"Arashi, can we really sell fried rice like this?"
Standing at the entrance of Ultimate Yangzhou Fried Rice, Belle-Mère watched as customer after customer walked in, only to be scared off and leave while cursing under their breath. She held back her laughter and turned to Arashi, who was leaning lazily against the stove, yawning.
"Well, sooner or later, some sucker will come spend money."
Arashi let out another yawn, grabbed a spatula, and got up to walk outside, leaning against the doorway.
He was pretty helpless too!
He had already anticipated this situation when the system first gave him the task. But for the sake of that mysterious gift package, he decided to grit his teeth and give it a try.
If no one came to buy anything and he failed the mission, then so be it—he could just give up on the so-called mysterious gift package and the thousand Travel Points!
Of course, if some unlucky soul got curious and decided to try it, that would be even better! He firmly believed that as long as someone took a bite, the moment they swallowed their first mouthful of Yangzhou fried rice, they would ascend to heaven in pure bliss, explode with delight, and feel an indescribable sense of euphoria…
Although half a day had passed without selling a single plate, Arashi's restaurant had already become famous throughout Loguetown!
"What the hell!!!"
"18,888 Beli for one plate of fried rice?!"
"Is their fried rice made of gold or something? Damn! Just wait—they'll go out of business soon enough!"
"Don't even mention it! I was thinking of going in to try it, but that price almost scared me into wetting myself on the spot!"
"The worst part is, they only sell that 'Ultimate Yangzhou Fried Rice'! If you want soup, sure—but it costs an extra 1,000 Beli. The owner even said soup isn't part of his business, so it's an additional charge!! I… I feel like beating him up!"
Several Loguetown residents stood on the street, endlessly complaining about Arashi's restaurant. In their eyes, such a ridiculous place wouldn't last past tomorrow!
"Captain, sir!"
Suddenly, one of the men snapped to attention and shouted loudly.
Hearing this, the others—who had just been loudly talking about going to find Arashi, that "evil restaurant owner"—quickly turned around and greeted in unison, "Greetings, sir!"
The people of Loguetown held a mixture of respect and fear toward Captain Stork, the newly appointed officer.
Respect—because as soon as he took office, he had wiped out all the corrupt officers in one sweep.
Fear—because his methods were ruthless and iron-fisted.
"What are you all doing standing around here?"
Stork glanced at them and said sternly, "You punks better behave yourselves. If you disrupt the order of Loguetown, I won't hesitate to throw you all into prison."
With that, Stork ignored them and led more than twenty soldiers straight toward the food street.
"Huh?"
"Captain, sir, are you heading to the food street? I have a relative who runs a ramen shop there. Would you like to stop by? For you, Captain Stork—it's free!"
"Hm?"
Hearing this, Stork turned around and said coldly, "Do I look like someone who eats for free? Or do you think I can't afford to pay? Ridiculous!"
"Oh, right!"
Stork suddenly brightened and beckoned to one of the men. "You, come here!"
"Yes, Captain!"
The man hurried over eagerly. Before he could speak, Stork said directly, "I heard a restaurant called 'Ultimate Yangzhou Fried Rice' just opened on the food street. Do you know where it is?"
"???"
Hearing that, the man's eyes widened instantly. He waved his hands frantically. "Captain, you absolutely must not go there! It's a scam shop—the prices are terrifying!"
"What scam shop?"
Stork smacked the man on the head and scolded, "Every other restaurant in Loguetown might be a scam, but this one definitely isn't! What are you waiting for? Lead the way!"
"Captain, it really is a scam shop!"
The man didn't dare disobey, so he led the way while desperately trying to persuade him. "I just went there earlier, and that boss is simply—"
"Ha, I see it!"
Before the man could finish, Stork's eyes lit up. Seeing the signboard for Ultimate Yangzhou Fried Rice in the distance, he burst into laughter. "Men, two servings each—charge in!!"
"Huh?!"
"T-two servings each?!"
…
The man standing nearby stared wide-eyed at Stork and his men rushing forward, completely dumbfounded.
It took him a full half-minute to recover.
Then he raised a thumbs-up toward Stork's back and said in stunned admiration, "Incredible… Captain, you're amazing!"
"Mr. Arashi, we're here to support you!"
Stork led over twenty Marine soldiers to the restaurant entrance. Seeing Arashi squatting listlessly at the door, he hurried over excitedly. "Mr. Arashi, why didn't you inform us about your grand opening? Luckily one of my subordinates told me, or we would've missed it!"
"You guys are…"
Seeing Stork arrive with more than twenty Marines, Arashi blinked in confusion. "Here to support me?"
"Hahaha! Of course! For Mr. Arashi's restaurant, we must show our support!"
Stork laughed heartily. "By the way, Mr. Arashi, we're not late, are we?"
Standing beside Arashi, Belle-Mère blinked in confusion at the scene before turning to look at him.
She couldn't even begin to imagine how these Marines would react once they saw the price of the fried rice!
Seeing that Arashi showed no reaction, she suppressed her laughter and quietly turned to walk back into the restaurant.
From her understanding of Arashi, his silence meant he was ready to "serve" these Marine soldiers.
Sure enough—
As soon as Belle-Mère stepped inside, Arashi's voice rang out.
"Haha, not late at all! Perfect timing!"
Arashi looked at the neatly lined-up Marine soldiers at the entrance and said enthusiastically, "Thank you all for your support! Come, come, don't just stand there—please, come inside!"
Very quickly, Stork and the twenty-plus Marine soldiers entered the restaurant and took their seats.
One soldier sitting next to Stork immediately glanced at the price list on the wall.
The moment he saw the outrageous number, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets!
He instantly stood up and leaned toward Stork, whispering nervously, "Captain… maybe we should reconsider the 'two servings each' part? Wh-what if…"
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