Not long after, a group of fierce-faced cooks came out of the floating restaurant while shouting angrily.
"Hey! Which one of you fired that cannon just now?!"
Usopp and Nami immediately moved close to Luffy and whispered urgently.
"Hey, don't say anything."
"Right! If they ask, just say the Marines fired it."
But Luffy paid no attention to them whatsoever. He instead raised his hand high with a completely innocent face.
"That was me!"
"You idiot!" Nami and Usopp snapped in unison, keeping their voices low.
The cooks went quiet for a moment before resuming their fierce expressions.
"So it was you?"
"Wait right there, kid! We're coming to get you!"
Not long after, they rowed a boat to Luffy's ship, seized him, and dragged him into the floating restaurant. Luffy didn't resist in the slightest because he understood it was entirely his fault.
He was then brought to a room. The ceiling of the room had a large hole in it, while wood fragments and pieces were still scattered across the floor. On the bed lay an elderly man with blond hair and a long mustache with both ends tied with light blue ribbons. This was Zeff, the owner of the restaurant.
"Boss, we've brought the person responsible for all of this!"
Luffy freed himself from the cooks' grip, then immediately threw himself into a dogeza position.
"I-I-I'm so sorry!"
As he lifted his head slightly, Luffy's gaze landed on Zeff's leg, which had been replaced by a wooden peg. His eyes immediately went wide.
"Ahhh! Your leg...!"
"Idiot!" Zeff snapped while pressing his still-intact foot onto Luffy's face.
He then tapped his wooden peg leg.
"This one isn't your doing."
Luffy's face was still being stepped on as he let out a breath of relief.
"Ah... so it was already like that from the beginning then."
Zeff increased the pressure on his foot, pushing Luffy down, then pointed at the large hole in the ceiling.
"But that one is clearly your doing. Because of you, my body is also full of injuries."
He leaned his body against the headboard, then loosened his chef's uniform slightly to get more comfortable.
Luffy stood while facing away from Zeff.
"I'm not going to pay for the repairs or your medical treatment!"
"Ho?" Zeff murmured, slightly interested.
Luffy turned around with a self-assured smile.
"Because I don't have any money!"
A thin grin appeared on Zeff's face.
"You really say whatever you want."
"In that case, since you don't have money, you'll work here."
"Yeah! I'll do it!" Luffy answered with a wide smile.
"You'll work here for one year without pay."
"Yeah! I'll work here for one year without pay!..."
Luffy's smile slowly faded.
"Wait..."
His face tensed.
"One year...?"
He swallowed before confirming nervously.
"One year means... one year?"
Luffy raised one finger while trying to negotiate.
"Please make it one week!"
Zeff's grin widened again.
"You really say whatever you want."
Luffy quickly raised two fingers.
"Then... two weeks!"
"Oi! You destroyed my restaurant and injured my head chef!" Zeff snapped while hitting Luffy's head repeatedly with his tall chef's hat.
Luffy raised three fingers.
"Then... three weeks!"
"Don't..." Zeff braced both hands on the bed, twisted his waist, then launched a kick.
"...say whatever you want!"
Crash!
Luffy's body shot into the wall, cracking it. Wood splinters rained down and piled on top of him.
Several moments later the pile of wood shifted. Luffy stood slowly while cleaning his hat, then sat down casually as though nothing had happened.
"I've been waiting ten years to become a pirate. I can't get stuck here for one year."
He looked at Zeff with firm resolve.
"Alright! I've decided. Within one week, I'll find a way to pay you!"
Zeff climbed off the bed and walked toward Luffy.
"In that case, I have another alternative, kid."
He stepped on Luffy's foot with his peg, then raised a serrated knife in his hand.
"Just leave one of your legs here."
Luffy's face went slightly pale, but he still shook his head.
"I won't!"
Zeff immediately attacked him in rapid succession. But each time an attack came, Luffy's answer remained the same.
"I won't!"
"I won't!"
"I won't!"
As it went on, Zeff's face began to show irritation.
Finally he stopped his attacks. His breathing had grown heavier, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He looked at Luffy lying on the floor.
"Kid... just because you keep saying 'I won't' doesn't mean things will go the way you want."
Luffy, still lying flat on his back, only answered stubbornly.
"I won't!"
Zeff let out a sigh. Though his forehead was now covered in sweat, a small grin still appeared on his face.
"You really are stubborn."
Luffy didn't answer. He only responded with a wide smile.
Meanwhile, outside the Baratie floating restaurant, Nami, Zoro, and Usopp decided to go inside to find out what had actually happened to Luffy.
As soon as they opened the door, they were met by commotion in the dining area.
A blond-haired man in a black suit stood with his back to them. A lit cigarette was tucked in the corner of his mouth. In front of him, a bowl of soup that had just spilled was still giving off thin wisps of steam.
"What's going on? What's going on? Is there a fight?" Usopp asked in confusion.
The blond man crouched beside the soup bowl. His gaze was fixed on the food scattered across the floor.
"If you just removed the bug, you could still enjoy the soup."
His tone was calm but cold enough to make the atmosphere even more tense.
"I am a customer! How dare a lowly waiter like you speak to me like that!" Fullbody snapped.
He raised his fist high and swung it toward the blond man.
But the man only tilted his body slightly. Fullbody's fist missed entirely. In one smooth motion, his right leg rotated and shot upward.
Thud!
The tip of his shoe struck perfectly under Fullbody's chin.
Fullbody's body lifted several centimeters before slamming hard to the floor.
Crash!
The commotion brought the cooks out of the kitchen. The moment they saw what was in front of them, they immediately went silent.
Sanji stood casually while gripping Fullbody's head with one hand, lifting him effortlessly as though he weighed nothing.
At that moment, a large-bodied man came running out of the kitchen. His eyes immediately went wide.
"Oi, Sanji! What are you doing?! That's a customer! And isn't he a Marine lieutenant on top of that!"
He immediately rushed toward Sanji.
Sanji glanced over slightly. His cigarette was still burning.
"What is it, you garbage cook? Don't go acting familiar and using my name."
"A rude cook like you has no right to call me a garbage cook! Don't you know that without customers this restaurant can't run? Look at what you've done!"
The man stopped right in front of Sanji.
Sanji was still holding Fullbody's head with one hand.
"So what?" he replied briefly.
He released his grip, letting Fullbody drop to the floor.
"This person didn't respect the food or the cook. So I gave him a little lesson."
Fullbody sat with his head lowered. Blood was dripping from his forehead.
"What kind of restaurant is this...?" he muttered.
He slowly raised his head, looking at Sanji with anger.
"I'm going to report this restaurant! I'll have this place shut down! Just you wait!"
Sanji exhaled smoke slowly. His gaze sharpened, the vein in his forehead beginning to twitch.
"In that case..."
He stepped closer.
"...I'll shut your mouth right here."
The cooks nearby immediately moved to restrain Sanji's body.
"Stop it, Sous Chef!"
Sanji kept trying to push through.
Seeing Sanji's gaze that was completely serious, Fullbody instinctively pulled his body backward.
"People as insolent as you truly disgust me!" Sanji snapped while still trying to push forward. "Who exactly do you think you are?!"
Nami raised an eyebrow.
"That person... is strong."
Usopp swallowed.
"He kicked a Marine lieutenant without hesitation..."
Zoro only grinned thinly while crossing his arms.
"Good movements."
Just as the atmosphere was growing more heated...
Crack...
A small fracture appeared in the restaurant's ceiling.
The crack spread rapidly.
Crash!
The ceiling collapsed, creating a hole. Dust and wood splinters flew as two figures fell from the floor above.
"Luffy!"
"Owner Zeff!"
The cooks called out simultaneously.
Zeff rose first. He looked up at the hole in the ceiling, then his face immediately turned red.
"Damn it! Look at what you've done! Even the restaurant's ceiling has been damaged now!"
Luffy immediately fired back.
"Wasn't it Uncle himself who damaged it?!"
"Ah, there he is!" Usopp called out while pointing at Luffy.
Nami let out a long sigh while massaging her temple.
"What has he done this time..."
"Isn't that pretty normal?" Zoro said casually. "He always causes trouble."
While Luffy and Zeff were still pressing their foreheads together and continuing to argue, one of the cooks restraining Sanji shouted in panic.
"Owner Zeff! More importantly, stop Sanji first!"
Zeff and Luffy immediately turned.
Seeing Sanji still trying to charge at Fullbody, Zeff walked over.
"Oi, Sanji! You're causing trouble again! Are you planning to destroy my business?!"
Seeing Zeff come, Sanji's anger subsided slightly. The cooks released their grip.
Sanji had just opened his mouth to explain.
But...
Thud!
Zeff's kick landed on his head without warning first.
"You fool!"
Fullbody, who saw this, briefly smiled in satisfaction, thinking Zeff was taking his side.
But that smile immediately froze.
"You too!" Zeff snapped while turning around.
Thud!
One more kick landed on Fullbody, sending him sprawling to the floor again.
"Leave my restaurant right now!"
Fullbody's body trembled.
What kind of restaurant is this...? Even the owner acts like a bandit. This place feels more like a pirate ship than a restaurant...
Before the atmosphere could settle, a Marine came running in through the main entrance. His uniform was in tatters, his head bleeding, and his breathing labored.
"Lieutenant Fullbody!"
Everyone turned.
The Marine gasped for breath before finally shouting.
"This is terrible! One of the members of the Krieg Pirates... has escaped from our ship!"
***
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End of Chapter 26