It was supposed to be a simple dinner.
Yet Marco and his crew had turned the atmosphere into something resembling a grand celebration.
Like a banquet in full swing.
They devoured meat and downed alcohol with abandon, laughing heartily and chatting loudly without a care in the world.
Before long, they even broke into song, belting out Binks' Sake, a tune nearly every pirate knew by heart.
Even the chefs of Baratie, seeing that the rush had passed, joined in the merriment.
As for Lucas Moore—
He seemed to exist in an entirely different world.
His face was impassive.
He sat alone, quietly eating and drinking.
His mind was still on the ship he had lost.
Clearly, he would need to find a new one.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to set sail again.
At that moment, Marco walked over to Lucas's table with a drink in hand and offered him a warm smile.
"Lucas, care for a drink?"
Lucas didn't even look up. He simply picked up the bottle in front of him.
Marco, undeterred, clinked his glass against Lucas's bottle.
Watching Lucas take a long swig straight from the bottle, Marco downed his own glass in one go, then burst into laughter.
"Haha! I didn't take you for a heavy drinker. When I was your age, I was still sipping on juice."
Lucas gave no reply.
So Marco casually sat down across from him, grinning as he studied him.
"You're not with this restaurant, are you?"
Lucas answered with a disinterested hum, continuing to eat without lifting his eyes.
From upstairs, Zeff and Sanji descended together.
Seeing Marco seated with Lucas, Zeff's eyes narrowed slightly.
Without overthinking it, he told Sanji to deliver a plate of meat to Lucas's table.
"It's been a long time since Baratie felt this lively," Sanji said with a cheerful grin, placing the food before Lucas.
Lucas glanced at him, but said nothing.
Zeff approached as well, his gaze falling on Marco, who was still watching Lucas intently.
"You're Marco the Phoenix, First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, aren't you?"
Marco turned his attention to Zeff and smiled. "That's right. Didn't expect someone in the East Blue to recognize me."
Zeff returned the smile, but pressed on, "Shouldn't you be with Whitebeard aboard the main ship? What are you doing here in the East Blue? On a mission?"
"Yeah, just a small one. I'll be heading back in a few days."
"And by the way, thanks for earlier at the restaurant."
Marco chuckled, "You should thank someone else."
His gaze shifted back to Lucas.
Zeff followed his line of sight and blinked in surprise.
"You mean it was Lucas who dealt with Krieg's crew?"
Marco smiled. "Didn't even blink. Took that walking armory down in just two strikes. Quite the remarkable kid."
"What? Two strikes?" Zeff exclaimed. "Krieg commands fifteen pirate ships. That says a lot about his strength. To be taken down in just two hits? That's…"
"It's true," Marco continued. "Lucas, do you have a destination in mind?"
Lucas, once again, offered no reply.
Zeff answered for him. "He's a traveler."
"A traveler?" Marco raised an eyebrow. "Alone?"
Lucas finished the last bite of his meal, wiped his mouth, and responded with calm indifference.
"Yeah."
Marco tilted his head, grinning. "Sailing alone across the vast sea... Doesn't it get lonely? Ever consider joining the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"No."
Lucas stood up.
He'd had enough of the noise.
This lively atmosphere didn't suit him.
He was heading upstairs to sleep.
Seeing this, Marco quickly called out, "Your ship's gone. Without a new one, you're not going anywhere. I get it — maybe it's our pirate status that makes you wary. But not all pirates are the same. Our crew isn't like the others. Pops is the most generous man in the world. He treats us like his sons, his family. I promise you, once you meet him, you'll understand. You'll like him."
"No." Lucas rejected flatly. "I'm just a traveler. I don't need a family, nor bonds or attachments. But I appreciate the offer. If that's all, I'll be going."
He turned to leave.
Just then, the system voice chimed in his head.
Ding! You have rejected Marco the Phoenix's invitation. Sign-in progress +10%. Current progress: 80%. Reward: Observation Haki level +1. Current Observation Haki level: Lv3.
Hearing this, Lucas paused mid-step.
Although no one else could sense the change, he immediately noticed it.
Now he could clearly perceive the breathing of everyone within a few hundred meters — even the presence of fish in the water.
Only their heartbeats still eluded him.
Zeff, seeing Lucas suddenly stop, asked curiously, "What's the matter, kid?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Lucas suddenly remembered something.
He turned back to Zeff.
"Does Krieg have a bounty?"
Zeff looked confused but answered, "He's only just started making waves in the East Blue. The bounty's not high. Just a few million Berries, I think. Why?"
"His body's still outside," Lucas said coolly. "The bounty's yours. Just give me a small boat."
Zeff blinked, then chuckled. "Trading a few million Berries for a boat? You're generous, kid."
"Money doesn't matter to me." With that, Lucas turned and headed upstairs.
Sanji hesitated briefly, then jogged after him.
"Tch," Marco sighed, "So even my charm isn't enough to win over a kid, huh?"
Zeff laughed. "Lucas is a strange one. You're not the only one he's turned down. He rejected both me and Garp."
"Huh? Garp?" Marco raised an eyebrow. "You mean Vice Admiral Garp? The Iron Fist Garp?"
Zeff nodded. "That's the one. Garp even stuck around for two days trying to convince Lucas. Couldn't budge him. He left this morning. Lucky you came in the evening. If you'd run into Garp, things might've gotten ugly."
Marco fell silent, his eyes drifting toward the spiral staircase where Lucas had vanished moments earlier.
Without another word, he rose and walked out of the restaurant.
Zeff watched him go, a faint smile forming on his lips.
"To reject both the Navy's hero and the most powerful pirate crew without flinching… Lucas, what kind of future awaits you?"
Marco returned alone to his ship.
He immediately called the Moby Dick, the Whitebeard Pirates' main vessel.
The line was picked up quickly.
"Get Pops. Now!" Marco's tone was urgent.
The crew member on the other end panicked and rushed to pass the Den Den Mushi to Edward Newgate, who was drinking with his crew.
Whitebeard lifted the snail. "Marco, what's going on? Trouble in the East Blue?"
Marco smiled. "Pops, I met an extraordinary kid."
"Extraordinary?" Whitebeard echoed. "In what way?"
"In two simple sword strikes, he took down a pirate who commanded fifteen ships."
"Oh? Impressive strength."
"That's not all," Marco added. "He also turned down an invitation from Vice Admiral Garp."
"What? Garp? The Navy's trying to recruit him?"
"Yeah. We just missed him. The restaurant's owner said Garp tried for two full days to recruit the kid. Didn't work."
"Garp isn't the type to waste time on whims," Whitebeard mused. "What's this kid's name? How old is he?"
"Lucas Moore. He's probably around ten."
Whitebeard was stunned.
"What? Only ten?!"