With her short legs, Bakkin, wearing an apron, ran around tidying up the tables and providing utensils, her eyes hidden behind her sunglasses occasionally glancing at the fat old man Linlin had brought in. He seemed somewhat familiar.
The fat old man barely fit on the chair, like a mountain of flesh, and smiled kindly at her before turning to Linlin. “Little girl, why are you dieting? Is Figo not feeding you?”
“No.” Linlin frowned as she thought about her hunger. “I love desserts the most. I’m worried that if I eat too much today, I won’t be able to enjoy the dessert feast tomorrow. Grandpa Figo’s BBQ is just too delicious.”
“Is that so? What a coincidence, I also love desserts the most, just like my granddaughter.”
“Really?” Linlin said happily. “How old is Grandpa Fat’s granddaughter? Didn’t she come? Can she play with Linlin?”
“She’s 17, and she will always be 17.”
The fat old man sighed, shaking his head. “She can’t come. She was a disobedient child, insisted on becoming a pirate despite all my advice, and ultimately died at sea. A shipwreck, nothing could be done.”
“Died?” Linlin opened her mouth in surprise. “I’m sorry, Grandpa Fat.”
“It’s alright, it’s been over ten years. Not just her, my son also perished at sea. After living for 90 years, I find myself without any family around. Why did they all have to become pirates? It’s truly disheartening.” He smiled. “I think I’ve come to terms with it.”
How pitiful. Linlin clasped her hands, her face full of pity. “Is Grandpa Fat not a pirate?”
“I used to be.”
“Really? Why? Doesn’t Grandpa Fat hate pirates?”
“Because I had no choice,” the fat old man sighed deeply again. “I was born in a poor country. Without money to pay the Heavenly Tribute to the Celestial Dragons, there was no Marine base or army formed there. The country became a haven for pirates, and thus, it grew poorer.
“My parents were ordinary people, but they gave birth to a child like me. I was just too much to feed. At six years old, they couldn’t afford to keep me anymore, so they had to abandon me.”
Linlin froze, that sounded just like her situation.
Her parents were also ordinary people, but they gave birth to a child like her. The only difference was that her parents sent her to Grandpa Peslow instead of outright abandoning her, so she still had some family.
“I don’t blame them, not at all. One person starving to death is better than three.”
The fat old man said, “But my survival instincts kept me alive. Garbage, tree bark, even dirt became my sustenance!”
“Dirt doesn’t taste good,” Linlin had tried it.
“Indeed, it’s not good.” The fat old man nodded. “But to survive, who cares about the taste? Shoveling mouthfuls of dirt, feeling it swell in your stomach as if it would burst your belly and shatter your soul! That kind of pain still makes me tremble with fear when I recall it!”
Linlin shuddered as well.
“Sorry, did I scare you, little girl?” The fat old man apologized. “The moment I saw you, I knew we were very much alike. The difference is you’re luckier. I can tell Gaston Figo treats you well.”
“Yes, Grandpa Figo is very kind.”
Figo came over carrying meat with a crispy, golden-brown crust. “I wasn’t sure how well-done you like it, so I went with medium-rare.”
He set the meat down, patted Linlin’s little head, which was drooling again, and pulled out a chair for Linlin to sit in.
The fat old man inhaled the aroma, closed his eyes, and pressed his hands together, his face glowing with joy.
“It smells wonderful. Little girl, don’t hold back. Have some with me,” he said to Linlin.
“Can I?”
Linlin looked from him to Figo.
Figo nodded, gesturing for her to go ahead, while the fat old man picked up the knife and fork from the plate. He neatly sliced the large piece of meat in half and gave one half to Linlin.
“Then, let’s eat!”
They both said in unison.
The sounds of swallowing and chewing filled the room as the two ate in perfect harmony.
Bakkin glanced at Figo, as if to say, “Hey, another person is trying to take Linlin. Aren’t you going to do something?”
Figo just smiled.
The meter-long and wide piece of meat quickly disappeared into the bellies of the old man and the little girl, Linlin’s face lit up with a joyful smile, while the fat old man began to sob and then wail.
“What’s wrong, Grandpa Fat? Is Grandpa Figo’s BBQ not good?” Linlin asked.
“It’s wonderful. It’s such a blessing to eat something so delicious.”
Tears streamed down the fat old man’s face. “Every time I eat something good, I’m moved to my core.”
“I didn’t want to become a pirate!”
“But I was starving! So very hungry!”
“After wandering for a few months, I met a group of children like me. I thought I’d found companions, but they wanted… to eat me.”
“Eat you?”
“Though I was always hungry, I never lost weight. I had meat on my bones.” The fat old man patted his belly. “I didn’t want to be eaten, so I killed them all. That was when I realized how strong I was. One slap could shatter a child to pieces. They looked at me like I was a demon as they lay dying!
“I almost became a demon. I thought, if they want to eat me, why shouldn’t I eat them? That thought scared me so much that I ran away like a madman!”
“Afterward, I became a pirate, fearing I would actually eat people. I was so desperate for a full meal. I was terrified of being hungry!”
He wiped his tears, overwhelmed with emotion.
Linlin stared at him blankly.
Figo gently stroked her head, not interrupting the fat old man’s memories and tears.
The fat old man calmed down and managed a faint smile. “Things got better after I turned 15. No one dared to stop me from eating anymore. Anyone who tried, I killed…
“Every meal, I ate my fill!
“After eating your fill, you crave more. I wanted to eat the most delicious food. From West Blue to the Grand Line, the New World, I tasted almost all the world’s delicacies. Just like today’s BBQ, some flavors linger for decades.”
He licked his lips, showing a blissful expression, then sighed again. “But I don’t know why my son and granddaughter, who could eat their fill, decided to become pirates. They all died because of it.
“My subordinates only fear me, no affection. Growing old alone, it’s probably karma.”
He looked at Figo and asked, “But all I wanted was to eat my fill. What did I do wrong?”
“Nothing wrong with that,” Figo replied.
“Hahaha.” The fat old man laughed heartily, shaking the tables and windows of the BBQ joint. “Twenty-five years ago, the sea quake at Mariejois and the resignation of the Five Elders—I could only deduce it had to do with you, who had vanished from everyone’s sight since then. I thought you died that day. I didn’t expect to see you here.
“Thank you for listening to an old man’s ramblings. So, see you at the dessert feast tomorrow?”
He smiled, squinting his eyes. “Cute little Linlin, see you tomorrow?”
“Mm-hmm, bye, Grandpa Fat!”
Linlin waved goodbye, ignoring what she didn’t understand, but Bakkin wasn’t the same.
What about Mariejois?
What about the resignation of the Five Elders?
These two are delusional?
Wait, this old man looks like…
She watched the fat old man’s back, her face slowly showing a horrified expression… No way?!
In the shadows, the little tiger Terry frowned in remembrance, then his expression changed drastically.
“It’s him? The retired Gluttonous King of the previous era, who disappeared 15 years ago, is still alive?!”
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