The days following their departure from the Gecko Islands bled into a peaceful, almost lazy rhythm. The Going Merry, their new and cherished home, proved to be a magnificent vessel. She cut through the waves with a cheerful grace, her smiling sheep figurehead seeming to greet the endless blue horizon. Johnny and Yosaku's smaller boat trailed behind them like a loyal dinghy, the two bounty hunters now acting as their willing guides.
They were heading towards the edge of the world as they knew it, towards the treacherous entrance of the Grand Line. And towards their next, most pressing objective.
"A cook…" Luffy mumbled for the tenth time that morning, his stomach letting out a sad, gurgling roar that echoed across the deck.
Zoro, napping against the mast, didn't even open his eyes. "Tell me about it."
"I'm starving!" Usopp wailed, dramatically clutching his throat. "We're down to our last few crackers and some questionable dried meat!"
Nami, perched on the railing with her logbook and charts, sighed. "I told you, just be patient. Johnny said it's around here somewhere."
"But what is it?" Luffy asked, his eyes scanning the empty horizon.
"He called it a legend," Yosaku shouted from the boat behind them. "A restaurant for pirates, run by fighting cooks! A paradise in the middle of the ocean! They call it… the Baratie!"
As if summoned by its own name, a strange shape began to materialize from the distant sea mist. At first, it was just a silhouette, but as they drew closer, its impossible form became clear.
It was a fish.
A colossal, multi-story fish, floating serenely in the middle of the ocean. Its body was the main hall, with fins that served as viewing decks and outdoor patios. A tall, elegant mast rose from its back, and its tail fin acted as a massive rudder. The mouth of the fish was wide open, a gaping maw that served as the main entrance, welcoming ships into its belly.
"Whoa…" Luffy and Usopp's eyes turned into literal stars. "It's a giant fish restaurant!"
"Incredible," Nami murmured, impressed by the sheer audacity of the architecture. "To build and operate something like this, out here…"
Their awe was interrupted by the appearance of another vessel, this one sleek, white, and bearing the familiar seagull insignia of the Marines. It pulled alongside them with an arrogant confidence. On its deck stood a man in a pristine white officer's uniform, a heart-shaped patch of hair on his chin, and a beautiful young woman on his arm. This was Lieutenant "Iron Fist" Fullbody.
Johnny and Yosaku immediately dove for cover behind the Merry's railing, their faces pale with terror. "It's Iron Fist Fullbody! What's a Marine Captain doing all the way out here?!"
Johnny was still weeping dramatically from their earlier encounter with Zoro. "To think the captain of a crew that's only a few days old could best me in a single strike… My career as a bounty hunter is over!"
Fullbody's sharp ears caught the wail. He looked over, a condescending smirk on his face. "Well, well, if it isn't the bottom-feeding bounty hunter duo, Johnny and Yosaku. Still chasing small-fry for a living, I see. A truly pathetic existence."
"What did you say?!" The two bounty hunters, their pride wounded, leaped onto their own boat and charged the Marine vessel, swords drawn.
There was a flash of movement from Fullbody, a sound like a fist hitting meat, and the two bounty hunters were sent flying back onto the Merry's deck in a bruised and battered heap.
Luffy looked down at their groaning forms. "You guys really suck at this."
"Be grateful I'm off-duty today and with a lovely lady, pirates," Fullbody called out, adjusting his uniform as if swatting away a fly. "Or I'd sink that tacky little ship of yours. But if you cause any more trouble, I won't be so lenient."
As Johnny had fallen, a stack of wanted posters had spilled from his pocket. Nami bent down to pick one up. Her eyes fell upon the face of a fish-man with a saw-like nose, and her cheerful expression instantly vanished, replaced by a cold, distant look of pure hatred.
Fullbody, a man of fickle temper, looked at the Straw Hats' new Jolly Roger. "On second thought," he declared, wanting to look decisive in front of his date. "A pirate flag is always a problem. I can't be seen ignoring pirates."
He gave an order. "Ready the cannon! Sink them!"
A cannonball came screaming towards them.
"Uh oh!" Luffy didn't panic. He took a deep breath. "Gomu Gomu no Fusen!"
His body inflated into a giant balloon. The cannonball slammed into his rubbery stomach with a deep THWUMP. With a great WHOOSH of expelled air, the cannonball was sent flying right back.
But Luffy's aim was terrible.
The cannonball soared past the Marine ship and flew in a high arc, heading directly for the elegant roof of the floating restaurant.
KABOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the Baratie, leaving a smoking crater in its upper deck and sending the head chef's quarters into smithereens.
Inside the bustling, elegant dining hall of the Baratie, Lieutenant Fullbody was trying to recover his composure. He and his date were now seated at a fine table, surrounded by rowdy—but surprisingly well-behaved—pirates and merchants.
"As you can see, my dear," he said, puffing out his chest, "all eyes in this establishment are on me. The burden of fame, I suppose."
"Oh, I think they might be looking at me, Lieutenant," his date giggled.
He cleared his throat and took a sip of the wine the waiter had just poured. He swirled the deep red liquid, sniffed it with a supposedly expert nose, and declared with an air of profound knowledge, "Ah, a fine Rotsekt. An excellent vintage from the North Blue. My palate is never mistaken."
The waiter, a tall, blond young man in a sharp black suit with a cigarette perpetually dangling from his lips, spoke up, his voice smooth and utterly bored.
"My apologies, sir. But that is a cheap, domestic wine from a local vineyard. We ran out of the Rotsekt you ordered ahead of time." He blew a lazy puff of smoke. "My name is Sanji. I am the sous chef. Please enjoy your meal."
Fullbody's face turned the color of a ripe tomato. His date let out another poorly suppressed giggle. The nearby tables of rough-looking pirates began to snicker amongst themselves.
Meanwhile, on the heavily damaged roof of the restaurant, Luffy was being held up by the collar by a formidable-looking man with a long, braided blonde mustache and a massive peg leg where his right leg should be. This was the owner and head chef, the legendary former pirate, "Red Leg" Zeff.
A deal was struck with the force of a cleaver hitting a cutting board. To repay the damages to his restaurant and his own private quarters, Luffy would have to work as a chore boy.
For one full year.
Back in the dining hall, Fullbody was seething with humiliation. He needed revenge. He looked at the rich, creamy soup Sanji had just served him. With a subtle movement, he caught a passing fly and discreetly dropped it into the bowl.
"Waiter!" he called out, his voice laced with false indignation. "There appears to be an insect in my soup! This is unacceptable!"
Sanji walked over, not even glancing at the soup. He leaned in close to Fullbody's date, his demeanor changing from bored to charming in an instant, a suave smile on his face. "Mademoiselle, your beauty is so radiant it must attract all creatures, great and small. I cannot blame this humble fly for seeking you out."
The young lady blushed, completely charmed. Fullbody's face turned an even deeper shade of crimson. "Are you mocking me?! I am a Marine Lieutenant! There is a fly in my soup!"
Sanji finally deigned to look at the bowl. "Ah, so there is," he said with a shrug. "I am a cook, sir, not an entomologist. But since you seem to have finished your meal anyway, the fly is of little consequence, no?"
His date burst out laughing. That was the last straw.
CRASH!
Fullbody slammed his fists on the table, shattering it and sending expensive porcelain, fine wine, and perfectly cooked food flying everywhere. "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR INSULTS!"
He drew back his fist, its metal plating glinting. "I am Lieutenant 'Iron Fist' Fullbody of the Marines!"
The other chefs in the restaurant began to panic. "Sanji, no! Don't fight a customer! You'll get the owner angry again!"
But Sanji was already moving. Fullbody's 'Iron Fist' came flying at him, but Sanji dodged it with an effortless, dance-like movement. He then spun on one heel, his black-shoed foot a blur.
KICK.
A single, powerful, elegant kick slammed into Fullbody's jaw, sending him crashing to the floor in a bloodstained heap.
Sanji calmly straightened his tie and lit another cigarette, standing over the defeated Marine. The entire restaurant was silent.
"Listen up," he said, his voice cold and sharp, his words directed at everyone in the room.
"One, you don't waste food. That is a sin. Two, you don't disrespect a cook. That is foolish."
He took a long drag from his cigarette, the smoke curling around his face as he looked down at the unconscious Fullbody.
"And three… never, ever pick a fight with a cook on the sea."
"Because out here, the one who feeds you is the one who controls whether you live or die. To do so is simply suicide."