East Blue - An unknown location on the sea.

A Black Battleship was sailing through the ocean, with a young man wearing a long black coat fluttering behind him due to the strong winds spinning around.

Standing on the 'Black Star' deck, Austin couldn't help but smile as he examined the silhouette of the big ship visible in the distance. The ship was a relatively large one with an elliptic shape and a fish as a front piece!

Yes, It's the famous Baratie restaurant!

It took Austin's group two days to arrive at the Baratie restaurant from Gecko islands.

The group did not approach much near the restaurant because 'Black Star' has the same size as the former. So, to avoid any unnecessary drama or misunderstanding, Austin decided to stop 'Black Star' at a close distance from Baratie and ordered his crew to drop the anchors.

He then took out the Small Black Ship they used to sail on from his Inventory and jumped onto it with Brain, Zero, and Sebas, heading toward the restaurant.

.....

Thanks to Austin's wind power, arriving at the restaurant's dock took them only a short time.

After they disembarked at its dockyard and entered, Austin was surprised to discover that Baratie was like any high-end modern restaurant back on earth. It was filled with tables and chairs and was pretty full of customers.

He casually chose one of the empty tables and sat down with his group, waiting for someone to take their orders, which didn't take long as a man quickly came to do so.

Austin smiled when he saw the man who came to take their orders because he knew him from the anime. He was Carne, one of Baratie's chefs.

Carne is about average-sized with an unshaven face and brown hair. He wore chef's clothes for his job, dark sunglasses, and a chef's hat.

"Welcome Customers, How may I help you?!" Carne asked with a smile.

"I want the best dishes you have today. It doesn't matter how many dishes there are. I want to try everything." Austin said, speaking like a rich tyranny. " Also, I prefer if the meals are made by Sanji."

"Hahaha, right away, Customers!" Carne departed in high spirits, clearly happy at catching a fat fish with deep pockets.

"Who is this Sanji, my lord ?" Zero asked, curious about why Austin would request him in person.

" He is a cook! A famous cook for his excellent cooking skills." Austin smiled.

.....

30 minutes later, all the dishes were served on the table, and the group began to feast.

Austin was overjoyed after tasting the food, thinking. - ' Huh! As expected of Sanji, this is the best food I have eaten in both of my lives. It's simply delicious.'

Austin took his time, slowly enjoying and tasting all the different dishes on the table.

" What's is this ?! This is so good!" Zero praised while continuing to salvage the food.

" Indeed!" Even the hard-to-satisfy Brain nodded in agreement as he started to eat from another plate.

" I apologize, my lord. But I can't recreate such food." Sebas, as the butler and the cook of the ship, apologized to Austin.

" Never mind, I believe you would do better if you had the complete recipes," Austin replied without stopping from devouring his food.

" Without doubt, my lord." Sebas nodded and added thoughtfully, " I can tell they added some secret ingredients to these dishes."

" What ?!" Zero exclaimed before looking keenly at Sebas and asking, " So if you have the full recipes, doesn't that mean we will eat this kind of food every day on the ship?!"

" Indeed, as long as I have the total recipes, I can easily recreate these dishes with the same quality!" Sebas replied without the slightest hesitation, confident in his cooking skills.

As soon as Zero heard Sebas' reply, he immediately stood up and addressed Austin, " My lord, please allow me to attack this restaurant and get all their secret recipes."

" There's no need for that. I will get the full recipes later." Austin shook his head and smiled, adding, " So just enjoy your food from now!"

" Alright!" Zero sat down again, savoring his dishes, clearly in a good mood, drooling at the idea of having such high-end meals every day from now on.

....

Soon the group finished their food and drinks, enjoying every last part of them.

Noticing everyone finished their dishes, Austin stood up.

" Sebas, follow me! " Austin called Sebas first before glancing at Brain and Zero and added, " We will be back soon!"

He quickly left, followed by Sebas, to pay for the meals.

After Austin paid for the meals, he requested to see Zeff, the owner, which surprised Carne. But since this customer has paid a hefty sum, he didn't refuse and went to pass the request to the owner.

After a while, Carne returned with Zeff, the owner.

As soon as Austin saw Zeff, he recognized him immediately due to the latter's unique appearance.

Zeff was an elderly-looking man who wore a chef's uniform, an extra-long chef's hat, a blue ascot, and a white apron. He has a long mustache, a short beard, and a peg leg which he seems to have no trouble walking with.

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"I heard you are looking for me, Costumer! How can I help you ?" Zeff said, seizing up both Austin and Sebas from head to toe.

Since he was a pirate previously, he can recognize another pirate when he sees one. And at this moment, Zeff realizes that Austin is a pirate, and from his looks and vibes, he concludes that the latter is a powerful one too. That's why he was cautious in his approach.

" Is there another place where we can speak freely at?" Austin smiled and asked.

" Alright, follow me!" Zeff raised his brow in surprise, but nonetheless, he still agreed before heading towards a balcony on the upper floor.

....

Later, Zeff, followed by Austin and Sebas, arrived at a balcony with four chairs and a table on it.

Zeff sat on one of the chairs and signaled for Austin and Sebas to take their sits. Austin sat on the chair opposite Zeff, while Sebas decided to stand behind his lord's chair like a professional butler, much to Zeff's surprise.

" Nice to meet you, Red-Leg Zeff. The food here is really great! " Austin said casually.

Zeff narrowed his eyes in response and remained silent, looking directly at Austin's eyes.

"My Name is Ray D Austin, Captain of the Black Storm Pirates. A newly formed crew of pirates." Austin stopped for a moment before continuing," I don't like to beat around the bush, so I will get straight to the point."

He pointed at the standing Sebas behind him and said, " This is Sebas, the cook of our crew." Austin paused before adding, " I came to meet you here because we enjoyed your restaurant's meals. So we need your recipes, and in exchange, I can pay you whatever you want!"

Zeff seemed stunned for a moment before regaining his composure and asking. " You want to get my recipes, and if I guessed correctly, you want the whole formula, including the secrets ingredients?!"

"Indeed! And I can pay you whatever you want in exchange." Austin repeated the same offer again.

Zeff started laughing as he looked at Austin. " Hahaha, that's interesting, really interesting!"

" Obviously, you are not the first to make that request! I have refused all the previous offers, but I can at least hear yours," Zeff paused as he asked playfully, " So tell me how much you are willing to pay?!"

"Hmm, it depends on how you want to get paid," Austin answered, smiling.

"Hoo?! So, if I want to, you can even pay me with something other than money ?!" Zeff asked curiously, to which Austin simply nodded in response.

"And what are those 'other things' ?" Zeff inquired curiously.

" I can owe you a favor, which you can use later on to get my help if you are in some unsolvable situation," Austin replied with a serious face.

"Huh?!" Zeff was surprised because he didn't expect this, but soon his surprise turned to anger because he understood the hidden message behind those words.

Simply put, what Austin was offering was like some sort of protection, which irritated Zeff because he felt he was being looked down upon by some unknown brat who hadn't even made a name for himself yet.

"An unknown rookie offering his protection to me?! Red-Leg Zeff!" Zeff barked at Austin and slammed the table angrily, adding." Don't look down on me, Brat!"

As soon as Zeff finished speaking, a horrifying pressure and killing intent descent on the balcony, suffocating him. And before he could even understand what happened, he heard Austin's deep voice saying, " Stop!".

At the same time, a gust of wind assaulted the left side of Zeff's face, prompting him to look at his side with the corner of his eyes, only for his eyes to widen in shock and horror at the black shoes stopping millimeters away from his head.

.....

Sebas, who was extremely furious and angry at someone for the first time since his creation, used 'Soru' and was going to kill Zeff with his right leg.

But luckily for Zeff, Austin sensed Sebas's intention with 'Observation Haki' and stopped him by unleashing his 'Predator Mode'.

"Stop!" Austin commanded in a deep voice, prompting Sebas to stop his kick millimeters away from Zeff's face.

" My lord, please permit me to execute this weakling for daring to insult your glorious self!" Sebas said in a grave voice, clearly demonstrating his extreme rage at Zeff's insult.

"SEBAS! ... STAND BACK!" Austin ordered in a firm voice.

" ...Yes!" Sebas, unwillingly, dropped his leg and returned to stand behind Austin's chair, looking at Zeff with a piercing gaze.

Austin stopped his 'Predator Mode' Skill and looked at the shocked Zeff, saying, " I will consider that last remark of yours has never been said, and for your own sake, don't repeat that again! .... So, let's continue with our previous talk."

Zeff was horrified and visibly shaken by what had just occurred, thinking. - ' Did I just escape death ?! When did the old butler move?! And what's with this man's bloodlust?!'

The old cook was clearly shocked by what had just transpired. First was that old butler's attack, which he didn't even see coming. He clearly remembers seeing these movement's techniques before and knows they are extremely strong and deadly.

Secondly was the pressure and killing intent emitted by the monster sitting opposite him. Yes, a monster, a bloody monster in human flesh! Zeff could swear he had never sensed or felt something like that before, not even during his time on the Grand Line.

Zeff begins taking this meeting more seriously and starts considering Austin's offer.

" You probably think that you don't need our help in the East Blue because you are strong enough," Austin paused, adding," Which is probably true! ... But what about those monsters from the Grand Line, or more specifically, those from the New World?!"

Zeff appeared confused because he didn't understand what those monsters from New World had to do with him.

" I guess you don't know, huh?!" Austin stopped speaking, looking as if he was pondering about something before he said again, " You have a young man working here with the name of Sanji, right ?!"

Zeff was surprised by the mention of Sanji but nodded nonetheless.

" Well, that boy's background is huge, and I don't intend to reveal it either. Just know that, if they want, they can easily wipe out this place of yours!" Austin said, smiling.

" So you are threatening me with him, huh?!" Zeff narrowed his eyes, clearly getting the wrong idea.

Apparently, Zeff thought Austin was threatening him by contacting that supposed 'background' and informing them of Sanji's location if he didn't get the recipes.

" That's not what I meant," Austin elaborated further " As long as he stays in the East Blue, there will be no problem."

" But we both know that's impossible. " Austin smiled as he added, "He will eventually leave this place to pursue his dreams on the Grand line. And when he does, he will get a wanted poster sooner or later."

Zeff nodded in understanding. He considered Sanji as his son, so he knew him as the back of his hand. He knew that Brat would always cause trouble where ever he went, so he didn't deny the possibility of him getting a wanted poster if he ever ventured to the sea.

" Well, the moment they knew of his existence, they will try to get him back and control him by any means possible ... including using hostages." Austin paused as he felt that the situation should be already clear, so he didn't explain any further.

" I see!" Zeff closed his eyes, thinking deeply before asking again. " This favor of yours is useful against those people ?!"

" My one favor stands available against everyone." Austin laid back on his chair and added in a deep voice," Including the four Emperor of the sea!"

Zeff was shocked by the absurdity of his claim. Clearly, he didn't believe what he had heard. But he was smart enough not to refute his claim this time, especially seeing the confidence in this young man's eyes and the unchangeable expressions of the old man behind even after hearing his 'boss' statement.

After thinking for a while, Zeff took a deep breath before standing up to shake Austin's hand, saying. " Alright, I accept your offer!"

_________________________

( Author: Hello, Everyone ✋. This is Asbarta!

It's been a long time since I last posted something, and for that, I apologize!

I initially planned to stop for just a month until I finished all my exams, but it appears I underestimated them too much. It took me more than two months just to finish everything up. Thankfully I manage to pass successfully.

Anyway, now I'm back, and the updates will return to normal with 4 chapters a week!

By the way, if you wish to read some chapters in advance, you can visit my Patreon page! You will find there up to 20 chapters which are equivalent to 5 weeks of chapters in advance.

This is the link to my Patreon page: https://patreon.com/Asbarta.

....

As usual, don't forget to Vote for the story for extra weekly chapters.

250 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter per week.

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The link to the Discord server: https://discord.gg/qqHc4PprW9.

NB: Right now, I'm the only one on the server, hehe 😅! So don't be surprised if you find the server a little bit quiet. I will be online there if you have any questions or inquiries about this work!

Well, That is all! Peace Out ✌️!)