Chapter 48: Meat and Potato Stew
A few days ago, when Smoker first encountered Yumesaki at the tavern, he knew instinctively that Yumesaki was a restless troublemaker. That was why he had stepped forward to give a warning.
Who could have guessed that this guy wouldn't play by the rules? He had suddenly unleashed a burst of Conqueror's Haki, knocking Smoker out cold.
When Smoker finally regained consciousness, he discovered that it wasn't just him; the entire town of Loguetown had been affected. Humans and animals alike had collapsed. He had never seen Conqueror's Haki that powerful before.
Naturally, this caused a massive headache for the town. When people woke up, panic ensued. Some even thought they had been hit by a mysterious plague.
Smoker had to put in a massive amount of effort to calm the citizens, assuring them it was just a freak accident. Because of the trust the people had in the Marines, they eventually accepted the explanation and things returned to normal.
But Smoker truly didn't expect the culprit behind that chaos to just stroll back in.
After receiving a tip, Smoker had rushed over as fast as he could, finally intercepting the "jerk" right in front of the market.
"Why wouldn't I dare come back?" Yumesaki looked at Smoker with genuine surprise. "I'm not a wanted man."
Looking at Yumesaki's innocent face, Smoker almost swung a punch. He had never seen someone so shameless.
"You didn't forget what you did in Loguetown a few days ago, did you?" Smoker growled. "Do you realize that based on that stunt alone, I could officially put a bounty on your head?"
With Smoker's reminder, it finally clicked for Yumesaki. A few days ago, triggered by Smoker's presence, he had awakened his Conqueror's Haki and accidentally knocked out the entire population. They had left immediately afterward, leaving the mess for others to clean up.
Thinking back on it now, he did feel a bit guilty.
Yumesaki admitted his actions were a bit much and apologized directly to Smoker.
"My bad. That was actually the first time I'd ever used Conqueror's Haki, so I didn't have much control over it."
"The... first time?"
Smoker's eyes widened as he stared at Yumesaki in disbelief. Are you kidding me? Awakening Haki for the first time and instantly knocking out an entire city? That was beyond absurd.
Smoker was a man who had trained at Marine Headquarters and seen the world; he knew exactly what it meant for someone to be that powerful right at the start.
A monster. No, he was a monster among monsters.
If they actually fought here, Loguetown would be leveled.
Swallowing his urge to attack, Smoker asked coldly, "Tell me, what are you actually here for this time? There shouldn't be anything in Loguetown that interests someone like you."
Yumesaki shook the bag of groceries in his hand. "Is it possible I just came back to buy supplies?"
Smoker's face flushed red. Because he was so on edge, he had asked a truly stupid question.
He quickly suppressed the blush and kept his cold facade. "Once you've got your supplies, leave immediately. You aren't welcome here."
Yumesaki nodded. "Fair enough. I'm going."
Smoker stepped aside, and Yumesaki led the group past him, giving a polite nod as he went by. He truly harbored no ill will, but for some reason, Smoker's expression suddenly soured.
His eyes looked like they wanted to devour Yumesaki whole, glaring intensely at his back.
What's his problem now?
Yumesaki didn't get it, but he wasn't in the mood to deal with the man anymore, so he quickly made his way back to the ship.
By the time they reached the vessel, it was nearly dinner time. Cosette put on her chef's whites and approached Yumesaki with a serious expression.
"Master Yumesaki, is there any particular dish you would like to eat tonight?"
"I heard your Meat and Potato Stew is quite good. How about a serving of that for me?"
Yumesaki suddenly remembered that in the original story, Cosette had been caught in the conflict between the Vinsmoke brothers because Sanji's brothers claimed her stew was terrible. Later, Sanji himself had praised it as delicious.
Naturally, Yumesaki was curious to know what it actually tasted like.
"Meat and Potato Stew?" Cosette was a bit surprised. "I'm not sure where you heard that from, Master Yumesaki, but I will do my absolute best."
"Need a hand?" Yumesaki offered.
"No, no!" Cosette waved her hands frantically, practically pushing Yumesaki out of the kitchen.
This was her battlefield; no amateurs were allowed to interfere.
Yumesaki ended up back in the lounge, waiting patiently. About an hour later, Cosette emerged carrying a large pot of steaming stew.
"Meat and Potato Stew, please enjoy, Master Yumesaki... and everyone else."
Yumesaki clapped his hands. "Come on, sit down and eat with us, Cosette."
"I... I shouldn't," Cosette instinctively refused. In the Vinsmoke household, the head chef was never allowed to dine with the family.
"It's fine. This isn't the Vinsmoke family. Meals are better when everyone's together."
After several invitations from Yumesaki, Cosette finally took a seat. Nico Robin, Kanae, and Karin joined them as well.
Only one person remained standing: Namikaze Minato.
"Oh? Is Mr. Namikaze not eating with us?" Cosette asked curiously.
Minato offered a gentle smile. "I don't need to. Please, enjoy yourselves."
Yumesaki explained, "Minato isn't a living person. He doesn't have a sense of taste or physical needs, so he doesn't need to eat. But we're working on fixing that."
Hearing that Minato wasn't "living," Cosette blinked in shock before a thought occurred to her. "Is it... a Devil Fruit ability?"
"No, it's Ninjutsu."
"Ninjutsu?" Cosette had never heard of such a power.
"It's a very miraculous type of technique," Yumesaki said. "You'll see eventually. For now, let's eat."
He scooped a bowl of the piping hot stew for himself, paired it with some fragrant rice, and began to eat heartily.
Just as Sanji had said, the taste was incredible.
In fact, Yumesaki felt that Cosette's cooking skills right now were actually superior to Sanji's current level. Of course, Sanji was a protagonist; once he joined the Straw Hat Pirates, his culinary skills and combat strength would skyrocket.
By the time Cosette appeared in the original manga, hundreds of chapters had passed, and Sanji would have been on a completely different level by then. It was only natural for him to surpass her eventually.
But for now, Cosette's cooking was top-tier. At the very least, Yumesaki was more than satisfied.
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