Cats are absolutely powerless against the word "fish," so the mont Klee ow shouted, whether it was Seijuro ow in the middle of training or Sanji ow napping at the bow, both of them bolted up the mast at lightning speed.
"It real! Sherwin! Let go check it out, ow!" Sanji ow imdiately suggested upon spotting the "fish ship."
Seijuro ow nodded seriously. "I also believe it worth investigating, ow!"
"Sherwin-nii, could that be a Fishman pirate ship, ow?" Klee ow leapt down from the mast and nimbly climbed onto Sherwin shoulder, habitually tugging at his ear as she asked.
"Nope," Sherwin didn’t even need to look to know what kind of ship it was. "That the floating restaurant Baratie. You guys should’ve heard about it back when we were in the other towns, right?"
Oh, right! Klee ow goal is "high-bounty pirates." Among the pirates in the East Blue, is there anyone more valuable than "Red-Leg" Zeff, who had sailed to the Grand Line and made it back alive?
"Oooh! That place has yummy food, ow!" Klee ow perked up the mont she recognized the na "Baratie," flailing excitedly on Sherwin shoulder. "A bunch of uncles and aunties said the food there is super tasty, ow!"
"So it that famous restaurant, ow? I wonder if they have any dishes I haven’t heard of, ow."
Sanji ow enthusiasm rose even further. Ever since he’d learned a bunch of new recipes in the Land of Flowers, visiting restaurants in every region to study their specialties had beco one of his hobbies.
Seijuro ow didn’t say anything, but his tail stood straight up—clearly, he was also excited about the food at Baratie.
As for Sherwin, he didn’t even need to be ntioned—he had been looking forward to the eting of the two Sanjis for a long ti. Besides, Zeff should still have their old sailing journals and sea charts...
Although Sherwin was puzzled—if he and Sanji had both been shipwrecked, how did the sailing journals survive? But since they were preserved in the original manga, then theoretically, he should be able to borrow them too.
Soon, Sherwin and the crew maneuvered the Explorer No.1 alongside Baratie.
As an open-to-the-public floating restaurant, Baratie hull was low, with its deck just slightly above sea level.
Apart from the distinctive fish-shaped bow and tail, and the two masts used for sailing, most of the ship structure had been converted into the restaurant... or rather, a three-story dining establishnt.
The design of the entire ship didn’t follow any principles of naval architecture at all.
But then again, in the chaotic world of One Piece, talking about ship design didn’t really make much sense to begin with.
"Uwaaah—! Such a big ship, ow!" With a little push from her tiny paws, Klee ow leapt straight from Sherwin shoulder onto Baratie deck.
After dashing a full lap around the deck, she bounced excitedly and waved at Sherwin and the others still on the Explorer No.1. "Hurry up, everyone! Klee can’t wait to go inside and take a look, ow!"
Urged on by the little ragdoll, Sherwin and the others also jumped onto Baratie deck one after another...
Leaving aside the design flaws, the ship was definitely steady. After jumping aboard, they barely felt any rocking at all.
However...
There wasn’t even a single greeter or lookout stationed outside. Their level of vigilance was on par with that Navy base back in the West Blue.
Sherwin shook his head speechlessly, then pushed open the doors of Baratie.
"Welco, you bastard!"
As soon as he stepped in, a bald man with a rather indescribable smile approached, speaking what could technically be called a "polite" greeting.
Sherwin vaguely rembered this guy appearance, though he couldn’t recall his na at first. But upon seeing him in person, it all ca back to him.
"Hahaha..." Klee ow, who had climbed back onto Sherwin shoulder, pointed at Patty face and burst into laughter, nearly toppling over. "Sherwin-nii, this uncle face is hilarious, ow!"
Sherwin sighed helplessly, knowing full well that a familiar scene was about to play out...
"A—a talking cat!?"
Yep, as expected of a nad character from the original series—his expressive reactions were definitely a cut above the average person.
Sherwin ignored Patty, whose eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets, and instead looked around the room.
It was likely not alti yet, so there were no other guests in the restaurant. The people seated inside were all Baratie staff mbers... including the owner, Zeff, and the original Sanji.
Even though Sanji still looked rather youthful at this point—not yet scruffy like in the future, and only about 1.56 ters tall—his cigarette and those signature curly eyebrows already gave him away completely. With such distinct features, there was no way Sherwin could mistake him.
Sanji, like Patty and everyone else except Zeff, was staring at the three cat-like creatures beside Sherwin in shock. However, since there were no beautiful won involved, his exaggerated facial expressions weren’t as over-the-top as Patty.
"Don’t make such a fuss!" Zeff stood up from his chair, stomping with his wooden leg. "They’re probably Mink, a rare race that hardly ever seen even in the Grand Line."
Sherwin couldn’t be bothered to explain this kind of thing anymore. He just shrugged casually, leaving it up to them to interpret however they wanted.
"You’re the head chef of this restaurant, ow?" Sanji ow spotted the tall chef hat on Zeff head and imdiately trotted over to him, tilting his little face up to ask, "Then your cooking must be amazing, ow?"
"Hmph, of course." Zeff crouched down and, noticing Sanji ow chef uniform, asked with interest, "Looks like you’re a chef too?"
"That right, ow!" Sanji ow puffed out his chest and spoke with a hint of challenge, "Soone said this is the best restaurant in the East Blue, so we ca to check it out ourselves, ow!"
"Oh? Then I guess I’ll have to show you what I’ve got."
Zeff, rather than getting angry at the provocation, simply reached out to pat Sanji ow head. But the little yellow cat twisted its body and dodged the hand.
Hmph! You think just anyone can touch my cat?
Seeing this, Sherwin suddenly felt a strange sense of pride.
"All right, Sanji, don’t be rude. Weren’t you planning to learn so of their specialty dishes?"
Even in his pride, Sherwin didn’t forget the main reason they had co here, so he deliberately called out Sanji ow na.
"That only if their dishes are worth learning, ow!"
Sanji ow raised his chin in a tsundere manner, but still obediently ran back to Sherwin side.
As for the rest of the Baratie crew, their expressions were far more dramatic.
"Wait! What did you just call that adorable little kitty?!" Patty asked, holding back a laugh that looked like it could burst out at any second.
"His na Sanji. Why?" Sherwin replied with mock seriousness.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Sanji! This kitty na is actually Sanji!"
Sure enough, once Sanji ow na was confird, the entire Baratie crew, Zeff included, burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Only Sanji stood there, teeth clenched, looking furious—he even bit through the cigarette in his mouth.
Tch! What so embarrassing about sharing a na with such a cute cat? Just wait till you reach the Sabaody Archipelago. There soone there who looks exactly like you—down to your wanted poster.
Sherwin glanced at the fuming Sanji and clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Sherwin, can I kick these guys to death, ow?"
Mistaking their laughter as mockery, Sanji ow didn’t bother to hide his hostility. His little yellow ears flattened into airplane mode, and he glared fiercely at Zeff and the others. The tail behind him whipped through the air with a sharp whooshing sound.
Klee ow and Seijuro ow also stood in solidarity, ears pressed low. The little ragdoll had even slipped a paw into her backpack.
Just as Sherwin was enjoying the show, a cold chill shot down his spine—
Danger!!!
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