Tom had just finished his confrontation with Sanji when a bloodied Marine soldier rushed to the entrance of the Baratie. With a panicked expression, he reported to Fullbody, who was still collapsed on the ground, "Lieutenant Commander Fullbody! It's terrible! The Krieg Pirate subordinate we worked so hard to capture... he's escaped!"
"Impossible! How could he have the strength? Three days ago when we caught him, he was nearly starved to death! We gave him nothing since then! How could he possibly have the energy to escape!" Fullbody, who had just been heavily kicked once by Zeff and was thinking this restaurant was practically a pirate ship he must report to his superiors, was shocked by the news.
Hearing the Marine's words, Tom remembered the pirate he had seen tied to the mast on the Marine warship. That the man had managed to escape didn't surprise Tom much. When he saw his eyes, Tom knew his will to survive was exceptionally strong; he didn't seem like someone who would wait obediently for death.
"A Krieg Pirate subordinate?"
"Isn't that the fleet known as the strongest in the East Blue?"
Upon hearing the Marine's words, the restaurant patrons panicked, letting out bursts of frightened cries.
"Weren't there plenty of men left guarding the ship? How could he escape?!" Fullbody shouted angrily at the Marine.
"Because someone threw all the men on our ship into the sea! When we got back to the ship, the Krieg Pirate was gone," the Marine at the entrance said. Then he suddenly spotted Tom inside and said with a terrified expression, "Report, Lieutenant Commander! This is the man who attacked our ship!"
"What? He alone threw everyone on our ship into the sea?!" Fullbody looked at Tom in shock and horror.
"If you have a problem with that, you can try to arrest me. But the one who ends up on the ground will be you," Tom said, loosening his joints, to Fullbody. "Well? Do you, a Marine lieutenant commander, want to fight me?"
"WAAAH!!!" Fullbody, sitting on the floor, was actually so frightened that cold sweat poured down, letting out a scream and scrambling backward on all fours.
Fullbody's performance undoubtedly earned the contempt of many restaurant patrons.
"How can he provoke the Marines in public like that?" Usopp's legs were shaking as he whispered to Zoro.
"We're pirates. If he gave in to the Marines in public, that would be abnormal," Zoro had no issue with Tom's approach. That Marine had identified him; if he hid or retreated, it would be unreasonable.
Nami, gazing at Tom's back, faintly felt that this guy seemed to be getting more assertive. Compared to when she first met him, he had indeed changed quite a bit.
"Why did you go cause trouble on the Marine ship?" Luffy asked Tom beside him.
"It's all because you crashed into me," Tom said unhappily to Luffy.
"Oh, is that so? No wonder I didn't see you then. I thought you had secretly run into the restaurant to eat by yourself," Luffy said. When he was taken by the restaurant staff, he hadn't seen Tom, so that's what he assumed.
Damn it!
You were the one who flung me away, and you didn't even know? And you assumed I went to eat alone?!
Tom's face darkened. Fullbody, sitting on the floor, saw Tom's expression suddenly change, and horrified, he instinctively shuffled backward a few more times.
BANG!
A gunshot rang out. Patrons in the restaurant immediately let out a scream, staring blankly at the Marine who had been at the entrance now lying in a pool of blood.
Tom saw a man with a pistol who had shot the Marine blocking the entrance slowly walk into the restaurant. His steps were very slow, but the cold killing intent emanating from him made ordinary people too afraid to approach.
"Is he a pirate?" Luffy asked Tom beside him.
"Probably. I've seen him before," Tom nodded. The man with the gun entering the restaurant was the prisoner he had seen on the Marine ship.
As Gin passed by Fullbody, who had slumped on the floor, Tom saw Fullbody was actually trembling slightly in fear.
The surrounding patrons, seeing Gin kill without batting an eye, were so terrified they didn't dare make a sound, like frightened birds.
For a moment, the entire restaurant was quiet.
"Isn't this a restaurant? Anything is fine. Bring me some food," Gin said, choosing an empty table, putting his feet up on it, and addressing Sanji and the others.
Patty then walked over with a smiling expression to attend to Gin, seemingly unconcerned about his sensitive pirate identity. However, after confirming Gin had no money, Patty changed his expression, rudely told him to get lost, and even smashed the pistol Gin pointed at his head.
As Gin, beaten by Patty, tried to stand up with his hands on the floor, his stomach let out loud growls. Patty then viciously beat up the extremely weak Gin and threw him out of the restaurant.
"This is a customer-first restaurant! A penniless pirate can't even have leftovers! If you're not a customer, then get lost quickly!"
Fullbody, unable to stand this bizarre restaurant any longer, also soon left.
After Gin was thrown out by Patty, Tom saw Sanji take a drag of his cigarette and walk toward the kitchen. Not long after, Tom saw Sanji walk out of the restaurant carrying a plate of fragrant fried rice. Luffy also smilingly followed him out.
"What are you thinking?" Nami asked, seeing Tom's strange expression.
"That curly-browed cook seems to have taken food to the pirate who was just thrown out," Tom said to Nami.
"What's so strange about that? He's really a good person. He even said I could eat here for free," Nami said smiling, while thinking to herself:
Let's see if you dare yell at me again! This new cook treats me much better than you!
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's eat! Order all the good dishes here. It's free anyway," Tom's eyes lit up. He pulled Nami to a large empty table and sat down, calling Usopp and Zoro over too.
Nami looked speechless as Tom ordered generously, feeling that this guy really didn't understand anything at all, completely missing the deeper meaning behind her words.
Hearing they could eat for free, Usopp and Zoro also happily ordered tons of food. Only Nami was depressed, feeling completely out of place.
Nami seemed to have little appetite, eating very little. Tom ate a lot, toasting with Zoro now and then, chatting with Usopp. These three brothers were having a great time.
Some time later, Luffy—who had been taken to the kitchen by Sanji to do odd jobs—walked over. Seeing Tom and the others feasting, he immediately complained, "You guys actually left me behind and are sitting here enjoying delicious food? Don't you think that's too much?"
"No helping it. You're a kitchen helper now."
"I heard the owner doesn't agree to you working just seven days to pay off the debt. He insists you work here for a year before he'll let you leave."
"Guess we can redraw the Jolly Roger then?"
"The captain should probably be replaced too."
Nami, Usopp, Zoro, and Tom, upon seeing Luffy with a white cloth tied around his waist like a kitchen hand, all felt the urge to laugh and collectively tease Luffy.
"The Jolly Roger should be changed to a skull with money symbols."
"No, I think the skull on the flag should have a long nose."
"Adding three swords behind the skull would look much better."
"Sailing under a Jolly Roger with a fishing net or a rod through the middle doesn't sound bad either."
Right in front of Luffy, the four of them discussed how to design a new Jolly Roger.
"Eat crap, all of you!" Luffy grumbled softly. Watching Tom and the others laughing and talking, he rudely picked his nose, then flicked the booger into Tom's bowl and Zoro's cup.
Nami and Usopp, seeing Zoro and Tom talking and seemingly not noticing the booger attack, couldn't help but want to laugh. Especially when Tom picked up the bowl to eat and Zoro raised the cup to drink, Nami and Usopp couldn't hold back their laughter.
But just as the two were about to put the food and drink in their mouths, Tom and Zoro, holding the bowl and cup, grabbed Luffy by the neck and mouth and poured the food and drink into him.
"You eat it yourself!"
"You drink it yourself!"
While forcing the food into Luffy, Tom and Zoro shouted in unison.
"Argh! What are you doing?! My stomach hurts!" Luffy, having swallowed dirty stuff, immediately fell to the ground rolling around.
"I should ask what you were doing just now!"
"Who told you to do something so disgusting!"
Zoro and Tom simultaneously rebuked Luffy.
"Beautiful lady, your smile is truly enchanting. Please allow me to serve you a fruit parfait and a post-meal brandy and orange," Sanji, eyes turning into hearts, came before Nami—who was laughing while slapping the table—and gallantly offered a platter filled with fruits and a fragrant orange-scented drink.
"Him again. Does he get this enthusiastic with every woman he sees?" Tom said, seeing Sanji shower Nami with flattery. His words made Tom's skin crawl.
"He's interesting, right? I've already invited him to join us," Luffy's words made Tom sweatdrop. "How come I just think he's a weirdo who goes crazy at the sight of a woman? Is it safe to eat the food he makes?"
"Don't worry. I think he's pretty good," Luffy said, smiling at Tom, sitting down to eat next to him.
Tom asked for Zoro's opinion. Just as Zoro was about to speak, they heard Sanji say, "You've eaten so much. Don't forget to pay later."
"Isn't it free?" Zoro asked Sanji.
"For this beautiful and lovely lady, of course it's free. But her bill will be paid by you men," Sanji said, eyes shaped like hearts as he glanced at Nami, then turning dead serious toward Tom and the others. His ability to switch expressions was astonishing.
"I oppose this woman-chasing cook with the ridiculously curly eyebrows joining us," Zoro immediately said to Luffy.
"He's a woman-obsessed chef who discriminates against men! I oppose it too!" Usopp said, seeing Sanji give free food and drink to Nami while the men got nothing.
"Bunch of idiotic fools! Who wants to join you?!" Sanji said to Tom and the others, then looked at Nami again and added, "But if she's there, I might consider it."
"You don't need to consider! Go die somewhere!" Tom, Zoro, and Usopp waved dismissively at Sanji, all saying the same thing.
"Haha, you guys are really funny," Luffy grinned, still stuffing food into his mouth.
"That's fine. If you want, go be a pirate with them. This restaurant doesn't need you anymore anyway," Zeff said, standing behind Sanji, speaking calmly but coldly. "You constantly get into conflicts with customers, throw yourself at every pretty woman, can't make any decent dishes, and don't get along with the other chefs. You're just a burden to this restaurant."
"Whether you want to be a pirate or do anything else, just get out of here quickly!" Zeff's words to Sanji were harsh.
"Great! He's agreed! You can be a pirate!" Luffy said happily to Sanji.
"Who cares what you say?!" Sanji yelled at Luffy, then said firmly to Zeff, "Even if you try to kick me out, I'm going to keep being a chef here until you kick the bucket!"
"I won't die that easily! I'll live at least another hundred years!" Zeff said this, then ignored Sanji, walking away without looking back.
Sanji took a deep drag from his cigarette, then heavily kicked the happily eating Luffy in the head. "Hey, you kitchen helper! What gives you the right to sit here stuffing your face?!"
"Customers are arriving. Go hand out towels. Be polite about it," Sanji said, dragging Luffy away, not forgetting to give extra instructions.
Tom and the others watched Luffy being dragged away, then ordered another pile of food and continued eating happily.
Two more days passed. Luffy was still a kitchen helper at the sea restaurant. Tom and the others had to continue staying, eating well and sleeping soundly every day. Life was quite comfortable.
But Tom noticed Nami's expression seemed to grow worse every day.
This day, Tom and the others were still feasting at the Baratie. Just as Tom was about to ask Nami if something was on her mind, Gin—who had received the favor of a meal from Sanji days earlier—returned with a man.
A man who once commanded fifty pirate ships, known as the tyrant of the East Blue, the admiral of the Krieg Pirates…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T/N :
Support me and Access 25 chapters in Advance on my P@treon: [email protected]/GodFic