Inside the restroom.
"Yo! The customer is always right! Treat customers with love! Service! Service! The customer is God!"
Patty, a buzz-cut cook wearing a red neckerchief, talked to himself in the mirror, brimming with enthusiasm.
"The foundation of good service is a friendly greeting!"
"Welcome, sir!"
Patty flashed an ingratiating smile at the mirror.
"No penniless bums allowed!"
Patty switched to a contemptuous expression.
"That'll be ten thousand Beli, and no change~"
This time, he rubbed his hands together like a greedy merchant.
Only after rehearsing all his catchphrases did Patty give his trousers a satisfied tug and leave the restroom.
"All right! Another smooth bowel movement today! This should be a good day!"
Patty pushed the door open and spotted a group of young customers entering the restaurant.
Their leader was tall and well-built, dressed in a black wool coat, with a rare head of silver hair.
The people following the silver-haired young man were also striking in appearance, clearly no ordinary folk.
"Welcome, sir!"
Patty immediately put on an ingratiating expression.
Norton gave the buzz-cut cook a casual glance, then looked around the restaurant.
"Do you have any private rooms?"
"No, sir! My sincerest apologies! Our restaurant doesn't have private rooms!" Patty leaned closer. "And penniless bums aren't welcome here!"
Norton casually pulled a stack of large-denomination bills from his pocket and tossed it into Patty's arms.
"Arrange a large table and bring us all your signature dishes," Norton said offhandedly.
Patty licked his finger and counted the bills in his arms, his eyes lighting up.
"Ten thousand... twenty thousand... a hundred thousand... a million Beli! An honored guest! Right this way, sir!"
Norton walked past Patty and followed a waiter to the largest table, where he took a seat.
Nami, Funing, Zoro, Sanosuke, and Kuro sat down as well.
"Serve these honored guests!" Patty clapped his hands and shouted toward the kitchen. "Sanji! Where the hell did you go? Get out here and serve the customers!"
"Tch. You lousy cook, what are you yelling about? Who gave you permission to use my name?"
A blond young man with curly eyebrows emerged from the kitchen, carrying a plate with a cigarette between his lips.
But the moment he saw Nami and Funing, the seemingly cool, cocky young man changed completely, his face turning lecherous. He even ignored Patty beside him.
"Oh! Two beautiful ladies~ What can I do for you?"
"Uh... no need." Funing waved awkwardly.
"This pervy cook..." Zoro muttered disdainfully at Sanji's lecherous expression.
Sanji's sharp ears caught it.
"Huh?!" He thrust his face toward Zoro's, looking hostile and ready for a fight.
"Who the hell are you, Moss Head?"
"What did you say?!" Zoro bristled and pressed his forehead against Sanji's, nearly drawing his sword.
Norton watched with interest, while Sanosuke beside him also looked entertained.
Nami, however, rolled her eyes thoughtfully and gave a sly smile. "Handsome, does your restaurant have any discounts today?"
"Yes!" Sanji dropped to one knee before Nami and nodded vigorously.
Patty couldn't stand it anymore. "Hey! Sanji! Don't make decisions on your own! Our restaurant has never offered discounts!"
"We run this restaurant to make money!"
Sanji took a drag on his cigarette and stood. "I'm not like you! I cook to fill my customers' stomachs!"
With that, Sanji turned back to Funing and Nami. "Please wait just a moment! Beautiful ladies, your delicious meal will be served shortly~"
Watching Sanji leave, Funing wiped away some sweat. "King, the cooks here really are strange."
"Hahaha." Norton laughed. "Doesn't that make it interesting?"
They had sailed for several days before finding this constantly moving sea restaurant.
And that was with Nami guiding them.
A few minutes later, the waiters brought out their signature dishes one plate at a time.
Whole lobsters roasted bright red, sizzling thick-cut sea beast steaks, seaweed salad in crystal bowls, creamy white fish-bone soup, golden, crispy fried fish fillets, platters of paper-thin sashimi... the table quickly filled up.
Hearty and delicious!
Those were the only two descriptions Norton could think of. The sea restaurant's cooks were far better than the cooking crew aboard the White Pearl, producing dishes that looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful.
Norton forked a piece of lobster into his mouth.
Crisp on the outside and springy within, it instantly coated his taste buds with rich garlic butter sauce. His chewing noticeably slowed for a moment.
Then he couldn't stop!
His stomach and taste buds, dulled by the White Pearl's cooking lately, seemed to awaken!
Zoro, Nami, Funing, Kuro, and Sanosuke dug in as well.
"Delicious!" Zoro gripped a lobster claw in one hand while his other had already sliced off a large piece of steak, its juices running down his wrist. "Ten times better than the food on the ship!"
The food aboard the White Pearl was already excellent, but it still fell far short of Baratie's.
Kuro adjusted his glasses and gently teased apart the fibers of the fish steak on his plate with his knife tip. "Perfectly cooked, with all the juices sealed in. The cook is very experienced."
As he spoke, Kuro cut off another piece and put it into his mouth.
"This is really good!" Funing's eyes kept lighting up.
Even as a duke's daughter, Funing rarely got to eat food this delicious.
"Another bowl!"
Sanosuke offered no comments and ate quietly.
After Norton polished off the last fried fish fillet and wiped the plate clean with bread, a calm settled over the long table in the wake of their feast.
Zoro leaned back in his chair and exhaled contentedly. "I'm full."
Nami wiped the corner of her mouth and looked at Norton. "Looks like your appetite is back."
Norton looked at the spotless plate before him and nodded, sighing. "Now this feels like... coming back to life!"
"I've decided!"
Norton suddenly slapped the table, drawing everyone's attention. "I'm bringing Baratie under my command too!"
There was no reason to let cooks who could make such delicious food slip away!
"Hey! Did you hear that?"
"Yeah! That guy said he's going to take over Baratie? What does he mean? Is he planning to buy the restaurant?"
"Could he be some big businessman?"
The nearby customers who had heard Norton began discussing it.
Just then, a man approached wearing a towering Chef's Hat, his two mustache tips braided and one leg replaced by a wooden peg.
"Sir, I can't pretend I didn't hear what you just said," the man said.
"Head Chef Zeff! What brings you out here?"
The customers and waiters were all surprised.
"I came to ask our customers for feedback. I didn't expect to run into a braggart." Zeff folded his arms and regarded Norton coldly.
"King is no braggart!" Sanosuke's brows drew together as he immediately stood.
A Ninja would not tolerate disrespect toward his lord.
Norton wasn't angry, however. Laughing heartily, he casually pressed Sanosuke back into his seat.
"You're the head chef here, right?" Norton looked at Zeff. "I want you and this restaurant's cooks to work for me!"
"So blunt..." Zeff's face darkened. "No matter what you say, I won't agree!"
"Baratie exists to serve people who can't find anything to eat at sea!"
"Is that so? Looks like you're turning me down!" Norton rubbed his stomach. "But I reject your rejection! Whatever I want, I'll get!"
He was going to be a king, and being a king meant enjoying life. He would never shortchange himself on his three daily meals!
Baratie would be his!
"Coo!" A seabird suddenly called outside the window. A News Coo had landed on the sill at some point.
"A hundred Beli? Since when did newspapers go up again? Damn Morgans! That rotten World Economy News Paper!"
Patty tossed the News Coo a bill. It tucked the money into the pouch on its chest with its beak and flew away.
Patty unfolded the newspaper and skimmed it, then looked up at Norton, his expression changing dramatically!
"Boss! Look at this!"
Patty brought the newspaper over to Zeff.
Zeff took it and read, his brows knitting deeply. Wariness entered his gaze as he looked at Norton. "A vicious criminal with a hundred-million-Beli bounty. Are you planning to attack this old man's restaurant?"
The newspaper reported Norton's killing of the Sage Kingdom's king and hundreds of guards!
In reality, Norton had killed a Celestial Dragon, not the Sage Kingdom's king. But with the World Government having falsified the truth, the public knew nothing of that.
"A vicious criminal worth a hundred million Beli? Is there really someone that terrifying in the East Blue?"
The nearby customers were shocked. A moment later, someone stared at Norton's face and remembered something.
"Wait! Isn't that guy Norton, the 'King Slayer'?!"
Those words shocked everyone!
"No way!"
"Run!"
Thanks to the World Government's efforts, Norton's wanted posters had long since spread throughout the East Blue. Even out at sea, where news traveled slowly, he was widely known.
After all, a criminal whose first bounty was a hundred million Beli was unprecedented in the entire East Blue!
Killing a king along with hundreds of soldiers was a terrifying reputation on any island.
Within minutes, every customer had fled the restaurant!
The huge restaurant stood empty.
Just then, a fat man walked in, looking puzzled.
"What's going on? Why did all the customers run off? Is Baratie closed today?" the fat man asked.
After a pause, he added, "Whether you're open or not, hurry up and bring me some food! I'm hungry!"
The moment Zoro saw him, his expression turned frightening. He drew his sword and stood. "You?!"
"Huh? Zoro? What are you doing?" Funing tugged at him.
But Zoro didn't sit down. Gritting his teeth, he pointed at the fat man. "This is the guy! He stole my swords while I was drunk!"
Funing froze. What a coincidence.
"Hmm?"
Noticing the commotion, the fat man looked toward Zoro. He stared for a while before recognizing him.
"You? That green-haired bounty hunter?"
Zoro rushed up to the fat man and seized his collar. "Where are my swords?! Give them back!"
"They're gone! They're gone!"
"What do you mean?!" Zoro menacingly held his blade against the fat man's hidden neck.
"I sold them! After that deal, I disbanded my pirate crew and retired! Never mind your swords, I even sold my own flail!" The fat man repeatedly waved his hands in surrender.
"Then hand over the money!" The moment Nami heard money was involved, she hurried over.
Norton slapped his forehead. "Enough! Everyone, shut up!"
He was trying to figure out how to persuade Zeff to join him. How had things suddenly become so chaotic?
Zeff swept a cold gaze over them. "If you're done eating and drinking, get out! Remember to pay! We're closed for the day!"
"Patty! Sanji! Show them out!"
Patty wiped away some sweat. "Boss, he's got a hundred-million-Beli bounty! We can't beat him, can we?"
Sanji lit a cigarette and walked up to Norton. "Sorry, customers. The old man's spoken. He wants you out."
"Do I have to leave too?" Nami bit her thumb and put on a pitiful expression.
"You're an exception, of course, beautiful lady! And so is this beautiful white-haired lady!" Sanji's icy demeanor instantly deflated.
Norton remained seated, his smile arrogant. He didn't even look at Patty or Sanji, keeping his eyes on Zeff.
"Can you do it? If you can, go ahead and try! I'll be sitting right here!"
"If you can move me even a little, I'll give up on the idea and leave Baratie!"
"Such arrogance!" Zeff said grimly.
Patty couldn't stand it anymore either. Norton might be a hundred-million-Beli criminal, but he was far too contemptuous of them!
"Pirates visit this sea restaurant every day! No matter what kind of customer we get, we have a way to deal with them!"
As he spoke, Patty turned and pulled out something resembling a lobster-shaped cannon.
"Have an iron dessert after your meal before you leave!"
"It's the Food Poisoning Bomb!" the cooks exclaimed. This was Patty's signature move!
With a boom, smoke billowed everywhere.
When Norton's figure reappeared through the lingering smoke, he hadn't moved an inch. His legs were still crossed as he sat in his original spot, his posture utterly arrogant!
"Impossible! He even blocked the Food Poisoning Bomb!" The cooks' pupils contracted.
"No! It was that Ninja! That Ninja sliced the Food Poisoning Bomb apart!"
Indeed, Sanosuke stood in front of Norton! Before the Food Poisoning Bomb could approach, he had cut it apart with his Ninja Sword!
"Eliminating every threat to my lord is the way of the Ninja! King, shall I kill them all?" Sanosuke asked, covering his mouth.
That Food Poisoning Bomb had smelled absolutely foul.
"Thanks, Sanosuke, but there's no need to kill them. I want their loyalty!" Norton said with a light laugh.
Sanji blew a smoke ring. "Hey, hey, hey! This isn't a place where you can do whatever you want!"
As he spoke, Sanji raised his leg to kick Norton!
Zoro held the fat man down without joining the fight. But Kuro unsheathed his Ten-Blade Cat Claws and blocked Sanji's attack.
"So fast!" Sanji was startled. This guy was actually a fighter every bit as skilled as he was!
The cooks exchanged looks. None of them had expected their strongest fighters, Patty and Sanji, to be stopped on either side by guys who looked like mere subordinates!
Norton himself was still sitting calmly in his seat, without lifting a finger!
"What a pain..." Zeff's expression gradually darkened.