Chapter 30: The Agreement to Board the Ship

About an hour later, breakfast began.

In a small place like Shimotsuki Village, ingredients naturally weren't very abundant; Zeff had already sent Zoro midway to buy everything available at the market, which amounted to only those few types anyway.

But after passing through Zeff's hands, it was as if magic had been cast, instantly turning the mundane into the miraculous.

Dishes with enticing colors and rich aromas were brought to the table one after another.

The little brats in the dojo crowded before the long wooden table; before they had even started eating, every single one of them had already widened their eyes.

Amidst the clinking of bamboo chopsticks against bowls mixed with rising and falling exclamations of "So fragrant," "Wow, I can't stand it," and "I can't control my drool anymore."

And when Zeff announced that everyone could start, the scene descended into chaos.

After all, they were all half-grown children; although they initially remembered the dining etiquette Teacher Teacher Gengsilang had taught, these dishes were simply too delicious, instantly triggering the human instinct to guard one's food.

Everyone fought and snatched, becoming like hungry ghosts pouncing on food.

Siano was momentarily squeezed so hard he couldn't get forward; feeling too embarrassed to compete with this bunch of little radishes, he first went to the corner to ladle a bowl of the most neglected fish slice porridge.

One swallow down, the milky white rice porridge coating semi-transparent fish slices slid down his throat, while scallions and ginger perfectly moderated the salty fishiness, resulting in a smooth, wonderful texture that was so fresh it made his eyebrows fall off.

He also picked up some of the side dishes nearby; they were crisp and refreshing, an excellent accompaniment to the porridge.

He couldn't help but squint his eyes in enjoyment.

Even ordinary clear porridge and simple side dishes can be made this delicious; is this what a professional chef is?

Bell-mère's cooking skills were actually already excellent, but compared to Zeff, the difference was simply between heaven and earth.

Perhaps I should... Siano glanced at Zeff thoughtfully.

Nearby.

Zoro was also gobbling down food with a clang, wishing he could swallow the entire table.

The resentment from being ordered to do odd jobs earlier had long vanished without a trace; if he could eat such delicious food every day, he would wash vegetables and chop vegetables every day without complaint!

"Old man!" he couldn't help but turn around and shout, "Stay! If I can't taste your cooking in the future, I don't know how I'll go on living!"

"Yeah, yeah!"

"Stay, Chef Old Man!"

The other little brats in the dojo also started clamoring along.

These little brats who know nothing of the ways of the world, Teacher Gengsilang shook his head helplessly; where could a small dojo like his afford to hire a top-tier chef like this?

"Alright, stop arguing, and no more mentioning such unreasonable demands."

Just as Teacher Gengsilang spoke gently, he suddenly turned his head in astonishment, abruptly remembering that before cooking, Zeff had specifically asked him whether the place still lacked a cook.

"That's right, that is exactly what this old man means."

Zeff said with a smile, "Mr. Teacher Gengsilang, it seems the children quite like my cooking; why not temporarily take this old man in? And, of course, this child as well."

He gently ruffled the little head of Sanji beside him.

"You little brat, saying you want to search for All Blue, but right now you're still at the level of a handyman; someone who isn't even a chef yet, what qualification do you have to pursue that dream blue sea?"

"Stinky old man..."

Sanji pushed his hand away in disgust, then suddenly realized belatedly, looking up in surprise, "Eh? Does this mean you old man are willing to teach me cooking?"

"Don't get your hopes up yet." Zeff pursed his lips, "This old man is very strict with formal apprentices; if you don't learn anything substantial, I can kick you out anytime."

"Don't underestimate people, stinky old man!"

At this moment, Teacher Gengsilang coughed and said, "Lord Zeff, for a figure of your stature to be willing to stay in this dojo is truly an honor for this humble one; we would welcome you with open arms, it's just..."

It's just that at this rate of consumption today, the Isshin Dojo would probably go bankrupt within a month. If it were a year ago, there would still be quite a bit of grain saved up, but on that night not long ago, he had donated it all to Dragon.

He felt somewhat embarrassed, truly unable to speak the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

But Zeff saw his predicament and laughed heartily:

"Rest assured, this old man still has some savings; don't worry, from now on, this old man will cover all the ingredients for the Isshin Dojo!"

"How can this be!"

Teacher Gengsilang was greatly alarmed; this was the first time he had ever heard of someone paying their own money to work.

"Say no more! It's settled!"

Zeff laughed loudly; he was too lazy to waste words on so much talk, forcefully patting Teacher Gengsilang on the shoulder and making the latter swallow the words that were nearly out of his throat.

Siano watched with amusement from the side.

The scene of these two being together looked quite wonderful.

Teacher Gengsilang, Zeff, tsk, if only there were also Ray... Kaido, then the teachers of the Straw Hat Pirates' big three main forces would all be complete.

"By the way, Lord Siano."

Zeff pulled Siano outside again and, from who knows where, lifted out a large sack of treasures.

"Take these; exchanging them for money should yield at least fifty or sixty million Berries. I've kept some aside here, which is enough for usual ingredient purchases."

Fifty or sixty million Berries?

Siano glanced at this large sack of treasures.

On the deserted island, Zeff had used this very sack to trick Sanji, making him mistakenly believe it was filled entirely with food.

And in the original timeline, didn't Zeff later use this sum of money to open the Baratie restaurant?

Recalling the four hundred million Berry fortune he still had deposited in the Loguetown bank, he pondered briefly, then shook his head.

"No need, Uncle Zeff; you keep it all. I truly don't lack money; just consider this my contribution as well, so that these children in the dojo can eat well, eat their fill, and not worry about nutrition for the next few years."

"Especially those two."

Siano pointed at Sister Sister Guyina and Zoro, smiling as he said:

"In the future, they might be my crew members, Uncle; you can show a slight bias and take extra care of them. I hope that when they follow me out to sea in the future, their bodies will be as strong as oxen... no, as strong as mine."

Zeff followed his gaze to look at Siano's absurdly muscular physique, immediately amused, and laughed heartily.

"Alright! Rest assured, with this old man guarding the kitchen, by the time you set sail, I will return two crew members to you who are just as fat and sturdy as you!"

"Or perhaps, there are more than just two?"

"Hmm?" Zeff froze for a moment.

Siano blinked his eyes, grinned, and said, "I'm saying, Uncle, continuing as a chef is ultimately just your second-choice option, isn't it? Hasn't your greatest dream always been to continue voyaging the Grand Line in pursuit of that blue sea of your dreams?"

"Are you implying... that you want this old man to join your crew when the time comes?"

Zeff was slightly stunned, and a hint of interest seemed to spark in his eyes.

But as his gaze shifted down to his prosthetic leg, he ultimately let out a sigh:

"Forget it. The future of the Grand Line belongs to young people like you. With the little strength this old man has left, I'd only be holding you back."

After all, he had once been a captain.

Joining the crew wouldn't matter in itself, but if he ended up being the weakest on board again, a useless burden unable to help in battle—

then his pride simply could not accept that.

"I can understand your feelings, Uncle, but what if..." Siano pinched his chin, "I have a way to completely heal your leg?"

"..."

Zeff froze, then brilliance erupted in his eyes, his voice trembling slightly from excitement.

"Really? There's truly a way? My entire leg is gone; what medical art could possibly achieve such a feat..."

Siano shook his head: "It doesn't necessarily have to be medical art. In any case, I can't do it right now, but I definitely will in the future. How about this, Uncle Zeff, let's set a deadline."

He held up four fingers. "Counting from the day I set sail, it should be within about four or five years? By then, I will come to the Isshin Dojo. If I can completely restore your leg, you'll join our ship and sail with us. How does that sound?"

He was very confident in fulfilling this promise.

After all, the items that could appear in the System Trading Market were truly of every conceivable variety.

If even something like a Planet Engine could be found there, what difficulty could there be in repairing a leg?

He was only thirteen years old right now.

Setting out to sea didn't necessarily require waiting until adulthood, but one should at least wait until sixteen or seventeen.

With such a long gap in between, and the Trading Market refreshing once a month, unless one was unbelievably unlucky to the extreme, how could it be impossible to find a solution!

"Good, let's do exactly as you say!"

Zeff finally made up his mind, extended his pinky finger, and grinned: "Then shall we seal it with a pinky promise?"

Siano: "?"

Wait.

Why is it that you locals of the East Blue, regardless of age, are all so fond of making pinky promises?

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There will be another update this afternoon. During the new book period before going premium, there are restrictions, so I can only maintain two updates per day; everyone please understand. After going premium, I will add more updates.

(End of Chapter)