Aboard the Chris:
"Still quite a few managed to escape."
Sweetheart Queen looked out at the distant sea, spotting many small boats desperately fleeing at incredible speed.
Belo Betty, taking a drag from her cigarette, spoke indifferently:
"Roughly a third of them were taken out, by my count."
"The rest don't matter. I'm going to clean up the battlefield—see what treasures we got!"
Karina's bright eyes sparkled with excitement, her beautiful face brimming with joy. She loved nothing more than collecting treasure.
Perona, floating in the air, giggled:
"I'm coming too! With that many ships, they have to have good stuff. Heh heh heh~"
Reiju gently shook her head, half-laughing:
"Those two… they never sit still."
Just then, Chris spoke in his calm, steady voice:
"Let's go."
He took the lead, leaping straight onto the Baratie.
The others said nothing, following right behind him one after another.
"Welcome to the floating restaurant—Baratie!"
Upon seeing Chris and the others arrive, Zeff wasted no time giving them a warm welcome.
"Welcome, welcome!"
Patty and the other chefs quickly chimed in, their voices slightly nervous.
Sanji was just about to join in the greeting—until he suddenly froze.
His cigarette fell from his lips and hit the deck.
"Reiju…?"
At the same moment, Reiju saw him. Her stunning face lit up with shock and joy.
"Sanji…?"
Everyone except Chris looked confused.
Old acquaintances?
Patty and the other chefs immediately looked relieved.
"We're safe for sure now. Everything's going to be fine."
Sweetheart Queen glanced at Sanji, then at Reiju, her eyes sparkling as she figured it out.
"Reiju, he must be from your family. You've got the same... uh, very unique eyebrows."
Belo Betty nodded in agreement:
"Yeah, they do look alike. Those swirly eyebrows—it's gotta be family."
Chris didn't respond to any of this. He just calmly walked into the restaurant.
"You guys go on ahead. I'll join you later,"
Reiju told Baccarat and the others, before turning back to Sanji with a gentle smile.
"Let's talk in private."
She gracefully walked toward a quiet corner.
"What are you waiting for? Get over there already, you idiot Sanji!"
Patty and the others started yelling at him immediately.
Zeff gave Sanji a serious look.
"Kid, treat women with respect. Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah, save the lecture," Sanji replied, lighting a new cigarette and walking off after Reiju.
Inside the restaurant:
The entire room went silent when Chris entered.
Not a single person dared to speak.
Burgess, enjoying the reaction, raised his arms in triumph and laughed:
"Captain, look! They're all terrified of us! Wahahahaha!"
Doc Q grinned eerily, scanning the room like a predator:
"Well, what do you expect—we're pirates, after all. Hehehe…"
Hawkins, ever the grim one, murmured:
"After killing so many people just now… of course they're scared."
Sweetheart Queen looked around and smiled:
"There are a lot of customers here. The food must be good."
Betty shrugged casually:
"Guess we'll find out soon enough."
Chris finally stopped walking, arms crossed in front of his chest, his voice calm as ever.
"I am the captain of the Chris Pirates—Chris."
"Anyone who wants to join us, come sign up."
With that, he walked over to an empty table and took a seat.
Lafitte twirled his cane and smiled thoughtfully:
"Captain must've seen someone interesting. I wonder who it is."
Law nodded in agreement:
"Captain wouldn't say that without reason. It's a sure thing."
"Whoever caught his eye must have serious potential,"
Hawkins added with his usual deep tone.
Burgess scanned the room and roared:
"Wanna join? Step up! Don't be shy! Wahahahaha!"
The guests all looked at each other in confusion.
Becoming pirates? Just like that? Who would even consider it?
Of course, no one dared speak such thoughts aloud. They all kept their heads down and stayed quiet.
Many quietly sighed in relief.
"Looks like they're not the kind of pirates who kill indiscriminately…"
"Come on! Let's whip up some dishes and treat them right!"
Patty and the other chefs didn't waste a second, rushing into the kitchen to get cooking.
Zeff, watching Chris out of the corner of his eye, muttered to himself:
"When did the seas produce such terrifying young men?"
He wasn't just any old cook—he had once sailed the Grand Line and survived there for an entire year before returning alive.
He could feel the power coming off Chris.
It was terrifying.
The strongest he'd ever seen—bar none.
Suddenly, a voice rang out:
"Captain Chris, I want to join you. Will you accept me?"
The whole room froze.
The customers were stunned.
"Someone actually wants to join them?!"
Unbelievable.
Chris, lounging in his chair with one leg crossed over the other, looked down at the menu as if he hadn't heard a thing.
But the others—Lafitte, Law, Burgess, and the rest—definitely had.
All their eyes turned toward the source of the voice...
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T/N:
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