The Pirate King: Starting from Refusing Red-Hair's Invitation

That was why he had asked whether Lin Mo had come to Baratie alone.

When Lin Mo admitted that he had come here alone,

it also basically confirmed that the small Ship belonged to him.

Thinking back to when he had spoken with Red-Hair on the phone, Red-Hair had mentioned meeting a brat who might stir up the world in the future.

Now that he took a closer look, there was an eighty-to-ninety percent chance this kid was the one!

Chapter 19: Floating Restaurant: Justifiable Self-Defense

Based on what Lin Mo knew about Garp,

that man would never casually take the initiative to invite someone to join the Marines.

Unless the person he invited possessed potential he greatly valued.

The two of them had clearly met for the first time today.

They had barely even spoken a few words.

And yet he wanted him to consider it carefully.

What did he have to consider?

Lin Mo said directly, "I'm not considering it. I refuse."

"Hahaha." Garp laughed loudly. "Kid, don't tell me you've joined Shanks's pirate crew?"

Shanks?

Lin Mo looked at him in surprise.

How did this man know that he knew Shanks?

Could Shanks have told him during that phone call?

No.

Lin Mo dismissed that possibility.

Given Shanks's character, he would never do something like that.

So most likely, this old fox had figured it out himself.

As expected of Garp...

Lin Mo did not answer Garp's question directly. He said casually, "I'm just a traveler."

"Huh?" Garp froze for a moment, then slapped the table and laughed loudly. "Hahaha, you're just a brat. What are you traveling for? You have no future at all. How great would it be to become a Marine? I have two grandsons. One is a little younger than you, and the other is about your age. In the future, the three of you can become Marines with me and work together to uphold order and justice at sea!"

The two grandsons Garp mentioned were Luffy, his biological grandson,

and Ace, the son of the former Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. At present, only a handful of people knew that Ace was Roger's son.

Garp had always wanted Luffy and Ace to become Marines in the future.

But in the end, both of them became famous pirates on the seas, infuriating Garp beyond measure.

In any case, no matter what Garp said, Lin Mo would never waver in his resolve.

"Not interested."

Lin Mo placed the money for the meal on the dining table.

Then he headed straight toward the Spiral Staircase leading to the second floor.

Just then, several chefs carrying dishes came toward him.

Seeing that Lin Mo was about to go upstairs,

they immediately stopped him.

"Kid, you've gone the wrong way. The entrance is over there."

"The second floor has the kitchen and private rooms. Outsiders aren't allowed up there. If you want more food, just call out."

Lin Mo could not be bothered to waste words with them.

This was the perfect chance to test Flash Step.

While the two chefs were speaking, he had already darted lightly and swiftly past them.

The two chefs had not even reacted before Lin Mo's figure had vanished.

"Huh? Where did that brat go?" one of them asked in astonishment.

The other shook his head. "I don't know. He was right in front of us a moment ago, then suddenly disappeared..."

Garp had seen Lin Mo's movements clearly.

After all, since he had never witnessed Lin Mo's strength firsthand, he still harbored doubts about it.

But Lin Mo's footwork just now made his eyes light up, and even his speed of eating dessert slowed.

It was his first time seeing such peculiar footwork. It could actually increase a person's speed so dramatically.

This kid was truly extraordinary.

"This is getting more and more interesting." Garp bared his teeth in a grin and continued stuffing himself with dessert.

In just a few seconds, Lin Mo arrived outside the room where Zeff was writing in his ledger.

Sensing the presence outside the door,

Zeff looked up.

It was a brat he had never seen before!

"Kid, this isn't somewhere you should be. Go back downstairs to the restaurant."

After saying that, Zeff lowered his head and continued writing in the ledger.

After a while,

seeing that Lin Mo still had not left, Zeff slammed the pen in his hand onto the desk and said unhappily, "Hey, can't you understand what I'm saying?"

As Zeff spoke, his two mustaches, braided and hanging horizontally, trembled up and down, making him look comical.

In fact, before establishing the Floating Restaurant, Zeff had been a cruel and heartless pirate. After experiencing the agony of nearly starving to death alongside Sanji, the two of them decided to open a floating restaurant after being rescued.

From then on, he was no longer as ruthless as he had once been, but his temper remained explosive.

Lin Mo silently stared at him without saying anything.

A hurried series of footsteps came from the corridor.

Sanji had spotted Lin Mo outside Zeff's room from far away.

"Isn't that a customer from the restaurant? What's he doing here?" Sanji paused in surprise. Without thinking much of it, he quickened his pace. When he reached Zeff's doorway, he had originally intended to push Lin Mo aside, but before his hand could touch him,

Lin Mo quickly shifted one step to the side, avoiding him.

"What a strange person," Sanji muttered, then shouted toward Zeff inside the room, "Old geezer, when are you finally going to teach me how to cook? I don't want to do odd jobs anymore!"

Zeff glared at Sanji with a grim expression and stood up, walking toward him.

"You brat!" Zeff kicked Sanji away with his right leg, which contained a prosthetic limb. "With your skills, what right do you have to demand that from me? Go keep doing your odd jobs!"

Zeff's leg had been severed when he rescued Sanji before the two of them were shipwrecked.

"Damn it!" Sanji climbed up from the floor more than ten meters away, dissatisfied. "You always say that. When will I finally be qualified to learn how to cook?"

"Hey!" Zeff did not answer Sanji's question. Instead, he shifted his attention to Lin Mo and kicked at him without the slightest courtesy. "And you! You've had enough of watching the show, haven't you? Get back to the restaurant!"

Just as Zeff's prosthetic leg was about to hit Lin Mo,

Lin Mo immediately used Flash Step and easily dodged the attack.

A trace of surprise flashed across Zeff's face. He immediately chased after Lin Mo and launched attack after attack.

Lin Mo continuously used Flash Step to dodge Zeff's attacks.

Flash Step was only at Level 1, so it could barely let him evade. If Zeff became any more serious, he might really manage to kick Lin Mo.

Red-Leg Zeff had not earned that nickname for nothing. His leg techniques were incredibly formidable.

"Oh? Kid, you've got some skill!" Zeff narrowed his eyes slightly. His aura partially flared as he increased his speed.

Lin Mo had not wanted to fight in the first place.

But now that things had been forced this far,

he had no intention of remaining on the defensive forever.

Seeing that he could not avoid Zeff's next attack, Lin Mo's gaze shifted slightly as he focused Armament Haki on his hand.

He caught Zeff's rapidly attacking prosthetic leg in one motion.

Then, following the direction of Zeff's attack, he abruptly spun him halfway around and flung him away.

With a loud crash,

Zeff smashed through the wooden wall beside him and fell into his room.

Sanji, who was not far away, opened his eyes wide in disbelief. "That can't be true. The old geezer was actually defeated by a kid about my age?"

"Damn it!" Garp climbed out of the pile of wooden debris with an ugly expression and glared furiously at Lin Mo. "Kid, you actually damaged my Ship!"

Lin Mo shrugged. "Justifiable self-defense. It has nothing to do with me."

Zeff said angrily, "What do you mean, justifiable self-defense? You damaged my Ship, so you have to pay!"

Lin Mo asked indifferently, "How much?"

Zeff narrowed his eyes slightly and said bluntly, "Ten thousand Beli!"

Chapter 20: Floating Restaurant: An Unexpected Harvest

Ten thousand Beli was a huge sum for an ordinary family in the pirate world.

Clearly, repairing the wall Zeff had crashed through would not require anywhere near that much money.

Previously, in Foosha Village and Shimotsuki Village, Lin Mo would hunt in the nearby valleys and exchange the proceeds for liquor.

He never exchanged too much at a time. Usually, he only got enough to last him for a while.

So at present, he had less than a thousand Beli on him.

That was nowhere near enough to pay Zeff's exorbitant demand of ten thousand Beli...

Just then,

in the kitchen beside them,

several chefs heard the commotion in the corridor.

They immediately rushed out of the kitchen.

When they saw Zeff covered in quite a bit of wooden debris, with a small scrape on his face and looking somewhat disheveled,

they all became furious.

"Boss, are you all right?"

"Huh? What happened? What just happened? Boss, who attacked you?"

"Damn it! Anyone who dares hurt our boss won't be forgiven! Who did it? I'm going to make him pay!"

"That's enough!" Zeff shouted at the chefs. "I'm fine. Go back to the kitchen and continue preparing food for the customers!"

"But Boss, you're injured! I'll get the first-aid kit!"

"Boss, who did this? Tell us, and we definitely won't let that person off!"

The chefs still refused to leave.

"It was him." Sanji pointed at Lin Mo in the corridor, who looked as though the matter had nothing to do with him at all. "He did it. I saw it with my own eyes!"

The chefs all turned toward Lin Mo.

After a moment of silence,

they burst into laughter.