In the world of pirates, ten thousand Berries was a fortune for any ordinary family.
Clearly, the wall panel Lucas Moore had accidentally broken didn't cost anywhere near that much to repair.
Back in Windmill Village and Shimotsuki Village, Lucas would often hunt in the nearby valleys, selling the game for enough money to buy himself some wine.
He never exchanged more than he needed just enough to get by for a while.
So right now, he had less than a thousand Berries on him.
Far from enough to cover Zeff's outrageous demand of ten thousand...
Just then
From the nearby kitchen, a few chefs had heard the commotion in the corridor.
They rushed out in a hurry.
When they saw Zeff covered in wood chips, a scratch on his face, and looking a bit disheveled, they grew visibly agitated.
"Boss, are you alright?!"
"Hey what happened here? What's going on? Boss, who did this to you?!"
"Damn it! Who dared lay a hand on our boss?! I'll make them pay!"
"Enough!" Zeff barked at the chefs. "I'm fine. Get back in the kitchen and keep cooking for the guests!"
"But Boss, you're hurt! Let me grab the first aid kit."
"Boss, just tell us who did it. We won't let them off easy!"
The chefs were clearly not ready to back down.
"It was him," Sanji said, pointing at Lucas Moore, who stood silently in the hallway as if none of this concerned him. "I saw it with my own eyes. He's the one who hit the old man!"
All eyes turned to Lucas.
There was a brief silence.
Then the chefs burst into laughter.
"Haha! Sanji, are you kidding? That kid's about your age. He probably still can't grow a proper mustache. No way he could hurt the boss."
"Exactly! That scrawny kid? I could flick him away with one finger. If you're going to make up stories, at least try harder, Sanji. Hahaha!"
"Hey! I'm telling the truth!" Sanji snapped. "Old man, tell them! He's the one who knocked you down!"
Zeff's face darkened. "Idiots! If you don't get back to work, you're all fired from Baratie!"
At that, the chefs panicked and scrambled back into the kitchen.
"And you!" Zeff glared at Sanji. "Unless you're looking to get kicked out, get back in there and wash the dishes!"
"Wha ?" Sanji flinched, but despite his frustration, he knew better than to argue.
No matter what, he couldn't leave Baratie. He couldn't leave Zeff.
Clenching his fists, Sanji turned and walked back into the kitchen to start scrubbing dishes, just as Zeff had ordered.
Suddenly, the long hallway was quiet again just Zeff and Lucas standing alone.
"Hey, brat," Zeff dusted himself off, expression unreadable. "If you can't afford to pay ten thousand Berries, then you'll work it off."
"No," Lucas said flatly.
He wasn't going to work for anyone.
Zeff's brow twitched. "If you don't want to stay, then pay the full amount. Not a single Berry less!"
Lucas pulled out two coin pouches, each holding around three hundred Berries, and tossed them at Zeff.
"This should cover the repairs."
Zeff stared at the bags in his hand, eyes narrowing. "You broke my ship. I decide what the damage is worth. If I say it's not enough, then it's not. But since you're just a kid, I'll cut you some slack work here for two months, and we'll call it even."
Baratie was a special kind of place. The chefs here were all brawlers.
With pirates constantly stirring up trouble, the kitchen staff often ended up brawling just as much as they cooked, which scared off most people who tried to work there.
Meanwhile, Baratie was always packed with customers, and short-handed staff meant everyone was constantly overloaded.
Truth was, Zeff never intended to extort ten thousand Berries. He just wanted Lucas to stay and help out.
Lucas had already figured as much.
But he had no intention of giving Zeff what he wanted.
"No."
Lucas refused again.
Just then, a familiar mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
Ding! Task Update: You have refused Zeff's request to work at Baratie. Sign-in Progress +10%. Current Total: 20%. New Skill Unlocked: Night Guy Lv1.
Night Guy!
A glint of excitement flashed through Lucas' eyes.
He had expected to complete sign-in progress by interacting with Zeff but he never imagined the system would gift him a brand-new skill.
And not just any skill the skill that nearly brought an end to the entire series in Naruto.
Night Guy was the ultimate technique of the Eighth Gate Death Gate of the Eight Gates Released Formation. After assuming a sprinting stance, the user charged forward with chakra-powered speed and power that defied the laws of taijutsu, delivering a kick strong enough to distort space itself!
It was an insanely powerful ability.
But it came at a cost: burning the user's life force.
That was Lucas' only concern.
System, Lucas asked in his mind, does using Night Guy burn my life away?
Ding! No life-force consumption. Until Lv6, there is no side effect. After Lv6, each use will consume a large amount of chakra and stamina.
That answer reassured him.
Zeff, meanwhile, had been watching him closely. From earlier, he could tell something was off about the boy. His expression kept shifting almost like he'd just heard some really good news.
"Hey, brat!" Zeff snapped, exasperated. "Are you even listening? You think you can bargain with me in your situation?"
Lucas snapped out of his thoughts, calming his expression.
He looked up at Zeff with a calm, faint smile.
"As I said I refuse."
Zeff took a deep breath, then lunged at him. "You little punk! A real man owns up to his mistakes and takes responsibility. I'm just asking you to work for two months!"
"I said no!"
This time, Lucas didn't dodge.
Instead, he charged straight at Zeff, body emanating a faint red steam.
Just as they met
He kicked.
Hard.
Their legs collided Lucas striking with his right, Zeff countering with his prosthetic leg.
Don't underestimate that prosthetic it was just as deadly as a real limb in Zeff's hands.
But the moment Lucas began radiating red steam, Zeff knew something was off.
Back when he sailed the Grand Line, he'd encountered powerful foes people who made the hairs on his neck stand on end.
But they were always adults at least in their twenties.
Now, for the first time, he felt that same sense of threat… from a kid.
Too late to pull back.
Their legs crashed together and locked for a full three seconds.
Then both were thrown back, staggering several steps away.
Zeff had only used thirty percent of his strength.
But against most people, that was more than enough to send them flying.
"You what are you?" Zeff narrowed his eyes. "That move just now… what do you call it?"
Lucas rolled his right leg a bit, casually answering, "Night Guy."
"Huh?" Zeff raised a brow. "That's the name of your move?"
Lucas nodded. "Yeah."
Zeff blinked. "What kind of weird name is that...?"
Still, strange as it was, this little punk had earned his attention.
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