"Hey, undead. What exactly are you trying to imply with that disgusting, creepy laugh?" Tohru suddenly snapped, glaring fiercely at Ainz from down the counter.
The dragon girl's aggressive interruption immediately drew Ainz's attention away from Yuto.
If his hands weren't busy wiping down the cutting board, Yuto would have given Tohru a massive thumbs-up.
'Nice! Tohru, pulling aggro like that is worth at least three free taiyaki!' Yuto felt incredibly proud of his new employee.
Stepping in to distract a creepy customer when the boss was in a tight spot?
That was top-tier waitressing!
"Oh? So the proud, ancient dragon doesn't understand?" Ainz tilted his skull, his deep voice dripping with obvious, condescending mockery.
The taunt instantly annoyed Tohru, but it also embarrassed her.
She genuinely hadn't grasped the dirty, underlying joke behind Ainz's offer.
Frustrated, Tohru spun around and looked at Yuto. "Boss! What exactly was this creepy skeleton trying to say just now?!"
Yuto sighed heavily, his brief moment of pride shattering. 'Tohru... that is not how a good employee behaves. Why would you throw the incredibly awkward problem right back into your boss's lap?!'
She could have earned so many free pastries.
But now? Not a chance.
"Ahem. Tohru, some things really don't need to be understood in such detail," Yuto said, keeping his face completely expressionless.
The dragon girl's eyes darted around the room.
She originally intended to follow Yuto's advice and drop the subject.
But as soon as she turned her head, she caught sight of Ainz's skeletal face.
Even though he lacked skin or muscles, Tohru could distinctly sense the smug, mocking aura radiating from his bones.
No way!
Tohru's draconic pride flared. She decided right then and there that she absolutely had to figure out what the skeleton meant!
"Boss, I demand to know—"
"Gurararara! Kamisaka boy, it has been a while!"
Just as Yuto was desperately trying to figure out how to explain the concept of a 'massage parlor' to a naive violent dragon, a booming voice interrupted them.
"Whitebeard-san," Yuto greeted the newcomer with a relieved, soft smile.
The man who pushed open the heavy front door was an exceptionally massive figure, standing easily two or three times taller than an ordinary human.
He wore a wide, heavy captain's coat draped over his broad shoulders like a cape.
His exposed, muscular chest was crisscrossed with fierce, jagged knife scars.
But his most iconic feature was the massive, thick, crescent-shaped white mustache resting beneath his nose.
His mere presence was overwhelmingly heavy; just standing in the doorway, he exuded immense, suffocating pressure.
He was the legendary pirate who had once casually asked Yuto to become his son.
"Gurararara! Only you would bother with such formal titles, Kamisaka boy. I am much more accustomed to just being called 'Whitebeard'," the giant laughed heartily.
As Whitebeard stepped fully into the room, his massive frame literally blocked out the overhead lights, casting a huge shadow over the counter like a small mountain moving indoors.
The interior of the restaurant instantly grew significantly dimmer.
Looking at the towering pirate practically scraping the ceiling, Yuto had a sudden thought.
'Even after the expansion... I think the ceiling is still too low.'
Whitebeard sitting at the bar counter felt somewhat out of place.
He was too tall!
Even while seated, he was taller than an average person standing.
His build was far too massive. Even though he was just one person, he occupied the space of three.
Whitebeard sat down, glanced at Ainz and Rimuru, then took a look at Tohru.
He grinned and laughed.
"Gurararara, Kamisaka, looks like your business has been booming lately."
Whitebeard's laughter was strange, different from a normal person's.
Perhaps this was one of his unique traits.
Kamisaka Yuto also think that Whitebeard seemed to be from the giant race.
Not an ordinary human at all.
Could it be that the laughter of the giant race was this strange? Kamisaka Yuto had wondered about this before but couldn't find an answer.
"Yes, the number of customers has gradually increased recently," Kamisaka Yuto said with a hint of emotion.
Recently, the average number of customers at the small restaurant was two to three times what it used to be.
Nowadays, there were even customers arriving close to dawn in the early morning hours.
This was rarely seen before.
"I remember when I came last time, your restaurant was still quite deserted."
He had only visited the shop a few times in total. The last time Whitebeard was here was at least half a month ago.
"After all, it had just opened not long ago, so it was normal to have few customers," Kamisaka Yuto said with a faint smile.
"Gurararara, everything is like that, just like a stream—starting from being unnoticed and eventually growing into the sea."
Whitebeard seemed to recall something because of Kamisaka Yuto's words.
A few traces of reminiscence appeared in his eyes.
His originally stern and sharp gaze softened a little.
He even laughed more cheerfully.
"So, what would you like to eat today?" Kamisaka Yuto smiled and then asked.
"No, just bring the wine. Today, I just want to find a quiet place to drink."
Whitebeard's tone carried a hint of depth.
It sounded as if he was troubled.
Kamisaka Yuto nodded and went into the back kitchen to pour wine for Whitebeard.
Whitebeard, clearly different from ordinary people, drank in an exaggerated manner.
Ordinary people used cups.
If the container Iskandar used when he came here to drink was exaggerated enough, then the container Whitebeard used for drinking was even more so.
He needed something like a basin to hold the wine.
A single cup like this was equivalent to several bottles of wine.
Kamisaka Yuto's shop also stocked strong liquor. For Whitebeard, strong liquor suited him better.
Kamisaka Yuto opened the bottle cap.
He poured directly into the large cup in front of him. One bottle went in, but the cup wasn't full yet.
So he opened another bottle.
...
"Hey, mister, what do you do?"
Rimuru looked at Whitebeard curiously from the side.
The moment Whitebeard appeared, he had attracted the attention of everyone in the restaurant.
Some people naturally exuded a strong presence.
Even if such people didn't intend to attract attention, others would instinctively notice them.
Like Iskandar before. Whitebeard was also this kind of person.
When Whitebeard heard Rimuru's words, he turned his head to look at Rimuru.
Perhaps the Slime's form amused him.
Whitebeard grinned and laughed.
"Gurararara, I'm a pirate."
After laughing, Whitebeard calmly answered Rimuru's question.
His words naturally carried a sense of openness.
Like a gentle sea breeze blowing from the depths of the vast ocean.
Upon hearing Whitebeard's words, Rimuru's thread-like eyes instantly lit up.
"Oooh!!! You mean the kind of pirates who sail the seas, exploring and dealing with various forces?" Rimuru asked excitedly.
"Gurararara, that's right!"
Whitebeard's response made Rimuru even more delighted and thrilled.
He looked at Ainz beside him.
"Hey hey hey! Ainz, did you hear that? He's a pirate!"
Although Rimuru was currently a Slime, when he was a human, he had been a corporate drone!
Under immense work pressure, he yearned deeply for the seemingly boundless freedom of a pirate's life.
Moreover, adventuring on the sea, battling the winds and waves, and clashing with countless enemies—such things could easily stir the spirit in a man's heart.
That spirit was easily ignited now!
Just like when the King of Conqueror was present earlier. Though their conversation was brief, the King bold and domineering personality had stirred both Rimuru and Ainz.
Even if their excitement was only temporary.
Listening to Rimuru's words, Ainz now nodded quite calmly.
"I already knew before."
The reason Ainz wasn't as excited as Rimuru was that he had met Whitebeard earlier.
Back then, he still salary man Suzuki Satoru.
When he first heard about pirates, his excitement was no less than Rimuru's.
Hearing Ainz's words, Whitebeard glanced at him.
In his mind, there was no impression of Ainz.
"We've met before, you know."
Ainz was also a regular at the restaurant.
He recognized the faces of many frequent customers.
But he mostly kept silent.
The only one he could really talk to was basically Saitama.
Whitebeard's eyes showed a hint of confusion.
He thought for a moment.
Still nothing.
"Whitebeard-san, don't you remember Suzuki? Suzuki is Ainz now."
Kamisaka Yuto came over at this moment, carrying wine.
The container for the wine was a slightly deep-bottomed plate.
It had a long diameter and a wide opening.
Yuto had originally planned to use this plate for fish dishes someday. Now it was perfect for pouring wine for Whitebeard.
"Suzuki?"
Whitebeard shook his head.
Clearly, he hadn't paid any attention to Suzuki in the past.
Ainz beside him felt a bit disheartened.
A slight discomfort arose from his hollow heart as he began to doubt his own existence.
"Gurararara, but it's fine. I know him now."
Whitebeard lifted the edge of the plate with one hand, glanced at Ainz, and gave a slight nod.
Then, with a bold gesture, he downed the entire plate of strong liquor.
He didn't even blink.
"Ha—finally, I can relax and have a drink."
Whitebeard smiled, his expression relaxed.
"Is something going on?" Kamisaka Yuto asked with a hint of confusion.
The Whitebeard he had seen before was nothing like this.
The man had always been open and unrestrained, a hero who seemed to have nothing to worry about.
"We're going to war."
Whitebeard's expression grew solemn.
Neither joy nor sorrow could be seen on his face.
The four words he spoke calmly carried a heavy weight.