I Can Copy Any Talent in the World of One Piece

Noil hurried to explain, "I can cook too. If you don't mind, could I borrow your kitchen and make a dish myself?"

"You can cook?"

Sanji's expression softened a little, but he still refused. "Our restaurant cooks for its guests. We don't let them do it themselves."

Seeing that Sanji wouldn't budge, Noil had no choice but to give up. Just then, an aged but powerful voice rang out.

"Let him go, Sanji!"

Noil looked toward the voice and saw an old man in a chef's uniform and an enormously tall chef's hat approaching.

The golden mustache beneath his nose was braided into two stiff plaits that jutted out to either side. His wooden right leg clacked against the floor as he walked.

The old man seemed to wear a permanent scowl. He glared at Sanji and said, "If a guest isn't satisfied with your food and wants to cook for himself, let him."

"If we can't satisfy a customer's tastes, that's our responsibility as cooks, no matter how you look at it."

"Old geezer! But—" Sanji tried to protest, only for the old man to cut him off with a wave.

He walked up to Noil, his expression fierce. "But if we find out you're just messing with us..."

Noil listened to the threat without a care.

This old man must be Red-Leg Zeff. Sailing the Grand Line for a year and making it back was no small feat.

But that wasn't enough to scare Noil.

Noil wiped his hands and mouth with practiced elegance, then rose and headed for the kitchen. Zeff followed close behind.

Sanji scratched his head and muttered in frustration, "What a mess..."

Meanwhile, the F4, now down one member, kept battling on the front lines without any sign of stopping...

Noil entered the kitchen. Zeff watched the cooks scrambling about and ran a hand over his stiff mustache, his face darkening.

Seeing Zeff bring in a stranger, the cooks asked curiously, "Head chef, who's he? Someone new?"

Zeff shook his head. "He's the guest at that table who's been eating so much. He isn't satisfied with your food, so he wants to come in and cook for himself!"

"What?!" the cooks cried in outrage.

They were rushing to get dishes out, but they never let anything below their standards leave their hands. And this guy was saying their food wasn't good enough?

He even wanted to come into their kitchen and cook it himself?

That was an insult to any chef!

Everyone glared at Noil. A few of the rougher-looking cooks even started rolling up their sleeves, ready to teach him a lesson.

But Zeff stopped them with a roar. Then he cleared a space, pointed at the cooking utensils on the table, and said, "Go ahead!"

Noil ignored their piercing stares and picked up a kitchen knife. His easygoing gaze suddenly sharpened!

Time to get serious!

He picked up a fresh fish. The knife flashed several times, and the fish's flesh opened up like a flower.

With a light motion, Noil pulled out the white skeleton without resistance. Not a scrap of meat clung to it.

That move alone changed the way Zeff and the cooks looked at him.

Sanji watched Noil's hands in surprise and silently praised his clean technique.

Sanji, Stunned ### Noil removed the fish's scales, organs, and bones with motions that were crisp and effortless, a pleasure to watch.

His knife rose and fell, rapidly chopping neat rows of scallions and garlic into the bowl. He brought the sauce to a boil, added sake, then slipped in the sliced fish.

By the time Noil finished that sequence, the cooks' angry expressions had softened.

And the longer they watched, the more astonished they became.

His knife work, cooking technique, and attention to detail were all on the level of a veteran who had spent years in the kitchen!

An aroma gradually filled the air. The people in the kitchen breathed it in, looks of rapture appearing on their faces.

The dish wasn't even out of the pot yet, but that aroma alone told them his cooking was far better than theirs.

Sanji looked taken aback as he smelled it. A smile appeared on Zeff's aged face.

A swordsman with a blade at his hip, yet he could cook like this. Impressive.

To Zeff and Sanji, a chef's hands were precious tools for cooking. They must never be injured or sullied by fighting.

Noil's remarkable cooking skill left them both amazed and impressed.

Sanji's expression shifted from casual to grave.

A little while later, Noil lifted the finished dish from the pot.

He picked up a piece with his chopsticks and placed it in his mouth. Happiness washed over him. That's the taste!

The fish was tender and fresh, silky enough to melt in his mouth. It was rich without being greasy, worlds apart from what he'd eaten earlier!

Sanji stepped forward and asked hesitantly, "May I try some?"

Noil was already wolfing it down, but he generously pushed the plate toward Sanji. "Eat up! Don't be shy."

"Pardon me." Sanji bent down, scooped up a little fish broth with a spoon, and tasted it.

Noil's dish was somewhat different from the food of this world. He had prepared the fish using a method from China in his previous life, while cooking in the world of pirates was mostly Japanese or Western.

So when Sanji first saw Noil's dish, he was a little puzzled.

But the fish's flavor soon swept away his doubts.

The cooking method was slightly different from the restaurant's. But why was the taste so much better?

After just one mouthful, Sanji set down the spoon and sighed. "You're truly skilled, sir."

His expression was conflicted. Sanji had thought that, after learning to cook from childhood and receiving Zeff's careful guidance, his skills had reached the pinnacle.

But Noil's arrival today had been a sharp slap in the face.

At seventeen, Sanji was at the age when he thought himself unbeatable. This experience brought his arrogance down a notch.

Zeff was deeply pleased to see it. Sanji was his apprentice in name, but in truth, Zeff had long cared for him as a son.

Sanji had extraordinary talent for cooking and might surpass Zeff in just a few years. If this setback helped him settle down and focus, that was a good thing.

Noil finished his meal with satisfaction, let out a burp, and said, "Thanks for the food!"

The cooks lowered their heads in embarrassment. Zeff stepped forward. "No. We're the ones who failed to look after our guest. I'm sorry."

Noil waved it off. Just then, a shout came from the kitchen doorway. "Mr. Noil, someone's after our ship!"

It was Skull's voice. Noil's expression tightened, and he hurried out.

Sanji and Zeff exchanged a glance and followed him.

Noil ran outside the restaurant and looked toward the nearby waters. A ship flying a pirate flag was bearing down on his own.

As the two ships drew close, a number of pirates leaped aboard Noil's ship. The sight made him furious!

All my money's on that ship!

Noil was about to charge over when a hand stopped him. It belonged to Ace, whose mouth was stuffed with food.

Ace swallowed and said, "Don't worry. Mihal's on board!"

Mihal? Noil paused. That prickly sniper?

Just as Ace had said, the instant the pirates set foot on the deck, lead bullets struck nearly all of them between the eyes at once!

The bullets seemed to need no aiming at all before finding their targets.

The pirates couldn't tell where the shots came from. A huge number of them fell in an instant!

Noil drew a sharp breath. That guy who barely says a word can shoot that well?

Ace said proudly, "Mihal can snipe without anyone figuring out where he is. No matter how far away an enemy is or how well they hide, he can hit them."

Sniping like that must involve Observation Haki.

Noil was secretly stunned. Of course Ace's crewmates were no ordinary people.

Ace rolled his shoulders and said fiercely, "Leave it to me. I'll sink those pirates' ship!"

Noil held out a hand to stop him. At Ace's puzzled look, he smiled faintly. "I'll do it. I've been meaning to try out a new ability."

Ace tilted his head. "A new ability?"

Noil leaped into the air, and roaring orange flames suddenly sprang from his body!

Ace's eyelid twitched. Isn't that my Devil Fruit ability?

Imitating Ace's movements, Noil sent a great surge of fire across the sky, staining half its blue expanse red. The flames then flowed like a tide and gathered around his arm.

The compressed flames turned his arm a gleaming gold. Noil threw a fierce punch at the pirate ship and shouted in an imitation of Ace, "Fire Fist!"

Ace: What the hell?

The imitation Fire Fist was no joke. A blazing, fist-shaped mass of orange flame hurtled toward the pirate ship.

BOOM! The pirate ship blew apart in an instant. The pirates aboard were killed or maimed, and its shattered timbers burned fiercely.

One Fire Fist had taken out an entire ship. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Noil drew back his fist in satisfaction, paying no attention to Ace's aggrieved, bewildered stare.

Ace couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. "Noil! How can you use my ability?"

Noil answered honestly, "I copied yours."

Ace froze. Copied a Devil Fruit ability?

He quickly recovered and exclaimed, "You can copy Devil Fruit powers? What kind of ability is that?"

"Did you eat a Devil Fruit too? The Copy-Copy Fruit?"

"Whoa, that fruit is amazing."

Noil was baffled by the conclusion Ace had jumped to.

Noil stared blankly. "Huh? Uh... yeah... right. You got it."

Noil and Ace were still fooling around, unaware of the fear and shock Zeff and Sanji could not hide behind them!

Even Zeff, who had sailed the Grand Line, felt a chill run through him. "Is that guy a monster?"

Sanji stared at the spot where a large ship had been destroyed before his eyes. A trace of fear rose in his heart despite himself.

Who is this guy?

Setting Out for Loguetown ### The remains of the pirate ship burned fiercely as Noil and Ace stood outside the Baratie.

The noise from the Fire Fist had alerted the cooks inside, and they rushed out.

Several roughneck cooks poured out with rolling pins and clubs in hand, looking ready for a brawl.

The Baratie was built on the sea. Who knew how many pirates set their sights on the restaurant each month? These cooks were no strangers to fighting.

But the moment they came outside, they froze.

Sanji and Zeff stood trembling in a corner, while Ace and Noil enthusiastically traded nonsense like "Was that awesome or what?" and "You were incredible."

More importantly, a thick column of smoke rose in the distance, and the water beneath it was littered with wreckage.

The fight's already over?

Weren't pirates supposed to laugh like idiots first, make a threat for show, trade a few more insults, and then draw their swords?

You skipped the whole routine!

Ace patted his full stomach contentedly and said to Noil, "I'm stuffed. Time to go?"

Noil nodded and called to Zeff and the others, "Thanks, head chef. We'll be on our way."

Sanji snapped out of his shock at the Fire Fist and hurriedly asked, "On your way? Are you pirates?"

Ace grinned proudly. "Of course! We..."