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Sanji adjusted his tie with theatrical flair as he poured red wine into Nami's glass. "My darling, the sea, love, and beauty incarnate! I'd follow you to the ends of the earth. Whatever you desire, consider it done."
Lucas clenched his teacup, watching the lovesick cook fawn over Nami. 'She belongs to all of us, why's he getting so close?' The thought made his stomach churn. He took an angry sip, only to choke when Sanji turned that smarmy charm his way.
"For the most exquisite lady," Sanji crooned, offering another glass, "only the finest vintage will suffice."
SPLUT!
Lucas spat his tea directly into Sanji's face. The cook didn't flinch, letting the hot liquid drip down his suit. Before Lucas could apologize, the restaurant's owner, the retired pirate Red-Leg Zeff strode over.
"Listen up, eggplant," Zeff growled. "If you're set on sailing with these brats, consider yourself fired. Go be a damn pirate already."
Luffy's eyes lit up like fireworks. "Really, old man?!" He'd been scheming to recruit Sanji ever since seeing the cook's legendary cuisine. In his mind, the deal was already sealed.
Zeff nodded gruffly.
Sanji's flirtatious demeanor vanished. He met Zeff's gaze head-on. "Not happening, geezer. I'm staying put as this restaurant's chef. That's final."
WHAM!
Zeff's kick sent Sanji crashing through Lucas's table. Plates flew as the crew scrambled to salvage their meal.
"Bastard!" Zeff bellowed. "I own this joint, and I say you're done! Get the hell out!"
CRASH!
Lucas found himself pinned beneath the wreckage, Sanji's limp body sprawled across him. '
Again?! Why does this always happen to me?' He fumed, noticing Usopp had dodged cleanly.
"Lucas!" Nami rushed over in concern.
Sanji sprang up like a jack-in-the-box, horrified to find his "lovely lady" trapped. "A thousand apologies, my angel!" He seized Lucas's hand, lips puckered for a kiss.
Lucas's soul left his body.
THUD-THUD-THUD!
Three savage kicks launched Sanji across the dining room, toppling multiple tables. "YOU DISGUSTING PERVERT!" Lucas roared, voice cracking with rage. "I'M A GODDAMN MAN!"
The entire restaurant fell silent.
"Pretty thing like that? No way he's male," a patron muttered.
"Maybe she's jealous of Nami's figure?" a woman giggled.
"Sweetcheeks, if you're feeling inadequate, Uncle can help with that~" a lecherous voice called.
Lucas's eye twitched. Snatching Usopp's uneaten lobster, he stormed toward the exit. 'Screw this. I'm done.'
Back on the Merry, he grilled his prize furiously. "This'd cost a fortune back home," he grumbled between bites. The succulent meat barely eased his temper. "Still... damn, that's good."
———
Days passed. Luffy worked off his debt as a waiter while Zoro and Usopp loitered around the restaurant. Lucas, however, remained aboard the ship, training until exhaustion claimed him.
He awoke to unfamiliar rocking. 'We're moving? Panic set in. Krieg's attack should be today! If the timeline holds, Hawkeye's appearance is imminent, and I'm stuck here?!'
Bolting to the deck, he found only endless ocean. No floating restaurant in sight.
Nami's voice cut through his dread. "Why are you still here?" She frowned from the helm. "I thought you were with the others."
Lucas feigned calm. "Hey Nami. Where's the crew?"
"At the restaurant," she said tersely. "I've got business elsewhere. It's not far, you could sail back yourself."
The charade dropped. Lucas leaned against the railing. "This business... it's in Cocoyashi Village, isn't it?"
Nami's grip tightened on the wheel.
"Arlong's territory," Lucas continued softly. "I get why the bounty rattled you. But listen no deal with that monster will ever free your village. Only his defeat will."