As the Dragon Emperor ship approached, Zeff could feel it.
There were many strong presences onboard.
He recalled the crew's reputation.
They were said to be fairly easy to deal with—as long as you didn't provoke them.
Except for that one prince from a World Government–affiliated kingdom.
The crew had been visiting and sightseeing when Uta held a concert. That prince tried to kidnap Uta.
On top of that, he got greedy—setting his sights on the women around White Ghost, sending men to surround the crew.
When the king found out and rushed over, White Ghost was already seated atop the prince's corpse, looking at the king, holding up two fingers.
"Option one: you cripple this trash yourself."
"Option two: I wipe out your royal family and install an obedient noble in your place. The World Government probably won't even bother me."
Afterward, Sengoku had called via Den Den Mushi and told White Ghost to behave.
He didn't say much else.
Because Sengoku already knew the reason.
So a message spread through the East Blue:
Don't provoke White Ghost. If you don't, everything is negotiable.
When White Ghost appeared at the top of the stairs, Zeff looked up—
The strongest creature of sea, land, and sky. The Dragon Emperor.
"Keep yourselves in check," White Ghost said to the people behind him. "This place can't handle you lot going wild."
Then he led the group down in a grand procession, smiling.
"Didn't expect my face to be worth this much. The great Red-Leg Zeff personally came out to greet me."
Zeff wanted to say, I got dragged out here by an idiot, but the words stayed locked in his throat.
He had some strength, sure.
But in front of this man?
Not even close.
"Haha… not at all," Zeff said stiffly. "So, uh… what brings you here?"
White Ghost glanced at him like he was amused. "If you walk into a restaurant, what do you do?"
Zeff smacked his own forehead. "Right. Look at me. Please—everyone, come in. Patty, take the guests inside!"
"Yes, Boss!" Patty rubbed his hands together. These people screamed money—just their clothes alone looked like the highest-end stuff in the East Blue.
"This way, everyone!" Patty said as he led them in. "At the Baratie, as long as guests don't waste food, you can do as you like."
Then he added with a grin, "Of course… berries are the most important part. Hehehe!"
Zeff's face twitched darkly in the distance.
That idiot's mouth really couldn't be controlled.
White Ghost casually flicked a gold coin to Patty. "Lead properly. Arrange the food. If I feel it's worth it, you'll be rewarded."
Patty caught the coin, stuffed it into his pocket, and beamed even harder. "Don't worry, sir! I'll make sure you're satisfied!"
Nami, standing beside White Ghost, pursed her lips.
That was a gold coin…
Just tossed out like it was nothing.
But then she remembered the piles she had herself—and instantly calmed down.
—
Inside, everything had already been cleaned up.
Near the windows, multiple tables had been pushed together into three long ones.
White Ghost's crew sat down.
Patty held out a menu. "Sir, what would you like?"
White Ghost rested his hand on the table.
His spatial bracelet gave a faint flicker—
And a neatly stacked pile of berries appeared on the tabletop.
Patty's eyes nearly turned into money signs.
"Bring whatever you're best at," White Ghost said lazily. "Just serve. If it's not enough, we'll add more."
"Yes! Yes, sir—right away!" Patty scooped up the money and sprinted into the kitchen.
Zeff barked an order immediately. "All right, you bastards! Big customer! Go all out—show your spirit!"
"ROAR—!" the chefs shouted and rushed into action. Just looking at that group, you could tell they were serious eaters.
"Sanji," Zeff snapped, "help out!"
"Finally letting me take the stove, old man?!" Sanji lit up.
"Don't dream," Zeff said and knocked him on the head with a kick. "You're just helping."
"Damn old man—stop hitting me!" Sanji clutched his head, whining.
"Shut up and work," Zeff growled.
Sanji immediately behaved and started doing his tasks.
—
While the kitchen went into full war mode, the other diners in the hall stared in shock at the big spenders.
Some men even adjusted their ties, boldly walking over to try flirting with Ilena and the other women—
Only to get one look from White Ghost.
Their legs turned to jelly, and they fled like rabbits.
Some wealthy ladies and merchant wives came over instead, trying to chat up White Ghost—handsome, rich, and clearly powerful.
But under the women's glare, White Ghost kept a blank face and chased them away anyway—
Because from the corner of his eye, he saw Ain's hand resting on her sword hilt.
"I think you need to rethink yourself," Ilena said, pinching White Ghost hard at the waist.
"Alright, alright—stop it." White Ghost pretended to wince, soothing the jealous woman. "Food's coming."
"Hmph." Ilena turned away. A shameless pervert—otherwise how would she have ended up on his ship?
—
Soon, dishes began arriving one after another.
"Please enjoy," Patty said with a flattering smile. "The kitchen's still cooking. Take your time!"
White Ghost's crew dug in.
"So good," Olga said after one bite of lobster, eyes narrowing in bliss.
"Then eat more, little one," a chef said with a friendly laugh.
If it were the old Olga, she would've snapped back, I'm over two hundred years old, you idiot.
But she'd matured enough to know what to say—and what not to.
Clink clank—!
The sound of chopsticks and cutlery never stopped.
In the kitchen, Zeff wiped sweat from his forehead.
"This bunch really isn't normal," he muttered. "Listen up! Two hundred percent! We are not letting anyone look down on the Baratie!"
"YEAH—!" the chefs roared with even more fire.
For them, this was a challenge.
A challenge from diners to chefs.
Sanji, chopping and plating at top speed, couldn't help muttering, "Are these people… bottomless pits?"
Zeff snapped instantly. "Idiot! Shut up! This is a chef's war! A chef is never allowed to be told the customer didn't eat enough!"
He jabbed a finger. "Work!"
"O-okay! Okay!" Sanji hurriedly focused again.
—
In the hall, nearby diners stared with jaws hanging open.
They'd never seen people eat like this.
Even those gorgeous women were eating a terrifying amount.
Weren't they afraid of gaining weight?
And those three underage girls—somehow they ate even faster.
Patty dashed in and out carrying plates, muttering under his breath, "They're not just generous… they're here to smash our pride!"
Then he howled to the kitchen, "Guys, move! Bet the Baratie's honor on this—ROAR—!!"
—
When White Ghost's crew finally finished and leaned back in satisfaction, Zeff stared into the now-empty cold storage room, exhaustion written all over his face.
That had been nearly a week's worth of ingredients.
Patty rubbed his hands together and grinned. "Sir, satisfied? We went all out—five chefs fainted from exhaustion!"
"Not bad," White Ghost said, patting his stomach and letting out a satisfied belch.
Then he pointed toward Sanji, who was staring at the women with hearts in his eyes.
"That one… is that a Baratie specialty?"
Patty turned—and his face went dark.
Sanji was making the creepiest lovestruck expression at their female guests.
Zeff's face contorted in shame. He grabbed Sanji by the collar and dragged him back into the kitchen.
Humiliation aside—more importantly, he didn't want that brat provoking White Ghost and getting the whole place destroyed.
"Hehe… sorry, sir—misunderstanding," Patty said quickly, sweating. "That kid's always like that. Please don't mind him."
"It's fine," White Ghost said lazily. "I'm satisfied. They're satisfied too."
He gestured at his crew—everyone wore the soft, blissful look of people who'd eaten themselves into peace.
White Ghost pulled out another box of berries and placed it down.
"This is on top of the payment from earlier. Tomorrow's breakfast too—trouble you guys."
He added, "If you don't have enough ingredients, figure it out yourselves. We're going to rest—it's getting late."
White Ghost's crew stood up, patting their stomachs, and left in a happy procession.
Zeff and his chefs watched their backs, faces full of despair.
In the end, Zeff could only sigh.
"Start buying ingredients tonight."
Then he rubbed his temples.
"And hire more chefs… because I don't think we survive tomorrow."
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