Young Shuma

Buggy frowned fiercely. He hadn't gone all-out against the boy, and he'd even tried talking to him nicely for so long, yet the kid was still brushing him off like this.

But the boy was a capable fighter, young and full of potential, and he looked easy to fool. There was no way Buggy would give up. He asked, "Why not?"

"Because my cooking hasn't earned Lord Bear Spirit's approval yet, so I'm not qualified to become an adult," the boy said without holding anything back.

"Bear Spirit? Cooking?" Buggy didn't really understand, but played along anyway. "Then if your cooking gets his approval, can you set sail with us?"

"If Lord Bear Spirit approves of me..." The boy trailed off, his eyes involuntarily turning toward the Big Top. "Is that really not a sea beast?"

"It's the vessel we use to sail." Buggy helplessly rubbed his forehead. This guy's train of thought could really take some wild turns. Worse, he was so sheltered that he didn't even know what a ship was...

"Oh." The boy nodded as if he only half understood. "Once Lord Bear Spirit approves of me, I'll be free to choose what I do."

"I see..." Buggy's eyes shifted as he thought. "We'll help you complete Bear Spirit's test. In exchange, you'll join us."

The boy rubbed a finger beneath his nose and flashed a sunny smile. "Okay!"

Since Captain Buggy had invited the kid aboard, Mohji didn't have any objections. But the boy's quick agreement made him a little nervous, and he quietly asked Buggy, "Captain Buggy, do you think he's plotting something?"

"Emotionally speaking, I think the kid's a single-celled organism," Buggy whispered. "But rationally, you're not wrong. Our ship's mainmast was damaged by the waves, and repairs will take a day or two. During that downtime, I'll have more important things to do, and I'll need to interact with him. If he really does have something against us, he'll give himself away eventually."

The map of the East Blue in the captain's cabin aboard the Big Top didn't show this island. That meant Buggy had no idea where they'd drifted or which direction they'd ended up in. He needed to find out where in the East Blue these waters were so he could choose a course. That meant he had to talk with the island's natives. If he was lucky, he might learn something useful.

Buggy stepped forward and held out his hand to the boy. "I'm Buggy, captain of the Buggy Pirates."

The boy stared at Buggy's gesture in confusion, then glanced at his own hand and shook Buggy's. "Hehe, my name's Shuma."

"Right... Don't grip so tightly. And you can let go of my hand now!"

"Oh, oh!" Shuma quickly let go and stared curiously at his own hand.

This kid had a pretty strong grip... Buggy asked, "So what do you have to do for Lord Bear Spirit to approve of you?"

Shuma looked up at the mountain on the island, his gaze growing intent. "That's where Lord Bear Spirit lives. We have to make a pot of delicious food. If Lord Bear Spirit eats it all, then we'll have earned their recognition and blessing."

The tattoos on the boy's body made it clear that his people revered totems. A bear as their totem was no surprise. Buggy said at once, "In that case, let's start preparing the food now."

Shuma looked frustrated. "But I don't have any top-quality ingredients. I can't make anything delicious without them, and Lord Bear Spirit definitely won't approve of it!"

His eyes darted toward Richie, who had retreated onto the ship. "If we used lion meat, Lord Bear Spirit might be very pleased."

"Hey, don't get any bad ideas about Richie!" Mohji came over and snorted.

"Such a stingy bipedal ingredient," Shuma grumbled. "I only wanted to borrow a little meat from his body. You're so mean!"

Who's really being mean here...? Buggy was at a loss for words. He stepped between the two ill-matched fellows and pushed them apart, then pointed at the wild boar carcass on the ground. "All right, Shuma. Let's see if you're a master or a hack. We'll settle it with facts. I have ten thousand taste buds, and I'll judge your cooking myself. If you pass my test, I'm sure Lord Bear Spirit will be satisfied with your skills too!"

Of course, a normal person had ten thousand taste buds. Buggy wasn't exaggerating.

"Wow, ten thousand taste buds!" Shuma cried, suddenly brimming with enthusiasm. He immediately ran into the forest. "Wait here!"

Before long, Shuma returned with a complete set of cooking utensils and an enormous pot. He set them on the ground and confidently patted his chest. "I'll make a feast in no time. Buggy, you'd better give it a proper review!"

"Of course."

Without another word, Shuma pulled out a sharp Razor and stripped the hair and hide from the wild boar.

The anime had mentioned that this race were born gourmets and chefs. Perhaps it was a gift of their people: Shuma worked with intense concentration and practiced skill, swiftly removing all the excess from the outside.

Next, he switched knives and sliced off the meat piece by piece. With a flick of his blade, he sent each slice precisely into the enormous pot.

Buggy was secretly impressed. He hadn't expected the kid to be such a good cook. His dazzling knife work was beyond what an ordinary person could manage. Was it really a racial talent...?

Into the pot, light the fire, add water and seasonings, control the heat.

Pale smoke curled above the pot, and the rich broth made everyone's nostrils twitch.

Buggy's crew hadn't eaten much all day. The scent of the meat made them swallow involuntarily. At some point, the pirates aboard the ship had come over and gathered around too.

Buggy ordered his men to bring over the liquor from the ship.

Before long, Shuma took out a bowl, ladled in some soup, and handed it to Buggy. "Here, Buggy. Use your ten thousand taste buds to try my cooking. The ingredients aren't very good, though, so it might not taste great."

Buggy took the bowl and tried a sip. The scalding broth poured into his stomach like lava, churning and roaring inside him.

This flavor... Buggy closed his eyes and savored it. "It's smooth going down, and the flavor is exquisite. It's as if countless fairies are dancing on my tongue, twirling and leaping in graceful, weightless steps. I feel like I've returned to the days long ago when I swam freely through the sea. No—like I'm swimming in lava, with molten rock surging and bubbling all around me. The scorching lava washes over my body and envelops my soul. At this moment, my spirit has finally been lifted to a higher plane, as if a holy messenger from heaven were calling to me... This is simply delicious!"

Hearing such high praise, Shuma covered his eyes and wept. "Buggy, you're the first gourmet to praise my cooking like this. I'm so moved!"

Mohji stared at Buggy's bright-red face. "Captain Buggy, is it really that delicious?"

"Try it and see..." Buggy shoved the rest of the broth into Mohji's mouth.

"Gulp, gulp."

Mohji drank all the broth and sat there stunned. His face turned red from the bottom up until even his white hair had taken on a scarlet tinge. Wisps of steam rose from his head, then flames burst from his mouth like a fire-breathing dragon's. "It's burning hot!"