Proof

The three major figures before his eyes had appeared in his restaurant, and now they were going to serve as judges for his daughter.

At that moment, Freya's father looked like he wanted to cry but had no tears. He hurriedly forced a smile and said, "Th-this really isn't necessary, right? A cooking competition and all that... Freya was only joking... Isn't that right, Freya..."

As the owner spoke, he hurriedly tugged at Freya, signaling for her to quickly give up on the idea.

Sky Pirates captain Ye Mu, Marine Vice Admiral Kuzan, and Marine traitor Dragon had appeared in his restaurant at the same time. This was no longer a matter of a cooking competition. This was trouble at his door.

Of these three guys, not a single one was someone his little restaurant could contain.

If news of this got out, his little restaurant would probably never know peace again.

The owner was a businessman, and he welcomed having more and more customers, but that did not mean he welcomed trouble.

Freya, however, was not especially afraid. Instead, she asked with some curiosity, "Dad, who's this guy?"

"Shut up... This is all trouble you caused, you damned girl..."

Though he was scolding his daughter like that, Freya's father still explained in a low voice, "His name is Dragon. Because of his special identity, he doesn't have a bounty, but just understand this much: he's also a dangerous guy no weaker than the captain of the Sky Pirates..."

Freya understood instantly, her face going pale.

The reason she had proposed the cooking competition just now was mainly because she had realized this seemed to be a good opportunity.

She had long believed that she had already surpassed her father and mother, and she had been the restaurant's head chef for several years now, yet her father always said she was not qualified at all, that she had not grasped the spirit or whatever, and never gave her a chance.

But now it was different.

If she could get this great pirate to act as judge, then even if her old man disagreed, he would have to agree, right?

But now, things seemed to have developed a little beyond her expectations.

Not only had a Marine vice admiral come, now another terrifying guy had arrived as well.

Freya wanted to prove herself in front of her father, but she was not unreasonable.

Logically speaking, she should now follow her father's words and refuse...

But Freya thought about more than that...

Though it could not really be called deliberate teasing, ever since Ye Mu had come into their restaurant, he had indeed been neglected for quite a while.

She had even crashed into his arms twice, and one of those times, she had nearly slapped him.

On top of that, she had started the cooking competition on her own initiative, and this pirate had agreed. If she refused again now...

Neglecting him again and again like this—any normal customer would get angry, let alone a great pirate like him.

When that time came, even if there were Marines here, these three clearly were not on the same side. If they really started fighting, would she and her father be able to keep their lives?

After all, pirates were all extremely willful, reckless villains.

Just as Freya's mind was in chaos, and she did not know what to do, completely at a loss, Ye Mu, who sat in the middle of the three, spoke as though he had heard what she was thinking.

"What, starting to hesitate?"

Freya's expression looked a little ugly.

"No need to be afraid. If you're worried about these two guys, there's absolutely no need. They're not here for you anyway. Hahaha, am I right..."

After hearing that, Kuzan only spoke lazily.

"Arara, I just came to keep an eye on you, and grab a meal while I'm at it."

As for Dragon, he also said in a deep voice, "I only wanted to meet the captain of the Sky Pirates, who has become so famous these past few days..."

After the two finished speaking, Ye Mu finally looked at the girl before him and said with a smile, "As for me, you have even less reason to worry, because I rather admired that confident, proud look you had just now..."

At that moment, hearing Ye Mu's answer, Freya looked at the three terrifying guys before her, and her heart also completely relaxed.

In any case, with the willfulness of a great pirate like Ye Mu, he had absolutely no need to deceive her.

In that case, she was unwilling to miss this chance.

So, under her old man's somewhat anxious gaze, Freya said what she truly thought.

"I want to continue..."

"I want to prove that my cooking skills have long since surpassed yours and Mother's..."

At that moment, looking at the firm gaze in his daughter's eyes, Freya's father wore a helpless expression. He rubbed his head and said, "I understand. In that case, this old dad of yours won't hold back either. I'll make you understand, little girl, that you, who have not understood the true meaning of life cuisine, are still far from me and your mother..."

"Then, according to the rules of our Life Cuisine Restaurant, over the next three hours, each person will need to complete an appetizer, soup, fish, meat, main dish, salad, dessert, and drink—eight dishes in total. These eight dishes will decide the final victor..."

"Bring it on, Dad..."

While the father and daughter both headed into the kitchen and got busy preparing the food, the now-quiet restaurant's atmosphere began to turn strange again.

A pirate, a Marine, and a future revolutionary were actually sitting together at that moment.

Though the three of them wore different expressions, it was clear they were all observing one another.

In the end, Dragon was the first to speak, breaking the somewhat quiet mood.

"Before I came here, I made many guesses about Captain Ye Mu's personality, but I never expected you to be such an interesting person..."

"Oh..."

Ye Mu was intrigued, and looked at Dragon as he asked, "Before this, what kind of person did you think I was..."

"A madman... Aside from a madman, I can't imagine anyone in this world who would set his sights on the Celestial Dragons the very first time he went out to sea—and even kill one."

Dragon answered calmly.

"And now..."

"Now...? I think I guessed wrong. Captain Ye Mu definitely isn't a madman. On the contrary, you might be someone like me... someone who shares the same ideals."

"Hahaha."

Ye Mu did not answer. He only laughed.

But for Dragon, that was already enough. He glanced at Kuzan beside him, who looked as if he were dozing, and said, "I wonder if Captain Ye Mu has any time. After tomorrow, perhaps we can find a time to have a talk."

At this point, Kuzan finally could not hold back anymore.

"Hey, hey... you two dangerous guys, talking openly about a private meeting right in front of me, a Marine... don't you think that's a little inappropriate..."

Ye Mu and Dragon, however, paid him no attention.

"It's still too early..."

Ye Mu gave his answer as well.

"After the two of us have both found our footing in our own worlds, let's meet again... However, before that, you can leave me a Den Den Mushi. Perhaps we might even have a chance to cooperate..."

"Hey, hey... aren't you two going too far..."

Completely ignored, Kuzan watched the two of them warily. Had these two dangerous guys just come together?

Ye Mu, however, did not care at all. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Kuzan and burst out laughing.

"In that case, Kuzan, I asked Kizaru this question too, and now I'd like to ask you as well..."

"Are you interested in joining my pirate crew...? I'm in great need of reliable companions right now..."