Usopp desperately suppressed his laughter and walked over to Luffy, who was still happily rolling his neck around. Just as he was about to say something, he waved a hand in front of his nose.
"Hey, hey, Luffy. Don't you smell a little weird?"
【Maintaining a good appearance is an important factor when recruiting companions. Please wash yourself immediately. Time has been allocated according to your current physical condition. Countdown: five minutes...】
"I'm gonna take a shower!"
Luffy inwardly complained about what a pain this was.
But his body moved faster than his brain, and with a whoosh, he shot toward the washroom.
Everyone: "..."
By the time the freshly washed and fully energized Luffy came bouncing back onto the deck, Zoro had already instructed Usopp and Johnny to adjust the sails in preparation for approaching Baratie.
Just then, Usopp pointed toward an enormous object floating in the waters beside the restaurant.
"What's that?!"
Everyone looked over.
The wreckage of an enormous ship, far larger than an ordinary vessel, was half-submerged in the sea.
Its massive hull had been split cleanly into two sections, telling the story of the devastating attack it had suffered.
The enormous holes and torn scars across the hull were horrifying to behold.
"The Krieg Pirates' flagship!"
As a bounty hunter born and raised in the East Blue, Johnny instantly recognized the famous insignia.
"They're the biggest pirate fleet in the East Blue! They have fifty ships and five thousand men! How did their flagship end up like that?"
"How did a ship that huge sink?"
"It wasn't sunk by cannon fire. That cut looks like the whole thing was sliced apart with a single slash."
"Don't be ridiculous! How could anyone cut a ship like that in half with one slash? You think it's made of paper?!"
Usopp waved his hand dismissively.
While everyone was still stunned by the wreckage of Krieg's flagship, a warship flying the Marine seagull flag also appeared within their field of vision, sailing straight toward Baratie.
Standing on the warship's deck was a muscular Marine officer with an impatient expression plastered across his face.
"Hm? Survivors from the Krieg Pirates? They just had to show up and interrupt my meal at a time like this!"
Marine Headquarters Lieutenant Iron Fist Fullbody stared irritably at the approaching Going Merry.
"I've already made a reservation at Baratie. Don't even think about ruining my meal."
He turned toward his subordinates.
"Bring out my cannon!"
Boom!
A cannon roared.
Fullbody had already boarded a small boat and was heading toward Baratie, paying absolutely no attention to the pirates behind him.
"Hey, are you kidding me?! What the hell are you trying to do to my ship?!"
Without the slightest warning, before Zoro even had time to reach for the hilt of his sword, Luffy suddenly moved.
It wasn't his usual kind of rubbery launch.
Instead, his entire body instantly turned bright red, while fine white steam gushed violently from every pore of his body as though he were boiling!
"Gear Second! Gum-Gum Jet Pistol!"
What's that?
Nami covered her mouth.
Whoosh!
Luffy's figure left an afterimage behind as he appeared in midair and assumed an attacking stance.
Then came the shrill sound of air being torn apart.
"So fast!" Zoro's eyes widened.
That speed was even faster than his sword.
The technique worked!
By accelerating his blood circulation, Luffy could strengthen his entire body, almost like taking a stimulant.
An ordinary person's blood vessels would've already ruptured under the pressure of doing something like this.
But Luffy had no such problem.
He was a rubber man!
"Well? Pretty fast, right? It's a new move I just developed."
Luffy couldn't wait to see the shocked expressions on Nami and the others' faces.
He hadn't spent the past two days blindly training without thinking.
Developing cool Devil Fruit abilities was the most important part!
"Yeah, yeah, really fast."
"Thanks, Luffy. The Going Merry sends its regards."
"Yep. That's him, all right."
Usopp and the others responded halfheartedly.
Between Luffy and her wallet, Nami chose her wallet.
After all, a place like Baratie definitely didn't look cheap.
The solid cannonball Luffy had struck went flying straight toward the glass dome on Baratie's top floor.
It blasted a massive hole straight through it.
Who knew how much they'd have to pay for that?
Through the thick smoke surrounding the shattered opening, they could vaguely make out the figure of a chef being blown away by the shockwave.
It was Baratie's head chef, Red-Leg Zeff!
For pirates, being asked whether they'd like a cannonball today was practically an everyday occurrence.
But Zeff hadn't been a pirate for many years.
"Who the hell did that?!"
Anyone would be pissed after getting caught up in a disaster for no reason.
【Warning: Half of Companion Day remains. Please recruit a companion immediately...】
By the time the countdown sounded, Luffy had already been brought before Zeff by Baratie's staff.
"I already told you I'm fine. Get back to work. Keep an eye on that idiot Sanji. Who knows what kind of trouble he'll cause while I'm gone..."
Luffy finally saw the owner of the voice.
The man looked to be somewhere in his forties or fifties, with a vicious face that made it obvious he'd been no saint when he was younger.
For a moment, Luffy almost thought he'd run into a fellow pirate.
"Old man, are you a pirate?" Luffy asked.
"Hm? That was when I was younger. None of that matters now. Let's talk about compensation."
Zeff sat down with his arms crossed and raised his leg, revealing that one of them was missing.
"Y-Your leg's gone?!" Luffy's mouth fell open. "Are you trying to scam me?!"
"That's an old injury. I'm not making you pay for it."
Zeff struggled to follow Luffy's train of thought.
Wouldn't a normal person be looking at the injuries he'd just suffered?
What was so interesting about his leg?
"Oh. Then I'll get going."
"Huh?"
"You said I didn't have to pay for it."
Luffy paused.
"Besides, I don't have any money."
Zeff: "..."