Pirates' Magic Odyssey: Unveiling Eight Skills At The Beginning - Chapter 10

“What qualifies you to lecture me?”

Sanji’s temper was like a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment. 

Especially when it came to his culinary skills, which he considered extremely important, he couldn’t tolerate others meddling.

Yang Ming furrowed his eyebrows slightly. He had only intended to offer some helpful advice, but how did it provoke the other person?

It was difficult for a normal person to understand the mindset of such a problematic child.

Fortunately, the system’s prompt in his mind alleviated some of Yang Ming’s displeasure.

“Ding!”

“Congratulations to the host for quoting a classic line from Food Wars and earning a chance to draw. Would you like to activate the drawing roulette?”

Before Yang Ming could make a choice, a middle-aged man dressed in a white chef’s uniform appeared at the door.

The middle-aged man had a weathered look, indicating that he had experienced many hardships in life. He wore a tall chef’s hat on his head, and his upper lip sported twisted mustaches. While a wooden prosthetic limb was attached to his right leg, which was rhythmically tapping the wooden floor. 

He scolded Sanji, “Sanji, I don’t recall ever teaching you to treat guests with this attitude!”

“Now, quickly apologize to our guests.”

Zeff’s words seemed to have the opposite effect, arousing Sanji’s rebelliousness.

Sanji turned his head away, pretending not to hear.

“Ah…”

Zeff sighed, feeling both angry and helpless, and eventually just let out a sigh.

This former great pirate who had roamed the Grand Line recognized Garp’s identity as a renowned Navy hero from the moment he saw him. It was likely that the young man Garp brought with him also had an unusual connection with him.

Zeff dares not offend Garp in any way and didn’t dare to show the slightest negligence. 

Zeff, who typically stands with a straight posture, slightly bowed and assumed the most sincere humble stance and said, “I’m sorry, two guests, for startling you.”

He stepped aside, gesturing for them to come in.

Garp raised an eyebrow, quickly assessing the man.

The Marine headquarters kept records of wanted criminals from various regions, and every Navy officer was required to memorize the faces of every criminal. Although Garp noticed a slight difference between the man’s appearance and the wanted poster, with a bit more destitution and desolation, he recognized him as Zeff, also known as “Red-Leg”, the former captain of the Cook Pirates, with a bounty of 60 million Baileys.

However, Garp quickly lowered his eyelids, pretending not to recognize him.

After all, obtaining permission to return to his hometown in Donghai from the Warring States Period was a challenging task, so he was determined not to put in extra hours during the holiday.

Lying on a beach chair, reading a magazine with beautiful women, and spending quality time with his children and grandchildren, wasn’t this a good life?

Garp was not like Yang Ming, who was constantly pushing himself. Of course, if he could slack off, he would. He’d still get paid!

As Yang Ming, accompanied by Garp, entered the dining room, he immediately sensed a strong pull on the corner of his clothes.

He turned around and saw Sanji staring at him stubbornly.

Whenever it came to chefs and culinary skills, Sanji was extremely stubborn. In the eyes of ordinary people such a person was either a genius or simply crazy, a category not recognized by the world.

Yang Ming glanced at the prize he had just won on the drawing roulette, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

“Didn’t you just ask me if I had the qualifications to lecture you?”

Yang Ming rolled up his sleeves, looking at Zephu:

“Boss, can I borrow your kitchen for a while?”

?Peasant Cuisine?: A high-level culinary art from Shokugeki no Soma’s protagonist, Yukihira Soma, Capable of turning ordinary ingredients into magical dishes.

At the moment Yang Ming received this prize, his mind was flooded with knowledge about culinary arts. It felt as if he had lived through countless seasons, spending days and nights immersed in the art of cooking.

Garp paused for a moment, with a hesitant expression.

“Yang Ming, don’t try to be too brave.”

“Teacher, don’t underestimate the culinary skills I’ve learned through secretly observing in the naval ship’s kitchen!”

Yang Ming raised his hand with a confident smile, and he entered the kitchen led by Zeff.

Zeff stood there with his hands crossed, looking at the young man who was almost the same age as Sanji. He appeared somewhat skeptical.

“Even if I personally taught Sanji, his cooking was still terrible. What kind of dish can this young man possibly make?”

In Zeff’s eyes, this was probably just a contest of pride between young individuals.

Zeff decided that to avoid Garp’s wrath falling upon him and Sanji, he’d rather let Sanji exaggerate a bit and admit defeat. Anything was better than having Garp dismantle the restaurant with the Navy.

The kitchen of the sea restaurant was clean and well-equipped. Although small, it contained all kinds of utensils.

When Yang Ming picked up a chef’s knife, Zeff’s eyes instantly changed.

“This is…”

Under the surprised gaze of Zeff, Yang Ming’s knife skills were extremely skilled, as if he had immersed himself in culinary arts for many years. His movements were as smooth as flowing water, slicing the ham sausages, and cutting the green onions into segments.

Yang Ming turned around, opened the stove, and turned up the flame, heating the bottom of the pot until it was red. Once the oil was added, he began stir-frying the eggs, rice, ham sausages, and chopped green onions one by one.

Despite his small stature, it was as if a great culinary spirit resided within his body. His hand holding the pot handle remained steady, and his actions were skillful. As the ingredients flew through the air, the egg mixture gradually enveloped each plump grain of rice, forming a fully flavored golden fried rice!

A seemingly ordinary bowl of fried rice was served, and the rich aroma couldn’t be contained, spreading rapidly.

“Smells so good!”

Everyone present couldn’t help but sniff the air, immediately igniting their appetites.

Even Sanji, as proud as he was, had to admit, with a pinched nose, that the young man before him was far superior in culinary skills.

“I’m going to dig in!”

Before Yang Ming could stop him, Garp unabashedly scooped up a spoonful of fried rice and put it in his mouth.

At that moment, the expression on Garp’s face was just as astonished as it had been for Sanji and Zeff.

”You’re telling me this is the culinary skill you learned from the naval ship’s kitchen?”

“It was quite unbelievable!”

“Delicious!”

A crisp sound of clothes tearing, Garp felt as if his entire soul was transcending. The egg mixture evenly coated each plump grain of rice, allowing each bite to be filled with the aroma of ham sausages and green onions, constantly stimulating the taste buds.

Clearly just a simple home-cooked dish, but Yang Ming managed to turn it into a five-star dish.

”What incredibly delicious fried rice!”

Garp put down the spoon, belatedly feeling a chilling sensation from the upper half of his body.

Yang Ming looked at Garp, who was frantically picking up his clothes that had fallen to the ground, and couldn’t help but feel speechless.

Who would have thought that the exquisite food from Food Wars would cause clothes to burst? To think that this phenomenon had also appeared here.

Yang Ming speculated internally that this might be related to the culinary skill known as “Peasant Cuisine” in his mind.

After a small episode, Yang Ming was finally able to peacefully enjoy the cuisine of the sea restaurant.

Pan-fried black Angus steak, charcoal-grilled lamb, seafood stew, lobster au gratin with cheese, creamy pudding—each dish radiated the chef’s dedication and culinary skills, bringing out the unique flavors of the ingredients, leaving an unforgettable taste.

Zeff truly lived up to his reputation as a famous chef from the Grand Line. The dishes he personally cooked allowed Yang Ming to savor a satisfying feast.

What surprised Yang Ming even more was that the qi converted after the Six Sensei Thieves absorbed these carefully cooked dishes was even greater than that from ordinary food.

“Could it be that the better the food, the stronger I’ll become?”

Yang Ming secretly wondered.

“It seems that I’ll need to find a chef in the future.”

“Of course, except for the old man and the arrogant kid, it’s best to find an attractive chef.”

After a satisfying meal, Yang Ming once again set sail.

This time, the military didn’t linger in the East Sea for too long, returning to the Grand Line at full speed.

After Garp and Yang Ming left the East Sea, the pirates who had been oppressed by the Navy hero finally rejoiced. The mighty Garp was finally gone, and they began emerging from their hiding places.

In the blink of an eye, two months had passed.

Yang Yu stood at the bow of the Going Merry, looking at a huge building ahead.

On the island stood a tall white wall, with thousands of Navy soldiers stationed on the city walls along with hundreds of cannons. Within the walls was a massive cylindrical fortress, narrowing at the top, and on top of it was a Japanese-style building, the headquarters of the Navy’s Great Admiral, also known as the Warring States General’s office.

On top of the flagpole, a Navy flag fluttered in the wind, depicting a seagull holding a balance in its beak, with the words “Navy” below.

At the pier, a group of Navy officers and soldiers stood in formation.

As the warship approached the pier, the Navy personnel lined up and saluted in unison.

Following Garp, Yang Ming entered the Navy headquarters. People were bustling about, everyone walking hurriedly, busy everywhere.

Garp walked straight toward the office of the Warring States General, surprising the surrounding Navy officers and soldiers. They secretly observed the young man beside the Navy hero, wondering about his identity.

The office door was pushed open by Garp, who boldly sat directly in front of the Warring States General.

“Warring States, I have something to ask of you.”

The Warring States General was dressed in a marshal’s uniform, adorned with a series of medals on his left chest, demonstrating the illustrious achievements he had made. Only the seagull on his hat slightly disrupted his stern image.

“Garp, how many times have I told you, knock on the door before entering my office!”

Garp casually crossed his legs, even picking his nose.

The Warring States General knew the personality of this old friend and didn’t mind. His gaze fell on Yang Ming, a person full of wisdom. He quickly understood what Garp was seeking, and said:

“You want this kid to enter the Navy Academy?”

“But, most students who enter the Navy Academy are already teenagers, he’s just too young.”

“However, since Garp, you’ve asked me, I’ll give this kid a chance.”

“Tomorrow is the first day of the Navy Academy’s opening. If he can defeat any one of the students there, I’ll make an exception and allow him to enter the Navy Academy.”