"..."
What was going on?
Although he felt everyone was looking at him strangely, Luffy quickly stopped caring.
He even thought this was pretty nice.
After all, the cook uncle had just specially scooped two heaping ladles into his huge bowl!
For him...
Being able to eat was all that mattered!
At that moment,
the workers, filled with emotion, looked once again at Luffy wolfing down his food like a starving ghost reborn. This time, no one mocked the child anymore.
"By the way, Luffy, why didn't you attend the employee commendation ceremony a few days ago? Your grandfather specifically came back for it!"
"What a touching moment that would have been!"
"And yet you didn't go!"
Faced with the workers' questions, Luffy, who had been shoveling food into his mouth, paused. He raised his head slightly, looked at them, and said, "Why would I go there? There wasn't any food, and I needed to train!"
After all...
He was the man who would become the Pirate King!
Why would he attend some employee ceremony?
"Only after I defeat those two uncles can I set sail!"
"You brat... what nonsense are you talking about now? What's so good about going out to sea? And attending the employee ceremony... would've gotten you a huge bonus!"
"That's right! Forget the bonus, what an honor that was! His Majesty the King personally came out to present the awards!"
"And your grandfather specifically attended because of you, yet you didn't go? Don't you want to see the grandfather you haven't seen in so long?"
"Grandpa? What's there to see?" Luffy raised his head again, looked at his coworkers, tilted his head in confusion, and said, "Besides, that old man hits me every time we meet!"
As he spoke, he lowered his head and resumed