61 Chapter 61

61

They reached the restaurant and a waiter with a large build met them at the door. "Hello, you horrid scumbags. My name is Patty, and I'll be seating you." He said it with a practiced voice and a blindingly fake smile, and yet he gave off a tone of sincerity despite himself.

A blond-haired chef with spiraled eyebrows burst through the kitchen doors and made his way over to their table.

Luffy grinned, but rather than greeting them, his gaze lingered on Luffy for a second, before he turned to Nami and Kunia, who his gaze really lingered on.

"Welcome to the Baratie," he started formally. Two red roses in each hand, towards the girl, "My name is Sanji. What can I get you all?"

"Food!" Luffy yelled excitedly.

"That much is implied," Sanji replied ignoring him. "You're going to have to be more specific."

"Meat!" Luffy said. "Milk too."

"Yes, we would like to order as well." Nami also wanted to eat something, and Luffy said he was going to treat them. So she started ordering some of her favorite dishes, which also seemed to quite expensive.

"For you madam, everything is free." The man said, cooly. "For you have taken my love." Then that coolness vanished because the unbonded simp-ness.

"Well," Nami began, unaware of Luffy's gaze leveled on her and Sanji. "I'm considering the poulet mandarine, but it's just so expensive, you know? Can you do anything about that, Sanji-kun?"

The chef looked like someone shot him in the heart, equal parts scandalized that the menu dared to concern the woman before him and delighted that he could be of service.

"Of course, Mademoiselle. No gentleman like myself would even consider charging you. Everything here is free for you, compliments of my undying love!" He said, before looking at Kuina. "And for you my love?"

"I would like to have to deep fired Sea King stake if you don't mind," Kuina said casually, as if she wasn't fully taking advantage of the cook.

"Suck up," Zoro snickered, earning a kick to the back of the head. Sanji retreated before the swordsman could retaliate, moving on to another table on the other side of the room. "I don't like him," Zoro grumbled.

"He's just our waiter," Usopp pointed out.

"Sous chef," Coby corrected.

One of the customers, who by the looks was a pirate came to the table and that made Nami uncomfortable. That earned him the glare of all the King's haki user, making the man stop in his tracks.

But the other pirate's companions came by and six of them stood near the Straw hat group, making Nami more angry.

"Hey, you waiter." One of them said, most likely the leader or in this case, the captain, called out to Sanji, "We need some business with this miss. Thief here." He said pointing at Nami.

Sanji raised an eyebrow, standing straight looking eye to eye. "Well first of all, I'm a chef, not a waiter. We're a little short-handed at the moment you see. Second, we don't allow fighting between guests in the restaurant. And hurting woman or even scaring woman here is an untold law here."

That made the group of six hold their hands over the weapons, "You don't know her, you bold cook." Another one spat. "She's one of the Arlong's bitches…" he could only say that much, before his face exploded with a cloud of flames and he broke through one of the restaurant's windows falling out.

Luffy blinked. Did Sanji just use Diable Jambe? How… this was another surprise. It seems that this Sanji might have a bit more than the original canon one.

"Never! I mean, never… call a woman that." Sanji was behind the group of six, "Do I have to make you guys out of here personally or can you dip-shits make yourself useful and get out." He lazily moved his legs, setting out the fire.

"Wait!" The leader said, "You are the guy, who's famous for fishing out sea-kings."

Sanji didn't say anything, for a while, before he added, "I don't fish them, I kick them out of water." He said, "Now get out, before I kick you in…"

The group gulped and nodded. Quickly scrambled out of the restaurant.

"Well, I guess that settles that." He said smiling, as he spun around before going towards the orange-haired girl, "I am sorry, you had to face those awful people in our humble setting. I will be sure to give you a special tangerine juice!"

Nami, on the other hand, was glancing at Luffy, who didn't seem too concerned. But she was sure, that if anyone heard the pirate it would Luffy.

"Hey, Sanji!" a voice called out. They all turned to see the large man who had ushered them in. "What do you think you're doing to our customer, you bastard!? How many times do I have to tell you not to beat the crap out of our customers!? They are scared as they are with you fishing sea-kings… we are going to run out of customers that way."

"Customer?" Sanji scoffed, "Get your eyes checked, Patty. Those guys weren't even ordering anything. They just barged in here and tried to pick a fight with our other guests."

Patty blinked at this information, and then said, "OK, then. Do whatever you want," before walking away.

They were interrupted once again, however, this time from a gunshot. A dark-skinned man walked in, sweating profusely and soaking wet as he hobbled over to the nearest table, and sat down. "Bring me some food. Anything will do. This place is a restaurant, right?"

Patty made his way over and clasped his hands together with the same awkward smile on his face. "Hello, you miserable bastard. I apologize, but I must ask. Do you have any money?"

The man, who looked like Death had passed over him clumsily, pointed the gun at Patty's head. "Do you accept lead?"

"So I assume you can't pay," Patty stated before promptly smashing Gin's head to the ground with both arms, along with the table he was sitting at. Gin groaned as his stomach rumbled. This elicited no sympathy from the muscular chef.

Sanji watched with a neutral expression as Patty ruthlessly kicked him and then threw him out of the restaurant while the customers cheered him on.

That was when a blond-haired man with a long mustache and a longer hat walked in. "Hey, Patty! What do you think you're doing, destroying tables? That's coming out of your paycheck."

Patty gave him an apologetic smile and nodded. "Sorry about that, Boss Zeff. Won't happen again."

A little while later, Sanji strolled out of the restaurant with a plate of food in hand, which didn't escape Zeff's notice. He set the plate in front of the grumbling, dying man.

"Eat up," he said. The man gulped, but looked away from the food.

"That's even worse. I won't accept charity," he said with difficulty.

"It's not charity," Sanji replied evenly. "To me, any hungry person who makes their way to this restaurant is a customer. Pride will get you far in this world, but not if you're dead. Wouldn't you like to live to see another day?"

The man's eyes widened considerably before he promptly grabbed the plate and dug in greedily. His tear ducts betrayed him, and he started to sob. "I don't know what to say...it's so delicious," he said emotionally in-between bites. "I thought I was gonna die. I really thought I was a goner…"

A wide grin spread out across Sanji's face, "It's pretty damn good, right?" Sanji said proudly.

"Of course it's good." A voice called out, grabbing both of their attention, "You are the future pirate king's cook for God's sake."