Cherry regaled Zeff with all the embarrassing stories about Sanji that you never saw in the newspapers, like the time that a guy showed up looking exactly like that first goofy sketch of a bounty poster he had, and how Sanji resolved it by kicking the guy in the head until he was handsome.
Zeff particularly enjoyed the stories of Sanji getting his ass handed to him by a woman because he refused to fight back, filling Zeff with a mixture of pride and amusement.
"Well, I ought to be getting to work now. No rest for the wicked and all that," Cherry slapped her thighs and stood up with a stretch.
"You really think there are any of 'her' ships out there?" Zeff asked. He had half a mind to think she was just pulling his peg leg about that, given how much she seemed to enjoy teasing his boy.
"Probably, but there won't be much longer if there is. Sanji went and canceled his wedding with that Charlotte girl, then ran off with the bride anyways," Cherry casually dropped a bomb on Zeff's head.
"Wedding? That brat was going to get married without even inviting me?" Zeff's eyes bulged.
"It was something Sanji's estranged father set up so that he didn't have to give up one of his other sons. Of course, it turned out Big Mom was planning to kill them all and take their stuff, up until the rest of us got there and mucked it all up," Cherry spoke as if this was common gossip. "I'm sure you'll be able to learn more about that whole affair in the newspaper soon enough."
"..." Zeff knew about Sanji's birth father, of course. Certain things that Sanji had let slip over the years combined with his distinctive appearance to paint a pretty clear picture. Most people in East Blue wouldn't see it, but he was a worldly man.
"I guess it's alright as long as he didn't actually go through with it…" Zeff let it go.
"I'll be sure to let him know to invite you when he really does plan on getting married," Cherry said. She made a mental note to do so whilst Pudding was within earshot.
Cherry bid her goodbyes and let Zeff go back to his work. It was still business hours on the Baratie, after all.
A couple of minutes later, another chef of the Baratie by the name of Carne was having a smoke break before the lunch rush. He stared blankly out over the water where he saw a ship cresting over the horizon.
He squinted his eyes and lifted his sunglasses in an attempt to make out the flag, and just managed to make out the lipstick on the black flag's skull before he was blinded by a flash of light.
Carne dropped his cigarette as he yelped in discomfort. He rubbed his eyes, then when he opened them again, he beheld a giant column of steam where the ship had just been.
*BOOM!!!* *FWOOOOSH!!!*
Carne was nearly toppled over by the shockwave and the great gust of wind that followed it. Even the Baratie itself was rocked a bit, resulting in several customers' plates or bowls being tossed to the floor.
"Damn it, I guess my break is over," Carne grumbled as he marched himself back inside. He could worry about that massive explosion later, the customers came first. Patty wouldn't let him hear the end of it if he acted any differently.
Meanwhile, Cherry quietly slipped back into the Baratie, making her way towards the den den mushi.
…
"Who is next then?" Cherry pondered as she stood within the dreamed up kitchen in which the Baratie's den den mushi imagined itself the head chef.
Ultimately, she let her heart guide her to where she needed to go, trusting that her will would point her true.
It led it to a snail faced sea serpent swimming in a bay, and she promptly dove into its head.
"Hmmm…" Cherry hummed in vague interest as she stepped out of the backroom of what appeared to be a bar.
The green haired woman behind the counter hadn't noticed her and the raucous bunch having themselves a lively time day drinking didn't notice her either.
One woman in particular did clock her pretty quickly, though. She was in her fifties with long, curly orange hair and had clearly lived a hard life, to put it nicely.
"Hey, you!" the woman shouted, jabbing a finger in Cherry's direction just as the latter was about to leave.
"???" Cherry turned to the woman. "Is there something you want from me?"
"Yeah, there's something I want!" the woman spoke with slightly slurred speech as she stood and swayed on her feet.
'I hope I don't have to kick this one's ass,' Cherry thought. 'I'd rather not have her vomit on me by accident…'
"I want…" the woman wrapped her arm around Cherry's shoulders. "... to buy you a drink!"
The rest of the people in the bar, which Cherry only just noticed looked suspiciously like a group of dirty criminals, stopped their merry making to stare at the woman in surprise.
"Hey… isn't that…?" one said.
"Yeah… I think it is…" another replied.
"It's that lady who helped Luffy save Ace from those rotten marines!" came a shout, and then everyone was cheering.
"Bring out everything, Makino! We're gonna drink you dry!" the woman shouted, causing the cheering to grow in volume.
"Oh, good," Cherry finally spoke up. "I'm glad I don't have to kill all of you."
"Bahahaha! She has jokes!" the woman laughed, slapping Cherry's back with a strength that would probably send the average man stumbling, but failed to budge Cherry herself in the slightest.
A shot man in overalls and a turban, who was likely a bit less drunk than the rest, paled in realization that Cherry wasn't joking. Cherry winked at him.
"I guess I'm in the right place if you know Luffy and Ace, both," Cherry said, sitting down at the bar next to the woman.
"That's right! I'm Dadan, the ruler of Mount Colubo; but more importantly, I raised those two boys as my own after that bastard Garp dumped them on my doorstep! Bahahaha!" Dadan slapped the counter with her hand.
Cherry looked her up and down. "Yeah, that makes sense."
"Huh? You tryin' to say something about my parenting style?!" Dadan aggressively grabbed Cherry by the collar.
The tiny man shot up from his seat and tried to calm his boss down. "Boss, I don't think she meant it badly-!"
"I meant it the way I meant it," Cherry said.
"If you don't calm down, I'm cutting you off," Makino spoke in an even, but stern tone.
""Sorry,"" Dadan and Cherry said at the same time, purely by instinct.
Makino nodded and went to get more booze.
"Damn, even my Grandma can't make me behave that easily…" Cherry muttered and Dadan nodded in understanding.
The two of them sat there quietly for a moment, before Dadan spoke up. "I never asked to have a couple of brats foisted on me, but I did the best I could with them regardless. I'm much too soft hearted; Garp's threats to hang me in the gallows just gave me an excuse to take 'em, I think."
"... You did a good job," Cherry said. "A bit rough around the edges, maybe, but those two were never going to be accountants."
Dadan laughed again, this time with tears brimming in her eyes.