That was why he had asked whether Lin Mo had come to Baratie alone.
When Lin Mo admitted that he had,
it all but confirmed that the little sailboat belonged to him.
And when Garp thought back to his call with Red-Hair, who had mentioned meeting a kid who might shake the world someday,
he was almost certain this was the very kid standing before him!
Floating Restaurant: Self-Defense
From what Lin Mo knew of Garp,
the man did not casually invite people to join the Marines.
He only did that when he saw exceptional potential in someone.
They had only met for the first time today.
They had barely exchanged a few words.
And Garp wanted him to think it over?
What was there to think about?
"No need," Lin Mo said. "I refuse."
"Hahaha!" Garp laughed. "Kid, don't tell me you've joined Shanks's pirate crew?"
Shanks?
Lin Mo gave him a surprised look.
How did Garp know he knew Shanks?
Had Shanks told him during that phone call?
No.
Lin Mo dismissed the possibility.
Shanks was not the sort of person who would do that.
The old fox had most likely worked it out himself.
That's Garp for you...
Lin Mo did not answer Garp's question directly. "I'm just a traveler," he said lightly.
"Huh?" Garp paused, then slapped the table and burst out laughing. "Hahaha! You're just a kid. What are you doing traveling? There's no future in it! Being a Marine would be much better. I've got two grandsons, one a little younger than you and one about your age. The three of you can join the Marines under me and uphold order and justice at sea!"
One of the grandsons Garp mentioned was Luffy, his grandson by blood.
The other was Ace, son of the former Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. At the time, very few people knew Ace was Roger's son.
Garp had always wanted Luffy and Ace to become Marines.
But both eventually became famous pirates, much to Garp's fury.
Whatever else Garp said, Lin Mo would not change his mind.
"Not interested."
Lin Mo left payment for his meal on the table.
Then he headed straight for the Spiral Staircase leading to the second floor.
A few cooks carrying dishes happened to be coming the other way.
When they saw him about to go upstairs,
they stopped him at once.
"Kid, you've got the wrong way. The exit's over there."
"The kitchen and private rooms are upstairs. Customers can't just wander in. If you want more food, all you have to do is ask."
Lin Mo could not be bothered arguing with them.
This was a good chance to try Flash Step.
While the two cooks were still speaking, he darted lightly past them.
Before either could react, Lin Mo had vanished from sight.
"Huh? Where'd that kid go?" one asked in astonishment.
The other shook his head. "No idea. He was right in front of us, then he just disappeared..."
Garp had seen every move Lin Mo made.
Without seeing him in action firsthand, Garp had still had doubts about his strength.
But that footwork caught his eye. He even slowed down on his dessert.
It was the first time he had seen footwork so unusual, capable of boosting someone's speed that much.
This kid really was something else.
"More and more interesting." Garp grinned and went back to devouring his dessert.
Within seconds, Lin Mo reached the room where Zeff was working on the accounts.
Sensing someone at the door,
Zeff looked up.
It was a kid he had never seen before!
"Kid, you don't belong here. Go back down to the restaurant."
With that, Zeff lowered his head and resumed writing.
A little while passed.
When Lin Mo still had not left, Zeff slapped his pen onto the desk. "Hey. Did you not understand me?"
As he spoke, the two horizontal braids of his mustache quivered, making him look rather comical.
Before founding the Floating Restaurant, Zeff had been a cruel, coldhearted pirate. After he and Sanji had nearly starved to death together, they decided, once rescued, to open a restaurant at sea.
Zeff was no longer as ruthless as he had been, though his temper remained as fierce as ever.
Lin Mo watched him in silence, before he could say anything,
hurried footsteps sounded in the corridor.
Sanji spotted Lin Mo outside Zeff's room from a distance.
"Isn't that a customer from the restaurant? What's he doing here?" Sanji wondered. Without dwelling on it, he quickened his pace. As he reached Zeff's door, he moved to shove Lin Mo aside, but before his hand touched him,
Lin Mo swiftly stepped out of reach.
"What a weird guy," Sanji muttered. Then he shouted into the room, "You old geezer! When are you finally going to teach me to cook? I'm sick of doing chores!"
Zeff glared at Sanji and rose to approach him.
"You little brat!" Zeff lashed out with his prosthetic right leg, sending Sanji flying. "What makes you think you've earned the right to ask me that? Get back to your chores!"
Zeff had lost that leg saving Sanji before the two were stranded together.
"Damn it!" Sanji picked himself up off the floor more than ten meters away. "You always say that! When am I finally going to be good enough to learn how to cook?"
"Hey!" Instead of answering Sanji, Zeff turned on Lin Mo and kicked at him without ceremony. "And you! Enjoyed the show? Now get back to the restaurant!"
Just as Zeff's prosthetic leg was about to strike,
Lin Mo used Flash Step and easily evaded it.
Surprise flashed across Zeff's face. He immediately pursued Lin Mo, attacking again and again.
Lin Mo kept dodging with Flash Step.
At level 1, Flash Step was only just enough to keep him clear. If Zeff got any more serious, he might land a kick.
They did not call him Red-Leg Zeff for nothing. His kicks were formidable.
"Oh? Not bad, kid!" Zeff narrowed his eyes. His presence sharpened as he picked up speed.
Lin Mo had not wanted to fight.
But Zeff had pushed him this far.
He had no intention of staying on the defensive.
When he saw he could not dodge Zeff's next attack, Lin Mo focused Armament Haki into his hand
and caught the incoming prosthetic leg.
Using the momentum of Zeff's kick, he spun him halfway around and hurled him away.
Crash!
Zeff smashed through a wooden wall panel and landed inside his room.
Not far away, Sanji stared wide-eyed in disbelief. "You're kidding! That old geezer got beaten by a kid about my age?"
"Damn it!" Garp climbed out of the scattered wood, looking furious as he glared at Lin Mo. "Kid, you damaged my ship!"
Lin Mo shrugged. "Self-defense. Not my fault."
Zeff snapped, "What self-defense? You broke my ship, so you're paying for it!"
"How much?" Lin Mo asked, unconcerned.
Zeff narrowed his eyes. "Ten thousand Beli!"
Floating Restaurant: An Unexpected Windfall
For an ordinary family in this world, ten thousand Beli was a small fortune.
Clearly, fixing the wall panel Zeff had smashed would cost nowhere near that much.
In Foosha Village and Shimotsuki Village, Lin Mo had hunted in the nearby mountains and sold his catches to buy wine.
He never exchanged more than he needed, just enough to last him a while.
So he now had less than a thousand Beli on him.
That was nowhere near Zeff's outrageous demand of ten thousand...
Just then,
in the nearby kitchen,
several cooks heard the commotion in the corridor.
They hurried out.
When they saw Zeff covered in wood splinters, with a scratch on his face and looking rather battered,
they grew indignant.
"Boss, are you all right?"
"Huh? What happened? Boss, who attacked you?"
"Damn it! Whoever hurt our boss won't get away with it! Who was it? I'll make him pay!"
"Enough!" Zeff shouted at the cooks. "I'm fine. Get back to the kitchen and cook for the customers!"
"But you're hurt, Boss. Should I get the first-aid kit?"
"Boss, who did this? Tell us. We won't let him off!"
The cooks still refused to leave.
"He did." Sanji pointed at Lin Mo, who stood in the corridor looking as though the whole thing had nothing to do with him. "I saw it myself!"
The cooks all turned to Lin Mo.
They fell silent for a moment.
Then they burst out laughing.
Before you continue