Standing before the ingredient refrigerator, Hawkeye examined the contents with the same focused intensity he brought to studying his opponents. Gustave positioned himself nearby, mentally preparing to recommend dishes as he had done for every previous customer. In all his time running Bamboo Staff, he had yet to encounter a guest who could properly combine ingredients and cooking methods on their own.
Hawkeye's piercing gaze lingered for several moments before settling on two distinctive hams displayed in the refrigerator. Gustave had strategically cut cross-sections into both, allowing customers to easily assess the meat's quality and marbling.
The first ham displayed a light golden exterior with pale, delicately marbled meat inside. The second possessed a darker, almost blackened outer casing with correspondingly deeper-colored flesh within. To an untrained eye, the color difference might be noticeable, but understanding the implications of those differences—and more importantly, how to properly prepare each type—would be completely beyond their comprehension.
Today, however, Gustave had clearly encountered someone who truly understood the culinary arts.
After his careful examination, Hawkeye pointed to the first ham with decisive confidence. "Slice this ham thin and serve it with cheese—no cooking required."
He then indicated the second ham. "Slice this one as well, but stir-fry it with green peppers and lettuce after blanching."
Hearing these precise instructions, Gustave—who had been holding a cutting board in preparation—stared at Hawkeye in genuine amazement. He hadn't expected the world's greatest swordsman to so accurately identify the correct preparation methods for two vastly different types of cured meat.
The first was genuine Iberian ham or Jamón ibérico that Gustave had acquired from the Dragon Raja World during one of their shopping expeditions. The second was authentic Xuanwei ham from China. While both were technically ham, their preparation methods were worlds apart. Jamón ibérico, with its lower salt content and delicate curing process, could be consumed raw and was best appreciated in thin slices paired with complementary flavors like cheese. Xuanwei ham, conversely, contained significantly higher salt levels and required blanching in hot water to remove excess sodium before incorporating it into cooked dishes.
For ordinary diners, distinguishing between these two hams would be nearly impossible. Yet Hawkeye had determined the proper cooking approach after merely studying the meat's appearance and texture for a few moments. It seemed the world's number one swordsman possessed considerable culinary expertise alongside his legendary blade skills.
"Is there a problem? Can't you prepare these dishes?" Hawkeye inquired, noticing Gustave's surprised expression.
"No, no—cooking them won't be any trouble at all. I'm simply impressed that the world's greatest swordsman also happens to be quite the accomplished cook," Gustave replied with genuine admiration.
"Even the world's greatest swordsman needs to eat well," Hawkeye responded with characteristic stoicism, his tone suggesting this was simply a matter of practical necessity.
With that terse response, Hawkeye continued examining the available ingredients while Gustave felt a slight awkwardness settle over the interaction. The legendary swordsman was proving to be a master of conversation-ending statements.
After another period of silent observation, Hawkeye directed his attention to the aquarium where two pufferfish swam contentedly, their spiky forms gliding through the crystal-clear water.
"Fugu sashimi," he stated matter-of-factly. "Is that problematic?"
"You can rest assured—since I've opened this restaurant, I certainly possess the necessary skills," Gustave responded confidently. He understood that Hawkeye was referring to the notoriously dangerous process of preparing pufferfish. When handled improperly, what should be an exquisite delicacy could easily become a death sentence.
But Gustave was, after all, the youngest world renown chef in history. If someone of his caliber lacked the knife skills to properly process fugu, he might as well pack up his kitchen and return to raising livestock.
"Three courses so far," Hawkeye mused thoughtfully. "Give me one more main dish. You may choose it yourself."
"How about mushroom fried rice? I'm quite certain you've never experienced anything like it," Gustave suggested, his chef's pride evident in his recommendation.
"Acceptable," Hawkeye agreed. He had indeed never heard of such a preparation, but since Gustave had recommended it with such confidence, he was willing to trust the chef's expertise.
"Luffy! Come serve tea to our guest!" Gustave called out as he used a specialized net to carefully extract the pufferfish from their tank.
Hearing Gustave's summons, Luffy immediately rushed to prepare the tea service. Recently, Gustave had been motivating the young kid with promises of purchasing a gaming console, making Luffy surprisingly diligent in his server duties.
"Uncle, please enjoy your tea," Luffy announced cheerfully as he presented the freshly brewed tea to Hawkeye.
"You're Luffy—Garp's grandson?" Hawkeye asked, making one of his rare conversational inquiries as he accepted the tea.
"Uncle, how do you know my grandfather's name?" Luffy responded with typical curiosity.
Rather than answering, Hawkeye simply poured himself a cup and began drinking in contemplative silence.
"What a strange uncle," Luffy muttered as he wandered off, clearly perplexed by the swordsman's enigmatic behavior.
The day seemed determined to bring unexpected visitors to Bamboo Staff. No sooner had Hawkeye arrived than another ship appeared on the horizon, this one flying the distinctive Marine flag as it approached their floating restaurant.
"Po! Tom!" Ace exclaimed when he spotted the approaching ship, but his expression shifted to delight when he heard a familiar voice calling across the water.
"It's Sister Gion!" Ace announced joyfully, trotting to the bow and waving enthusiastically toward the Marine ship.
During their time at Marine Headquarters, while Po and Tom had been the absolute favorites among the female officers, both Luffy and Ace had also received considerable affection. After all, they were still children, and their natural charm gave them distinct advantages over the grown men in the Marine ranks.
"Little Ace! It's been far too long—did you miss your big sister?" came the warm response as Momousagi gracefully leaped from her ship toward Bamboo Staff. Her elegant form created a breathtaking silhouette against the sky—the kind of sight that would have sent an adult Sanji into immediate cardiac arrest.
"Ace, where are Po and Tom?" Momousagi asked the moment her feet touched Bamboo Staff's deck. Her first priority was clearly locating the two adorable mascots she'd grown so fond of. There was definitely something to be said for the power of cuteness.
"Sister Gion, just wait a moment—I'll go get Po and Tom right away!" Ace replied eagerly.
Following Hawkeye's arrival, the Moral Lord had retreated to his fourth-floor quarters for meditation. Chu Zihang was currently being "trained" by Po in Armament Haki techniques (which mostly involved getting systematically beaten up), while Tom was entertaining Yang Chan with his usual comedic antics.
Ace first located Po, finding him in the middle of Chu Zihang's rather one-sided sparring session, then hurried to find Tom.
The moment Tom heard that Momousagi had arrived, he immediately abandoned his game with Yang Chan and raced out with the speed of a cartoon character, leaving only a Tom-shaped dust cloud in his wake.
"Brother Ace, who is this Gion person? Why did Tom get so excited when he heard her name?" Yang Chan asked, puzzled by Tom's sudden and dramatic exit.
"Sister Gion is someone we met when we were staying at Marine Headquarters. She was incredibly kind to Tom, so he became very attached to her," Ace explained with a gentle smile.
"Really?" Yang Chan asked skeptically, then hurried outside to see for herself. What she witnessed was Tom being enthusiastically embraced and showered with affectionate kisses by Momousagi.
"Chan'er, don't look!" Ace immediately covered Yang Chan's eyes with his hands, but the damage to Tom's carefully cultivated image in her mind had already been done.
"Hmph!" Yang Chan stamped her foot indignantly and prepared to march away, silently vowing never to speak to that traitorous cat again.
Just as Yang Chan turned to leave, a pair of gentle hands suddenly lifted her up.
"What an absolutely adorable child! What's your name, sweetheart?"
It turned out that while Momousagi had been enthusiastically greeting Tom, she'd caught sight of Yang Chan from the corner of her eye. Instantly captivated by the beautiful and endearing little girl, she'd promptly set Tom aside and approached Yang Chan instead.
Tom found himself unceremoniously deposited on the deck, looking completely bewildered by this sudden turn of events.
Seeing Tom's confused and slightly abandoned expression, Yang Chan couldn't help but laugh with satisfaction. You just abandoned me for her, and now you've been abandoned too—serves you right!
Yang Chan's delighted laughter only made Momousagi's heart melt further, her maternal instincts going into overdrive.
"Her name is Yang Chan, but we called her Chan'er" Ace helpfully provided.
"Chan'er —such a beautiful name for such a beautiful and adorable girl," Momousagi praised warmly.
"Thank you, big sister," Yang Chan replied sweetly, her previous anger forgotten in the face of such genuine compliments and Tom's comeuppance.
"Chan'er, would you like to have dinner with big sister?" Momousagi asked, carrying Yang Chan toward the restaurant's interior.
However, Momousagi's pleasant mood shifted the moment she stepped inside and encountered an unexpected figure.
"I didn't expect to encounter Hawkeye, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, in a place like this," she said, her voice taking on a notably cooler, more professional tone.
"Nor did I expect to encounter Vice Admiral Momousagi," Hawkeye replied calmly after taking another sip of his tea.
"Fate works in mysterious ways," Momousagi observed, settling at the table directly across from Hawkeye in a clear display of confident authority.
"Gustave! One bowl of braised beef noodles!" she called toward the kitchen, her voice carrying the commanding tone of someone accustomed to having orders followed immediately.
"Coming right up!" Gustave's voice drifted back from the kitchen.
"Chan'er, what would you like to eat? Big sister's treat," Momousagi offered generously, her warm demeanor returning as she focused on Yang Chan.
"No thank you, Sister Gion—I've already eaten," Yang Chan politely declined, having recently finished her meal.
"Well then, Chan'er, wait right here. I'll get you something special—a cake!" Momousagi announced, standing and heading back toward her ship. She'd had her ship's cook prepare a special cake that morning, and it would be perfect for sharing with such a sweet little girl.