The moment the door creaked open, every guest inside Baratie turned to look.And then—silence. Only the soft melody of live violin music continued to play.
"…"
The knives and forks in the hands of several men slipped to the floor with a clatter. Some women lowered their heads in embarrassment—while others, judging from their burning glares, seemed ready to commit murder out of sheer jealousy.
With the grace of a queen descending upon her court, I—Kiana Kaslana, White Comet—walked in.…Well, on the outside anyway. On the inside? I'm still a guy trying very hard not to trip on this stupidly elegant stance.
Behind me, Hobodi strutted proudly, casting a smug glance toward the drooling men. The way he looked at them screamed: See this? You useless pigs—this is a real goddess.
(Excuse me, buddy. I'm a guy… Look, forget it. Not worth the headache.)
Hobodi led me to the table he had reserved in advance—a premium spot by the window, where the sparkling sea stretched endlessly across the horizon. A breathtaking view… though honestly, if I didn't know what was about to happen in a few hours, maybe I'd appreciate it more.
With exaggerated gallantry, Hobodi pulled out my chair and gently pushed it in once I sat—playing the gentleman as if his life depended on it.
"Hey… I didn't notice before, but isn't that Captain Hobodi from the Marines?"
"For real? That's him?"
"No wonder he's got such a gorgeous date with him. Damn… I'm jealous."
From the surrounding tables came scattered whispers. Hobodi heard every word—and couldn't hold back his self-satisfied grin.
The waiter, who had clearly been waiting near the kitchen for the right timing, began serving the dishes. I rested my chin on my hands, bored… which unfortunately made my already… ample chest look even more obvious.
(…This body is seriously going to kill me one day.)
"Let go of me! Hey—let go!"
A commotion exploded from downstairs. A group of cooks was forcefully dragging Luffy up the central spiral staircase—escorting him straight to the top floor like a criminal.
"…Hmph. Seems I won't even need to act to deal with that idiot," Hobodi muttered, sneering at the scene. "A little no-name pirate thinks he can sail the seas? Does he even know how cruel the ocean is?"
I didn't say anything. Of course Luffy would be fine—I already knew how this played out. No reason to worry.
Before long, all the dishes were served. The aroma spread through the air… and I felt my appetite awaken.
"…Smells amazing."
"Right? Didn't I telling you? A meal at Baratie won't disappoint!" Hobodi answered proudly—as if he cooked all of this.
Now that the meal had arrived—how could wine be missing?
Soon after, Sanji himself appeared—blond hair, curly eyebrows, carrying red wine and goblets on a tray.
He set the glasses in front of us and began opening the bottle. Maybe he was focused on work or maybe he hadn't noticed me yet—but then…
"Thanks!"
I thanked him casually—and that's when he looked at me.
His breath caught.
The tray tilted.
It was about to fall.
"Careful—!"
I quickly steadied the tray… and in the process, my hand brushed against his.
Ah. I messed up.
"Whoa—thank goodness it didn't fall. Hey kid, what were you doing!? What if the wine spilled!?" Hobodi snapped after confirming the wine was safe. "Do you even know how expensive it is?"
But Sanji didn't spare Hobodi a single glance.
At this moment—he was only looking at me. His eyes lit up like he had just encountered a celestial being sent straight from heaven.
(…Stop that. Stop looking at me like that. I'm seriously still a guy inside, dude!)
Even though we only touched for a second, judging by his dreamy expression, he was never going to forget it for the rest of his life.
"This lovely lady… may I ask your name?"
"…My name is Kiana."
Kiana.Sanji's eyes widened. It was the look of a man witnessing the sunrise for the first time in his life.
"…Such a beautiful name," he said softly, almost reverently.
"HEY! BRAT! Don't ignore your customers—hurry up and pour the wine!"
Seeing Sanji's attention fixed on me, Hobodi's face twisted in irritation. How dare a waiter stare so openly at a guest? And worse—at a guest brought by another man? The insult was too much for him to bear.
"Ah—right. Pouring the wine. Right away."
Sanji rushed to fill my glass, then set the bottle down—and slicked his bangs back with his hand.
"Kiana-chan… my name is Sanji. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"…"
…He only poured wine for me. Not Hobodi.
Just put the bottle down like that? Not even a glance at the other guy?
(…Oh, this is getting entertaining.)
"Sanji? That's a nice name too," I replied with a small smile.
Sanji immediately waved his hand bashfully. "No, no—your name is far more beautiful!"
The conversation began flowing naturally—and before long, Hobodi was completely excluded. Left alone. Forgotten. Reduced to background furniture.
"U-Uh… ahem—Kiana?"
He finally tried to cut in.
"I'll have you know—my cooking is the best in this entire place!"
"Oh? Then I definitely have to try it."
"No problem! I promise it'll satisfy you, Kiana-chan!"
"…"
I was here first. I'm her escort. I brought her in.So why the hell… did I suddenly become irrelevant!?
Hobodi looked about ready to explode when Sanji finally noticed him and poured him a glass of wine—as an afterthought.
"Go ahead and eat quickly before it gets cold," Hobodi said, trying to recover his dignity.
"Mm." I nodded.
When I was stranded on that island, I ate cold rations for so long that my stomach got messed up. If it weren't for this Valkyrie body resisting illness, I'd probably have died from it. Now I avoid cold food entirely—and warm meals feel like heaven.
Or maybe it's just that this body has higher standards than my past life ever did…
"…"
Hobodi lifted his glass and cleared his throat. He had secretly instructed Baratie beforehand to serve him a very specific red wine. After casually sipping, he would theatrically reveal its origin and vintage—showing off his "knowledge." Surely, Kiana would find him intelligent and cultured, right?
"…This wine…" he began loudly, making sure all nearby diners were watching. Which they were.
He waited just enough for dramatic tension to build.
"This wine comes from the famous region of—!#￥%&—"
He rattled off the fanciest-sounding name he could manage, then looked directly at me—seeking admiration in my eyes.
But—
"Aren't you… misreading the label?"
I pointed at the bottle. The origin and year written there were clearly different from what he just boasted.
"…"
A full stop. Shock froze his face.
What? That can't be…He was certain he requested the specific wine he had memorized—yet this was something completely different.
He didn't even notice.
"Pfft—hahaha!!"
"I'm dying—pretending to know wine when you can't even read the bottle!"
"Oh man, that's embarrassing!"
Nearby tables burst into laughter. Hobodi's self-esteem shattered in real time.
"…"
Face tight with anger, he forced a smile.
"Ahahaha… M-My tongue's been acting up lately! It makes wine taste different sometimes… haha…"
(Yeah. Right.)
This stupid restaurant… embarrassing me like this? Hobodi thought darkly. I'll make them pay for this humiliation—mark my words.
"To make up for this, Kiana-chan! I'll prepare my best dish for you personally! Please wait just a moment!"
And with that, Sanji ran to the kitchen—determined to impress me with his cooking.
As for me—I noticed something odd.
Zoro. Nami. And the others…At some point they'd taken seats not far from us.
Zoro's gaze was fixated on the three swords standing beside their table. Something in his expression changed—serious, almost reverent.
Without hesitation, he stood up and walked straight toward them.
Whatever those blades were—they had caught the interest of a man who lived by the sword.
Next chapter… something interesting is about to happen.