Chapter 193 - 4

Chapter 4: The First Lesson of Baratie: Don't Waste FoodThe journey was smooth sailing. The going merrytraveled steadily across the vast ocean and soon arrived in the waters near Baratie."That's Baratie up ahead!" Johnny pointed at a massive ship-shaped structure in the distance.Ben leaned over the railing, squinting to get a better look. It was a large ship converted into a restaurant, shaped like a giant fish with a fish head at the bow and a fish tail at the stern, painted in alternating blue and white colors."Wow! What a huge fish!" Luffy's eyes lit up."That's a restaurant, not a fish." Nami sighed, clutching her forehead in frustration.Just then, a Marine warship sailed past them. On the deck, a man wearing a Marine uniform eyed them up and down."Hey, what pirate crew are you?" the man shouted."We are the Straw Hat Pirates!" Luffy pointed excitedly at the Jolly Roger on the mast.Ben almost choked on his own spit. Can you not be so honest? That's a Marine!"Straw Hat Pirates?" Marine Lieutenant Fullbody lowered his binoculars. "Never heard of them. Such an ugly flag; you can tell at a glance they're just country bumpkins.""What did you say?!" Usopp jumped up. "I drew that with my own hands!""Exactly!" Luffy chimed in, unconvinced. "Our flag is super cool!"Fullbody scoffed, "What a bunch of hicks. Men, teach these rubes a lesson! Fire!""Holy crap!" Ben shivered in fright. "Duck!""Boom!" A cannonball came whistling toward them.Luffy grinned, swung his arms, and instantly inflated into a human balloon."Rubber Balloon!"The cannonball hit Luffy, and it looked like it was going to bounce right back."Nice!" Usopp cheered.However, in the next second, everyone was dumbfounded.Because of the recoil from the bounce, Luffy lost his balance, and he and the cannonball crashed straight into the roof of Baratie!"Boom!"A loud explosion.Ben stood on the ship, completely stunned."What... what kind of move was that?""Luffy!"Nami screamed and rushed to the side of the ship."That idiot!"Zoro frowned, his hand already resting on the hilt of his sword."Will he be okay?""Probably... not, right?"Usopp laughed dryly, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead."Well, it is Luffy after all..."Ben clutched his forehead.It is Luffy after all?You guys are just that unconcerned?He just blew up someone's restaurant roof!Luffy smashed into a room.The dust cleared.Luffy climbed out of the rubble, shook the dust off his body, and looked up.An old man with a long braided beard was sitting in front of the bed, staring at him expressionlessly.The old man was wearing a chef's uniform and a tall chef's hat, exuding an aura of authority.Luffy scratched his head and grinned."Hehe, hello there, mister!""Your roof quality isn't very good; it collapsed with just one hit."The old man's face instantly turned dark."Kid, do you have any idea what you've done?"His voice was calm, but the pressure made Luffy's smile stiffen."Uh... broke your roof?""Not just the roof."The old man stood up, walked to the window, and pointed outside.Luffy leaned over to look.A huge hole had been blown into the restaurant's roof.Luffy's smile froze completely."Ah, this..."Just then, his gaze fell on the old man's legs.The old man's right leg, from the knee down, was a wooden prosthetic.Luffy's pupils dilated.His face turned deathly pale, and his whole body began to tremble.His left leg, from the knee down, was a wooden prosthetic."Your leg!"He clutched his head, tears and snot streaming down his face."I'm sorry! It's all my fault! I'm the one who blew your leg off! Waaaaah—"The old man, who was the owner and head chef of Baratie, "Red Leg Zeff," was stunned for a moment, and his face instantly turned dark."What kind of nonsense are you spouting, you brat?!"He raised his prosthetic leg and kicked Luffy hard."My leg was gone many years ago! What does that have to do with you?!"Luffy rubbed his head."Eh? I didn't blow it off?""Obviously!"The old man was so angry his mustache curled up."But!"He pointed to the roof and walls that had been blown open."You blew up my restaurant like this, how are we going to settle this score?!"Luffy scratched his head: "Um... sorry?""You think'sorry' is enough?!"The old man grabbed Luffy by the collar."Kid, from today on, you're working here for one year! You'll work like a dog to pay off your debt!""One year?!"Luffy's eyes nearly popped out."One year?! That's too long!" Luffy jumped up. "No way! I still have to go to the Grand Line! Can one week do?""Six months!""One week?"Old man Zeff wouldn't budge an inch.Luffy's face fell, and he slumped."Chef Zeff!"A chef ran up in a panic."There's a customer causing trouble downstairs!""What?"Zeff frowned."Let's go down and see."He dragged his prosthetic leg and went downstairs with a thud, thud, thud.Luffy followed him up.---First floor of the restaurant.Ben followed Zoro and the others into Baratie.The restaurant was decorated luxuriously, with gold ornaments everywhere and crystal chandeliers sparkling overhead."Wow, so posh!" Usopp exclaimed."It must be expensive." Nami's eyes became alert.Ben looked around, muttering to himself: This place doesn't look cheap. Can our group of penniless people afford a meal here?Restaurant lobby.A man in a Marine uniform was sitting at a table, with a woman dressed in a flashy, alluring outfit sitting next to him.It was Fullbody, the one who fired the cannon earlier.He was currently putting on an "I'm rich" act, gesturing and bossing around a blonde chef."Hey, waiter, bring me a bottle of '82 Lafite."The blonde chef looked to be in his early twenties, wearing a black suit and tie, with his right eyebrow curled into a small swirl at the end.He nodded politely: "Very well, sir."Then he turned to get the wine.Fullbody looked proudly at the woman beside him: "My dear, today I'm treating you to the best."The woman giggled: "Master Fullbody is so generous."The blonde chef returned with the wine.He was about to pour the wine when he suddenly stopped and turned to look at the woman.The woman was indeed attractive, with wavy hair, bright red lips, and a curvaceous figure.The blonde chef's eyes instantly turned into hearts."Miss, you are truly beautiful."He leaned in, a lecherous smile on his face."It is my honor to meet you."Fullbody's face went dark on the spot."Hey! What are you doing, you bastard?!"The blonde chef snapped out of it, gave a light cough, and resumed a serious expression."Sorry, my apologies."He began to pour the wine.Fullbody picked up the wine glass, swirled it a few times, and pretended to sniff it."Hmm... the aroma of this wine..."He paused and looked at the blonde chef."The vintage is wrong."The blonde chef raised an eyebrow: "Sir, this is indeed '82 Lafite.""I said it's wrong, so it's wrong!"Fullbody slammed the table."Are you trying to fool me?!"The blonde chef's smile vanished."Sir, please don't make unreasonable trouble.""Unreasonable trouble?"Fullbody sneered."Then how do you explain this?"He took a bug out of his pocket and threw it into the soup."There's a bug in your soup!"The restaurant went silent instantly.Everyone looked over.The blonde chef's expression turned completely cold.He stared at Fullbody and said word by word:"This soup took three days and three nights to carefully remove the astringency."His voice was low, but every word was as sharp as a knife.Fullbody was unconcerned: "So what? A bug is a bug.""Is that so?"The blonde chef suddenly smiled.But that smile didn't look friendly at all.The next second—"Bang!"The blonde chef slammed his sole into Fullbody's face.Fullbody was sent flying, knocking over several tables.The restaurant was in an uproar.The blonde chef walked over, grabbed Fullbody by the collar, and threw a few more punches."Bang! Bang! Bang!"Fullbody's face swelled up like a pig's head.The blonde chef grabbed Fullbody's hair, frowning with a look of disgust."Don't waste food on me."His voice was as cold as ice."Picking a fight with a chef at sea is tantamount to seeking your own death."With that, he tossed Fullbody aside like trash.Fullbody fell to the ground, unable to even crawl up.The restaurant was deathly silent.Ben stood to the side, completely dumbfounded.Good grief.This chef has a really hot temper!