The Sea Restaurant Baratie

"A sea restaurant? Restaurants can be out at sea?" Luffy asked.

"It's more of a large ship than a restaurant," Johnny explained.

"Sounds pretty interesting!" Luffy said, his eyes shining. "Decided! We're going to the sea restaurant!"

A pirate ship that had decided on its destination moved with incredible efficiency, even if everyone aboard was a first-rate idiot.

Before long, they could see Baratie in the distance.

"Brother Luffy! Brother Zoro! Brother Usopp! Brother Nami! Brother Aaron! The Baratie restaurant is here!" Johnny and Yosaku had been keeping watch at the bow. The moment they spotted Baratie's enormous prow in the distance, they turned and shouted.

"Yeah!" Usopp and Luffy immediately ran over like huskies that had smelled meat bones. Seeing the luxurious cruise ship that looked like a giant salted fish, their eyes widened and their mouths gaped exaggeratedly like fish gasping for oxygen. "What a huge ship!!!"

They looked like two country bumpkins visiting the city for the first time.

Woooo!!

A deafening ship's horn sounded nearby. Luffy and Usopp turned, and what they saw made Usopp's face go pale. "Why is there a Navy warship here?"

A warship twice the size of the Going Merry brutally cleaved through the waves as it slowly headed toward Baratie.

As it drew alongside the Going Merry, a man with brass knuckles and an extremely arrogant expression spotted the straw hat skull on the sail. Crossing his arms, he said with the air of someone owed a fortune, "A pirate flag I've never seen before."

"Hey! Which one of you is the captain?" he asked.

"I'm the captain. We only made our pirate flag a few days ago," Luffy said honestly.

"Y-You only made it a few days ago?!" Johnny crossed his arms and said something utterly shocked in an incredibly cool, calm manner.

"Ahahaha, well said, partner!" Yosaku also crossed his arms, his wide-open mouth large enough to swallow an entire salted fish!

Yep, the author was really picking a fight with salted fish today.

"Ah, I know you two." Seeing Johnny and Yosaku, the man drawled, "You're Joseph and Johnny, right? Third-rate bounty hunters who spend their days catching third-rate pirates and frequent government offices? So you two finally got caught by pirates too!"

"Yosaku, looks like this guy's here to start trouble..."

"What do you mean, third-rate bounty hunters who catch third-rate pirates? That really pisses me off... Looks like we need to show this brat what we can do, Johnny!"

The two of them abruptly drew the meter-long cleavers from their backs and leaped forward, charging at the man with the force of splitting a mountain! Their momentum was immense, their bearing magnificent—downright terrifying!

Bang bang bang bang!

Then they got beaten like dogs.

"You guys really are weak..." Luffy said helplessly as he looked at Johnny and Yosaku's swollen, bruised faces.

"No, Brother Luffy! It's because he's too strong!" Johnny shouted back through his swollen face.

"I'm Navy Captain Fullbody, known as Iron Fist." Fullbody rubbed his knuckles. "Consider yourselves lucky. Today is my regular day off, and I only came to enjoy some good food. Under normal circumstances, I'd have arrested all you pirates."

"Iron Fist? Isn't Iron Fist Garp?" Aaron had just finished making hamburgers and come out of the cabin. Hearing Fullbody's introduction, he looked at him in confusion.

"..."

That single sentence left Fullbody speechless.

No matter how arrogant he was, he would never dare compare himself to a Navy hero!

Fullbody's face immediately darkened like June weather. With a cold snort, he flicked his sleeve and turned away.

"What a strange guy..." Aaron watched him leave, then stopped paying attention. He excitedly looked at everyone. "Everyone! The hamburgers are ready. Come eat!"

"Uh..." Everyone fell silent, except for the loudly cheering Luffy and Johnny.

"Aaron..." Nami spoke first. "You know, it's like when you play games. Even if a game is fun, you'll get tired of it if you play it too much..."

"Mm-hmm!" Though Aaron had no idea what Nami was getting at, he nodded like a pecking chicken.

"...So even though your hamburgers are delicious, we're getting a little tired of them..." After weighing her words for a long time, Nami finally said it.

"Mm-hmm... Huh?" Aaron nodded, then abruptly raised his head, his eyes brimming with tears as he looked at Nami. "Are my hamburgers not tasty?"

"No, no, no, it's not that they aren't tasty!" Nami hurriedly explained. "It's just... it's just..."

"Looks like my hamburgers still aren't good enough." Before Nami could figure out how to comfort him, Aaron wiped his tears, clenched his fists, and said resolutely, "A true hamburger should be so good that you never get tired of eating it. I've always believed that!" At that moment, a faint image flashed through Aaron's mind.

In that image, an octopus ate hamburgers until it exploded.

...What the heck is that? Octopuses can eat hamburgers? Aaron rolled his eyes internally.

"...It's good that you have that kind of determination," Nami suddenly had no idea what to say.

Then Nami noticed several wanted posters had fallen from Johnny's clothes as he lay on the ground. She picked one up and looked at it, and her expression shifted slightly in shock.

Noticing the change in Nami's expression, Aaron was about to ask, "Nami..."

Boom!

A sudden cannon blast interrupted Aaron's question.

Everyone turned as a black cannonball tore through the air toward the Going Merry.

"AAAAAH! A CANNONBALL IS COMING!!!" Usopp covered his face with both hands, terror written all over him.

"Leave it to me!" Luffy pulled down the brim of his hat, flashing all sixteen teeth. "Gum-Gum Balloon!"

He took a massive breath, his belly swelling enormously. Timing it just right, he jumped up and forcefully bounced the cannonball back!

Yeah, and then it blew up Baratie.

"..."

Everyone stared in stunned disbelief.

We're in trouble! everyone thought.

Soon, a group of fierce-looking cooks rushed out. The lead cook looked around and roared, "Who fired that cannonball just now?"

Afraid someone might claim the credit before him, Luffy quickly stepped forward. Scratching his head, he said apologetically, "It was me."

"Take him away!" The cooks acted with swift efficiency. The instant they heard Luffy's answer, they hauled him off without even giving him a second look.

Leaving the others staring at one another in utter confusion.

"Um... how about we go into the restaurant and get something to eat?" Usopp cautiously suggested.

"Good idea!" Everyone nodded.

"Mm-hmm! Studying how other people cook will definitely give me some new insights. It'll surely help me make hamburgers people never get tired of eating! Usopp, you really are a genius!" Aaron praised him solemnly.

"..." Everyone fell silent.

So they entered the restaurant.

Crash! "I'm a customer who paid for his meal! Don't get so arrogant just because you're a cook!"

The moment they walked in, they heard dishes clattering and shattering, along with a man's hysterical roar. Turning their heads, they saw Fullbody confronting a blond young man, with an overturned table between them.

"Ah! It's that 'Iron Fist'!" Aaron cried, covering his mouth.

Since both Fullbody and Garp were called "Iron Fist," Aaron had added "Big" and "Little" before their nicknames to tell them apart.

...But what kind of nickname is Iron Fist? Does that mean he punches you in the chest over and over?!

"..." Everyone in the restaurant turned to look at Aaron. Seeing every eye on him, Aaron's cheeks instantly turned bright red. He hurriedly tilted his head, knocked himself on the head with his right hand, closed one eye, and stuck out his tongue. "Ehehe!"

...Who are you trying to act cute for?

"It's you, brat..." Seeing Aaron, Fullbody's already gloomy expression darkened further. He turned and strode toward Aaron, intending to teach the kid who had embarrassed him a lesson!

"Hey!" But the blond young man behind him stopped him. "Say that again. Can money fill your stomach?" A cigarette hung from the young man's mouth, and his gaze at Fullbody grew increasingly dangerous.

"Stop Sanji!"

"Hey! Assistant head chef, stop it!" Seeing that look in Sanji's eyes, the cooks all tried to rush forward in panic.

Smack smack smack!

But it was already too late.

Sanji gripped Fullbody by the head, ignoring the blood streaming down his face as he stared directly into his eyes. "At sea, the last people you should offend are cooks... Remember that!"

He paused, and his gaze instantly became far more terrifying. "You must not waste food!"

Everyone stared at the scene in shock. It was as if time had stopped; they could even hear Fullbody's blood dripping onto the floor.

"Hm?" Sanji suddenly felt someone tugging at his pant leg. Looking down, he found a boy with the same hair color as his staring up at him.

That boy was none other than Aaron, the one who had just enraged Fullbody.

When Aaron saw Sanji looking at him, he quickly let go and smiled. "Um... were you ever shipwrecked?"

"..." At Aaron's question, the confusion in Sanji's eyes turned to surprise.

Seeing Sanji's expression, Aaron confirmed his guess. He happily said, "Hello, my name is Aaron. Aaron Copperfield."

"Aaron..." Sanji repeated, then asked, "How did you know I was shipwrecked before?"

"Because I was shipwrecked too~" Aaron replied with a smile. "I only came over to ask because I felt like you might be like me. I didn't expect it to be true. I'm so lucky!"

...What kind of luck is that?! Does this kid have a screw loose? Sanji looked at Aaron speechlessly.

"Oh, right, right! Since you were shipwrecked before, you must be really good at cooking, right?" Aaron asked, his face bright with excitement.

...Although Aaron's question came out of nowhere, Sanji understood what he meant.

So he said, "Yeah, I guess I'm decent enough. At least I don't disgrace the food."

"Then, then! Could you make me a meal? I want to make my hamburgers taste even better!" Aaron waved both hands as he bounced around excitedly.

...What does cooking have to do with hamburgers? Sanji thought. He became even more certain that there was definitely something wrong with this kid's head.

"Sure. This restaurant will never refuse anyone who's hungry." Looking at Aaron, who resembled him so much both in appearance and past experiences, Sanji simply couldn't bring himself to refuse.

"Hey! Sanji, why are you beating up customers again? Put him down already!" A rough, shrill voice suddenly rang out.

Aaron turned and saw a fierce-looking man who somehow seemed rather comical, pointing at Sanji.

Sanji recognized the newcomer, tossed Fullbody aside, and took a drag from his cigarette. "So it's the bastard cook. Don't call me by my name so casually. Have some respect."

"Don't you, bastard cook, call me a bastard cook!" Bastard cook... well, they still didn't know what this guy's name was, so let's just call him the man.

"Without customers, there would be no Western-style restaurant. Why did you hit such a distinguished customer?" the man demanded.

"So what if he's a customer? He just ruined precious food! That's an insult to cooks! That's why I had to teach him a lesson," Sanji said coldly.

"I'll contact the government immediately... I'll have this restaurant destroyed... What a terrible place. It shouldn't even exist!" Fullbody, sprawled on the ground, began courting death again as he spoke resentfully.

Tsk, tsk. Saying you want to destroy someone's home right in their own home would make even ordinary people fight to protect it.

Let alone this bunch of cook thugs like Sanji.

As for what would happen to old Fullbody...

Well, see you next chapter.

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