Awooo...
"Mmm, this is delicious! As expected of Mr. Monbuma, your cooking perfectly suits everyone's taste, and it's so delicious. The champion is truly exceptional..."
Hmm... you're here. Come and eat. Um... what happened? Why do you look so disheveled? Did you two have a fight?
In the private dining room, Luo Chen and Singh sat at the table, each grabbing a large piece of bone- in Poseidon meat and taking a big bite. Soon, Luo Chen's eyes lit up, and he kept stuffing the meat into his mouth, mumbling boasts indistinctly.
A few footsteps approached, and turning around, Luo Chen saw Catherine, Phil, and Lulith, their clothes disheveled and their faces dusty. Their messy hair and tattered clothes indicated that the three had been engaged in a fierce battle, which surprised Luo Chen, who asked in surprise.
"Um, it's nothing, we were just testing our skills together..."
Catherine gently shook her head, then walked straight to his side, pulled up a chair, and sat down.
"Haha, that's right, I was just having a little sparring session with Miss Catherine, nothing serious happened. Hmm, is this the lunch Mr. Monbuma prepared? It looks delicious, I'll just dig in without being polite..."
Phil laughed and walked over, sitting down opposite Luo Chen. Seeing the food on the table, he felt his appetite whetted, and reached out to grab a piece of Poseidon meat with the bone, saying to Monbuma. Then, without waiting for his reply, he stuffed it into his mouth.
"Yes, these are all the dishes I prepared for you, Your Excellency Phil. Please make yourselves at home. If you can point out any shortcomings, I will be even more satisfied..."
Monbuma turned around with a large ladle in hand and greeted them warmly.
"That's wonderful, thank you so much, Chef Monbuma..."
Awooo...
"Mmm, this... this is absolutely delicious! I've never tasted such delicious meat before. Chef Monbuma, your cooking is truly amazing!!"
After receiving Monbuma's approval, Phil couldn't wait to take a bite, his lips smeared with oil but he was oblivious, reveling in the exquisite taste. Then he gave Monbuma a thumbs-up in praise.
"Haha, I'm truly honored to receive such recognition from my diners. Since it's so delicious, please have some more! If it's not enough, I'll make you more..."
Hearing that Phil, like Luo Chen, highly praised his cooking skills, Monbuma was overjoyed and laughed heartily.
"Um, Catherine, George, and Lulith, what's wrong with you? Hurry up and start eating! Aren't you satisfied with the food?"
Luo Chen continued eating his meat, and after taking a sip of wine, he noticed that Catherine and the others were still sitting there without bowls or chopsticks, so he couldn't help but ask.
"No, it's not that the food doesn't suit my taste. Mr. Monbuma's cooking is excellent, the aroma is wonderful. I was just wondering when we'll arrive at Sabaody Archipelago, when you'll join the war, Luo Chen, or if the Navy has any schemes or tricks up their sleeves waiting for you..."
Catherine gently shook her head and explained.
"So that's what you're thinking about. What about you guys? Are you also concerned about this, just like Catherine?"
Luo Chen was somewhat surprised to see that Catherine hadn't touched her chopsticks and was instead concerned about their Luo Chen ahead and about the time he was involved in the battle against Whitebeard. He then turned to the other two and asked.
"Hmm, Catherine and I have similar thoughts. Captain Luo Chen, will you face any danger on your journey to the Navy? Is making you Shichibukai just a trick by the Navy to lure you there...?"
Lulith looked worried, concerned about Luo Chen's Luo Chen ahead. She feared that they might fall into the Navy's trap, causing the entire Luo Chen Pirates to fall apart, and she would once again become a prized commodity for those slave auctioneers.
"Hahaha, I'm not so worried about the captain's safety. I'm just wondering if the captain really becomes Shichibukai this time, should we, like the other Shichibukai, occupy an island city and rule it like kings, thus halting our advance..."
I'm sorry, Captain, although this is quite sudden, I still have to tell you what's on my mind. I still don't really support you becoming Shichibukai, because it would dampen our adventurous and enterprising spirit, not to mention hindering our continued efforts to become stronger...
Once this matter is over, are you planning to follow in the footsteps of your predecessors and become a mountain bandit? Please give me a definite answer, otherwise I will be very uneasy...
George, in the end, hadn't forgotten what had happened before. He still yearned to constantly challenge stronger opponents to break through and become even stronger. But if Luo Chen chose to stay in his small, confined place like Doflamingo or Hancock and be content to be a king, then how could they talk about taking risks? How could they talk about becoming stronger?
Don't you see, Doflamingo cowered in Dressrosa, afraid to face powerful figures like the Four Emperors, and his strength didn't improve much over the past decade, ultimately being defeated by Luffy and his crew who had only been at sea for a little over two years?
"Hahaha, don't worry, what you're worried about won't happen. Even if I become Shichibukai, I won't stop or stagnate. On the contrary, after this incident, I will lead you into the New World to challenge those long-established powerhouses, making the name of our Luo Chen Pirates resound throughout the entire sea, and letting the ages remember our names!!"
Luo Chen stood up, bracing himself on the table, and after scanning the crowd, he spoke with great ambition.
It was his words that finally put the crew members at ease, and they began to eat heartily, their faces showing relief.
"Gurararara, very good. Only this is worthy of being my captain, Phil's captain. Decisive, ambitious, and if he also possesses the corresponding strength, then I agree to join you and become a member of the Luo Chen Pirates. After this incident, I hope Captain Luo Chen will give me a chance to challenge you and see if you are capable of taking on that position!!"
Seeing Luo Chen's ambition and the wisdom and decisiveness he had witnessed firsthand, Phil's approval of him grew. However, because he had not yet completely defeated Luo Chen in terms of strength, Phil had not yet recognized his position. This was inevitable in Phil's mind. In addition to necessary leadership, the captain of any pirate ship must also have the strength to convince the crew. Therefore, he did not hesitate to challenge Luo Chen again.
"This isn't urgent, we'll have time. The most important thing right now is to get to the Sabaody Archipelago as soon as possible and meet up with the navy that will be there to meet us."
By Luo Chen way, George, how much further is it? Approximately when will we reach our destination?
Luo Chen didn't take Phil's challenge to heart, and waved in agreement. Then he asked George was gnawing on a large piece of Poseidon meat.
"Hmm, glug... Please wait a moment, I'll take a look..."
Upon hearing Luo Chen's question, Phil hurriedly swallowed the food in his mouth, wiped his hand on the napkin, and then took out a nautical chart and a Log Pose from his body to compare and secretly calculate.
"Hmm, I've figured it out. Captain, our ship is currently sailing to this point, and we're still... well, we're a little over a day away from the Sabaody Archipelago. According to our rough calculations, we'll arrive there around the morning of the day after tomorrow!"
George answered after careful calculation.
"Well, since we still have more than a day, you guys should eat quickly. After you finish eating, we'll give you a quick training session so I can leave the ship with more peace of mind..."
Hearing that there was still more than a day left, Luo Chen nodded and urged them to eat quickly. After eating, he would make the most of the time to give them some special training so that their combat skills could be refined and their strength could be improved.