The sunny skies above the seas of the New World were surprisingly calm. The gentle breeze and cawing of the gulls made for a strangely peaceful environment in an otherwise terribly dangerous part of the world. Breaking into the peaceful ambiance was a small, incredibly battered ship, its tattered sails slowly floating through the sunny seas. Manning the helm was an exhausted Fishman, and leaning across the bow was an equally exhausted Rocks. D Xebec. Their first destination was a kingdom near the start of the Grand Line, and the journey from God Valley had been arduous. The 2 man crew and the small ship was not prepared for such a journey, and the two had managed to get quite a distance before their vessel began to fall apart.
But with their destination still being 5 days away, Rocks huffed in frustration as he began walking toward the wheel that Mayando was nearly falling asleep at. He chuckled as the teenager struggle to stay alert, though even in his sleepy state, the kids navigation skills were quite apparent. The pirates who had been sailing the seas for decades he had previously used as navigators would consider getting out of God Valley alive one of their career's crowning achievements, but this young kid hadn't said a peep while he weaved them easily through several massive storms.
"Kid, get below deck. You've earned some rest," Rocks said as he forcefully slapped the helmsman's shoulder, startling him awake and nearly causing him to start steering off course.
"What! No, I'm good captain! That coffee stuff you gave me who is working wonders!" He shouted, though Rock's concern only grew as the wired teenagers hands starte to shake. "I could sail aroudn the whole world without a break!" He shouted before he momentarily seemed to fall asleep until his dipping head smacked into the ship's wheel.
"You're a real trooper there Mayo, but what we're doing next isn't a mission for someone who can't fight," Rock's said as he turned to look beyond the bow of the ship. "There's a reason I made you go this way even though the trip was so rough. Before my old crew went to God Valley, I had heard a rumor that this crew was going to be sailing around in the area, and one guy in particular might be a good addition for us if the stories are true," he said with a smirk as he looked beyond the bow of the ship and saw a much larger ship than theirs crest over the horizon.
The ship's simple, yet practical design was common for pirates that had gotten their sea legs under them, but still hadn't become powerhouses of the grand line. The word that made up the body of it was common lumber yet well-maintained. The Jolly Roger was incredibly loud in its design, and Rocks always found it funny how seriously young crews took their own symbol before it even meant anything. As their ship that seemed like a small raft in comparison pulled up to the ship of the Cook Pirates, Rocks' small smile transformed into a huge grin before he unleashed a deafening shout.
"Who of the Cook Pirates is man enough to take me on?" He shouted as the crew seemingly stopped their various activities to find the source of the noise. The varied races of the crew members began to gather around the starboard side of the ship, many of them eventually finding and raising their eyebrows curiously at the minuscule ship whose captain appeared to be shouting at them. Mayando caught the eye of a giant who seemed to be holding a pair of chef's knives that were appropriate for his size, quickly taking Rock's advice and descending below deck.
"What do we have to get out of it?" The giant holding the massive knives asked with a goofy laugh. "Those boots are probably worth more than that raft that you're floating on," he teased as the rest of the crew around him joined in on the laughter.
"Well, I thought that you'd never ask," Rocks said as he reached into the tattered bag that he had slung around his shoulder.
The object inside was cool to the touch, and the cold air that cascaded along its sides as it emerged into the sunlight gave it a magical appearance that the pirate captain hoped would potentially grow its value to them even more. He raised it high above his head, allowing the sun to reflect off of the devil fruit's blue surface like a sparkling gem. The contrast of green stem that curled off of the top of it emphasized the intensity of the fruit's primary color even more, and he heard audible gasps echo from what he assumed were the crew members with the best vision.
While the average person may not know the different types of devil fruits, Rock's expectation seemed to come true as the crew of pirate chefs seemed to all recognize what he held in his hand: the Chlly Chilly Fruit. The clamor of the crew made it clear that they understood it's value, and the whispers throughout were eventually hushed by the approach of firm and authoritative footsteps.
Rocks lowered the fruit to his side as he saw the source off the steps, and recognized the reason that he had approached the Cook Pirate in the first place: their captain, Red Leg Zeff. No chef on the seas had built a more fearsome reputation for combat while also maintaining a sparkling reputation in their primary duties, but Zeff's reputation had been floating around the Grand Line for several months before the God Valley Incident. It was clear from his appearance alone why the rest of his crew held him in such high regard, the authority that he carried from simply walking to the side of the ship being nearly as powerful as pure Haki. His sharp features were partially covered by a blonde goatee, and his long blond hair was tucked underneath a typical captain's hat that had been redesigned with the same white color palette of a traditional chef's hat. His black captain's jacket hung off of his shoulder, and the loosely buttoned black shirt beneath it was stained with what appeared to be a variety of different red sauces. His matching black pants and boots reminded Rocks of an employee at a fancy restaurant, but that did not matter too much as he shook the fruit in his hand slightly.
"Red Leg Zeff, I presume?" Rocks asked with a smile as the chef stared daggers down at him.
"What of it?" He asked with confidence that bordered on arrogance, though he couldn't help his eyes from widening when he saw what Rocks was holding.
"I've personally always preferred simple recipes to the more complicated ones, so I'll make my offer just as simple: fight me one on one. Whoever wins gets your crew, both ships, and this devil fruit. Oh, the ship also includes a Fishman teenager," Rocks said as his eyes darted behind him to ensure that Mayando was still below deck.
A few moments of silence passed as Zeff's stare bounced between the mysterious pirate on what appeared to be a ship that was about to sink at any moment, but a devil fruit of that power was going to be worth 100's of millions of berries. On the other hand, he could eat it and never have to worry about refrigeration again. With the thought of throwing his freezer away bringing a smile to his face, the captain of the Cook Pirates pointed to a small, nearby island.
"That ship will be good scrap for the bonfire we'll build to celebrate our new devil fruit. Pull the ship into that island, we're going to play a little game!" The captain shouted to his exuberant crew.