Because of Luffy's recklessness, a large hole was smashed in the wall of the tavern.
Broken bricks and sawdust rained down, and several sacks of flour stored in the warehouse were torn apart.
Flour was scattered everywhere, creating a white blur that obscured everything.
Tashigi stood in the tavern, holding Shigure, staring at the large hole in the wall, completely petrified.
" Captain Smoker --!!!"
The tavern owner peeked out from behind the bar, looking at the shattered wall and sawdust scattered on the floor. His lips trembled for a long time before he finally managed to utter a single sentence.
"My shop... the shop I worked so hard to build..."
The smoke and dust slowly dissipated.
Inside the warehouse, Luffy was the first to stand up.
He was covered in flour, a white blob, looking like a walking lump of dough.
But he was completely unaware that he had just knocked two people away; he simply dusted himself off, picked up his Straw Hat from the ground, and put it back on.
"I'm starving—where's the food? Where's the food?"
He stepped on Smoker's back and Ace's stomach, not even glancing at what he was standing on, and walked straight back towards the tavern.
Smoker got up from the ground, clutching his sore lower back, his face dark with anger.
His cigar fell to the ground and was crushed when he was hit, his navy uniform was covered in flour, and his hair was a complete mess.
" Straw Hat Luffy --!!!" Smoker's roar shook the warehouse roof.
Luffy has already sat back down at the bar.
I don't know how he did it, but in just a few seconds, a small mountain of food had piled up in front of him—roast meat, bread, fruit, and cheese.
Luffy's cheeks bulged out like two balloons, and he chewed so fast that his mouth movements were almost invisible; the food disappeared at a visible speed.
"One more! Ten more!"
Luffy mumbled incoherently, grabbing a piece of meat and stuffing it into his mouth. He chewed it a couple of times and swallowed it whole without even spitting out the bone.
Smoker walked back through the hole in the warehouse, each step leaving an angry footprint on the floor.
He picked up the Jitte that had fallen to the ground, his fingers clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
" Straw Hat Luffy —I've been looking for you for ages!"
Luffy didn't hear a thing.
Or perhaps they heard it but didn't care.
His hands were now busy as he frantically stuffed food into his mouth.
Smoker's forehead veins bulged.
"Stop eating!!"
This roar finally Luffy stop eating.
He looked up, half a loaf of bread still stuffed in his cheek, his big eyes staring blankly at Smoker.
That expression, how should I put it, it was that kind of...
"Who are you? You look familiar, but I can't quite place you." (This is a phrase used to describe someone who seems to say, "Who are you?")
Smoker was taken aback by Luffy's stare. Then Luffy's expression suddenly changed from blank to enlightened.
"Ah--!"
He spat out the food in his mouth.
To be precise, it sprayed Smoker's face.
Breadcrumbs, minced meat, fruit scraps, and half a sausage that had been stuffed in there at some point were all smeared on Smoker's face.
"You're that guy from Loguetown — the Smoke Man!"
Luffy pointed at Smoker's face and burst into laughter.
"You're still alive! You got really badly struck by that lightning last time!"
Smoker wiped the food crumbs off his face, and a few more veins popped out on his forehead.
His Jitte drew a white trail of smoke in the air as it cleaved down towards Luffy's head.
"You dare Loguetown —if it weren't for that cloaked man—"
"Are there so many bridges?!"
Luffy crossed his arms, making a pause gesture.
This action made Smoker instinctively pause for half a beat—then Luffy suddenly spread his arms wide, his rubber arms sweeping across the bar like two pythons.
He rolled up all the remaining food with his arm.
Then, with astonishing speed, he stuffed all the food into his mouth.
His cheeks were stretched wider than his shoulders, making his whole face look like a giant ball of food.
Luffy swallowed hard, and with a gulp, all the food disappeared.
His cheeks returned to normal, and then he clasped his hands together and bowed to Smoker.
"I'm stuffed!"
The next second, Luffy took off running.
His legs spun like windmills, leaving afterimages, and he sprang out of the tavern door, disappearing around the street corner in the blink of an eye.
"Asshole--!!!"
Smoker transformed into a plume of white smoke and burst out of the tavern, leaving a long trail of smoke in the sky above the street.
The tavern fell silent.
Broken bricks were still falling from the large hole in the wall, and the dishes on the bar were a mess.
Tashigi, still holding Shigure, glanced at the large human-shaped hole in the left wall, then at the bar on the right, which Luffy completely emptied.
Finally, I looked at the tavern owner's face, which screamed, "My shop is doomed."
At this moment, Ace emerged from the hole in the warehouse.
His cowboy hat was askew, and he was covered in flour, but his expression remained relatively calm.
He glanced at the hole in the wall, then at the tavern owner standing dumbfounded by the bar, and sighed.
Ace took out his wallet from his pocket, counted out a stack of Beli, and placed them on the bar.
The stack of Beli was thick enough for the owner to renovate the entire store.
"This covers the cost of the meals, plus the repairs to the wall. Anything more can be considered compensation for emotional distress."
The tavern owner held the stack of Beli, tears streaming down his face, speechless.
Tashigi adjusted her glasses, hesitated for a moment, and then asked,
Why did you pay for him?
Ace adjusted his cowboy hat and smiled at Tashigi. There was no hostility in that smile.
There's only one kind of helplessness: an older brother cleaning up his younger brother's mess.
"Because I'm his older brother."
After he finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the door, one hand in his pocket, his steps casual, his back casting a long shadow in the midday sun of Alabasta.
Luffy ran wildly through the streets for several blocks before finally stopping.
It wasn't because he was afraid of Smoker; he genuinely forgot that he had just knocked two people away.
He only remembered two things: first, the meal tasted good, but the portion was a bit small.
Secondly, Nami said they would meet at the town square, so he had to find them quickly, or he would get beaten up again.
Luffy was standing at a crossroads, looking around, when he suddenly felt a warm breath coming from behind him.
It wasn't the kind of heat from the sun, but a burning sensation that made your hair stand on end.
He turned around, and a wall of fire was spreading from the street corner, the flames surging and forming an arc-shaped barrier.
On the other side of the wall of fire, Smoker was blocked in his way, white smoke and orange flames colliding in mid-air, making a hissing sound.
Luffy blinked, and then saw a figure wearing a cowboy hat emerge from the flames.
The man had one hand in his pocket, and a flickering flame burning on the index finger of his other hand. He walked with the casualness of someone strolling in their own backyard.
" Ace--!"
Luffy yelled and pounced on him.
He sprang forward like a rubber spring, his arms outstretched, ready to embrace Ace.
Then Ace delivered a precise punch to the top of his head.
You were quick to run away while we were eating.
I paid for the meal, you know that?
"And there's the money for repairing the wall. You smashed such a huge hole in the tavern's wall, the owner almost cried."