As they entered, they saw that the place was a bit of a mess—some tables were broken, and there was blood, but the cooks were working to clean everything up.
A waiter approached them to greet them.
"Welcome to Baratie. Are you customers?" he asked.
"That's right. We'd like a table," Nami replied.
"Follow me."
They followed the waiter and sat at a table.
"Excuse me, do you know where a young man who came here is? He has black hair, wears red clothes, and a straw hat," Nami asked.
"The new kitchen assistant?" the waiter said. "From what I heard, he has to work for a whole year to pay for the damage."
"Luffy has to stay here for a year?" Nami asked.
"That's right. So, what would you like to order?" the waiter said, ready to take their order.
They ordered some food, and the waiter left.
"So, is Luffy really staying?" Usopp asked.
"Looks like it," Nami said.
They all looked at each other and then started laughing—except for Oliver.
"Looks like we'll have to choose a new captain," Zoro said, unable to hold back his laughter.
As they ate, Luffy walked out of the kitchen after being scolded and sent to wait tables.
When he spotted a table, he realized that his crew was eating without him.
"You guys!" Luffy shouted, seeing them eat.
"What's up, cabin boy?" Nami greeted him.
"I heard you have to work here for a year," Usopp laughed at Luffy's situation.
"So, can I change our pirate flag?" Zoro asked.
"Don't you think that's really low?! You're all sitting comfortably, enjoying your food, while I'm suffering!" Luffy shouted angrily.
"Low? We have the right to eat," Zoro said, looking away.
Annoyed, Luffy picked his nose and wiped it on Zoro's glass. Usopp, Nami, and Oliver barely held back their laughter.
"This restaurant is really good," Zoro said as he reached for his glass to take a sip. The others barely contained themselves, but then Zoro grabbed the glass and poured it into Luffy's mouth. "How about you drink it instead?"
"What are you doing?!" Luffy shouted, grabbing his throat as everyone burst into laughter.
The other customers looked at them strangely, expecting to eat in peace. Just then, a cook noticed their table and ran over, passing by Luffy.
"Oh! Thank God I met you today! Oh, my love! Just smile for me," Sanji said as he appeared next to Nami, who had no idea what was happening.
'Sanji. That behavior is unbearable. How bad would it be if he hadn't joined the crew?' Oliver thought, looking displeased.
"If you're with me, I can become a pirate or a devil! Oh, but our poor fate is doomed!" Sanji said, surrounded by hearts.
"Is that for me?" Zeff asked from behind him.
"Old man?!" Sanji asked, startled.
"This is a great opportunity. Leave and become a pirate. We don't need you here," Zeff said.
"Oi, you crazy old man! I'm the second cook of this restaurant. You're saying this place doesn't need me anymore? What do you mean by that?" Sanji asked.
"You always fight with customers, you flirt with every beautiful woman you see, and your food isn't even that good. If you stay, you'll ruin this restaurant. Besides, no one here likes you—you already know that. You should just leave and become a pirate or whatever. The sooner you leave, the better," Zeff finished.
"What are you saying? You know that doesn't make me mad, crazy old man," Sanji said, grabbing Zeff by his collar. "For some reason, you always belittle my cooking. But no matter what you say, I won't leave."
"How dare you grab me by the collar?!" Zeff shouted, grabbing Sanji and throwing him against a table. "You little bastard!"
The crew barely managed to move their plates before the table was destroyed, as the head chef had thrown Sanji onto it.
"Listen. No matter how many times you tell me to leave, I'll always be a cook here. Got a problem with that?! I'LL STAY HERE UNTIL YOU DIE!" Sanji shouted angrily.
"I won't die for another hundred years," Zeff said as he walked away.
"Great! You have the owner's permission. Now you can be a pirate!" Luffy said happily.
"Who the hell wants that?!" Sanji yelled at him.
Sanji had to clean up the table and then brought some liquor along with a dessert for Nami.
"Sorry for the mess. As an apology, I ordered you a fruit salad and a fine vintage wine," Sanji said, presenting them to Nami.
"Thank you!! You're so kind," Nami thanked him.
"It's nothing, my lady," Sanji said very formally.
"Hey! What about us? That's so unfair, you gallant cook!" Usopp shouted.
"I ordered a hot tea for you. Still upset, long-nose?" Sanji insulted him.
"What? You wanna fight? Beat him up, Zoro!" Usopp said, trying to get the swordsman to fight for him.
"Why don't you do it yourself?" Zoro asked.
Nami started eating while Luffy tried to sneak a bite.
Meanwhile, Usopp kept arguing with Sanji about the food, as Sanji refused to clean up after the men.
"Can you two stop fighting for my sake?" Nami asked.
"Yes, my lady," Sanji responded.
"Who would do that?!" Usopp shouted, baring shark-like teeth.
"By the way, Chef-san," Nami grabbed Sanji's face and pulled him closer.
"Yes, my lady?" he asked, nervous.
"The food here is a little expensive for me," she said, manipulating him.
"Don't worry! It's on the house!" the completely fooled cook shouted.
"I'm so happy! Thank you very much," Nami thanked him, hugging him.
"But you guys still have to pay," Sanji said, returning to normal.
"You're such a manipulator," Zoro told Nami.
"You'd better be careful with me!" Nami said, triumphant over achieving her goal.
"That skill could also be useful for gathering information… as long as the target is a pervert like that cook," Oliver added.
They then watched as Sanji went to the entrance to welcome new customers, acting just as crazy over women.
At that moment, Sanji grabbed Luffy and dragged him back to work.
--
--
Two days passed while the Straw Hat crew remained at Baratie because their captain had to work there to pay off his debt.
At that moment, a pirate ship arrived, and when the customers saw its flag, they became frightened.
"That's Don Krieg's pirate ship!" one of the customers shouted.
"The hourglasses with a skull—that's his symbol," said another.
"It has to be Don Krieg!!"
"What the hell is he doing here?"
The customers began to panic, and the cook who had hit one of Don Krieg's crew members was extremely scared.
The Straw Hats looked at Don Krieg's ship, which terrified almost everyone except for Zoro and Oliver, who stared at the ship, preparing themselves in case a fight broke out.
'Will there be someone different here this time? Nothing changed in Syrup Village… is it only occasional?'
Oliver glanced at the restaurant, deciding what to do.
"Where are you going?" Zoro asked him.
"I want to see what's happening inside the restaurant," Oliver said.
"Let me go with you," Zoro replied.
"I-I'm coming too!" Usopp said, realizing he would be safer with Oliver and Zoro.
The three of them entered the restaurant to see what would happen.
As they stepped inside, Don Krieg and Gin, one of the Krieg Pirates, entered, asking for food. However, Patty, one of the cooks, refused.
"Call the Marines! We'll never get another chance like this!" Patty said.
The worried customers agreed, saying it was better to call the Marines, since they didn't know what Krieg would do if he regained his strength.
"If you give me food, I'll leave peacefully, I promise!" Don Krieg pleaded, bowing.
"Stop, Captain Krieg! A great man like you shouldn't kneel for this. Please, this is disgraceful!" Gin told him.
Don Krieg continued to beg for food, but Patty refused to give him any. Then, Sanji arrived with a plate of food, kicking Patty out of the way.
"Give this to him, Gin," Sanji said, handing over the plate.
One of the cooks told Sanji it was a mistake to feed Don Krieg because he was a liar who had killed Marines and even stolen a Marine ship to raid villages.
Just as the cook had warned, Don Krieg stood up and struck him with his forearm, sending him flying.
"What does this mean? I brought you here because you promised not to hurt anyone!" Gin reprimanded Don Krieg for attacking Sanji. "Besides, that man is the one who saved my life!"
"I feel great!!" Don Krieg said as he grabbed his subordinate by the neck.
"Gin!!" Luffy shouted.
"So this is what you really wanted," Sanji said, wounded on the ground.
"It's a fine restaurant, so I'll take it for myself," Don Krieg declared.
"Take what?" Oliver said from behind him.
Oliver grabbed Krieg's arm, using Electro to paralyze him momentarily before breaking it and launching him against his ship.
'I hope I got ahead of a possible enemy. This way, I won't have to worry so much about…'
Suddenly, everyone froze.
'Huh? What happened?'
[ALERT]
[ALERT]
[ALERT]
[A CHANGE IN THE STORY HAS BEEN DETECTED]
[DUE TO YOUR INTERFERENCE, DON KRIEG HAS BEEN INJURED, WEAKENING HIM. SINCE HE DIDN'T OBTAIN FOOD FOR HIS CREW, THEY ARE ALL EXHAUSTED.]
[TO BALANCE IT, THE OTHER PATH WILL BE INCREASED.]
'What?! What do you mean by "the other path"?!'
[Choose your path]
[Easy Path: Baratie]
[Thanks to your actions, this is the easiest path, since the main antagonist is severely injured.]
[Reward: 18,000,000 Belly]
[Difficult Path: Arlong Park]
[Since the other path has decreased in difficulty, this one has been increased, making Arlong and his crew stronger and more numerous.]
[Reward: 51,000,000 Belly, Talent Gacha Token and Devil Fruit Gacha Token]
[Choose wisely.]
'Shit.'