CH 29

Gin slowly walked toward an empty table, wobbling a bit with hunger before sitting in a chair and putting his feet up onto the table.

"I want food." he said in a grumpy voice.

"Welcome to the Baratie, ya scumbag!" Patty said with mock politeness. "How will you be paying for ya meal?"

"You take bullets?" he asked as he pointed the gun at Patty's head, causing Patty to smash him into the table.

"That's another table you've broken Patty!" Zeff yelled.

"We only take Berris asswipe!" Patty said as he cracked his knuckles. "If ya don't got money, ya don't eat!" Gin's stomach grumbled with hunger, making Patty smirk at him. "Hungry eh?"

"It's gas asshole." Gin mumbled before demanding food. Patty lost his patience with Gin before pounding him into the ground. As this happened, Luffy looked around and stopped when he saw Sanji in the kitchen making food. He smiled as Patty told the customers to enjoy their meals before throwing Gin out the back. Luffy walked out onto the ledge above Gin as he lay there mumbling something. He looked up when Sanji came out with a plate of food and a glass of water and set them down next to him.

"Eat up." Sanji said as he sat down next to the railing. Gin looked at the food with hunger in his eyes before he looked away.

"I don't want your charity. Take it and go." he said. Sanji just looked at him.

"Forget what they said. If someone's hungry, then they're a customer."

"I'm not a customer." Gin said as his stomach roared with hunger. Sanji looked to the sky in deep thought.

"It boggles the mind, the ocean." Sanji said. "How losing your food and water out here can mean death." He looked back at Gin before continuing. "I know what it's like to starve because of the sea more than anyone. If you want to die with dignity, fine. But if you eat and live, won't that give you a chance to fight for your honor in the future?" Gin's eyes widened a bit at those words. Luffy smiled as Gin took the plate and started scarfing down the food.

"Delicious. It's delicious. It's wonderful!" Gin said through his tears as he kept eating. "I'm sorry. I thought that was the end for me. I thought I was gonna die! It's too yummy!"

"It's good huh?" Sanji said with a smile as Luffy laughed before he jumped down and landed on the railing next to them both. "What are you doing kid?"

"Looking for people to join my crew." Luffy said as he looked up at Sanji. "I need a cook for my pirate crew. You wanna join Mister Cook?"

"Huh?" he and Gin said in confusion.

"You're a pirate?" Sanji asked. "Well, don't try anything stupid with this place. The owner's an ex pirate himself."

"A pirate huh?" Luffy asked, remembering what Sanji said about Zeff. Sanji explained that this restaurant was all the geezer needed in life, and that the other chefs were like pirates.

"No wonder this place is so wild." Luffy said.

"Yeah. Not a day goes by that their isn't a fight or arguement going on here. It's gotten so bad that the waiters bailed on us." Sanji continued.

"So, you in or what?" Luffy asked.

"I'll pass. I can't leave this restaurant." Sanji said.

"Really? What reason?" Luffy asked. Sanji blew out some smoke before saying that it wasn't important. Luffy just stared before he smiled. "I see. Sorry, but I don't accept."

"Don't accept? What don't you accept?" Sanji asked in annoyance.

"You're refusal. I need a cook for my pirate ship and I pick you." Luffy said as he crossed his arms.

"What?!" Sanji yelled. "Didn't you hear me? I said no, you Straw Hat bastard!"

"I'll kick your ass if you make fun of my hat!" Luffy yelled. He had this conversation before, but he still didn't like anyone to trash talk his hat.

"Hate to interrupt..." Gin said after eating his meal.

"WHAT?!" they both shouted.

"My name's Gin, a pirate of Don Krieg's fleet. You said you're a pirate kid?" he asked.

"Yeah." Luffy replied, still a little steamed at Sanji.

"What are you after?" he asked.

"One Piece!" Luffy said with a smile. "I'm heading to the Grand Line soon to go after it." He looked on as Gin looked back in utter terror.

"You can't have been searching that long." he said. "If you don't have a cook, your crew can't be that big."

"He's the fifth member." Luffy said as he pointed at Sanji.

"No I'm not!" Sanji yelled.

"Let me give you some advice kid. Stay away from the Grand Line. There are plenty of other places that you can go to." Gin said.

"I know, but One Piece is in the Grand Line, so that's where I'm going." Luffy said. "You sound like you've been there." Gin grew quiet as he stared at the ground while shaking.

"Once." he muttered. "That place...makes no sense! It was nothing but one horror after another there."

"Is that so?" Sanji said.

()()()()

"Man this food is great!" Usopp said as he, Zoro, and Nami were eating inside the restaurant while Johnny and Yosaku ate their meals on the Going Merry so others wouldn't think they were pirates. "I really hope we get a chef from here to join us."

"Yeah. It'd be great." Nami said in a quiet voice. Both of them looked at her as she stood up and left the table.

"Where are you going?" Zoro asked.

"To get some air." she said without even looking back at them. She walked out the doors and went to the back before leaning onto the rails. She sighed as she thought about her home. She remembered how Luffy offered to beat Arlong and save her island and smiled at that. She was truly touched that someone would do something like that for her. She heard sails unfurling as she looked to the left to sea Gin bowing his head at Sanji as the tiny boat he was on sailed away.

"Sanji!" bellowed Zeff. "Get back to work!" he said before he went back into the restaurant.

"Shitty old geezer." Sanji mumbled. While they walked toward the door, Luffy sensed Nami and looked to his left to see her looking back at him.

"Oh. Hey Nami!" Luffy called.

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