🂴 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐀 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

037 ❘❘ Memory 6 (Part 4)

"Wow! It's delicious!"one marine mumbled through a stuffed mouth.

Another clutched his chest, trembling. "I've never tasted anything like this!"

"It gives me energy!" someone shouted, eyes alight as he devoured another bite.

"Y-Yummy!" another choked out between frantic mouthfuls.

On the sidelines, the Navarone cooks stood frozen, watching their soldiers, who usually ate with indifference, feast with unrestrained joy. Shame tightened in their chests. Every delighted bite felt like a blow to their pride.

One cook clenched his fists, gaze dropping to the floor. "Dammit! Just because we didn't want to lose to the famous cook, we did what we shouldn't have done! We only used the juicy parts..."

Another muttered, pale-faced, "Food in Navarone isn't supposed to be luxurious... It's for soldiers who fight and live day-by-day. That was always Jessica-san's belief. And yet..."

"To think we, the cooks of Navarone, were the ones being picky about food..." The words left a bitter taste in his mouth.】

"That must've been a hard blow for them," Aokiji muttered, nestled beside Garp with a kake-futon draped over him. He almost felt bad for the marine chefs at Navarone.

Sengoku, however, merely nodded. "It's good for them to have their attitude fixed. That brat spoke wisely, they'd do well to remember his words."

Off to the side, Koby, Helmeppo, and Smoker exchanged glances.

"Write that down," Smoker ordered. Helmeppo gave a quick nod.

Koby grinned, impressed. "That'd be perfect for the cooks in our troops."

But it was Garp who asked the real question. "Hm? Where's Luffy?"

【As the chefs hung their heads in shame, none noticed the small figure at the back, happily devouring plate after plate. Luffy, lost in his own world, inhaled food with reckless joy. His mouth was practically a black hole, inhaling plate after plate with gleeful abandon, and he had the audacity to count out loud between each mouthful.

"Eighty-six! Eighty-seven! Eighty-eight! Eighty-nine! Ninety! Ninety-one! Ninety-two!..." Luffy's voice rang out, drawing attention from the despairing chefs.】

The room froze. Eyes widened, jaws went slack, and silence stretched as everyone processed what had just happened. Plates that had been full moments ago now sat empty, their contents mysteriously gone.

Ace and Sabo, having expected this, broke the stillness with laughter, shoulders shaking as they leaned back. Shanks joined in, his deep chuckle rolling through the room, red hair swaying as he tossed his head back.

Nami exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of her nose. "That damn idiot..." she muttered, weary but unsurprised.

Brook let out his signature bony laugh. "Yohohoho! No one beats Luffy-san's ability in stealing when it comes to food," he mused, skeletal fingers gesturing animatedly.

Usopp leaned forward, eyes narrowing at the empty plates. "No kidding," he murmured, torn between disbelief and admiration. "He even managed to take those plates without anyone noticing. We should give the best thief title to Luffy instead of Nami."

Nami, "Hah?₍⇀ ‸ ↼‶₎"

【The Navarone cooks froze, staring in disbelief. Luffy's stomach had swollen to a ridiculous size, round as a barrel, yet he kept devouring food, stacking empty plates like trophies.