At the end of the day, the Navy is a massive organization filled with all kinds of people.
You can earn a promotion and make a name for yourself by defeating a notorious pirate.
But what do you gain from taking down some nobody? Nothing.
And yet, those so-called nobodies make up the majority of the pirate population.
It's the Navy's duty to hunt pirates—but how many are truly willing to follow through?
After all, this is war. A sailor barely makes enough each month—why would anyone risk their life for such a job?
Right now, the Straw Hat Pirates barely have any bounty to speak of.
Will the Navy act? Highly unlikely.
If they attack and win, then sure, there's nothing to say. But what if they lose? What if they suffer casualties? How will they report that to their superiors?
Naruto glanced at the marines nearby. They were blatantly ignoring the Straw Hats.
No intention to fight. That's fine. Fewer disputes mean fewer problems.
So they walked into the floating restaurant without causing any stir.
After they sat down, a handsome young man with blond, curly hair strolled over.
No one had ordered anything yet, but he already placed a drink in front of Nami.
Then came a stream of smooth, greasy lines—he was clearly trying to flirt.
This was Sanji. Naturally, Nami didn't hold back.
Free drinks? Sure. No reason to decline.
The rest of the crew started ordering food, but Sanji ignored them completely, which made Zoro's brows twitch with growing irritation.
The atmosphere thickened with tension—one wrong move and fists might fly.
"Hey, waiter boy! What're you still doing out here? Get back to the kitchen!"
A one-legged chef emerged from the kitchen, scolding Sanji and chasing him away.
He then personally took everyone's orders and offered a sincere apology.
Good service, at least. The customer is always right.
Of course, Naruto suspected there was more to it. The old man had likely noticed something.
After all, he was a former Grand Line sailor—not exactly a pushover.
Being able to assess others' strength is a survival skill.
Naruto himself was unreadable. Zoro, on the other hand, was like a drawn blade—his aura sharp and menacing.
And then there was the idiot in the straw hat—Luffy. No killing intent, but casually stretching his limbs?
Obviously a Devil Fruit user.
If Sanji kept acting rashly and got into a fight with this crew, things could get ugly.
The old chef sighed, clearly displeased with Sanji's impulsiveness.
But what could he say? He raised the kid like his own. He bore that responsibility.
"What an interesting bunch," Zeff murmured to himself. "Their eyes… they're clear."
"If it's them, then maybe Sanji—"
Zeff's thoughts drifted.
There was no future for Sanji here in the restaurant.
The boy needed to go out to sea and chase his dream—a dream they both once shared.
So Zeff decided to keep an eye on these newcomers.
He even sent out an extra dish as an apology for the earlier awkwardness.
Then something unfortunate happened.
Someone had escaped from the Navy ship.
This wasn't just any prisoner—he was a high-ranking officer of the Krieg Pirates.
The Navy had gone through a lot to capture him.
From the looks of things, he had hijacked a ship and fled.
The Navy scrambled to give chase, while the restaurant erupted in murmurs.
"The Krieg Pirates, huh?" Zoro muttered. "They're on my list. I've marked them as enemies before."
"But you've never found them," Naruto said, frowning. "Probably because you can't navigate to save your life."
A cold joke, delivered so casually.
Zoro stared at Naruto, helpless.
Then, a man burst into the restaurant—gaunt, disheveled, gripping a massive iron club.
It was Gin—the Demon Man. One of the more mysterious figures among pirates.
Apparently, he had only pretended to set sail earlier to mislead the Navy.
Gin had become something of a meme among pirate fans.
Every time a mysterious figure appears, people start speculating: "Is that Gin?"
Even when Admiral Green Bull first appeared, some fans joked he might be Gin in disguise.
But how could a pirate become a Navy Admiral?
Clearly, the author had hinted Gin might return, but he vanished from the narrative for a long time.
Now, starved and exhausted, Gin just wanted something to eat.
But the restaurant staff weren't fools...
"Everyone in this restaurant can put up a decent fight. If ordinary pirates cause trouble, we can just rough them up and throw them out."
Most of the chefs understood the situation clearly. There was no way they'd serve food to someone like Gin.
So, they beat him up and kicked him to the curb.
Once the Navy showed up, he'd likely be captured anyway.
Most of the staff were smart enough to know that refusing to serve him was the safest option.
After all, he was a pirate. Who knew what kind of cruelty he might unleash once he regained his strength?
But even if everyone else refused him food, there was always someone who would step in.
Sanji, for instance.
As a cook, he lived by his own creed—no one leaves hungry.
Silently, he prepared a plate of fried rice and slipped it to Gin behind the others' backs.
That moment happened to be witnessed by Luffy.
It was the spark of something fateful.
"You're pretty interesting," Luffy said, grinning. "Come join my crew."
Just like that, he extended the invitation.
Naruto, passing by, saw the whole exchange. But he didn't intervene.
Fate had its way of bringing people together.
And truthfully, Sanji was probably the best choice they could ever have for a cook.
Naruto didn't want to see the Straw Hat crew altered too much.
Maybe new members would join later on—but the core group? That shouldn't change.
Sanji rejected the offer outright. He shook his head and lit a cigarette.
Who wouldn't? When a complete stranger asks you to become their pirate companion out of the blue, the instinct is to turn them down.
Right now, Sanji couldn't bring himself to leave this restaurant behind.
But there was another reason—something far more important.
Sanji was afraid.
Afraid that once he left, once he made a name for himself on the seas, he'd draw attention from people he wanted to stay hidden from.
His family.
Yes—Sanji was a Vinsmoke.
He'd run away from them as a child, cutting off all contact with the Germa 66 military empire and the Vinsmoke bloodline.
But dreams don't just disappear.
Naruto could tell—Sanji was on the verge of stepping forward.
He just needed one last push.
...
TN:
♾️ Pa-treon-com/LordMerlin