"You... do you know who I am?!"
"Am I supposed to know?"
On the first floor, Sanji had grabbed a man in a white suit by the collar, his face smeared with blood.
"You didn't bring the premium wine I reserved, and instead served this swill...!"
"Ah~ sometimes we miscount the wine stock. Stuff happens."
"Or perhaps someone gave it as a complimentary gift to an especially lovely lady."
"But that doesn't justify placing a fly in my soup and then lying that it was there from the start!"
Guh...!
"If you're going to soil a carefully prepared dish, you must pay for it."
Observing the scene, Luffy casually strolled past the tables where people were watching Sanji and sat down at Zoro's table.
"Zoro, seems like this place has plenty of jerks. By the way, where did Nami and Usopp go?"
"Nami went back to the ship saying she had something to look for."
"Usopp said he needed to ask the head chef about this place, so he went to grab his notebook."
"How long ago did they leave?"
"I dunno, feels like it's been over an hour."
"…I guess I haven't given them much credit."
"What're you talking about…"
Just then, someone opened the door to the restaurant and walked in.
He was a man clad in the white cap and jacket typical of the Marines, with a blue scarf around his neck and deep navy trousers.
"Sir, we've got trouble! Cap-, Captain Fullbody... sir!?"
"You talking to me?"
Seeing the Marine speak to the man whose collar he'd been gripping, Sanji released him.
The man called Fullbody slumped to the ground, then turned his head and spoke.
Guh...!
"W-What's going on?!"
"The Clik Pirates' ship is approaching this place!"
"What?!"
The announcement caused most of the diners and chefs to panic and create an uproar.
"How far away are they?!"
"Right in front of us!"
The diners and chefs rushed to the windows to look outside.
Outside was a vessel even larger than the Baratie, easily a hundred meters long, with a prow shaped like a black panther's head.
But in stark contrast to its overwhelming size and appearance, its hull was riddled with massive gashes, the scars so extensive they could be seen clearly from Baratie.
"What?! What were you doing while those bastards got this close?!"
"W-We were eating while the Captain went to get a meal..."
Bang!
With a crack, the Marine who had been speaking to Fullbody collapsed to the side with a bullet wound.
At the same moment, a man roughly two meters tall with white hair strode through the restaurant door.
The man wore golden armor and held a pistol in his hand.
"C-C-Clik...!"
"Who are you?"
"N-No, I'm nothing!"
Fullbody quickly crawled away on the floor, distancing himself from the center of the restaurant.
Clik took a seat at the table where Fullbody had been standing. Patty approached him from behind and spoke.
"Ahem, welcome, sir. May I take your order?"
"Bring me whatever you can prepare quickly."
"Pardon me, but are you carrying any money?"
Clik leveled his pistol at Patty's forehead and spoke.
"Bullets should more than cover the price, right?"
"So you have no money?"
Thud!
Patty swiftly sidestepped, then slammed Clik's back with his clasped hands.
Clik fell face-down on the floor. The onlookers cheered.
"Nice work, cook! Throw that pirate scum out!"
"Just starve the pirates to death!"
"Of course! They deserve no mercy!"
Amidst the back-and-forth, Clik, still lying on the floor, placed his pistol on the ground.
Then he lowered himself before Patty, pressing his forehead to the floor as he spoke.
"I-I ask for nothing more...just some food to eat and water to drink!"
"Leftovers will even suffice, please...!"
"You think I don't know you, Clik? You're a pirate with a 17 million berry bounty."
"I heard you flew a Marine flag on your ship to plunder. We all know you're a coward who'll stop at nothing!"
"There's no food for a worm like you! I'd sooner catch you myself and claim that bounty...!"
"Out of the way, Patty."
As Patty was about to step forward, Sanji kicked him in the side.
Sanji came around Patty's fallen body and set a tray before Clik holding a plate of fried rice, a cup of water, and a spoon, then spoke.
"Eat."
"Th-thank you!!!"
Clik grabbed the spoon and shoveled the fried rice into his mouth.
"Want me to come with you, Luffy?"
"I'm fine, Zoro. You stay here."
As Clik wept while eating fried rice, Luffy stood from his seat.
He walked along the edge of the restaurant in a circle until he reached the entrance, supporting the Marine who'd been shot by Clik.
"You all right?"
"Th-thank you..."
"Hey, this is an emergency—what are you doing... Why are you like this!?"
Another Marine burst in through the door and saw Luffy supporting his comrade.
"He's been shot. Give him medical attention."
"Ah... yes, sir."
After the wounded Marine was led outside for treatment, Luffy kicked Fullbody's face in the corner of the restaurant.
"Ugh! Who the hell are you!?"
"Your men got shot and you, an officer, just cower in a corner?"
"Who are you to butt in!? Unlike those grunts, I'm a Captain from HQ...!"
Without another word, Luffy kicked Fullbody in the stomach.
Guh...!
"Marines from HQ in the Grand Line are considered three ranks above branch Marines."
"A Captain from there would normally rank alongside Colonels in East Blue."
"But to earn that honor, you need to act the part, right?"
The other diners at nearby tables watched the exchange.
But everyone else kept their eyes on Clik, who was forcefully banging his spoon against his plate as he ate.
Because of that, the commotion between Luffy and Fullbody went largely unnoticed.
"W-Why are you doing this...?!"
"Why? Because your discipline is in shambles and it pisses me off."
"Normally I'd cripple you in front of your men, but I'm busy at the moment. So crawl out quietly like before."
"I've got your name down, so if you plan on staying a Marine, don't get cocky and just live. Understand?"
"Y-Yes...!"
Fullbody wasted no time crawling out the restaurant door.
"What are you doing, Sanji?!"
"What do you mean? I gave the customer his food."
"Get a grip! He's not like the freeloaders and petty criminals you've been sneakily feeding!"
"I know."
"What...?"
"I know he's not worth saving, but that doesn't matter."
"I'm too lazy to think about what happens after I feed someone."
Sanji's expression hardened as he spoke.
"A cook is someone who makes food for people who want to eat."
"So that's all that matters, isn't it?"
Everyone in the restaurant turned to look at Sanji, Luffy among them.
'I like that—a belief worth upholding, even if it draws criticism.'
'But nothing in this world ever goes exactly how you plan.'
'Sanji, does that make me a bad person for wanting to break that conviction you haven't quite grasped yet?'
As soon as Sanji finished speaking, the other chefs closed in around him and started shouting.
"Don't talk nonsense! Are you telling us to starve to death then?!"
"Aren't you in cahoots with Clik? That's why you're acting this way!"
"How long do you think we'll just stand by and let you run wild!"
"…Alright, everyone, that's enough."
"What are you saying, Patty! That guy could be in league with Clik...!"
"In league with him, my ass... I've worked here longer than anyone except Sanji."
"So you fooled even the head chef all those years? Do you take him for a fool?"
"No—that's not it..."
"Everyone, snap out of it—he's just putting on his usual act."
As Patty passed by Sanji, Sanji muttered softly.
"Patty..."
"You and the head chef, all fancy-pants cooks. Must be nice."
"Running the restaurant and paying everyone's wages has always been my burden—and it still is."
After Patty replied to Sanji, Clik finished his meal, stood up, and spoke.
"T-Thank you so much... I feel reborn."
Patty's face twisted at the sight. He passed Sanji and loomed over Clik, glaring down as he spoke.
"Finished it all?"
"...This really is an excellent restaurant."
"Hey, that guy over there showing off on his own really got on my nerves."
"So if you're done, then get out of here at once..."
"My only complaint... the hospitality here is terrible."
With that, Clik slammed his foot into Patty's midsection as he spoke.
"Patty!"
Sanji lunged forward, blocking Patty's flying form with his body and slamming him into the wall.
Just as their bodies crumpled to the floor, Clik spoke.
"I need a good ship."
"My old ship was torn to tatters by a typhoon I met on the Grand Line."
"And right now there are a hundred of my men on that wreck, starving to death. Prepare food and water for a hundred people."
"Afterward, everyone get off that ship. This place is mine now."
As Clik's demand stunned the chefs and diners, Sanji carefully laid the unconscious Patty on the floor and rose to his feet, speaking out.
"Who said you can have this place?!"
"I can give food and water for a hundred people! But this restaurant...!"
"Curly-brow, do you think I'm asking politely like before?"
"What...?"
As Clik spoke, pistol barrels popped out from various gaps in his armor.
There were over ten of them, plus two more pistols he'd holstered at his waist—one in each hand he held them raised.
"I'm Clik the Great Pirate who led ten ships and a thousand men!"
"If that damned 'Hawk's Eye' in the Grand Line hadn't smashed nine of my ships, I never would've had to come back to East Blue!"
'Hawk's Eye...?!' Zoro thought in shock, as Clik continued shouting with pistols in both hands.
"When I say prepare the food, you will obey without question! This is not a request—it's an order!"
"S-Stop that!"
"Curly-brow, if you still mistake my order for a request, I'll make you pay!"
At that, bullets thundered from the pistols in his hands and the barrels in his armor.
"Aaaaaaah!!!"
"S-Somebody save me!!!"
As the shots rang out, most of the diners and chefs dropped to the floor, screaming.
"What on earth is that...?!"
Clik stared straight ahead and spoke.
Starting at the entrance and surrounding the entire interior in a circle, Clik saw a golden curtain. Beyond its center stood Luffy, staring at Clik with a fierce glare.