Allen sent the soaking wet Smoker flying toward Tashigi with a single punch.
Tashigi hurriedly sheathed her sword and rushed forward to catch him, gently laying him on the ground to check his injuries.
"Captain Smoker! How are you holding up?!"
"Cough, cough... I'm fine..."
Smoker struggled to raise his hand, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth as he forced the words out. Gritting his teeth, he glared at Allen with unwilling eyes.
Allen ignored him. He picked up the jitte his opponent had dropped, stepped away from the wreckage, and walked straight toward an intact table, muttering under his breath,
"The Marines these days don't even do their jobs properly. All they know is how to cause trouble and ruin people's restaurant businesses. What a terrible work ethic."
Smoker gritted his teeth in fury, clenching his fists as he wanted to charge back into the fight.
But Sanji stopped him.
"You should be glad you kept your life. That guy is strong; anyone with half a brain would know what to do."
Saying this, Sanji turned to leave, waving his hand dismissively without looking back.
"Don't forget you brought such a cute subordinate with you. Forget about the compensation, just leave."
"This bastard...!"
Smoker clenched his fists, his eyes burning with defiance.
If they fought again, he believed he wouldn't lose—as long as he was careful about the guy using seawater against him.
But the waiter was right. The opponent was incredibly strong. If Allen decided to stop tangling with him and instead targeted Tashigi or his other subordinates, Smoker knew he wouldn't be able to stop him.
Smoker grabbed the edge of a table to prop himself up. He tore off his soaking wet, heavy coat, revealing a sturdy upper body covered in scars.
His gaze shifted into the distance, lingering on Allen for a brief moment.
"We're leaving."
With a gloomy expression, Smoker turned and walked toward the restaurant's entrance.
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Tashigi scooped up his coat and hugged it to her chest. She quickly told Sanji that the Marines would cover the restaurant damages caused by the battle, then hurriedly chased after Smoker.
The moment the two stepped outside, they were greeted by the sight of a dozen soldiers lying haphazardly across the deck.
Smoker turned his head to look at the warship docked in the distance. It was completely quiet; it seemed no one over there had even noticed the battle taking place.
*'To silently take down over a dozen highly trained soldiers... that guy is way too strong,'* Tashigi thought, frowning in secret alarm.
She hadn't heard a single shout or gunshot from inside the restaurant, which spoke volumes about how quickly the skirmish had ended.
Tashigi jogged forward and helped up one of the soldiers to check his condition. Finding that he still had vital signs, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking at the scene before him, Smoker also fell silent.
Recalling their brief exchange just now, although they had traded less than five blows, the physical prowess his opponent displayed had completely crushed him.
Smoker couldn't help but think of Instructor Zephyr back when he was training at Marine Headquarters.
He couldn't judge whose physical arts were stronger, and the opponent's fighting style was clearly completely different from the Marines'.
But the man was definitely no weaker than the martial arts masters at Headquarters.
The only saving grace was that he hadn't learned Haki yet. Otherwise, he could probably go toe-to-toe with a Headquarters Vice Admiral.
"Let's go. Head back to the ship and call some men over to clean this up," Smoker said coldly. He stepped over the unconscious Marines and walked straight toward the warship.
As long as they were both on the sea, they would meet again someday. And next time...
He would absolutely throw him in prison!!
...
Inside the restaurant.
After the massive commotion, the fat sheep... the diners in the restaurant had almost all fled.
Allen wasn't in a hurry to make his move. The sea restaurant received plenty of visitors every day, so there was absolutely no need to worry about fat sheep failing to deliver themselves to his door.
To minimize complications, it was better to wait until Smoker and his crew were completely gone before doing anything.
Allen gestured for the Nyaban Brothers to take a seat, then picked up a menu to browse.
"Hey, little bro over there. Yeah, I'm talking to you, the waiter with the curly eyebrows. Come over here and take our order."
Allen waved at Sanji, leaned back in his chair, and crooked his index finger at Buchi.
Buchi immediately understood the cue. Smiling attentively, he pulled out a cigar, snipped the tip, lit it, and handed it to Allen all in one smooth motion.
"Who are you calling a waiter, you bastard? Also, smoking is prohibited in this restaurant."
Sanji walked over with a dark expression, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
Allen looked at the cigar in his hand, then glanced up at the cigarette in Sanji's mouth. Blinking, he asked,
"Are you jealous that mine is bigger than yours?"
"Who cares about something like that, you bastard!!"
Seeming to have caught a double meaning, Sanji rolled his eyes and yelled at him angrily, his ears turning red from rage.
Allen put on an expression of innocent confusion.
"Why is your face so red?"
"Mind your own business!"
Sanji couldn't hold back his curses. He slapped the table and urged,
"Hurry up and order what you want to eat!"
"..."
"Fine."
Allen silently turned his attention back to the menu.
He flipped through a few pages, then closed it, handed the menu back to Sanji, and said,
"Bring me one of everything in this book."
"..."
Sanji closed his eyes, veins popping on his forehead as his clenched fists trembled non-stop.
He had never seen such a hardcore way of ordering food.
But he held back his temper and simply stated flatly,
"I'm afraid I can't do that."
"Why? Afraid I can't pay for it?" Allen asked.
Sanji shook his head and snapped, "I'm afraid you won't be able to finish it and it'll all go to waste!"
"I see..."
Allen nodded with an expression of profound understanding. Then, he flashed a wide grin, showing off his bright white teeth, and laughed,
"Then you're afraid of the wrong thing. I can definitely finish it, but I might actually not be able to pay for it."
"If you can't pay for it, then don't order so much!!"
Sanji glared at him fiercely. Grabbing Allen's collar with both hands, he pressed his forehead against Allen's and shouted angrily,
"Hey! You bastard, are you messing with me?!"
"Uh, you caught me."
"So you admit it, you bastard!!"
Sanji flew into a rage and cursed loudly.
...
Soon enough, unable to overcome Allen's stubborn insistence, Sanji finally agreed to serve one portion of every dish.
"You'd better prepare yourself. If you dare waste any food, I absolutely won't forgive you."
Dropping this harsh threat, Sanji stormed back to the kitchen to get to work.
Sham and Buchi hadn't said a word the entire time.
They had heard Allen mention his plan to recruit a few chefs here, so they knew when to act and when to keep their mouths shut.
The chefs here were highly efficient, and since there were hardly any customers right now, it wasn't long before a chef brought out the first dish from the kitchen.
Seeing him, Sham couldn't help but feel confused and asked,
"Why is a chef serving the food? Where's that waiter from just now?"
"You mean Sanji? He's no waiter. Sanji is our sous-chef here," the chef replied with a smile, then explained,
"Because fights break out so often, the waiters gradually all ran away. Now, all the service here is handled by the chefs."
"Do fights like today's happen often? Speaking of which, you guys don't seem to be afraid of pirates at all."
Buchi scratched his head, a bit puzzled.
The chef chuckled and continued,
"Because many of us used to be vicious pirates just like you, and were later taken in by the boss for various reasons."
"Therefore, even if they're pirates, as long as they come to the restaurant to eat, we'll serve them. Of course, when you serve a lot of people, some friction is inevitable."
"Over time, we've gotten used to the fighting. Some customers even come specifically to watch the chefs fight the pirates."
The chef explained with a smile. After finishing, he went back to the kitchen to work.
No sooner had he left than three more chefs arrived, bringing out the dishes they had prepared. The serving efficiency was incredibly high.
But a certain someone's eating speed was equally exaggerated.
The three chefs had just placed the dishes on the table when Allen devoured the appetizer that had just been served in one bite, casually pulling another plate toward himself.
Finishing it in two or three bites, he pulled yet another plate over, glancing at the Nyaban Brothers with a confused look.
"Eat up. Why aren't you guys eating? Is the food not to your liking?"
Sham: "..."
Buchi: "..."
*'We're afraid you might starve to death.'*
Want more chapters? 50+ extra chapters are available on my Patreon :
<< patreon.com/Aragai_Sama >>