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"This is a restaurant, right?" A man wearing a gray coat, holding a pistol, of dium build with unkempt hair and beard, and thick lips, stumbled unsteadily into the Baratie.
He slumped down at an empty table, propping his legs up on it as if the simple action took all his remaining strength.
"Anything... Just get sothing to eat," Gin rasped weakly.
"Esteed custor, this establishnt doesn't welco freeloaders. Do you have money, sir?" Patty approached Gin, rubbing his hands together greedily, plastering on an exaggerated smile.
"If this is a restaurant, then hurry up and bring the food! Or do you want a taste of lead?" Gin snarled, his face grim, leveling his pistol at Patty.
"No money, huh?" Patty's smile vanished instantly.
WHAM! Patty crossed his fists and slamd them down, smashing Gin and the table together.
"If you're not a custor, then get the hell out of here!" He then proceeded to brutally kick and stomp on Gin.
The surrounding custors cheered, seeing one of the restaurant's chefs beat up a mber of the infamous Krieg Pirates.
"I-I've had enough! What the hell is wrong with this restaurant?! I'm never coming back here!" Fullbody, still on the floor, watched in terror as Gin—a man even he feared—was pumled by a re chef. Cold sweat drenched his forehead.
He scrambled towards the exit.
But as he reached the doorway, Fullbody felt an imnse pressure lock onto him again. He swallowed hard.
It was coming from 'Sky Sovereign' Rowen.
Fullbody imdiately emptied his pockets, leaving all his money behind, then practically crawled out of the restaurant as fast as he could.
"Wow, this guy was actually pretty loaded," Nami comnted, scooping up the money with a sweet smile.
"You guys have to pay your own way, though! I only covered mine and Rowen's!" Nami then declared, looking pointedly at Zoro and Usopp.
"Huh?!" Zoro and Usopp, who had been watching the commotion, froze.
Didn't Rowen basically get that money for them?
How did it beco Nami's?!
But seeing Rowen smiling indulgently beside Nami, Zoro and Usopp decided it was probably best to figure out how to pay their own bills.
Rowen watched Nami with an affectionate smile. He knew Nami often talked tough about money, but when it truly mattered, she would likely still cover for them.
"Hm?" Luffy noticed the chef with the curly eyebrows, Sanji, quietly heading towards the back kitchen alone.
"Alright folks, please continue enjoying your als!" Having finished beating Gin, Patty plastered his exaggerated smile back on, earning another round of applause from the patrons.
He then dragged Gin out the back door and tossed him onto the outer deck.
"Don't let see you again!" Patty sneered, slamming the door shut.
"Hey! Are you hungry?" Luffy called out from the second-floor railing, looking down at Gin lying weakly on the deck.
"Shut up! I'm not hungry!" Gin retorted weakly, still clinging to his pride despite his condition.
But his growling stomach betrayed him instantly.
Click.
The back door opened again.
Sanji erged, carrying a plate of fried rice, which he placed gently in front of Gin.
"Eat up," Sanji said softly, lighting a cigarette and looking up at the sky, avoiding looking directly at Gin's pathetic state.
"T-Take it away! I don't accept charity!" Gin stared at the fragrant fried rice, swallowing hard despite his words.
"Whether you eat it or not is your decision. But to , anyone who's hungry is a custor," Sanji stated, exhaling a puff of smoke.
"No one knows better than how terrifying it is to be stranded at sea without food or water," Sanji murmured, his eyes clouded with complex mories.
He and Zeff, the owner (who was a pirate back then), had once been shipwrecked together on a barren rock, surviving for 48 days before rescue.
No one understood the horror of starvation better than Sanji. That experience had forged his core principle: anyone who was hungry, regardless of who they were, was a custor deserving of a al.
Grudges could be settled after everyone had eaten.
"I understand if you refuse to eat out of pride... But if you eat this, you'll live," Sanji said, turning to look at Gin, a slight curve to his lips.
"!!!" The next mont, Gin grabbed the plate and began devouring the food ravenously.
"Delicious... So delicious... I thought I was really going to die..." Gin sobbed, tears mixing with the food as he ate.
"Best you've ever had, right?" Sanji asked, a genuine smile gracing his lips.
Whenever Sanji saw soone starving eat his food, it reminded him of the overwhelming emotion he felt when he ate his first al after being rescued—the taste of hope, the taste of life itself.
Click.
"Found a suitable cook? Luffy." Just then, Rowen pushed open the door and walked over to Luffy's side, smiling as he looked down at the scene.
"Shishishi! Yep! Found a great cook!" Luffy grinned back.
"Hey! Cook! Join my pirate crew and be our cook!" Luffy then yelled down cheerfully at Sanji.
"Huh?" Sanji looked up, montarily bewildered upon seeing Luffy.
"You're the man with that beautiful lady—So you're a pirate?" Sanji's gaze then shifted to Rowen beside Luffy, his expression turning serious.
"That's right. Na's Rowen. Luffy's comrade. How about it? Want to join us?" Rowen asked Sanji with a smile.
Rowen watched Sanji. His principle—that anyone hungry is a custor, even a potential enemy who might bring greater danger, must be fed first—Rowen didn't find it foolish at all. He admired it.
The most important duty of a chef is to feed people. That is the fundantal calling of the position.
Feeding anyone who is hungry, even strangers, even potential enemies—that was Sanji's unique core principle.
Everyone who survived on these seas had their own principles, their own lines they wouldn't cross. So might seem foolish to others, but by adhering steadfastly to one's own nature, one could beco truly strong.
Besides, Rowen, having co from Japan where food held imnse significance, understood this well. Although he hadn't lived through the eras of widespread famine, resources weren't always abundant during his childhood either.
Getting to eat delicious food he craved was an occasional luxury.
And the deep-seated cultural importance of ensuring everyone was fed seed almost ingrained in the DNA of people from his holand.
When eting soone familiar, the first question after initial greetings was always: Have you eaten?
If not, then eating ca first.
Even if facing a major crisis, eating first was essential.
Even if preparing to fight to the death, both sides should eat first.
Just as Luffy often yelled in the original story:
If you're hungry, you eat!
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