C18 Baratie Restaurant the Result of Unknowingly Revealing the Haki

Inside the expansive dining hall, a spectacle had captured the attention of most patrons. They had paused their meals to watch the unfolding drama centered on Sanji, who was embroiled in an argument with a customer.

A woman, dressed in an extravagant outfit, surveyed the room. Noticing the collective gaze upon her, she pursed her lips and, struck by a sudden idea, dumped the remaining half of her fried rice onto the floor in front of Sanji. His eyes bulged in disbelief.

With a malicious grin, the woman trampled the rice underfoot and taunted, "You're so against wasting food, right? How about you eat the fried rice off the floor? I've paid for it, after all. Consider it my treat to you—no need for thanks."

Sanji was visibly shaking with rage. "You..." he managed to utter.

"Oh dear," the woman feigned shock, "what's the matter? All talk and no action? How disappointing. Remember, don't demand of others what you can't do yourself."

Her remark elicited snickers from some onlookers, while others felt she had gone too far but remained silent.

Sanji's gaze fixed on the soiled rice as his fists clenched and unclenched in a rhythm of anger and restraint. Taking a deep breath, he finally posed a challenge, "If I eat this fried rice off the floor, will you all finish the rice on your tables?"

The woman squinted, deliberately stomping on the rice again. "Sure," she scoffed, "if you eat that rice off the floor, I'll finish the rice on the table."

"Remember, those are your words," Sanji replied.

Without another word, Sanji crouched down, scooped up the trampled rice, and, to the shock of everyone, began to eat it.

"Mommy, is that man stupid?" the woman's son pointed at Sanji with his spoon, erupting into laughter. "Hahaha, he's really eating rice off the floor! What is he, a beggar? Hahaha..."

The incident sparked a buzz among the other customers.

"What kind of person bullies a child like that?"

"He actually ate it? I thought he was just bluffing."

"Hey, lady, he's done his part. Now it's time for you to keep your promise and eat the rice on the table."

"Come on, finish the rice on the table already," the woman urged through gritted teeth, trying to block out the chatter of other customers. She couldn't stand it any longer and stood up, intending to take her son and leave.

"Can you believe it? She made a promise to that kid and then broke it. That's just low."

"Exactly, and her son is still here. She's setting a terrible example."

"Better eat up quick. That kid's eating the rice you stepped on. You're getting off easy just having to eat what's on the table—it's a win for you."

The murmurs of the crowd continued to needle the woman's ears.

Fuming, she glanced at Sanji, who was still on the floor eating the fried rice she had dirtied.

She clenched her jaw tighter.

In a swift motion, she scooped up the fried rice her son had spilled on the table and wolfed it down. Then, gripping her son's hand, she stormed out, muttering under her breath, "What a dump of a restaurant. You'll get yours, you little pest!"

Meanwhile, Lin Mo was leisurely enjoying his wine and the two dishes he'd ordered, all while keeping an eye on Sanji's situation.

To many, Sanji's squabble with the woman over something so trivial might seem unnecessary.

And eating fried rice off the floor? Unthinkable.

But ignoring such disrespect would be out of character for Sanji.

He had two rules he lived by: never waste food and never hit a woman.

So, to Lin Mo, Sanji's actions were entirely predictable.

Just then, Patty emerged from the kitchen, a large tray of desserts in hand, and his grin vanished when he spotted the commotion around Sanji.

His expression turned grave.

He quickly delivered Garp's desserts and then made his way to Sanji, grabbing the boy by the collar and hoisting him up.

The wasteful mother and son were long gone.

Patty wasn't privy to the details of the altercation, but the sight of the trampled fried rice and the grain of rice stuck to Sanji's face was enough to piece it together.

"Let me go, you jerk, Patty!"

Sanji wriggled and squirmed with all his might.

But at nine years old, he was no match for the brawny Patty.

Despite his struggles, he couldn't slip from Patty's firm grasp.

Patty slammed his other hand onto Sanji's head. "You little punk! You've been at it with the customers again, haven't you? How many have you driven away this month? Do you have any idea how much money your antics are costing us?"

Sanji shot back defiantly, "All you care about is money! Can money fill your belly?"

Undeterred, Patty landed another solid punch on Sanji's head. "The whole point of running a restaurant is to make money. How do you expect to buy ingredients without it, you fool?"

As Patty dragged Sanji toward the kitchen, he continued his scolding. "You're nothing but a freeloader, good for nothing but washing dishes!"

"Enough already! You lousy chef!"

"What? You think you have what it takes to be a chef? You're in no position to call me lousy!"

Lin Mo silently observed as Patty hauled Sanji off to the kitchen. He was here to complete a sign-in mission, after all. Clearly, the Barati was just a dining ship, not equipped to offer lodging to its patrons. The only other option would be to work here, but Lin Mo quickly dismissed the thought. Working for someone else was out of the question for him.

There was one more possibility: to have a word with Zeff, the captain and head chef of the Barati. His experience back in Frost Moon Village might come in handy. Maybe a chat with Zeff could even help advance his mission.

With that in mind, Lin Mo polished off the last bite of his meal and drained the final drop of wine from his gourd. He was just about to head upstairs to find Zeff when, out of the blue, Garp beside him tossed a doughnut his way.

Lin Mo deftly sidestepped and caught the doughnut, giving Garp a wordless stare.

Garp burst into laughter. "Not bad, Lin Mo, not bad at all. Ever thought about joining the Navy?"

What? An invitation to join the Navy, just like that?

"No way," Lin Mo flatly refused, tossing the doughnut back to Garp.

Catching the returned pastry with a chuckle, Garp took a bite and teased, "You know, wasting food on the Barati is a big no-no."

Lin Mo was at a loss for words.

"You're the one who tossed that doughnut first, you know!"

Garp's laughter boomed, "Hahaha, kiddo, no need to rush your decision. Give it some more thought."

Despite his casual demeanor, Garp, a vice admiral with skills surpassing those of an admiral, had a particularly keen eye for judging character.

Right from the start, he had pegged Lin Mo, the silent and reserved young man, as someone extraordinary.

One of the things that had truly impressed Garp about Lin Mo was the wine he drank.

The aroma wasn't overpowering, but the subtle scent of cherry blossoms mixed with a unique blend of special grains confirmed to Garp that this kid had definitely visited the Isshin Dojo in Frost Moon Village.

Garp himself had once traveled to Frost Moon Village on Navy duty and spent a couple of days at the Isshin Dojo, where Koshiro had served him wine crafted with unique techniques and ingredients.

Upon leaving, Garp had tried to get Koshiro to give him a small jug of the wine, but Koshiro firmly refused to part with more than a little.

Now, here was this kid with a whole gourd of the stuff.

It was clear that Koshiro held this young man in high regard.

The other detail that had caught Garp's attention was the small sailboat docked outside, just big enough for one or two people.

The design was distinct to Windmill Village, and he recognized it immediately.

That's why he had inquired if Lin Mo had come to Barati on his own.

Lin Mo's admission that he had indeed arrived by himself all but confirmed that the sailboat was his.

Piecing it together with a previous phone call with Red Hair, who had mentioned encountering a young upstart likely to shake up the world, Garp was now fairly certain that Lin Mo was the very troublemaker Red Hair had been talking about.

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