Chapter 80

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Gin changed into the spare clothes on the ship and was immediately sent by Aqua, who was lounging on the sofa, to clean the toilet as soon as he entered.

Hearing that he had to do such dirty work just after arriving, Gin, the leader of the pirate combat team, almost lost his temper.

Due to the need to carry out operations at the sea restaurant, after some hesitation, he obediently went into the toilet, picked up the toilet brush, and started cleaning.

Seeing this, Aqua comfortably grabbed the chips by her side and threw them into her mouth, a sneaky smile on her lips: Such days without work, truly blissful! "Hello, is this the sea restaurant, Endless Dream?"

The door on the left side of the restaurant opened, and a middle-aged man in a suit accompanied by a dignified and elegant lady, with a cute little girl, entered under the escort of several muscular bodyguards.

The speaker was the elegant woman, dressed in a lace cheongsam and with curly hair.

Judging by the flag on the single-masted sailing ship parked outside, this family seemed to be nobles from a nearby small kingdom.

Seeing customers arrive, Aqua still lying on the sofa, King slowly put down the dumbbell in his hand and stepped forward to greet them.

"Yes, please take a seat."

A face full of intimidation approached, the invisible pressure in the air made the black-clothed bodyguards instinctively reach for their guns and swords at their waists.

Out of professional habit, they had to prevent any dangerous individuals from getting close to the noble!

"Wow! Big brother, are you King? I've seen your picture in the newspaper!" The little girl in a princess dress exclaimed, taking a few steps forward, looking up at King with her clear, large eyes, her face bright with a radiant smile, not intimidated by his fearsome face.

"Do you know me?" King was accustomed to being revered.

"Sorry, sorry, ever since seeing the news, this child has been nagging about wanting to meet the hero of the East Sea," the elegant woman explained softly.

"I see, then please take a seat."

King turned and pulled out a chair next to the table.

"Thank you."

Being from a noble family, the little girl, holding a rag doll, lifted her skirt gracefully, thanked them, and then hopped onto the chair to sit down.

Noticing no ill intentions from the man, the black-clothed bodyguards retracted their hands, but their gazes remained fixed on King, tense and alert.

The nobleman and the elegant woman followed suit, sitting down gracefully after adjusting their attire.

"Here's the menu, see if there's anything you'd like."

King handed over the menu, it was the special version marked up by ten times.

Whenever customers who appeared noble or seemed very wealthy came, they would use this refined menu, as instructed by Zyhark previously.

Though the ingredients and methods were the same, through meticulous plating, it became completely different high-end dishes.

This is the value of art! "Mom, mom, look, that's Aqua-sama!"

Shifting her gaze from King, the noble little girl quickly noticed Aqua lounging on the sofa.

Hearing the honorific "sama" used by the girl, Aqua, planning to slack off, suddenly perked up, bouncing off the sofa.

"Cute little friend, you, have heard of this goddess's name?" Aqua said proudly.

"Of course! The Heroine Goddess of Water of the East Sea!" The little girl's eyes sparkled with admiration.

"Really can't deal with you. Since you wanted to see so badly, I'll show you a bit of this goddess's specialty."

Aqua waved her arms, opening the two folding fans in her hands, "Flowers, birds, wind, and moon~"

Just a simple mention of the title...

Whoosh! Two beautiful streams of water, carrying a seven-colored rainbow, sprayed out.

The little girl was immediately mesmerized by the beautiful scene, her large eyes turning into starry eyes similar to Luffy's, clapping her hands in joy.

Even the worldly nobleman and elegant woman were impressed by the sight.

Just then, Gin, having finished cleaning the toilet, walked out slowly.

"Biskin, you've come at the right time. Quickly take the order to Zyhark, then serve the dishes."

Aqua had no qualms about ordering this cheap labor around.

This damned woman!

Although Gin was full of resentment, he approached the table and picked up the ordered menu.

'All this, for the plan to proceed smoothly!' he reassured himself.

Not until he turned and entered the kitchen did the bodyguards behind the noble relax their grip on their weapons.

Compared to King, they were even more nervous this time.

Having often mingled in the East Sea, they recognized Gin's pirate identity!

Just to be safe, the lead bodyguard still stepped forward to whisper a few words to the nobleman.

Hearing this, the nobleman's expression changed slightly, but looking at his daughter's smiling face and thinking of the restaurant's reputation for justice, he gestured for the bodyguard to step back.

"Eh? How come I haven't seen this big brother in the newspapers, Aqua-sama, is he a new crew member?"

"And also, why haven't I seen that super handsome boss who defeated the great pirate?!"

The little girl's continuous questions showed her genuine love for the sea restaurant.

Aqua, surprisingly patient with the girl who used honorifics upon meeting, patiently answered her questions.

Seeing there was nothing for him to do, King returned to his corner—he really was a bit socially awkward!

During the meal, the nobleman and elegant woman barely spoke, but Aqua and the three-to-four-year-old girl had a lively chat.

In the end, they even managed to entice the naïve and childish girl into joining the Church of Axis, becoming a loyal little believer.

While chatting, Aqua didn't forget to order Gin around, epitomizing arrogance.

At the little girl's request, Zyhark, the restaurant's boss, made a brief appearance and left behind an autographed photo before returning to the kitchen.

Besides practicing Haki with utensils, he also kept a close eye on Gin's every move.

The meal passed without incident.

"The food was delicious. If we have the chance, we'll come again, bringing some friends with us."

The nobleman wiped his mouth with a napkin, stood up with his wife and daughter, preparing to leave.

The little girl seemed reluctant to leave, but at her mother's urging, she also turned back three steps at a time.

Before leaving, under the nobleman's instruction, the lead black-clothed bodyguard approached King, whispering a few words.

King's expression changed slightly, and his heartbeat sped up a bit.

Not until the group walked out of the restaurant door did Aqua notice the little girl's rag doll, forgotten on the chair.

Following the principle of never doing anything herself if there was free labor available, she casually waved at Gin: "Biskin, go, return their forgotten item."

Gin's mouth twitched, feeling an urge to beat her up.

Even so, he nodded, smiling slightly as he took the doll and walked out.

Noticing the pursued pirate, the black-clothed bodyguards once again reached for their weapons.

"Your thing, you forgot to take it." Gin handed the doll to the little girl, his voice a bit hoarse.

"Thank you, big brother!" The little girl took the doll in her arms and sweetly thanked him.

Looking at the innocent, radiant smile facing him, Gin's heart was touched, his pupils shrinking as he stood there in shock.

Seconds later, regaining his composure, he moved his lips with difficulty, managing a slight smile: "N-No problem."

Although he was only in his twenties and had followed Krieg only in recent years, such polite words had not been spoken for a long time, making him feel very uncomfortable.

Thus, Gin stood dumbfounded at the door, watching the noble girl disappear from sight on the ship.

"Biskin, what are you doing standing outside, come back and clean up the dishes!"

Only after hearing Aqua's urging did he shake his head vigorously, turning back to the restaurant.

After finally cleaning up, thinking of taking a break, he was called into the kitchen by Zyhark to help pound beef balls.

Thump, thump, thump.

Soon, the kitchen echoed with the sound of the mallet pounding beef.

"Not bad, Biskin, seeing your steady strength, you must have practiced a lot, right?"

Zyhark sat on a stool, sipping chilled cola, casually chatting with Gin.

"When doing business at sea, I practiced aimlessly during my free time."

Gin, expressionless, afraid of revealing anything, quietly dialed down his strength a bit.

Keep pretending.

Zyhark internally laughed, smilingly said: "Not bad, at least in terms of hand-pounded beef balls, you have a great talent!"

"Mr. Zyhark, you flatter me."

Their conversation paused there, leaving only the sound of the steel mallet hitting the beef in the kitchen.

After a silence, Gin couldn't help but speak up first.

"Mr. Zyhark, the noble just now said, you are the heroes of the East Sea who defeated two great pirates."

"With such strength, why open a sea restaurant instead of doing many other things?"

This was what he had been most curious about during his few hours on the Endless Dream.

The restaurant's crew was clearly not weak; causing trouble on the high seas could earn more money than ten years of running a restaurant! "Just a hobby, no particular reason. The sea is so chaotic, doing a little business is also nice."

Zyhark stirred the ice in his cola, pretending to be cool while reminding him not to stop, "Continue, don't stop."

"Ah, okay..."

Gin obediently did as told, quietly observing the kitchen's layout and the storage locations of ingredients.

After more than ten minutes, the fifty or so pounds of beef were successfully pounded into a sticky mass.

Zyhark rolled up his sleeves, chased the no longer useful Gin out of the kitchen.

"A hobby? Sounds nice, but aren't you essentially a bounty hunter greedy for pirate bounties?"

Once out of the kitchen, Gin's eyes flashed with disdain, muttering to himself.

"Huh? Biskin, what bounty were you talking about just now?"

Aqua, who was far away, pricked up her ears, blinking her water-blue eyes in his direction.

Gin was startled by her sharp hearing, hastily responding: "Nothing, nothing, I was saying you are the heroes of the East Sea who defeated pirates, you must be very familiar with the navy, right?"

Oh, so it's not about a bounty coming to the door...

Aqua immediately lost interest, but continued along Gin's words: "We're not familiar with the navy. Speaking of which, Zyhark once killed a Colonel Mousse, or something, I believe."

Thinking of the colonel who conspired with the sinister glasses to oppress the citizens of Fuschia Village, Aqua couldn't help but feel a bit angry.

No matter what happened before, the citizens of Fuschia Village are now her super cute, devout followers! "Wait, wait! Miss Aqua, what did you just say?!"

Gin's entire body trembled, his complexion drastically changed, unable to maintain his calm.

"Did you say you killed Colonel Morse, of Navy Branch 153?!!"

Even his voice trembled as he spoke.

"Should be, that guy teamed up with the Black Cat Pirate Crew to bully my followers, he deserved to die. Why, do you know him?" Aqua asked curiously.

At the same time, King, who was daydreaming in the corner, also turned his gaze this way.

Gin clenched his fists, as if recalling some unpleasant memory, his eyes revealing his nature's savage fierceness.

"My hometown and family were destroyed by the pirates he brought!!"

Gin grew up in a village on an island in the East Sea, with a strict father, a gentle mother, and a younger brother who had just learned to walk, a family that should have been happy and complete.

However, this happiness was completely extinguished by a pirate invasion, all his family and friends buried in the flames.

At that time, he was picking wild fruits in the mountains and narrowly escaped this catastrophe.

After endless grief, Gin began a wandering life of fleeing.

When he finally saved enough money and found the Major known as "Rat" (the one who conspired with Krieg to divide Nami's 100 million belly), intending to accuse Colonel Morse, the latter took the money and disappeared without a trace.

From that moment, heartbroken, he followed Krieg onto the path of a pirate and never looked back, until now.

"Although I recently indeed heard that damn bastard left Navy Branch 153, I didn't expect it was you who killed him..."

Gin's eyes reddened, his expression somewhat dazed.

Blood slowly dripped from his clenched fists to the floor.

"This kind of thing wouldn't be recorded in the news, right? Wait a minute..."

Perhaps because she had rested for a while and some of the water in her brain evaporated, Aqua, unusually clever for once, caught the loophole in Gin's words.

"When we just rescued you, didn't you say you wanted to call your family once we reached town?"

Just then, the silent King stood up, his imperial engine gradually increasing in volume.

"The noble's bodyguard also specifically warned me earlier, Biskin, you're not some merchant, but a wanted pirate, right?"

Hearing this, Gin was shocked, his excitement and agitation instantly replaced by fierce hostility, a murderous intent emerging in his eyes.

"Didn't expect to be exposed so soon, if that's the case..."

Before he could finish, Aqua, with a carefree expression, interrupted: "What, Biskin, just say you're a pirate, what's there to hide, it's not a big deal."

The simple-minded foolish goddess didn't care whether you were a pirate or a civilian; as long as she liked you and you could work for her (the main point), it didn't matter much! "You, don't mind that I'm a pirate?" Gin was shocked, standing still, forgetting to act.

"What's there to mind about pirates, like those fun officers from the Red Hair Pirates, I quite like them."

Recalling the pirates who drank and sang with her at the party in Windmill Village, Aqua's lips naturally curved into a faint smile.

Seeing Gin still looking dumbfounded, she stepped forward and patted his shoulder: "Just stay on the ship, this goddess will cover you."

Free labor can't just be let go so easily!

Watching Aqua's sincere eyes, Gin's brewing strength dissipated, completely lost in thought.

On one side was Captain Krieg, whom he swore to loyally follow, on the other, the "gentle" avengers who knew his pirate identity.

At least at this moment, he didn't know what to do.

"Looks like you're quite hesitant."

"When hesitant, no matter what you do, you'll regret it. Since you'll regret it anyway, choose the easier option for now~"

Aqua's eyes lit up, seeing a great opportunity to spread the teachings of Axis. "The easier option?"

Gin subconsciously repeated.

Although he hadn't made a final decision, the murderous intent in his eyes had already completely vanished.

Sensing this clear change, Zyhark, who silently appeared behind him, quietly put away the black dining knife in his hand.

"Eh? Zyhark, when did you come out?" Aqua asked belatedly.

"Nothing, seeing you chatting so happily, I just came to check."

"Hahaha, Zyhark, let me tell you, Biskin here, turns out to be a pirate!"

"Oh, I knew."

"What? You're not surprised?"

"What's there to be surprised about."

Zyhark shrugged, not even glancing at Gin, turning back to the kitchen.

Though exposed, the guy still served as bait for fishing out Krieg.

He's got plenty of patience!

"Tsk, so boring."

Aqua gestured rudely at Zyhark's back, turning to Gin, "By the way, Biskin, since you're a wanted pirate, how much is your bounty?"

"That, nine hundred fifty thousand belly." Gin answered truthfully.

Aqua was stunned on the spot, the smile on her face turning very kind: "How much?"

"Nine hundred fifty thousand belly."

"Damned pirate! Daring to cause trouble in our restaurant, Divine Fist!!"

Bang!

Unprepared Gin was immediately sent flying by the incoming Divine Flame Fist.

...

Since Zyhark didn't express any stance, in the end, Gin stayed at the sea restaurant as a temporary worker.

Night fell, stars twinkled.

Endless Dream slowly moved along its set course.

In the dead of night.

A shadow moved stealthily, sneaking into the first-floor kitchen of the restaurant.

Using the layout observed during the day, Gin quietly made his way to the area where the fine wines were stored.

His face darkened, he pulled out a packet of green powder from the inner layer of his clothes.

Yes, this was the task given to him by Krieg, who was skilled with poison gas guns: poison the sea restaurant to easily seize all the treasures of the entire sea restaurant!

Due to Aqua's presence, the Endless Dream did not have a special water tank for storing freshwater, only these wines.

Opening the barrel lid, Gin stared at the wine reflecting the faint moonlight inside.

After struggling internally, he still, with determination, poured all the powder into the barrel!

Though it was a simple action of stirring the wine, it felt as if it drained all his strength, and Gin, with a hollow gaze, leaned against the kitchen wall.

As a pirate, how could there be an easy choice, Miss Aqua...

Just as he was about to leave, the kitchen door was gently pushed open.

Gin was startled and looked for a place to hide, but then Aqua's sneaky voice came from the doorway.

"Hmm? Biskin, what are you doing here, also here to steal a drink?"

As a goddess with divine eyes, even in the dark, she could clearly see everything.

Gin's panic and agitation at that moment couldn't be hidden from her.

"Don't be nervous, I often sneak in to drink when Zyhark doesn't know, he's sleeping like a dead pig in his room right now!"

She thought Gin was afraid of being caught stealing drinks.

Before Gin could speak, Aqua, who was craving alcohol, quickly scooped up a spoonful of red wine.

"Wait! Miss Aqua!"

Gin ultimately couldn't overcome his conscience's reprimand, rushing over to stop her.

However, quick-witted Aqua had already gulped down a mouthful.

"You idiot, yelling so loudly, if you wake Zyhark, we're all dead!" Aqua scolded in a low voice.

She seemed even more afraid than the guilty Gin.

"Miss Aqua, you, are you okay?" Gin looked at her incredulously.

"Don't underestimate this goddess's tolerance, idiot, how could I get drunk so easily!"

Aqua frowned, impatiently urging, "If you're not drinking, then get lost, don't increase my risk of being discovered!"

She clearly misunderstood Gin's intention.

"Thank goodness..."

Seeing the energetic Aqua, Gin breathed a sigh of relief, wiping away the tears in his eyes.

The mission was undoubtedly a failure, but his tightly wound nerves were relaxed as never before.

Only at this moment did Gin realize his true feelings: So, this is the easier choice for now...

He no longer hesitated, immediately suggesting other fine wines for Aqua to steal.

After Aqua, who had finished stealing drinks, returned to her room, he slowly stood up and resolutely poured the poisoned red wine into the sea.

On the second deck, Zyhark, with his arms crossed, leaned against the railing, silently watching Gin's every move in the dark... 

{PS: This chapter enriched Gin's past a bit, please don't flame too hard, as he won't join the crew but will stay in the East Sea to do good deeds as a form of atonement and promotion for the Church of Axis (or not).

(End of Chapter)