Baratie

In the East Blue, in an unknown stretch of sea, a strange ship sailed across the ocean. It had no sails.

Werther held a glass of orange juice with several ice cubes in it, sipping slowly through a straw. Having just finished training, heat still radiated from his body. Even after taking a bath, he had not cooled down, so he lay on a deck chair with a glass of iced orange juice, drinking leisurely, a fishing rod resting before him.

A faint sea breeze brushed across Werther's face as he gazed at the ocean. It was a magnificent yet peaceful sight, one that could never be seen on land.

Werther had been at sea for several days, yet he still had not found Baratie. The culprit was a sea chart he had bought from a shop in Loguetown. It was an utterly useless chart. After examining it closely, Werther discovered that even the markers for north, south, east, and west had been labeled incorrectly.

The ship carried enough food and fresh drinking water for Werther to sail for several months.

As for water for cleaning, he had an electric seawater filtration system. It was fine for bathing, but not for drinking.

Even with Werther's physique, after drinking it once, his stomach had felt terribly uncomfortable. He had never attempted such a suicidal act again.

"This is pathetic. I'm Werther, a former assassin and current adventurer, yet I got tricked by some unscrupulous merchant. Why didn't I inspect the chart when I bought it? Sigh, I was in too bad a mood back then. After all, that had just happened." Werther scolded himself for who knew how many times.

Just as Werther was about to return to training, he spotted a ship vaguely appearing ahead. He took out a telescope from the cabin and saw that it was actually a pirate ship.

When he saw the pirate flag, Werther could not help but burst into laughter. It was simply too ridiculous.

The pirate flag had a dog's head with two crossed bones behind it, which was perfectly normal. The problem was the dog's black eye patches, blue eyes, white face, and huge nose.

It was exactly like a famous breed of dog from Werther's previous life. Its scientific name was the husky, though people affectionately called them Huskies.

"Heh heh heh, this is killing me. There's actually a pirate crew using a Husky as its flag. Does the pirate world really have Huskies? Forget it, I won't rob them. If they know what's good for them, I'll buy a map from them." Werther laughed at the flag for a while. In a good mood, he decided to approach these pirates peacefully and see what they were like.

The Husky Pirates drew closer and closer until the two ships were near each other. Werther stood at the bow and watched the newcomers.

A tall middle-aged woman stepped forward at the bow of the Husky Pirates' ship. Not only was she tall, but she was also rather heavyset.

"Kid, what do you want? You actually dared to block a pirate ship. I'm Julius, captain of the Grey Dog Pirates." Julius looked at the young man before her with interest. She did not underestimate him because of his age. It was already uncommon for someone to sail alone, and he was even holding a glass of orange juice and drinking leisurely, giving off an easygoing feeling, as if the sea was not cruel in his eyes.

"Heh heh heh, that's quite a nice pirate crew name. I want to buy a map of the East Blue from you. Name your price. Are you heading for the Grand Line?" Werther found this polite pirate rather novel. Weren't pirates usually arrogant? This one seemed quite civilized.

"Oh, you want a sea chart? No problem. I might not have a map of the Grand Line, but I have plenty for the East Blue. They aren't very precise, though. They only mark famous locations. You don't need to pay. It's only worth a few thousand Beli. We really are heading for the Grand Line. That sea is where my companions' and my dreams lie. I want to become a famous female pirate." Julius laughed heartily. She already did not look much like a woman, and when she laughed, she seemed even bolder than many men.

"So you're a group of pirates with dreams. Since you're being so generous, I'll give you a piece of advice. Once you reach the Grand Line, find a way to seek out a power called Haki. It is a power that can counter Devil Fruits, and it is the foundation you'll need to achieve your dreams. Dreams alone are not enough for pirates."

"By the way, my name is Werther. If we meet again and you run into trouble, come find me. I have some ability."

Taking the sea chart Julius tossed over, Werther pointed her toward a path that could help her achieve her dream. Werther could be cruel at times and was also a battle maniac, but he would never hesitate to help those who had helped him.

Julius's relaxed expression turned serious. Setting aside the information Werther had given her about a power that could counter Devil Fruits, Devil Fruits themselves had always been legendary.

What kind of power could counter them? Just hearing the name Werther and seeing the two swords at his waist made Julius think of someone: Werther, the Sword of Slaughter. He was a major figure in the East Blue. Countless wealthy merchants and great pirates had died beneath his blades. There were even rumors that some Marine officers had died by his hand, though no one knew whether those rumors were true.

"I never expected to encounter someone as important as you. Thank you for the information. I'll work hard to find this power called Haki. Goodbye, Werther." With that, she gathered her panicked companions and sailed away.

It was not that they did not want to chat with Werther. The man before them was infamous in the East Blue for his unpredictable moods.

If they offended him with a single sentence, it would mean utter destruction for her and her companions. Perhaps their pirate crew would be wiped out in this very sea today, so leaving first was the wiser choice.

"Hey, hey, seriously? They actually ran away because I scared them? Am I really that notorious already? What a headache." Werther smiled as he watched the pirate crew vanish into the distance—or perhaps flee in panic—and felt speechless. Would he no longer be able to introduce himself by name in the East Blue? What a headache.

After checking his current location, he discovered that after sailing for so long, not only had he failed to get closer to Baratie, he had somehow gotten even farther away.

His hatred for that blackhearted merchant deepened. The next time he saw him, he would definitely teach him a lesson he would never forget. Selling fakes, especially selling fakes to him, was practically asking for death.

Werther started up his beloved ship and headed full speed toward Baratie.

After traveling at full speed for about a week, Werther finally saw a massive oval-shaped ship and slowly approached it.

He dropped anchor and jumped aboard Baratie.

It was an enormous ship, with all kinds of vessels docked around it—merchant ships, noble ships, and even Marine ships.

Baratie truly lived up to its reputation. It was incredibly lively.

Werther entered the restaurant and sat directly at a window seat. Before long, a blond man in a black suit with curled eyebrows approached him. That was right—it was Sanji.

"Sir, do you have a reservation? If not, please order." As he spoke, he took out a menu and handed it to Werther.

Out of courtesy, Werther accepted the menu without looking at it and said to Sanji,

"Forget the menu. Bring me all of your restaurant's signature dishes. They must be made personally by you and Zeff. Don't bring me anyone else's cooking." Werther returned the menu to Sanji and made the request he had decided on before coming here. If he were going to eat someone else's cooking, he could have gone to any restaurant. Why come all the way to Baratie?

"Sir, that may be difficult. The head chef's dishes require reservations, and the restaurant is too busy right now, so I'm filling in as a waiter." Sanji did not agree to Werther's request. If Werther had been starving, Sanji would never have refused him, but Werther had clearly come to Baratie on purpose. He might have been some sort of gourmet.

"Heh heh heh, you're a cold one, rejecting my request like that. Go tell your boss Zeff that Werther wants to taste his signature dishes. He'll cook for me." Werther realized that he would not get to taste the food by ordering normally. Sanji probably did not know him, the former assassin from the underworld, so Werther did not say anything idiotic like, "I'm so-and-so, how dare you not recognize me?" He could only threaten Zeff directly. Werther's obsession with food was no weaker than Big Mom's love for sweets.

"Uh, all right. I'll go tell the owner." Sanji did not think much of it. He only assumed the man before him might be an acquaintance of Zeff's, so he went to relay the message.

Sanji went to Zeff's room and found him combing his beard.

"Old man, there's someone called Werther who specifically asked you to cook for him. What should we do? Do you know him?" Sanji lit a cigarette and waited for Zeff's answer.

"Werther? Why does that name sound familiar? Does he have any distinguishing features?" Zeff could not remember who Werther was for the moment, so he casually asked.

"He has a short ponytail, wears a black coat, and isn't very old or tall. He's a little over one meter seventy. Oh, right, he has two swords hanging from his waist." Seeing that Zeff did not seem to know the man, Sanji turned to leave and planned to deal with this unreasonable customer.

"Wait. You said he's young, not very tall, has two swords at his waist, and calls himself Werther?" Zeff stood up nervously and asked urgently. If it really was that person, then things would be troublesome. Zeff might not have feared him in the past, but with one leg gone, he was not necessarily a match for that person anymore. And with that man's temperament, he might even drag Zeff's chefs into it.

"What? Old man, is this Werther really that famous?" Sanji was also shocked at Zeff's tense expression. He rarely saw the old man this nervous.

"Heh, famous is an understatement. You're always in the restaurant, so you don't know. He may look young, but if we don't satisfy his taste buds today, whether Baratie will still exist afterward is anyone's guess. There might not even be anyone alive left to walk out of Baratie today." After saying that, Zeff grabbed his chef's hat and prepared to cook personally, hoping to send this dangerous guest away.

After telling Sanji to attend to Werther and not offend him, Zeff entered the kitchen and began preparing a feast for Werther.

Sanji's heart tightened after hearing Zeff's words. The old man had once been a pirate. Even though he had retired for years, he had always handled troublemakers in just a few moves. Yet now, he seemed faintly afraid of Werther. This guy really was ruthless. In any case, Sanji had to keep him calm first, so he returned to Werther's table.

"Sir, our owner has agreed to your request. Please wait a moment." With that, Sanji went to attend to the beautiful women at the other tables. He had his own principles, after all. If there were beautiful women nearby, he did not care whether the man was called Werther or anything else. Beautiful women were the best.

Hearing Sanji's words, Werther smiled happily. If he truly got to taste delicious food today, he definitely would not let Baratie suffer a loss.

He had brought more than a dozen diamonds with him. Werther did not care about the price of the dishes. To him, delicious food held great value.

Wasn't it a great thing for chefs to use ingredients and all kinds of seasonings to create enticing delicacies?

Tasting such delicacies was an even happier thing. Werther had always believed that.