Lucas Moore left Frostmoon Village and sailed at sea for an entire week.
By noon on the eighth day, the silhouette of Baratie's ship finally came into view.
Baratie was one of the most renowned ocean restaurants in the East Blue.
Dining at Baratie came with a strict rule: "Absolutely no wasting food."
Because of its large number of heavily armed battle chefs, the place was also known as the "Restaurant of Combat."
Given Lucas's knowledge of the restaurant, he knew that Red-Leg Zeff, the head chef and owner, and Sanji, who would soon become the assistant chef, were likely key figures for completing his current sign-in task.
Lucas's small boat slowly approached Baratie.
It was lunchtime.
Dozens of vessels had already docked around the floating restaurant.
He wedged his little boat between two larger ships and tied it securely.
The moment Lucas stepped onto Baratie's deck, a long-absent chime echoed in his mind.
Ding ding! Congratulations, Host, for arriving at the sign-in location: Ocean Restaurant Baratie. Progress +10%. Current completion: 10%. Rewards: New Skill Shunpo Lv1; System Inventory expanded tenfold. Current total inventory: 100x100x100 cubic meters.
A 100x100x100 cubic meter space massive. If he filled it with food and drink alone, Lucas could easily feast for an entire year without going hungry.
And that Shunpo skill...
As the system infused its information into his mind, Lucas's eyes gleamed.
This was a high-speed movement technique from Bleach allowing the user to move at such speed that they appear to vanish. It let the user appear instantly beside a target or move to a distant location in a blink.
Advanced versions of Shunpo, like Utsusemi, could even help users escape encirclement in an instant.
For someone like Lucas, Shunpo would be an excellent auxiliary skill.
He pushed open the large red doors that led into the dining hall.
Lucas walked in calmly.
The dining hall was already bustling, filled with guests enjoying their meals.
Just then, a large-built man with an oversized mouth and a face that somewhat resembled a gorilla came rubbing his hands as he approached Lucas.
"Welcome, brat. We don't serve freeloaders here. You got money?"
Lucas glanced up at him.
It was Patty.
Once a pirate, Patty had later joined Baratie as both chef and combatant.
Charging for meals at a restaurant was normal. Lucas didn't find it unreasonable for Patty to ask upfront if he could pay.
He casually reached into his clothes.
Lucas pulled out a pouch and gave it a light shake.
Patty's ears twitched. His expression immediately brightened. "A guest is god! Right this way, please."
He seated Lucas at an empty table, handed him a menu, and said with a sleazy grin, eyes half-closed, "Please, place your order."
Lucas gave the menu a cursory glance.
The prices were noticeably higher than those on shore.
He picked out a few dishes at random.
Patty had just finished noting down his order when the restaurant's doors opened again.
Two young men in navy uniforms appeared first.
Then came a towering, broad-shouldered man wearing a dog-head hat who strode in confidently.
"Welcome, Vice Admiral Garp," Patty beamed and quickly went to greet the newcomer.
"Bwahahaha!" Garp laughed loudly. "Haven't had Baratie's desserts in ages. Go bring me everything sweet you've got!"
"Right away, sir!" Patty eagerly seated him at the table next to Lucas.
The two navy officers who came in with Garp stood tall and straight behind him.
Lucas glanced at the man.
As expected it was Monkey D. Garp, Luffy's grandfather and Dragon's father. The Navy Vice Admiral known as "Hero of the Marines" and "Iron Fist."
In truth, Garp's strength far exceeded the rank of Vice Admiral. The fact that he'd once chased down the Pirate King Roger and even cornered him multiple times said it all.
He had simply refused repeated promotions to Admiral, and thus retained the Vice Admiral title.
Lucas remembered back in Windmill Village, Garp had called Red-Haired Shanks.
His return to the East Blue likely meant he was heading to see Luffy.
Lucas hadn't expected to encounter Garp here of all places.
Taking a sip of wine, Lucas set his gourd down on the table.
From the next table, Garp sniffed the air, turned toward him, and asked, "Hey kid. What are you drinking?"
"Wine," Lucas replied casually.
Then Garp's gaze shifted to the blade at Lucas's waist.
Touching his chin, he pondered for a moment before asking, "You a swordsman?"
Lucas continued sipping his wine, not intending to answer.
Garp let out another hearty laugh. "Hahaha! What an interesting kid. What's your name?"
After swallowing another mouthful, Lucas replied coolly, "Lucas Moore."
"You come here alone?"
"Mm."
Garp pressed on, "Which island are you from?"
Lucas gave him a look.
Was this guy trying to run a census?
He drank again and ignored the question.
Just then, a blonde boy with several bandages on his face obviously fresh from a beating walked over with two plates in his hands.
"Here's your food. Please enjoy."
It was none other than a nine-year-old Sanji future chef of the Straw Hat Pirates and one of its core combatants.
After placing the dishes in front of Lucas, Sanji turned back toward the kitchen.
But just as he pivoted
Several shrill voices came from a nearby table, each more grating than the last.
"Why is there carrot in this fried rice? I hate carrots! They're disgusting. They shouldn't exist!"
"Oh honey, if you don't like it, we'll just order a new one without carrots, okay?"
The voices belonged to a richly dressed young woman and her ten-year-old son.
Sanji glanced over at the table.
The moment he saw what the boy was doing, his blood boiled.
The child had dumped an entire plate of fried rice onto the table and was stirring it wildly with a spoon flinging grains onto the floor for fun.
For Sanji, who had once nearly starved to death, such wasteful behavior was unforgivable.
"Hey!" Sanji stormed over, fuming.
The boy's mother spotted him and said sweetly, "Perfect timing. We'd like to place a new order."
Sanji ignored her completely and asked sharply, "Do you even realize how many people in the world are starving? How can you treat food like this?"
The woman blinked, then scowled. "What nonsense are you spouting? I paid for it I can waste it however I want. What's it got to do with you?"
"Damn it! So what if you have money?" Sanji clenched his fists. "When you're in a place where there's nothing left to eat, will money fill your stomach?"