"That's impossible! How can a person fall asleep while eating?" one person exclaimed in disbelief.
"Look, he's going back to eating again as if nothing happened!" another pointed out.
Ace glanced around, noticing the gathering crowd. "Hm, why's everyone gathered here?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.
"We were worried about you!" someone shouted.
Ace raised an eyebrow, then looked at the restaurant owner and asked, "You running some kind of comedy show here?"
"No, but I'm just glad you're alright," the owner said with a sigh of relief, shaking his head at the bizarre situation. The tension in the room eased, but the baffled looks on the customers' faces remained as Ace continued eating like nothing had happened.
Slump!
Ace fell asleep again, his face gently landing in his food. Everyone stared at him, stunned.
"Again?!" someone shouted in disbelief.
Murmurs filled the restaurant as people tried to comprehend what they were witnessing. It seemed absurd, yet here was this mysterious traveler, dozing off mid-meal, completely unfazed by the chaos he was causing around him.
"Is he some kind of... sleep-eating expert?" another person whispered, their eyes wide with amazement.
****
Smoker stepped into the scene, a cloud of smoke trailing behind him as he exhaled through the two cigars clenched in his mouth. His sharp eyes locked onto Ace, who had lazily raised his head, clearly unfazed by the marine's presence.
"You're someone who shouldn't be casually eating after causing so much commotion," Smoker said coldly, glaring down at him. "2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Portgas D. Ace," he added, causing the entire restaurant to go silent with shock.
People started whispering in fear. "The Whitebeard Pirates?!" someone muttered, their voice trembling.
"I knew that tattoo looked familiar!" another person said, as the realization spread among the crowd, and several patrons scrambled out of the restaurant in fear of being caught up in whatever conflict was about to unfold.
Ace, however, simply rubbed his eyes, yawning loudly. "Oh, Smoker, huh? Didn't expect to see you here," he said nonchalantly, ignoring the rising tension.
Smoker clenched his fists, prepared for a fight as Ace slowly stood up, his relaxed demeanor masking the storm that was about to come.
Ace sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he stood amidst the chaos. "Relax, I'm just here to see my brother—"
CRASH!!
Before Ace could finish, a loud explosion echoed through the restaurant as the wall came crumbling down. In a blur of motion, someone rocketed in, crashing into Smoker and sending him flying across the room.
It was Luffy.
"Gimme FOOOD!!" Luffy shouted, not even noticing the destruction he'd caused as he plopped himself down on a table, oblivious to the shocked stares.
Ace was buried under the rubble, and Smoker groaned, picking himself up with a growl as his body turned into smoke.
The restaurant owner, speechless and trembling, leaned toward Luffy and whispered, "You… you might want to run away."
"Huh?" Luffy tilted his head, clearly confused. He didn't quite understand what the owner meant, nor did he care as he focused solely on his empty stomach. The room fell into an awkward silence as the tension built.
Meanwhile, Smoker, having recovered, cracked his neck. "Straw Hat Luffy," he said through gritted teeth, preparing to unleash his rage.
"Huh? Did you say Luffy?!" Ace exclaimed, finally noticing his brother sitting casually at the table, completely unfazed by the chaos around him.
"I will catch you!" Smoker shouted, frustration etched across his face as he pointed at Luffy.
Luffy turned back to face the angry Marine, scratching his head in confusion. "Huh? Smoke man? What are you doing here?" he asked, his tone as nonchalant as ever.
"I'm here to catch you!" Smoker snapped, his frustration boiling over. Just then, Ace stepped in front of Luffy, placing himself between his brother and the Marine.
"Hey, take it easy," Ace said, his grin wide as he shoved Smoker aside. "Luffy's just here for food."
Luffy looked up at Ace, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Kyaah!" he shouted, suddenly jumping up to hug Ace tightly. "Big Brother! You're here!"
Ace laughed, ruffling Luffy's straw hat. "I didn't think I'd find you here of all places."
"Of course! I heard there was food!" Luffy exclaimed, his stomach rumbling in agreement.
Smoker, still fuming, crossed his arms. "You two are unbelievable. This isn't over, Straw Hat!" he warned, glaring at Luffy, but Ace's presence seemed to calm the tension just a little.
"The heck you mean I'm making a scene? Catching pirates is my job!" Smoker shouted, drawing his weapon, the notorious jitte, as he prepared to confront Luffy.
"Chill out, Smoker!" Ace said, stepping forward with a cocky grin. "You really think you can take on both of us? You know how strong we are!"
Luffy grinned widely, clearly enjoying the banter. "Yeah! Plus, I'm really hungry, so you might want to back off before I eat everything!" He waved his arms dramatically, making a show of his exaggerated hunger.
Smoker's brow furrowed as he stared down the two brothers. "You're both trouble, you know that? I can't let you just waltz away, especially not with all the noise you've caused."
Ace chuckled, "And what do you plan to do about it, Smoker? You think your jitte is going to stop us?"
Luffy, unable to contain himself, leaned over and grabbed a giant plate of food off a nearby table. "I'm starving! Just let me eat in peace!" He took a huge bite, eyes sparkling with delight.
"...?" Ace raised an eyebrow, looking at Luffy.
"...?" Smoker crossed his arms, clearly confused by the scene unfolding before him.
"...?" Everyone else in the restaurant looked on, equally baffled.
"Hahahha! You still haven't changed a bit!" Ace laughed, shaking his head as he looked at Luffy.
Meanwhile, everyone in the restaurant thought the same thing: They're both idiots!
Smoker veins kept throbbing as he looked at the duo, but just he was about to say , Ace looked at him.
***
Check out my other books while waiting for this one, My new Original : Absolute Cheater & Final Life Online.
These two Novels are in same universe, and much later the ML of my both will face each other.
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