"This place looks really nice," Zoro said, impressed by the decor of the sea restaurant. It was his first time there.
A large ship, adrift at sea, had been transformed into a restaurant. Crimson curtains were rolled up, allowing diners to gaze at the ocean through the glass. Above, a circular platform hung like an inverted pyramid, encircled by twelve candles.
Zoro sat opposite Luffy, his brow furrowed as he watched Luffy drool. "You're so embarrassing! Don't you see everyone else looking at you with disdain?"
"All this food looks so delicious!" Luffy paid no attention to the restaurant's decor. His eyes were glued to the various dishes at other tables, his gaze filled with little stars that shone with gold.
"I've decided, I'm going to bring the chef here to our ship!"
"Dream on," Zoro scoffed, a slight twitch of his lips. "The owner of this restaurant left Big Mom's crew. Do you think someone who didn't stay with Big Mom would be interested in you?"
Pirates were generally considered wanted criminals. However, it was rumored that the owner of this restaurant had his bounty canceled after arriving in the East Blue and was now operating this sea restaurant legally.
Perhaps he had some other connections? Or maybe it was simply because his cooking was that good?
At that moment, the meat dish Luffy had ordered arrived. The waiter was a blond man with curly eyebrows, carrying a tray. He overheard Zoro and Luffy's conversation and said, "While the sea restaurant doesn't forbid pirates from coming, it's best that you leave once you've finished eating."
"I forgot, this place doesn't really welcome pirates," Zoro leaned back in his seat, a grin spreading across his face. "But that guy over there is the pirate. I'm not."
He wasn't, at that moment, because he hadn't truly joined Luffy's pirate crew yet.
The blond waiter, Sanji, blinked in surprise. He had heard their conversation but hadn't fully grasp it. Judging by their appearances, Zoro seemed more fierce, and he had initially thought the man with the swords was the captain. But then...
He wasn't a pirate?
And this silly-looking fellow was the pirate? Was this some kind of joke book?
He placed a plate piled high with meat on their table and corrected Zoro. "It's not that we don't welcome pirates; it's that the Marines don't welcome pirates. We welcome all diners who wish to eat here."
Luffy immediately grabbed the meat from the plate and began eating with gusto. Zoro, also quite hungry, tore into his own portion. Watching them eat like starved wolves, Sanji felt a little speechless.
However, after confirming they wouldn't cause any trouble, he left.
He had to admit, this was considered a rather upscale restaurant. Having two people order a table's worth of pure meat was a first for them.
"What do you mean they don't welcome pirates?" Luffy asked Zoro between bites, having just finished a plate of meat.
Zoro ate less dramatically than Luffy, chewing his food as he spoke. "The owner of this restaurant is a great pirate from the New World. Although I don't know what kind of deal he made with the Marines to open a restaurant in the East Blue, this establishment is constantly under Marine supervision."
Zoro explained something everyone else knew but Luffy didn't. "Originally, the Marines didn't allow pirates to eat here, but the restaurant owner absolutely refused to allow that. They finally reached a compromise where pirates are allowed to come, but the Marines won't intervene in any damage caused by pirates here."
Just as Zoro finished, a woman's voice interjected, "Because the owner of this restaurant said that everyone, regardless of their identity, has the right to eat their fill."
Luffy and Zoro both turned their heads to look at the woman approaching. She had beautiful short orange hair. Without any hesitation, she sat down next to Luffy, as if she belonged there.
"So, are you guys members of any pirate crew? There are fewer and fewer pirates in the East Blue these days."
"Just the two of us," Luffy replied, unbothered by the woman sitting next to him. He was completely absorbed in his world of meat.
"More accurately, only you," Zoro said, waving his hand. "If you want me to truly join you, you'll have to defeat Muzan first."
Muzan?
Nami's eyes instantly turned sharp. She had been dining there too. Seeing Luffy and Zoro order a table full of meat, and then overhearing that they were apparently pirates, she had planned to go to their ship and steal a large sum of money. However, she hadn't expected to hear the name Muzan.
Normally, ordinary people wouldn't have the right to know that name. But she was Bellemere's daughter, and she was extremely useful to Muzan, so she knew the name Kibutsuji Muzan.
But...
How could these two possibly know him?
Nami furrowed her brow. She didn't yet know what had happened in Cocoyasi Village. She often went out to sea for extended periods to search for the Blue Spider Lily.
Kibutsuji Muzan had promised her that if she found the Blue Spider Lily, he would turn Bellemere back into a human and take Gato's men away from Cocoyasi Village.
All of this was because Nami possessed excellent navigation skills. She had been able to draw sea charts from a very young age. Muzan, upon learning of her talent, valued her greatly. If it weren't for the fact that she needed to be active during the day, he probably would have turned her into a demon long ago.
She gave a subtle turn of her eyes and casually asked, "Muzan? Is he a pirate?"
"No, he's a demon," Luffy stated directly. "Someone like that isn't a pirate!"
"It's all the same," Zoro sneered. "There are pirates uglier than demons, and there are far more of them than demons."
Since the appointment of the new Marine Fleet Admiral, who was gradually breaking free from the World Government's control, the Marines' reputation had improved significantly, especially in the East Blue. As a result, people had grown to detest pirates, who represented evil.
"No, they aren't real pirates!" Luffy insisted stubbornly, his mind unyielding. "Pirates are the freest people on the sea!"
"Tch." Zoro inwardly thought, 'You're not a real pirate,' but he didn't say it aloud. It was fine for Luffy to think that way. At least he didn't want to be involved in plundering and pillaging after joining Luffy's crew.
"Demon..." Nami, however, had already understood that the person they intended to confront was the Muzan she knew. A moment of panic flashed through her, but she quickly suppressed her emotions, putting on a smile. "Can I join you? I want to meet this demon!"
"You?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.
Seeing Zoro's look, Nami got angry. "Don't underestimate me, I'm the strongest navigator!"
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