sanji's face twisted into a mask of pure jealousy.
Zoro, Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku all burst out laughing, slamming the table.
…
"Hurry up and get me some food! Anything!"
A thin man in a striped tracksuit and a turban stumbled into the restaurant, waving a pistol around.
Patty, one of the chefs who looked like Popeye, immediately went to greet him.
But when Patty found out the man had no money and that he was Gin from the Krieg Pirates, his friendly demeanor vanished.
He beat Gin to a pulp and threw him out of the restaurant.
Sanji, who had been trying to flirt with Nami again, frowned at the scene.
He excused himself and walked into the kitchen.
…
A little while later, Luffy, who was moving supplies on the second-floor balcony, saw Sanji sneak out the back with a plate of food for the dying Gin.
"I'm a cook," Luffy heard Sanji say. "If someone's hungry, I feed them. That's all there is to it."
At first, Gin refused to accept the charity.
But then Sanji said, "Eat. You can't fight on an empty stomach."
After a moment of silence, Gin devoured the food, tears streaming down his face as he thanked Sanji.
Watching from above, Luffy made up his mind.
Sanji had to be the chef for the Straw Hat Pirates.
Ray, his mask covering the upper half of his face, appeared beside him.
"A battle might happen in a couple of days," he said calmly.
Luffy thought for a second and understood what he meant.
"Hehe, then let them come!"
Just then, Zoro walked up to them with a bottle of wine.
"What are you two talking about?"
Ray looked at him, his expression unreadable behind the mask.
"Your target is coming soon."
Zoro froze.
The wine bottle stopped halfway to his lips.
Then, a slow grin spread across his face, his shock turning into raw anticipation.
"Good. I'll be waiting."
Out of concern, Ray added, "You might die."
Zoro just took another big swig of wine. "That was the promise I made to my best friend. The day I set sail, I left the fear of death behind."
He turned and walked back into the restaurant.
Luffy, who had been grinning a moment before, fell silent, a new look of respect on his face.
…
Sanji, who had just come back inside, had overheard their conversation.
He was puzzled by Zoro's attitude.
Is this green-haired guy a fool? he thought with disdain.
What kind of dream is worth dying for? But as he scoffed, a hint of self-mockery touched his own lips as he thought of a long-forgotten dream.
'All Blue.'
He frowned, his eyes filled with memories.
…
Six days later.
Luffy was still working off his debt, and the rest of the crew was getting antsy.
"Do we really have to stay here for a year?" Usopp complained.
Only Ray and Nami didn't seem to mind.
Nami was enjoying the fact that Sanji wouldn't let her pay for any of her meals.
Ray, on the other hand, knew that her days of getting free food were about to end.
Sure enough, a scream suddenly echoed through the restaurant.
"That… that flag… it's the Krieg Pirates!"
The entire restaurant panicked.
Buggy might have been the overlord of the East Blue, but he mostly stuck to his own territory.
The Krieg Pirates were different.
They were infamous for burning, killing, and looting their way across the sea.
They had only been driven out of the East Blue a few months ago after picking a fight with Buggy.
Now, they were back.
…
Luffy, still wearing his waiter's apron, ran into the restaurant.
"Ray, they're here," he said with a grin.
Ray, wearing his mask, simply nodded. "Yeah."
"If they want a fight," Luffy said, his grin widening, "leave them to me."
"Okay," Ray replied.
…
Finally, the main ship of the Don Krieg fleet arrived.
It was a massive galleon that dwarfed the Baratie.
The Going Merry, docked beside it, looked like a chihuahua next to a bear.
As the diners stared in shock, someone noticed something odd.
"The ship… it's completely wrecked."
An extremely burly man who looked like a gorilla, supported by Gin, stumbled into the restaurant.
Before anyone could figure out why the infamous Don Krieg was in such a miserable state, he fell to his knees.
"Please," he begged the chefs, his voice weak. "Give us food. We're starving."