"Thank you, thank you so much."
After finishing the meal, the finally revived Gin was in tears.
"Hey, chef! What's your name?"
Luffy, who had jumped out of the window, stood beside them nonchalantly.
"Join us and be the chef on our pirate ship!"
"My name is Sanji, the vice chef here."
"I won't join your ship."
However, the man with a cigarette in his mouth, blond hair covering his left eye, and only his right eye and eyebrow visible, dressed as a waiter, refused Luffy's invitation without hesitation.
"Because I have a reason I must work here."
"I refuse your refusal!"
...
"Hey, hey, hey, listen to people properly..."
"What's the reason?"
"I'm not telling you,"
"Weren't you the one who told me to listen to you properly?"
"...I'll punch you!"
But, being men of the sea, the three of them soon started chatting. They talked about the sea, adventures, and dreams, even getting excited! The old man watching all this quietly from the third-floor window showed a nostalgic smile. Meanwhile, in the restaurant:
"Luffy is missing again, did he cause trouble?"
Facing Nami's concern, Roman cut a piece of bread and put it in his mouth.
"No, my scouting paper crane is watching outside, Luffy is trying to recruit a chef."
"That's good,"
Nami seemed to have no appetite, forcing a smile.
"With Roman around, the Straw Hat Pirates will surely keep going..."
"What are you talking about?"
Roman frowned, feeling strange about Nami's behavior. Could it be that time of the month for girls? He tried to recall the vague plot from over a decade ago. The clearer parts were Summit War, then Doflamingo, New World, and so on. The East Blue plot was too long ago...
Wait! I remember—
"You guys left me behind, eating delicious food here!"
Luffy, who had returned at some point, sat down at their table, grabbed a plate, and was ready to eat.
"I found a good chef, I can invite him soon..."
Smack!
However, before Luffy could finish his sentence, he was grabbed by the 'iron hand' from behind, and the displeased voice of the chef named Sanji followed.
"Aren't you a waiter? What are you doing sitting here?"
"Besides, I won't become a pirate! Because..."
"Isn't this a good opportunity?"
An old voice came, it was the owner, head chef, and captain of the restaurant: an old man with one leg missing.
"Go be a pirate,"
He looked at the blond, curly-browed chef named Sanji.
"This restaurant doesn't need you anymore!"
"What? You old geezer..."
---
Clang,
"No... no good, it's Admiral Krieg's pirate flag!"
In the 'sea restaurant', everyone was in chaos! If the comparison between the Golden Merry and the 'sea restaurant' was like a chick beside a goose, then the pirate ship that appeared now was like a giant hunting dog!
"That's really exaggerated..."
Watching the giant ship slowly approach, Roman had to admit that the maritime technology of this world was indeed quite advanced! Such a creation, like an ocean liner, could actually be made of wood. However:
"Wait, why does it look so tattered?"
"Could it have been hit by a storm..."
"Obviously, it doesn't look like it was man-made, does it?"
This giant ship, like a sea 'carrier,' was now slowly docking next to the sea restaurant like a ghost ship. Just as everyone was uncertain and suspicious:
Thud,
The door was pushed open, and the man named Gin returned. But this time, he was supporting a tall man:
"Ahhhhh~~!!!"
"Admiral Krieg?"
"We're doomed—"
From the exclamations of the bystanders, Roman and the others easily learned the identity of the newcomer. However:
"It seems Captain Krieg is quite unlucky."
More than just unlucky, the giant ship outside was tattered, and Captain Krieg himself was half-dead.
Roman estimated that the man was about 2.5 meters tall, with light purple hair tied with a headscarf. He wore a loose shirt, under which the outlines of weapons and armor could be seen, black boots, and a large cloak.
"So scary..."
As the saying goes, 'a starved camel is still bigger than a horse'! Even in such a sorry state, the 2.5-meter 'little giant' still brought a wild impact to everyone in the restaurant, for example:
"I... I'll go to the bathroom..."
Nami, looking terrified, quietly retreated.
——————
"...Excuse me... could you... give us some food and water..."
The tall captain, looking exhausted, was supported by Gin and weakly pleaded.
"I have money... I'll pay whatever it takes..."
...
"Hahahahaha~~"
The burly chef, who had been scared just a moment ago, burst into laughter. Seeing the pirate who once dominated the East Blue in such a weak state, what was there to fear?
"Food and water? Don't even think about it, call the Marines!"
"Isn't that lieutenant nearby? This is his chance to get promoted and make a fortune, he won't miss it."
"Wait,"
Gin, supporting Krieg, shouted anxiously.
"We're customers! This time we have money, ten times, a hundred times more if needed!"
"Hmph, and then you'll recover and continue your rampage?"
The burly chef disdainfully pulled out a kitchen knife, a 1.5-meter-long weapon!
"People like you, after eating, will definitely attack our restaurant. You won't get a drop of water—"
Bang,
The tall pirate leader fell to his knees, prostrating himself, his head touching the floor! His humble plea echoed in the restaurant.
"...Please... even just some leftovers will do,"
"We'll leave quietly after eating, please..."
"Captain!"
"Don't do this, you don't have to!"
Seeing their captain so humbly begging, Gin was moved to tears.
—What a scoundrel.
Roman watched the scene unfold without a word. As these 'characters' appeared before him, his distant memories gradually resurfaced, and the images in his mind slowly matched the real people.
Krieg, a pirate who had long held the position of the East Blue's overlord.
Arrogant, ungrateful, ruthless, even to his own subordinates, he was a thoroughly detestable person. He believed himself to be invincible, embodying arrogance, cruelty, and deceit. However:
Roman didn't dislike him.
At least as a "pirate," he truly embodied what a pirate should be!
Scheming, ruthless, obsequious, and tenacious...
Not everyone, upon first entering the Grand Line, encounters the world's top combatant "Hawkeye," gets casually slaughtered by him, loses over fifty warships and nearly ten thousand subordinates, and still has the courage to continue challenging the Grand Line.
Whether he's a frog in a well or arrogantly overconfident,
Roman at least admired this perseverance.
But—
Bang!
"Move aside."
With a kick, the burly chef blocking the way was sent flying. The man named Sanji placed the food and water in front of Gin.
"Give it to your captain."
"Thank you... thank you..."
Watching the man named Krieg gulp down the food, the other chefs were furious!
"Sanji, are you crazy!"
"To this man named Krieg, betrayal is as normal as drinking water..."
"After he finishes eating, he definitely won't leave quietly. He will—"
Bang!!
In fact, it didn't take long.
Just after swallowing the last bite of food, Krieg suddenly stood up and punched his "savior" Sanji, sending him flying!
"Phew, I'm alive again."
Roman had long since stopped wanting to comment on the "digestive systems" of the strong in this world. However:
"Nice restaurant, I'll take this ship!"
Isn't this betrayal a bit too fast?
——————
On the other side, on the Merry.
"Yo, Nami bro, you're back?"
Yosaku and Johnny, who were guarding the ship, looked at Nami as she jumped onto the deck and asked in confusion.
"Where are the others?—Isn't that the Krieg Pirates over there? Shouldn't we hurry and escape..."
"They're watching over there, and they sent me to raise the anchor and set sail!"
While directing the two third-rate pirate hunters to raise the anchor and turn the ship, Nami agilely searched the deck, collecting inconspicuous paper cranes. These were Roman's creations, usually just normal paper cranes, but if needed, they could become Roman's "eyes."
Poof,
A match struck, and the leaping flame fell onto the paper cranes, engulfing them in a blazing fire!
"Nami bro, what next..."
"Stand at the bow, I'm going to change clothes."
Faced with Nami lifting her clothes, Yosaku and Johnny couldn't understand why their "bro" was changing clothes now, but they instinctively turned around, and then—
Push!
Splash, splash,
"Goodbye."
The Golden Merry, with its anchor raised and sails unfurled, made a nimble turn and sped away across the water!
"This... this...??"
"Hurry and notify the others!"
——————
"While they're watching the show, I can easily slip away."
"Hahaha, what a big haul~~"
On the departing Golden Merry, the girl named Nami turned the helm. She could navigate this sea with her eyes closed.
"I didn't expect Roman's ship to have so much money~~"
"Over thirty million Berries, what a profit!"
"The goal of a hundred million has been achieved," the girl looked up, smiling.
"You should be happy, Nami." As she smiled, tears began to fall.
"I'm sorry..."
"I'm sorry, Roman, Luffy, Zoro..."
And Usopp, who just joined, you're not the liar, I am!
The girl lowered her head, biting her lip hard, letting the tears fall on the deck.
"The next time we meet, will you still consider me, who stole your ship, your money, and betrayed your trust..."
"As a companion?"
---
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You can read 30 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu