Next Bonus, 100!!
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"Hey, Zoro! Viola! Keep an eye on Luffy, will you!" Usopp called out.
But when he turned back...
Zoro was gone too.
"Where's Zoro??"
Usopp scanned the bustling crowd, but he was nowhere to be found.
"I believe he saw someone and followed them," Viola said calmly.
"Huh?"
"What a rookie," Usopp muttered, shaking his head. "Not like me—I've got two years of sailing under my belt."
A swell of pride rose in his chest.
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That figure from before...
Zoro's brow was furrowed as he moved with the flow of the crowd, the image of the man he'd glimpsed replaying in his mind. It looked just like him...
The World's Greatest Swordsman—"Hawkeye" Dracule Mihawk.
For a man whose entire life was dedicated to claiming that title, no one else mattered more.
"Where'd he go?"
Zoro stopped, pulled from his thoughts. He suddenly realized he was standing at a crossroads. He turned his head.
"Luffy?"
"Usopp??"
"Viola??!"
He scratched his head, frowning. "Ah. How'd those three get so lost?"
As Zoro was trying to decide which way to go, two voices cried out.
"Big Bro!"
"It's Big Bro Zoro!"
Zoro looked over to see a pair of clowns running toward him, each holding a cutlass. Tattoos were etched onto their faces—one had "Sea" on his right cheek, the other had "Pirate" on his left.
"Big Bro Zoro, it's us!" they said, their voices filled with excitement. "It's been almost two years!"
The memory clicked. "Johnny? Yosaku!"
"What are you two doing here?"
Johnny and Yosaku were two men Zoro had rescued on a job shortly after he'd first set out to sea. They were bounty hunters, but they were hopelessly weak. Their only redeeming quality was their fierce loyalty.
"We're here on a job."
"A job?"
Zoro noticed the Bounty Hunters' Guild insignia on their clothes and understood.
"What about you, Big Bro?"
"Me?" Zoro said. "I'm a pirate now."
"A pirate??"
Johnny and Yosaku were surprised, but they didn't press the issue. On the Grand Line, anything could happen.
"Big Bro, it's been a while," Johnny said. "Let's grab a bite to eat."
"I heard the Baratie opened a branch here in the port," Yosaku added.
Zoro was about to refuse, but his stomach betrayed him with a loud growl. He had no choice but to follow them to the restaurant.
It wasn't peak dining time, so the place wasn't too crowded. The three of them sat down, ordered, and started catching up.
"The Bounty Hunters' Guild has made getting jobs so much easier," Johnny said. "They even handle logistics and intelligence for us. But the best part is, we don't have to worry about clients skipping out on the bill anymore."
Zoro nodded slightly. He knew what they meant. The difference between working alone and having the support of an organization was night and day.
When you were on your own, you had to handle everything. With the guild, even though they took a cut, it was easier, and you had a safety net. Plus, there were more jobs available—not just Marine bounties, but also escort missions, delivery requests, and more. It had opened up a path for low-level bounty hunters like Johnny and Yosaku.
"By the way, Big Bro," Johnny said, "have you seen him?"
"Who?"
"Hawkeye Mihawk!"
Zoro's pupils contracted. "Where is he?"
They both shook their heads. "We don't know for sure. We just heard he's been in the East Blue lately, spotted around the Baratie."
"Here?" Zoro asked.
"No, the main restaurant."
Zoro's eyes narrowed.
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Out on the street, Viola had gone to buy supplies.
Usopp and Luffy were searching for the missing Zoro—which really meant Usopp was trying to keep Luffy from causing any trouble.
"Argh, where did that idiot Zoro run off to?" Luffy groaned, clutching his empty stomach. "I'm starving! Meat... I need meat!"
It was May, and the East Blue was heading into summer. The days were getting hotter.
Usopp wiped the sweat from his brow. "Viola said he went this way..."
Suddenly, Luffy's nose twitched. He sniffed the air, his eyes lighting up. "Meat! I smell meat!"
He took off running in the direction of the smell.
"Hey! Luffy! Wait for me!" Usopp yelled, chasing after him.
Soon, Luffy skidded to a halt in front of a restaurant.
"The Baratie??" Usopp said, catching up and panting. "Oh, so this is that famous pirate restaurant of the East Blue!"
"Pirate restaurant?"
"Yeah. It was opened by a great pirate who came back after sailing the Grand Line for a year."
"Whoa, that's awesome!" Luffy exclaimed, barging inside without a second thought.
"Hey! Wait, Luffy! This place is expensive!"
Usopp ran in after him. The aroma of the food was so intoxicating that he swallowed hard, the words he was about to say dying in his throat.
Ah, what the hell, he thought. I've still got some savings. It should be enough for one meal, right? As a survivor of the "Ron Incident," Usopp had received a hefty compensation payment, most of which he had left for his mother.
"MEAT! I WANT MEAT!" Luffy bellowed.
"Hm?"
Zoro looked up and saw them. "Luffy. Usopp."
Usopp froze. "Zoro?? What are you doing here??"
Luffy just grinned.
"You bastard!" Usopp fumed. "You just left us to go stuff your face! That's low!"
"Huh?" Zoro said. "I was looking for you guys too. I turned around for one second, and you were all gone."
"Big Bro, are they..."
"Oh, the one in the hat is my captain, Luffy. The long-nosed one is Usopp."
"So you're Big Bro's crewmates! Big Bro Luffy, Big Bro Usopp, please forgive our rudeness!" Johnny and Yosaku said, jumping to their feet and bowing.
They all squeezed into one table.
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After the meal, the five of them leaned back in their chairs, patting their full stomachs with blissful expressions.
"Ah, I'm so full."
"That was delicious."
"No wonder it's the most famous restaurant in the East Blue."
"There's nothing more satisfying than a good meal."
"Heh heh..." Luffy chuckled. "Zoro, about that main Baratie restaurant... I've decided! We're going there to find a cook to join our crew!"
"Excuse me, gentlemen," a waiter said, approaching their table. He held up a long receipt and began to rapidly list off the names and prices of each dish. "Your total for today comes to... 190,000 Berries!"
"H-how much??" Usopp shrieked.
The waiter glanced at the bill again. "That's correct. 190,000 Berries."
Usopp broke out in a cold sweat. That was a month and a half's savings for an ordinary crewman.
"Don't worry, Big Bro! We've got this!" Johnny and Yosaku said. "We said it was our treat."
With their bellies full and the bill paid, Luffy and Zoro were eager to get to the main Baratie restaurant. Usopp and Viola had no objections.
That same day, after stocking up on supplies, the Going Merry set sail once again.
"The Baratie..." Viola said. "I've read about it in Entertainment Weekly. It's the best restaurant in the East Blue. Diners come from all over just to taste the head chef Zeff's cooking."
"That's right," Usopp said. "I've been there once. The food really is the best in the East Blue, but... I hear the chefs have a bit of a temper. The rumor is they were all cooks on a pirate ship before!"
"Heh heh," Luffy said, his face alight with anticipation. "Isn't that perfect? A cook! A cook!"
"The Baratie is in this region," Viola said. "It's not too far from here. About a day's sail."
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