The noise from their side not only drew the attention of the entire restaurant but also brought Zeff and Sanji out from upstairs and the kitchen, respectively.
"Alright, Patty, are you trying to break the restaurant's tables and chairs again?" a deep, aged voice echoed from upstairs, capturing everyone's gaze.
Then, an old man descended the stairs. He was wearing a chef's uniform and a very tall toque blanche. His golden beard was tied into two long braids, fanned out on either side of his lips. The old man had a wooden prosthetic leg, which made a "thump, thump, thump..." sound as he walked on the wooden floor.
Seeing the approaching old man, the few loudly clamoring Marines immediately fell silent. They weren't afraid of this Popeye-like fellow, but they were afraid of the old man before them. Ordinary people didn't know this old guy's past, but did they, the Marines, not know? This old man was the captain of the renowned Chef Pirates in the East Blue over a decade ago. Legend had it that he possessed incredibly high-level kicking techniques. Because he kicked his opponents so hard that they bled profusely, and his own feet were stained red with blood, he was known as "Red-Leg" Zeff. Although he no longer sailed as a pirate, his former reputation still held sway. Who knew if he would suddenly go berserk and give them a kick.
Walking up to the Marines, Zeff first kicked Patty with his prosthetic leg and said, "What are you standing around for? Get to processing the ingredients. It's rude to keep the guests waiting so long."
Patty pouted. He clearly wasn't afraid of Zeff. He turned and quickly headed towards Kong Tai's table. Arriving before Kong Tai, his ferocious expression transformed as if he were a master of disguise, quickly replaced by a smile that bloomed like a chrysanthemum. He bowed, rubbing his hands together near his head, and said obsequiously, "Sir, do you have any other requests?"
In the restaurant, everyone's lips twitched, and a collective silence fell. 'You're being too obvious!'
Kong Tai twitched his lips, also speechless at Patty's antics. This guy was truly something else. "Don't get so close to me. I can see your nose hairs; it's disgusting. Hurry up and cook."
"Understood, guest. Your request is my utmost priority." He slowly retreated a few steps, turned, straightened his bent back, swiftly wiped the smile off his face, and disappeared into the kitchen.
Seeing that there was no more excitement to be had, the other restaurant patrons slowly resumed their previous activities. "What, that's it?" Some of them had heard that the chefs here liked to get into fights with pirates and guests, and had come specifically to witness the spectacle.
Zeff looked at the Marines standing ramrod straight before him and said calmly, "Go call your Captain Ruster for a meal! We're old friends. That guy always comes in first when he visits." "Oh, right, I haven't seen you before. Are you new to the crew?"
"Yes, Mr. Zeff." One of the Marines cautiously said to Zeff, "If Mr. Zeff has nothing else, we'll go call our captain now."
"Go on, go on!" Zeff waved them away. The Marines breathed a sigh of relief and quickly turned and ran out of the restaurant.
Seeing how easily Zeff had resolved the situation, Kong Tai exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Yo! As expected of a man with a title, so imposing!"
"This guest, I'm not an imposing person. I'm just an ordinary restaurant owner." Zeff walked over to Kong Tai's table, stood beside him, and said calmly.
"Well, no matter who you are, could you please hurry up and cook?" Kong Tai shrugged indifferently.
"Of course, guest, please wait. After all, even the fastest cooking takes time to prepare."
*Slap—!*
Kong Tai took out a stack of Beli from his pocket and casually tossed it onto the table. "How about now!"
Zeff's lips twitched. He felt like Kong Tai was humiliating him. "Guest, even if you rush, it will still take at least half an hour!"
"How about now!"
*Slap—!*
The same action, the same amount of money. Zeff's calm expression slowly turned into a smile, and he even bent his waist slightly. If this was considered humiliation, then please, intensify it. "Guest, I can only speed it up by twenty minutes. Any faster and my old bones will fall apart."
*Slap—!*
This time it was a large wad, at least seven or eight stacks. "How about now!" Kong Tai watched with amusement as Zeff's expression changed dramatically, his smile widening. Playing this game of showering people with money was quite satisfying. After all, this money was all found. Yes, found. There were so many pirates at sea, all waiting for them to pick up their money! From the moment he set sail, he was no longer the person who had to borrow money just to build a ship. From now on, please call him... Kong... the Richest Man. He had already claimed all the Beli from all the pirate crews he would encounter in the future.
Zeff looked at the Beli on the table. His expression was no longer calm. He gradually bent over, a stiff smile on his face, rubbing his hands together as he looked at Kong Tai. "Guest, I promise you, five minutes. It will only take five minutes to prepare the dish." It wasn't that he lacked principles, but the offer was simply too much.
Seeing Zeff's demeanor, which was so similar to Patty's earlier, Kong Tai burst into laughter. "Hahaha...!!" Ahua and the other two, who had been watching the performance of Kong Tai and Zeff, also burst into laughter. They couldn't hold it in any longer. They slapped the table as they laughed, making a "bang, bang, bang..." sound. Guina, on the other hand, covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking violently, emitting laughter as clear as the ringing of silver bells.
Zeff straightened his back, smiling as he watched the four of them laugh hysterically. He had already realized that Kong Tai was just joking with him and had played along. Otherwise, did they really think he was doing it for the money on the table?
Seeing that Kong Tai and the others had laughed enough, Zeff finally asked, "Kid, looking at your clothes, you don't seem like pirates. Are you planning to travel somewhere, or are you really going on an adventure?"
"Of course, it's an adventure! We plan to circumnavigate the Grand Line," Ahua replied excitedly. From the moment they set sail, Kong Tai had told them this was their goal.
"The Grand Line, how nostalgic, that place." A nostalgic look appeared on Zeff's face. Ahua and the others only knew Zeff as a chef, not as a former pirate. They weren't like Kong Tai or the Marines.
"Oh, looking at Mr. Zeff, have you been to the Grand Line?" Ahua asked with interest, pushing his glasses up. Zeff smiled and reminisced, "Mm-hmm... I used to have a dream, so I found a group of like-minded companions and went to the Grand Line." He paused, his expression gradually becoming serious, and continued, looking at Kong Tai and the others, "We only sailed for a year in the Grand Line before we were completely wiped out. If it weren't for a kind ship, even I wouldn't have made it back."
"Then what happened! How did you decide to open a restaurant at sea?" A-lo asked, resting his hands on the table, looking at Zeff with confusion. Hearing A-lo's question, Ahua and A-tao also nodded, looking at Zeff curiously. They didn't care about the dangers of the Grand Line. After all, they hadn't experienced it, so they couldn't empathize, and besides, there was Kong Tai's invincible strength. They were more interested in what motivated a person to open a restaurant at sea. They figured he must have gone through many interesting experiences to have such an idea.
Meeting the curious gazes of Ahua and the three, a flicker of fear flashed in Zeff's eyes. He pulled out a chair, sat next to Kong Tai, and nonchalantly recounted his tragic experience of being shipwrecked and stranded on a deserted island. He didn't elaborate much on his leg or Sanji.
After hearing Zeff's experience, Ahua adjusted his glasses, a gleam in his eyes. "So, Mr. Zeff, you experienced extreme hunger, and to ensure that those who set sail had a place to eat when they were hungry, you conceived the idea of opening a restaurant at sea?"
"Yes." Hearing Zeff's short, affirmative answer, they all showed expressions of admiration. For a chef, what a grand and noble idea!
Zeff looked at the young men before him. They were only interested in Baratie and seemed indifferent to the dangers of the Grand Line. He kindly warned them, "Kids, I advise you to be well-prepared before setting off. After all, the dangers of the Grand Line are incomparable to the Four Seas. It's where all the fiercest pirates from the Four Seas gather."
"Pirates?" A-tao shrugged indifferently, pulled out a cigarette case, offered it to Zeff, and smiled, "Mr. Zeff, would you like one?" Zeff looked at A-tao and quickly waved his hand, explaining to them, "My hands have never touched these things. I'm afraid it would contaminate my cooking." A-tao, seeing that Zeff wasn't faking it, put away the cigarette case, lit one for himself, and took a puff.
Sensing that Kong Tai and the others didn't take pirates seriously, Zeff continued with a serious tone, "Pirates are manageable; you might even escape. If you're unlucky and encounter a catastrophic weather event, then congratulations, you might all be annihilated. And I was the one who encountered a catastrophe and was annihilated."