"Ahem... Stop teasing him. Maybe I can get him to treat me to a meal." Nami whispered to Clover.
"Are you kidding? You think I can't afford a meal?" Clover shouted after hearing this.
"Alright, since you seem pretty wealthy, I'll charge you one hundred thousand Berries for the meal." Sanji smirked as he spoke.
"Fine." Clover didn't hesitate and took out a large pile of treasure from his bag. "This should be 300,000 Berries, right? Consider the extra as charity for your scam of a restaurant." Clover's arrogance was palpable. "It's just money," he added nonchalantly.
'This guy…' Sanji raised an eyebrow. He had seen the pirate ship stop at the door earlier and thought the crew looked poor. He didn't expect them to be carrying so much treasure.
"Sanji, stop fooling around," said a man descending the stairs—a burly old man with a white beard, using a wooden peg leg. This was the "legendary" Red-Leg Zeff.
"Che." Sanji clicked his tongue at Zeff's arrival, turned, and walked away without taking the treasure. He had only been joking.
"Apologies for the disturbance. That kid's got no manners," Zeff said, glancing briefly at Clover before walking away.
"The chefs and waiters here sure are unique," Luffy remarked, his mouth full of food.
"But the food's great," Usopp nodded in agreement.
"Someone's coming," Clover said as he stashed the treasure back into his bag. Everyone turned their heads toward the door. Zeff also paused mid-step. The door was kicked open, and a dark-skinned man with a gun walked in—none other than Gin from the Krieg Pirates.
"A customer's coming in!" Paddy, the tall and rough chef, shouted. Paddy, who usually bickered with Sanji, noticed the new arrival immediately.
"You're causing trouble in my restaurant," Zeff muttered as he saw Gin enter, bleeding from his head, holding a gun, and looking like he meant trouble.
"Hey... I've seen him before! He's from Krieg's crew!" One of the customers whispered nervously.
"Really?" The people around him gasped, shocked by the revelation.
The Krieg Pirates were notorious in the East Blue, feared by many.
However, Gin didn't seem interested in starting a fight. He quietly found a seat, slung his feet up on the table, and muttered, "Anything's fine... just hurry up and bring me some food. This is a restaurant."
"Welcome, sir!" Paddy stepped forward, plastering on a grotesque grin.
"I'll only say it once—get me food, now," Gin ordered firmly.
"Sir, we don't serve freeloaders here. Got any money?" Paddy replied, his vulgar grin still in place.
"You wanna test me?" Gin growled, aiming his gun at Paddy's head.
"So you're broke, huh?" Paddy's grin twisted into a scowl as he clasped his hands together and brought them down hard on Gin's head, smashing the chair beneath him. Gin lay dazed on the ground, struggling to get up.
"Paddy, you're damaging the furniture!" Zeff scolded as he descended the stairs.
"Nice work, chef!" The customers cheered, relieved at seeing Gin knocked down. They had feared what the pirate might do.
"Kick that pirate out, Paddy!" another chef shouted.
"Grrr... grrr..." Gin lay on the floor, his stomach growling loudly, unable to stand.
"He looks hungry," Luffy commented, watching Gin's struggle.
"He escaped from that warship I destroyed earlier. Looks like the Marines captured him," Clover said.
"I can't believe he survived that," Zoro added.
"Your stomach's growling, pirate." Paddy sneered, looking down at Gin.
"That noise was just gas, you filthy raccoon!" Gin snapped back, referring to Paddy, who indeed had a bit of a raccoon-like appearance.
"If you're not a paying customer, get out!" Paddy barked as he kicked Gin in the stomach.
At that moment, Sanji entered the kitchen and picked up a knife. The only ones to notice his actions were Clover, Luffy, and Zeff, but Zeff did nothing to stop him.
"Get out! Get out! Get out!" Paddy shouted with each kick, striking Gin over and over until the pirate could barely move. "Dear guests, please continue your meal." Paddy turned back to the patrons with a "friendly" smile.
He then lifted Gin by his collar and tossed him out the back door.
Not long after, Sanji appeared, carrying a plate of fried rice, with Luffy following close behind.
"What's Luffy up to now?" Nami asked, watching him leave.
"Ignore him, let's just eat." Clover knew exactly what Luffy and Sanji were doing. He was more curious about whether Sanji would spend more time bickering with Zoro once he joined the crew or being envious of Clover himself.
Luffy and Sanji chatted for a while, and eventually, they helped Gin and sent him on his way.
When Luffy returned, the rest of the crew had already finished their meal.
After some discussion, they decided to spend the night at the restaurant. It was already quite late, and since there were guest rooms available, they didn't need to cram into the ship's cabin.
As for the bill... Clover's treasure stash would cover it.
---
The next morning, close to noon, the restaurant was bustling with customers. Thick fog hung over the sea outside, and from the mist, a massive, shabby ship appeared, slowly sailing toward the Baratie.
"Look, what's that?" one of the guests sitting by the window pointed out toward the sea.
Everyone turned to see the large, dilapidated ship, like a ghost ship, docking beside the Baratie.
"It's him." Sanji stood at the door alongside Luffy, gazing at the figure that emerged from the ship. A tall man, draped in heavy armor and a cloak, made his way forward.
"Krieg," Sanji muttered, recognizing the imposing figure.
The towering man, dressed in his formidable armor, exuded a menacing aura. As Krieg disembarked, he ignored the onlookers and strode straight into the restaurant, leaving the customers in stunned silence.
However, Krieg appeared weak, which calmed everyone's nerves slightly. In his current state, he didn't seem capable of fighting back if anyone wanted to kill him.