Morning light poured into the cramped cabin where Mox had spent the night.
He had barely managed to get proper sleep on his little fishing boat, but the noise outside was more than enough to wake him.
It wasn’t the waves.
It was the unmistakable sound of the Baratie coming alive.
Plates clattered.
Customers laughed and talked.
The shouts of chefs calling out orders.
It was like a pot of boiling soup, and even from a distance, he could feel the lively atmosphere.
“So this is the Baratie…”
“It really lives up to its reputation.”
Mox rubbed his eyes and sat up.
The fatigue from the previous night still lingered, and his body felt sticky and uncomfortable.
He looked down at himself.
The dust and grease he’d picked up while hauling treasure aboard the pirate ship yesterday were making him extremely uncomfortable.
He frowned.
Then he had an idea.
Using his Observation Haki, he locked onto the dust covering his skin and clothes.
“Cleansing Technique.”
Mox had named the technique himself.
Who hasn’t dreamed of becoming something more?
A faint blue glow instantly enveloped his entire body.
The stains and dust seemed to come alive, peeling away from his clothes and skin.
It was as though an invisible vacuum cleaner were sucking them away.
Even the grains of sand caught in his hair weren’t spared.
A few seconds later, the light faded.
Mox looked completely refreshed.
His already fair skin glowed delicately in the morning sunlight.
His shoulder-length black hair fell smoothly around his shoulders.
The clothes he’d hurriedly bought in Fallen Gull Town remained loose-fitting, with oversized sleeves and pant legs making his slender frame look even thinner.
Combined with his already somewhat androgynous, delicate features, it was genuinely difficult to tell whether he was a boy or a girl from a distance.
Instead, he gave off an unusual sort of cuteness.
Once he was ready, Mox headed toward the enormous restaurant floating on the sea.
The moment he stepped onto the Baratie’s wooden walkway, a young man wearing a black suit approached him.
Golden hair covered half his face.
His eyebrow curled into a distinctive spiral.
It was none other than “Black Leg” Sanji.
Sanji wore a perfectly gentle smile.
“Welcome to the Baratie, beautiful lady.”
“Would you like me to arrange a table for you?”
Mox froze.
Only then did he realize that Sanji had mistaken him for a girl.
He was just about to explain when Sanji continued speaking with a stream of thoughtful compliments.
“Your hair is beautiful.
Did you just wash it?”
“The sea breeze is rather strong.
Would you prefer a seat by the window that’s sheltered from the wind?”
“Today’s seafood chowder is one of our specialties.
I specifically added extra scallops.”
“It’s perfect for a beautiful lady like yourself…”
Mox had seen Sanji’s gentlemanly behavior countless times in the manga.
Experiencing it firsthand was another matter entirely.
He felt uncomfortable from head to toe.
“Th-Thank you…”
His cheeks grew slightly warm, and he could only let Sanji lead him to a seat with an excellent view.
The customers around them seemed to accept his supposed “female” identity without question.
Several male customers even sneaked glances at him, their eyes filled with admiration.
That only made Mox even more uncomfortable.
“Actually, I’m…”
“Please wait a moment, miss!”
Sanji gave an elegant bow and turned toward the kitchen.
“Your chowder will be out shortly.”
“I guarantee you’ve never tasted anything this delicious!”
Mox watched him walk away with practiced grace and could only sigh helplessly.
Fine.
Food first.
Soon, a steaming bowl of seafood chowder was brought over.
The clear broth shimmered with oil.
The fresh aroma of scallops, shrimp, and clams mingled with the fragrance of herbs and rushed into his nose.
One sip was so delicious it practically made his eyebrows fly off.
Rich without being greasy.
Every ingredient’s natural flavor had been brought out to perfection.
Just like he’d seen in the manga.
Sanji’s cooking really was an art.
Mox was happily eating when the restaurant’s main doors were suddenly kicked open.
A group of sloppily dressed pirates with enormous bellies poured inside.
Their leader had a face full of coarse features and a rusty cutlass hanging from his waist.
One of the customers recognized them and cried out:
“That’s the Big Eater Pirates, led by Potikass, with a bounty of five million Berries!”
“Bring us the best dishes you’ve got!”
“Extra-large portions!”
The burly pirate leader dropped into a chair at the largest table in the center and put his feet directly on another chair.
The Big Eater Pirates behaved as though they hadn’t eaten in ten years.
They rudely drove the customers away.
Anyone who looked like they might resist was simply thrown outside.
The pirates immediately began devouring the food.
They shoved huge portions into their mouths with no regard for manners.
Food spilled onto the floor, and they didn’t care.
One even grabbed a plate and hurled it toward the kitchen.
“Hey!”
“You’re wasting food!”
A waiter who looked like a gorilla tried to stop them, only to be shoved aside by one of the pirates.
Sanji walked out of the kitchen carrying a dish.
The moment he saw what was happening, the smile vanished from his face.
His eyes turned cold.
He walked over to the pirates.
His voice was calm, but carried an unmistakable authority.
“Guests.”
“Please respect the food.”
“Who the hell are you, blondie?”
One pirate sneered.
“I paid for my meal.
How I eat it is none of your damn business!”
As he spoke, he grabbed a steak and threw it onto the floor.
Bang!
Sanji’s leg moved like lightning.
His foot slammed into the pirate’s face, sending him flying out of the restaurant and onto the fish-fin deck outside.
He didn’t move again.
“At the Baratie, the customer is God.”
“But wasting food is the greatest sin.”
Sanji rolled his ankle.
His sharp eyes glinted beneath his golden hair.
“What’s this?”
“You dare fight us?”
The pirate captain roared.
“Beat the hell out of him!”
More than a dozen lackeys immediately charged.
Sanji didn’t retreat.
Instead, he stepped forward.
His figure weaved through the crowd.
Every kick landed precisely on a pirate’s weak point while deliberately avoiding fatal blows.
A succession of heavy impacts rang through the restaurant.
The pirates were kicked away one after another like broken kites.
Some crashed into walls.
Others were sent flying straight out of the restaurant.
Their screams echoed across the deck.
Sanji’s kicks flowed as smoothly as water.
Strength and technique blended perfectly.
Mox secretly nodded.
As expected of Zeff’s disciple.
Just as Sanji finished off the final lackey, the pirate captain suddenly pulled a short knife from inside his clothes.
Taking advantage of Sanji turning away, he lunged forward.
Straight toward Sanji’s heart.
Acting on pure survival instinct, Sanji raised his arm to block.
Nobody had expected a pirate with a five-million-Berry bounty to resort to a sneak attack.
“Watch out!”
Mox’s pupils contracted.
He knew better than anyone how important Sanji’s hands were.
For a chef who took pride in his cooking, his hands were weapons more precious than his life.
Almost the instant he shouted, Mox moved.
His body blurred.
In an instant, he crossed several meters.
Just as the knife was about to strike the back of Sanji’s hand, Mox’s right hand clamped around the pirate captain’s wrist like an iron vise.
His left hand pressed down on the man’s shoulder.
His foot hooked around the pirate’s leg.
It was a movement from Eight Extremities Fist.
Embracing Elbow.
“Gah!”
The pirate captain felt a sharp pain in his wrist.
His body was forced forward.
Mox gave him no chance to recover.
He dropped his shoulder and drove forward with explosive force.
Heart-Piercing Elbow!
Immediately afterward, he twisted his body, rotated his arm, and followed with a powerful Iron Mountain Lean.
The sequence came like a sudden storm.
The pirate captain had no chance to breathe.
Pfft!
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
His body flew backward like a discarded sack and slammed heavily into one of the restaurant’s pillars.
He slid down and collapsed unconscious.
The entire restaurant fell silent.
Sanji stood frozen.
He looked at his unharmed hand.
Then wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Finally, he looked toward Mox.
His eyes were filled with shock and gratitude.
“Th-Thank you…”
“Beautiful lady, might I know your name?”
“Mox.”
“And…”
Mox smiled.
“I’m actually a guy.”
Sanji froze.
Mox ignored his stunned expression.
“He tried to ambush you.”
“That was just ugly.”
He shook his hand casually.
That entire sequence of movements had practically been instinctive.
At that moment, Zeff, who had been standing behind the bar watching everything coldly, gave a low grunt.
There was a hint of approval in his eyes.
“Kid.”
“Not bad.”
He’d been preparing to intervene himself.
But Mox had beaten him to it.
That speed.
That explosive power.
And those techniques—
Every one of them was lethal.
The rest was simple.
The restaurant staff efficiently brought out a Den Den Mushi and contacted the nearby Marines.
Judging from how practiced they were at handling the situation, this clearly wasn’t the first time they’d dealt with trouble like this.
“Five million Berries.”
“That should be enough to cover the damages.”
Zeff stroked his chin and looked at Sanji.
“Keep an eye on them.”
At this point, Sanji was still completely frozen.
He kept muttering under his breath.
“A guy…”
“A girl…”
He was clearly experiencing the ultimate social death.
With nothing else to do, Mox decided to inspect the pirates’ ship.
The hold was packed with stolen food.
There was no way he could use all of it himself, so he simply called over the restaurant staff and had them carry everything back to the Baratie.
“Consider it extra ingredients for the kitchen.”
He smiled.
While clearing out the pirate captain’s treasure chest, Mox discovered something unexpected.
Besides some Berries and miscellaneous items, there was a gold-embossed invitation and a strangely shaped nautical chart.
The invitation read:
East Blue Big Eater Tournament
The island indicated on the chart was the location of the event.
The organizer was apparently a retired Marine Vice Admiral living on the island.
Even wanted pirates were allowed to participate.
As long as they didn’t cause trouble during the competition, the island guaranteed their safety.
The tournament would begin in five days.
The prize was listed as:
100,000 Berries
And—
A previously undocumented Devil Fruit.
“A Devil Fruit?”
Mox’s eyes lit up.
This was an unexpected bonus.
He wasn’t particularly interested in the competition itself.
But the Devil Fruit had definitely caught his attention.
At that moment, the system’s mechanical voice sounded.
[The ship’s captain, Potikass, has lost consciousness.
The pirate ship now qualifies for Trash Decomposition.
Decompose?]
Mox fell silent for a moment.
So defeating someone wasn’t enough to decompose their ship.
At least one of the following conditions had to be met.
The owner voluntarily abandoned the ship and escaped.The owner lost consciousness.
Mox gave the command.
“Decompose.”
The area covered by his Observation Haki spread outward.
The pirate ship slowly broke apart.
It transformed into streams of light and flowed into Mox’s body.
Then the system suddenly issued another notification.
[Pirate Ship absorbed.
Energy +2,000.]
[Current Energy: 2,000.]
[Energy has surpassed the required threshold.
New Trash-Trash Fruit ability unlocked: Trash Synthesis.]
[System Panel]
Host: Mox
Basic Attributes:
Physical Strength: 27
Note: Armament Haki requires 1,000 Physical Strength to unlock.Energy: 2,013.701
Ability System:
Devil Fruit AbilitiesTrash ManipulationTrash DecompositionTrash Synthesis Personal Abilities (+ indicates Energy can be spent to enhance the ability)Eight Extremities Fist: Proficient +Observation Haki: Beginner +Trash Can Space: 10 × 10 cubic meters +
Resource Storage:
Decomposed Material Storage:
Iron: 1,780 unitsCopper: 146 units…
The system explained:
[Items can be decomposed into their base elements, impurities removed, and then synthesized again.]
[Example: Iron → Iron Block.
Wood → Wooden Rod.]
[Synthesized materials possess superior quality compared with naturally occurring materials.]
Mox picked up the Big Eater Pirates’ rusty cutlass from the floor and selected Decompose.
The metal instantly transformed into tiny points of light.
The system panel displayed:
Iron Element.
He then selected Synthesize.
The points of light gathered together.
A small silver-white block of iron formed in his hand.
It was smooth to the touch.
Not a trace of impurity remained.
Its quality was even better than the refined iron sold on the market.
“This ability is actually pretty damn useful.”
Mox nodded in satisfaction.
Getting materials is going to be much easier from now on.
When he returned to the restaurant, Sanji was standing there with an unusually serious expression.
“Mox.”
“To thank you, the Baratie is closing for one day.”
“I’m going to throw you a feast!”
Zeff nodded as well.
“That’s only right, kid.”
“Come have a drink with this old man.”
And so, an impromptu banquet began aboard the Baratie.
Mox sat on the open-air deck, drinking ice-cold beer and eating grilled meat prepared personally by Sanji.
There were all kinds of seafood and desserts whose names he didn’t even recognize.
It was a feast for the senses.
Sanji’s cooking completely conquered him.
Every bite was pure happiness.
After several rounds of drinks, Zeff slapped Mox on the shoulder.
Half joking and half serious, he said:
“Kid, I like your temperament and character.”
“If you’re planning to go adventuring, this brat Sanji may have a stubborn personality, but his cooking and fighting skills are both worth something.”
The implication was obvious.
Mox glanced at Sanji, who was busy bringing out more dishes.
He smiled.
“I will.”
Of course, whether Sanji actually joins the crew will be up to Luffy.
Mox had thought this through carefully.
First, he wanted to establish a connection with the Straw Hat Pirates.
He knew the story and its major events.
That was practically a cheat code in itself.
Second, his current strength was still insufficient for wandering freely through the dangerous world of One Piece.
Third, he genuinely liked the members of the Straw Hat crew.
That was why he had deliberately chosen to establish a connection with Sanji.
It would lay the groundwork for joining the crew later.
The banquet continued until deep into the night.
Slightly tipsy, Mox lay on the deck and gazed at the stars.
He felt that his trip to the Baratie had been completely worthwhile.
The next morning, Mox said goodbye to Zeff and Sanji.
“Until next time.”
He waved and climbed aboard his little boat.
Sanji stood at the edge of the Baratie and waved back.
“100,000 Berries and a Devil Fruit…”
“The Big Eater Tournament…”
“I’m coming!”
His little boat carried him toward his next destination.
Sunlight bathed his body.
The sea breeze swept through his long hair.
His loose clothes fluttered in the wind.
The road ahead was unknown.
But it was filled with anticipation.
Friends, from this point onward, the system panel won’t appear very often.