บท 20: Chapter 20: The Sea Restaurant - An Unexpected Reward
In the world of pirates, ten thousand Berries is a fortune for a regular family.
Clearly, fixing the wall Zeff had crashed into wouldn't cost nearly that much.
Takumi had been hunting in the mountains around Windmill Village and Frost Moon Village, trading his catches for money to buy sake. He never kept much on him, just enough to last a while.
Right now, he only had around a thousand Berries on him—not even close to covering Zeff's steep demand of ten thousand.
At that moment, the clatter from the kitchen grew louder. A group of chefs burst into the hallway, drawn by the commotion.
When they saw Zeff covered in dust and with a slight scratch on his face, looking somewhat worse for wear, their indignation flared.
"Boss, are you okay?"
"What happened? Who did this to you, boss?"
"Damn it! Who dared to hurt our boss? They're gonna pay!"
"Enough!" Zeff barked, silencing them with a sharp tone. "I'm fine. Get back to the kitchen and keep cooking for the customers!"
"But, boss, you're hurt. Let me get the first aid kit!"
"Who did this, boss? Tell us, and we won't let them off easy!"
The chefs hesitated, unwilling to return to their work.
"It was him." Sanji pointed at Takumi, who stood in the hallway, looking as if this had nothing to do with him. "I saw it with my own eyes—he's the one who knocked the old man down!"
The chefs turned to Takumi, and after a moment of silence, they burst out laughing.
"Haha, Sanji, you're pulling our leg, right? That kid's your age. He can't even have all his adult teeth yet, let alone hurt the boss."
"Yeah, seriously! I could flick that kid away with one finger. Come on, Sanji, if you're gonna tell tales, at least make them believable. Haha!"
"Hey, I'm not lying!" Sanji fumed. "Tell them, old man! It was that brat who sent you flying!"
Zeff, his face dark with irritation, snapped, "Idiots! If you don't get back to work, you're all fired!"
That got their attention. The chefs quickly scurried back to the kitchen, not wanting to risk their jobs.
"And you!" Zeff shouted at Sanji. "If you don't want to get booted, get back to washing dishes!"
"Wha—?" Sanji was stunned. Despite his frustration, he had no choice but to comply. No matter what, he couldn't leave Baratie. He couldn't leave Zeff.
Clenching his fists, Sanji retreated to the kitchen to wash the dishes, as ordered.
In an instant, the hallway was left with just Zeff and Takumi.
"Hey, kid," Zeff dusted himself off, his expression unreadable. "If you can't pay the ten thousand Berries, you're going to have to work it off here."
"No," Takumi refused outright. Working for someone else was not something he'd ever consider.
Zeff frowned slightly. "If you don't want to stay, then you'll need to hand over the full amount."
Takumi pulled out two small pouches, each containing three hundred Berries, and tossed them to Zeff. "This should cover the repairs."
Zeff stared at the pouches in his hands, narrowing his eyes. "You broke my ship, so I get to decide how much it costs. And I'm telling you, this isn't enough. I'll cut you some slack, though—work here for two months, and I'll let you go."
Baratie was a unique case—its chefs were all battle-hardened. Pirates frequently came here to eat and cause trouble, and the chefs often ended up fighting them off. Many who came to work at Baratie ended up fleeing in fear.
The restaurant was always packed, leaving everyone overworked. Zeff's initial demand wasn't really about the money; he wanted Takumi to stay and help out.
Takumi had figured as much.
There was no way he'd give Zeff what he wanted.
"No."
Once again, Takumi refused.
At that moment, a familiar voice rang in his mind.
[Beep! By refusing Zeff's request to work, your sign-in progress has increased by 10%. Total progress is now 20%. You have been awarded a new skill: Night Guy, Level 1.]
Night Guy!
Takumi's eyes lit up with excitement.
He had expected that interacting with Zeff might advance his progress, but he hadn't anticipated that the system would grant him a new skill.
And not just any skill—it was the one from the Naruto series, the move that nearly ended everything in a single blow!
Night Guy was the ultimate technique of the Eight Gates, unleashed by opening the final gate, the Gate of Death. It involved charging at the enemy at supersonic speed, delivering a kick so powerful it could bend space itself.
It was an incredibly powerful skill, but it came with a heavy price: using it required sacrificing one's life.
This was what worried Takumi.
"System," he asked silently, "will using Night Guy burn away my life force?"
[Beep! No, it will not burn your life. At levels below 6, using Night Guy will have no effect on the host. Once you surpass level 6, it will consume a large amount of chakra and stamina each time it is used.]
Hearing this, Takumi felt a wave of relief.
Zeff had been watching Takumi closely. Since the moment the kid had stopped responding, his expression had shifted to one of peculiar delight, as if he'd just received the best news of his life.
"Hey, kid!" Zeff called out, his patience wearing thin. "What the hell are you doing? Are you even listening to me? Do you really think you're in a position to negotiate?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Takumi composed himself, looking at Zeff with a faint smirk.
"I'll say it again—I refuse."
Zeff took a deep breath and launched himself at Takumi once more. "Brat, a real man owns up to his mistakes and pays for them. All I'm asking is for you to work for two months!"
"I refuse!"
This time, Takumi didn't dodge. Instead, he met Zeff's attack head-on.
His body began to emit a faint red steam as they closed in on each other.
In the blink of an eye, Takumi lashed out with a powerful kick, meeting Zeff's prosthetic leg head-on.
Don't be fooled by the fact that it was a prosthetic; the damage Zeff's legs could inflict was no joke.
Zeff had noticed something was off as soon as he saw the steam rising from Takumi's body. In his time on the Grand Line, he'd encountered some incredibly powerful individuals—people who made him feel a sense of danger.
But those people had all been over twenty years old.
Now, he was getting that same sense of danger from a kid.
It was too late to pull back.
Their legs collided, and for a few tense seconds, neither moved.
Then they both recoiled, each sliding back several steps.
Zeff had only used about thirty percent of his strength, but for most people, that was enough to send them flying.
"Kid, who the hell are you?" Zeff demanded, frowning. "What was that move?"
Takumi flexed his right leg, his voice calm. "Night Guy."
"Huh?" Zeff looked at him incredulously. "That's the name of your move?"
Takumi nodded slightly. "Yep."
Zeff stared at him, puzzled. "What a strange name for a move…"
But despite the odd name, this kid had definitely earned Zeff's respect.
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