It doesn't look too expensive... Shit!
---
Inside the Bar Lobby
The bursts of laughter were deafening.
Beta and Barrett glared at each other fiercely, making a fool of themselves in front of everyone.
Lina chuckled. "I didn't expect you two to have such a good relationship. And your hugs are so... passionate!"
Mitis struggled to suppress his laughter, his little face contorted like someone suffering from constipation.
"Impossible! Absolutely not!" Beta denied it vehemently. Even if he were beaten to death, he wouldn't admit it. His reputation was at stake.
"Yeah, absolutely impossible!" Barrett echoed, standing firmly on the same front as Beta—at least for now.
"There's no way I'm friends with this idiot."
"Uh?" Beta looked at Barrett in astonishment. Is this guy serious? That wasn't the time for such betrayal!
The others laughed. "Beta, Barrett, don't deny it. We all saw it."
"Hmph! You must've gotten it wrong!" Barrett snapped, his voice arrogant and defensive.
"Yeah, everyone must've drunk too much and got their vision blurred!" Beta added, barely concealing his irritation, yet forced to go along with Barrett's excuse.
The crew laughed but let it go. They knew these two had too much pride to admit anything.
Then, a towering figure approached. The atmosphere shifted slightly as Charlotte Linlin, better known as "Big Mom," strode toward them.
"Captain!"
"Boss!"
Everyone greeted her with a mix of respect and apprehension.
Underage drinking truly was a problem—just look at the consequences.
Beta and Barrett shrank slightly at the sight of Charlotte, feeling a twinge of guilt. They had been drinking in secret. While Charlotte wouldn't necessarily be angry, standing before her made them feel guilty.
She eyed the two with an amused grin. "How's it going, little ones? You're sweating bullets!"
Her gloating was undeniable.
"Boss..." Beta muttered, looking pitiful.
Barrett, usually brash and cocky, felt a rare moment of nervousness.
Charlotte's teasing made everyone burst into laughter—except for Beta and Barrett, who suffered in silence.
Of course, Charlotte wasn't one to let things slide. A minor punishment was in order. Normally, she wouldn't bother controlling them, but since they'd made fools of themselves, she saw no reason to ignore it.
How could they act so foolishly at such a young age?
Once she had her fun, Charlotte waved a hand. "Alright, alright. No one is allowed to bring this up again."
The crew nodded in agreement, suppressing their remaining giggles.
Then, Lilith entered the scene, as graceful as ever. However, her slightly tired expression revealed that she hadn't rested well the previous night.
"Are you alright? You worked hard yesterday," Charlotte asked with mild concern.
"I appreciate your concern, Mr. Charlotte. I'm fine."
Charlotte nodded and turned to Beta. "Go to the ship, get the money from the cabin, and settle the bill."
"How much, Boss?"
Charlotte took a deep breath. He had already developed the habit of only needing sleep once a day, but when that sleep was disrupted, his mood soured.
Lilith smiled brightly at the mention of money. "The total is 32.8 million Beli!"
Cough! What?!
Charlotte's drowsiness vanished instantly, replaced by utter shock. He swallowed hard.
If he had been drinking water, he would have spat it all over Lilith's face.
Beta, who had just leaned in to hear the total before running off to grab the cash, looked just as dumbfounded.
"Boss... how much?!"
"Ahem... 32.8 million Beli!"
"Oh..."
Charlotte stared at Beta. What does that 'oh' mean?! Do you even understand that's over 30 million?!
Judging by Beta's clueless expression, he had absolutely no concept of money.
This idiot...! Charlotte fumed.
SMACK!
A slap landed on the back of Beta's head.
"Boss, why'd you hit me?!" Beta asked, rubbing the sore spot, looking both confused and aggrieved.
Charlotte frowned. "I think you haven't been training hard enough lately. We should spar."
Instantly, Beta broke into a nervous sweat. "Uh... no need, Boss! I've been training diligently!"
Barrett, who had been snickering at Beta's misfortune, suddenly felt Charlotte's gaze shift toward him.
"What's that, Barrett? You want to train too?"
Barrett's smirk disappeared instantly. He shook his head so fast he resembled a rattling drum.
Beta felt slightly vindicated, seeing Barrett's reaction.
Charlotte sighed, then turned back to Lilith with a reluctant expression. "Are you sure that's the total?"
Lilith's smile didn't falter. "A total of 32.8 million Beli! Captain Charlotte is an honest man, right?"
Charlotte rolled his eyes. Damn, this is daylight robbery!
Lilith kept her elegant smile, but to Charlotte, she now looked like a money-loving demon.
She had grown up in a world where there was no room for mercy regarding debts. Tears and blood could be shed, but not a single Beli could be left unpaid.
Charlotte was speechless. This woman is dangerous!
Sure, he'd seen money-hungry people before. Nami, for example, was just as obsessed with cash.
"Beta! Get 32.8 million Beli from the ship!" Charlotte ordered without further fuss.
Beta wasted no time. Grabbing Barrett by the collar, he ran off like he had fire under his feet.
Watching the two flee, Charlotte sighed. What a couple of fools.
Lilith, watching them go, remarked, "Captain Charlotte, your crew is certainly full of energy."
Charlotte gave Lilith a deadpan stare. He refused to engage with her anymore.
Have I ever spent 30 million on a single meal?!
Even in today's world, prices weren't as absurd as they had been twenty or thirty years ago. But still... Thirty million for a meal? That was the same amount Luffy had as his first bounty!
That realization hit him hard.
We just ate Luffy's bounty worth of food.
It was ridiculous.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. But then he looked at Lilith's sincere yet greedy smile.
"Fine! Bring me more plates of barbecue!" Charlotte declared, deciding to drown his grievances in food.
Lilith beamed—more food meant more money.
Charlotte sighed. Women are truly unfathomable creatures.
He hadn't expected Lilith to have this side to her. Behind her intelligence, kindness, and beauty lay a woman who loved money as much as her life.
It was truly... hard to describe in just one word.