"This should be the place."
Following the directions from the weapon shop owner, Yemu easily found the restaurant he mentioned.
Sure enough, it was rundown and desolate.
Located on the very edge of Loguetown, with a wild forest just behind it, the building was falling apart. Moss crept up the signboard, but the four characters could still barely be made out: Life Cuisine.
"What a weird name..."
Just as Yemu was about to push the door open, a vicious gust of wind rushed past, followed by a furious shout.
"You damn girl, wasting ingredients again! Get ready to die..."
Bang!
The rotten wooden door couldn't handle the impact and shattered into pieces. A figure was sent flying straight out of the restaurant, crashing right toward Yemu.
But he didn't dodge. Instead, he held out his hands and caught her midair, cradling her in his arms.
The reason was simple...
No need to even mention it—just the soft, plush feeling in his arms and the sweet scent of a young girl was enough to make Yemu's mind wander. And when his hands brushed against her firm, smooth, shapely legs, combined with her figure-hugging white chef's outfit, she was undeniably attractive.
He looked down. Her expression was cold and distant, clearly unwelcoming.
But her features were stunning, oozing allure. She had the kind of dangerously seductive beauty that made people want to tame her.
And her voice matched perfectly—cool and cutting.
"How long are you planning to hold me like this..."
Yemu didn't budge.
"As long as you let me, I could hold you forever..."
Smack—
She raised her hand to slap him, but before she could land the hit, Yemu let go. She dropped straight to the ground.
"Hmph..."
She didn't get angry. She rubbed her backside, shot him a cold glance, then got up and stormed back into the restaurant.
"Interesting..."
Yemu followed her inside.
Contrary to the shabby exterior, the interior was spotless. The entire setup resembled a massive Mongolian yurt—spacious, with over twenty tables, enough to seat nearly a hundred people. Sunlight streamed in, filling the space with warmth. Small potted flowers and plants lined the windows, giving off a homely charm. The owner clearly had a soft side.
But right now, the place was oddly quiet. No one was around—except...
Bang!
Another loud crash echoed.
The same girl was now pounding on the fragile bar counter, shouting at a burly man behind it. He wore a floral-trimmed apron and stood with his arms crossed over his chest.
"You old geezer! You were the one who taught me that to make the most delicious food, you need the best ingredients..."
The man looked just as furious.
"You little brat! I said appropriate... appropriate! And that's still no excuse to waste ingredients!"
"But that meat was completely substandard..."
"Substandard? Nonsense! You just didn't put your heart into cooking!"
"Stop with those outdated lies. Ordinary ingredients are still just that—ordinary. No matter how well you cook them, they'll never become top-tier cuisine."
"You idiot! The art of Life Cuisine is about turning the cheapest ingredients into the most delicious dishes! Everything I taught you since you were a kid—have you forgotten it all?"
"Tch. I never cared to remember any of it. If you hadn't forced me, I'd never have become a chef or bothered with cooking..."
"Idiot! You were born to be a chef. You were made for cooking! And if you don't take over, who am I supposed to leave this place to when I die?"
"When you're dead, I'll just burn the whole place down and go explore the world..."
The shop owner exploded with rage. Veins bulged on his forehead like they were ready to burst, and his face turned beet red.
"You ungrateful girl! Your mother and I poured our hearts into this shop, and now you want to burn it down?! You unfilial daughter..."
The girl shot her father a disdainful look and mumbled something under her breath, but in the end, didn't say anything cruel.
It was then that the shop owner noticed Yemu had walked in. He shot a glare at the girl.
"I'll deal with you later, brat..."
Then he picked up a menu, forced a smile, and enthusiastically walked over to Yemu.
"Welcome, customer... What would you like to order?"
But before he could finish, something seemed to strike him like lightning. He froze as he stared at the face under the lowered hood—familiar, yet distant. The smile instantly vanished. His face went pale, and he trembled, barely managing a word.
"You... You're..."
The girl noticed her father's strange reaction first. Realizing something was off, she rushed over and stood between him and Yemu. As Yemu looked on in mild surprise, her right hand transformed into a knife, and her left into a frying pan. She glared at Yemu and barked at her father behind her.
"Hey... you old geezer... you okay? Who the hell is this guy?"
The shop owner snapped out of it, steadied himself, and quickly moved in front of the girl, stopping her.
"No—Flare! Don't do anything! This is all a misunderstanding. I'm sorry, honored guest... I just..."
Seeing her father stumbling over his words, Flare looked a bit stunned. Yemu, slightly amused, pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Looks like you recognize me. But am I really that terrifying?"
The owner forced a twisted smile, more pitiful than if he were crying.
"Of course not, Yemu-sama, Captain of the Sky Pirates. Your visit to our humble shop is the greatest honor we could ask for..."
"Sky Pirates... Captain... Yemu..."
Flare, now standing behind her father, suddenly understood why he was so terrified.
Realizing she had almost struck such a fearsome man just moments ago, a cold chill ran through her. The usual indifference on her face drained away, leaving it ghostly pale.
Though born and raised in Loguetown, East Blue, Flare didn't know much about the Celestial Dragons. She couldn't fully grasp what killing one really meant.
But she had just gone to sea for the first time, and she knew exactly what it meant for someone to have a personal bounty of 540 million Berries—and a total crew bounty of 1.42 billion. Having dealt with countless pirates herself, she understood the weight of those numbers.
In all her years growing up in Loguetown, she'd never seen a bounty that high in the East Blue.
And for the past month, aside from talk of the soon-to-be-executed Pirate King Gol D. Roger, the most buzzed-about topic in Loguetown had been the Sky Pirates—those lunatics bold enough to kill a Celestial Dragon.
Yet looking at the man in front of her—slightly handsome, but otherwise unremarkable—Flare just couldn't link him with the brutal, terrifying pirates she'd seen around town.
"He really doesn't seem all that special..."
Flare thought to herself...