Proof

As he looked at the three important figures who had appeared in his restaurant and were about to judge a competition for his daughter, Freya's father looked as if he wanted to cry but had no tears left. He hurriedly forced a smile.

"Um... that won't be necessary, will it? This cooking competition was just Freya joking around... right, Freya...?"

As he spoke, the owner hurriedly tugged at Freya, signaling for her to abandon the idea at once.

Ye Mu, captain of the Sky Pirate Crew; Kuzan, a Marine vice admiral; and Dragon, a Marine traitor, had all appeared in his restaurant at the same time. This was no longer just a matter of a cooking competition. Trouble had come knocking.

Any one of those three was more than his little restaurant could handle.

If word got out, his small restaurant would probably never know peace again.

Though the owner was in business and welcomed having more customers, that did not mean he welcomed trouble.

Freya was not particularly afraid. Instead, she asked curiously.

"Dad, who is this guy?"

"Shut up... This mess was all caused by you, you brat..."

Though he scolded his daughter like that, Freya's father still explained in a low voice.

"His name is Dragon. Because of his special status, he doesn't have a bounty, but you only need to understand that he's a dangerous man no weaker than the captain of the Sky Pirate Crew..."

Freya understood at once, and her face turned pale.

The reason she had proposed the cooking competition was mainly because she had realized this seemed like a good opportunity.

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

But things were different now.

If she could have such a great pirate serve as the judge, then even if her father disagreed, he would have to agree, right?

But now, things seemed to be developing beyond her expectations.

Not only had a Marine vice admiral arrived, but now another terrifying person had shown up as well.

Freya wanted to prove herself before her father, but she was not unreasonable.

Logically, she should have followed her father's lead and refused...

But Freya was thinking of more than that...

It might not have been deliberate teasing, but ever since Ye Mu had entered their restaurant, he had indeed been neglected for quite some time.

She had even crashed into his arms twice, and once had nearly slapped him.

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

Being neglected again and again would anger any ordinary customer, let alone a great pirate like him.

Even if the Marines were here, the three of them clearly were not on the same side. If they really started fighting, could she and her father even keep their lives?

After all, pirates were all willful, lawless villains.

Just as Freya's thoughts were in turmoil and she had no idea what to do, Ye Mu, who sat between the other two, spoke as if he had heard her thoughts.

"What, are you starting to hesitate?"

Freya's expression darkened slightly.

"Don't be afraid. If you're worried about these two, there's no need. They aren't here for you anyway. Hahaha, isn't that right?"

Kuzan merely spoke lazily after hearing that.

"Ara ara ara, I only came to keep an eye on you and grab a meal while I was at it."

Dragon, meanwhile, said in a deep voice.

"I only wanted to meet the Sky Pirate Crew captain who has become so famous these past few days..."

After the two had spoken, Ye Mu looked at the girl before him and smiled.

"As for me, you have even less reason to worry. I quite admired how confident and proud you looked just now..."

At that moment, upon hearing Ye Mu's answer, Freya looked at the three terrifying men before her and finally let out a complete sigh of relief.

A great pirate as willful as Ye Mu had absolutely no reason to deceive her.

Since that was the case, there was no way she wanted to miss this opportunity.

Thus, under her father's somewhat anxious gaze, Freya voiced what she truly thought.

"I want to continue..."

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

At that moment, seeing the determination in his daughter's eyes, Freya's father looked utterly helpless. He rubbed his head and said.

"I understand. Since that's how it is, I won't go easy on you either. I'll make you understand, little girl, that without grasping the true meaning of Life Cuisine, you're still far behind your mother and me..."

"Then, according to the rules of Life Cuisine Restaurant, over the next three hours, each person must complete eight dishes: an appetizer, soup, fish course, meat course, main course, salad, dessert, and drink. The final winner will be decided by these eight dishes..."

"Bring it on, Dad..."

As the father and daughter both went to the kitchen and began busily preparing their dishes, the quiet restaurant's atmosphere grew strange once more.

A pirate, a Marine, and a future Revolutionary Army member were actually sitting together.

Though the three wore different expressions, they were clearly observing one another.

In the end, Dragon was the first to speak, breaking the somewhat silent atmosphere.

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

"Oh..."

Ye Mu became interested and looked at Dragon.

"What kind of person did you think I was before this...?"

"A madman... Other than a madman, I can't think of anyone in this world who would set his sights on a Celestial Dragon on his very first voyage and kill one."

Dragon answered calmly.

"And now?"

"Now... I think I may have guessed wrong. Captain Ye Mu is definitely not a madman. Instead, you may be someone like me, a kindred spirit."

"Hahaha."

Ye Mu did not answer. He merely laughed.

But that was already enough for Dragon. He glanced at Kuzan, who looked as if he were dozing beside them, and said.

"I wonder if Captain Ye Mu has time. Perhaps after tomorrow, we can find a chance to talk."

At that point, Kuzan finally could not hold back any longer.

"Hey, hey... You two dangerous fellows are openly discussing a private meeting right in front of me, a Marine. Isn't that a little inappropriate...?"

But neither Ye Mu nor Dragon paid him any attention.

"It's still too early..."

Ye Mu gave his answer as well.

"Let's meet again after both of us have established ourselves in our respective worlds... But before then, you can leave me a Den Den Mushi. Perhaps we'll have opportunities to work together."

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

Completely ignored, Kuzan watched the two with a wary expression. Were these two dangerous men really joining forces?

Ye Mu did not care in the slightest. Instead, he turned his attention to Kuzan and laughed loudly.

"Then, Kuzan, I asked Kizaru this question too, and now I want to ask you as well..."

"Are you interested in joining my pirate crew? I happen to be in great need of reliable companions right now..."