The party officially began.
The two culinary goddesses on Makoto's ship, Erina and Alice, immediately got busy in the kitchen. Yui, Saeko, Nino, and others who were also skilled in cooking helped out.
After all, the Rocks Pirates members were so large... they definitely looked like big eaters.
Also joining the help was the head chef of the Rocks Pirates, who would also become the future head chef of the Big Mom Pirates, Streusen.
When Erina and the others saw Streusen use his Cook-Cook Fruit ability, they were startled. "There's a Devil Fruit ability like that?!"
Streusen's ability could turn any object into ingredients. With his help, the kitchen's efficiency greatly increased.
At the start of the welcome party, the Rocks Pirates' members were still somewhat restrained… after all, Makoto was simply too terrifying.
But when dish after dish was brought out, the cuisine from the real world presented by Erina and Alice made these 'country bumpkins'' eyes light up.
Linlin, eating desserts she had never tasted before, couldn't help saying, "These desserts are so wonderful, they make me want to capture you all and—"
Before she could finish, Streusen, bringing out new dishes, was so scared he kicked her.
Linlin instantly realized her mistake, quickly stuffed the cake into her mouth, and forcibly swallowed the rest of her words.
Damn, if she had finished that sentence, she would have lost at least a leg, just like that guy Shiki.
Newgate gulped down several mouthfuls of alcohol and glanced at this stupid woman, 'It's one thing to be reckless with your words normally, but have some sense of the occasion.'
Kaido also looked disdainfully at the stupid woman who usually acted like a big sister, 'Better to stay away from her in the future, so her low IQ doesn't rub off.'
"Kaido." Just then, Makoto suddenly spoke. Kaido nearly choked on his drink. "Wh-what is it?"
He swallowed nervously, looking at Makoto, thinking: 'I'm still just an apprentice pirate, please don't mess with me.'
Makoto said, "Starting tomorrow, you'll teach them Haki."
He pointed at Ran, Kaguya, Chika, and the others.
"Huh?" Kaido didn't react for a moment.
Makoto continued, "You have the potential to become the world's greatest teacher. I'm not joking. I think the title 'Kaido-sensei' suits you perfectly."
"I won't be leading you for too long. I hope that before you leave, you can help most of the people on my ship master the two types of Haki."
Kaido opened his mouth, not knowing how to respond. His mind was in a mess. He wanted to conquer the world through violence, to form a pirate crew that valued violence above all. How had he become the world's greatest teacher?
"Haha! Kaido, in that case, don't bother forming a pirate crew. Just open a school," Linlin laughed mockingly. She had noticed Kaido's contemptuous glance earlier.
"Hey, crazy woman." Makoto's next words wiped the smile off Linlin's face. "You'll teach Yotsuba how to use her Devil Fruit. After all, you're also very skilled with fire, right?"
When he saw Kaido, Makoto remembered his 'three blows to create Nika' operation. It felt like such a gold medal teacher would be wasted if not used.
And it wasn't just Kaido... he could use the others to teach his wives too.
Yotsuba was now a Magma-Magma Fruit user, and Linlin's Soul-Soul Fruit was also good at controlling fire. He could have her teach Yotsuba.
Makoto then looked at Shiki. "Shiki, you'll teach Kotonoha and Saeko swordsmanship."
Shiki's face darkened, 'You cut off my leg, and now you want me to teach?'
But he didn't dare object… afraid that Makoto would cut off his other leg too.
"Got a problem?" Makoto looked at him with a smile.
"...No," Shiki gritted out from between his teeth.
Just as Makoto was assigning 'teaching tasks' to the Rocks Pirates' members, Alice, Erina, and the others arrived with new dishes.
They were immediately swarmed by the great pirates of the Rocks Pirates. It wasn't that the sisters' cooking skills were that much better than Streusen's… mainly, they had never tasted this flavor before.
The seasoning and cooking techniques of cuisine from the real world were on a completely different level from the One Piece World.
Although the Rocks Pirates members were well-traveled, this was their first time tasting flavors from another world. Their eyes lit up as they ate, too busy stuffing their faces to even talk.
For Makoto's female players, the new dishes Streusen brought were also very novel.
"Eat me! Eat me!" The ingredients Streusen brought all had human-like facial features and made cheerful cries. It was a golden-roasted suckling pig. Its pig head actually had eyes, a nose, and a mouth, still blinking and making eyes at the women outside the dish.
"What is this thing?!" Ichika was so startled by the cake on the plate talking to her that she nearly fell to the ground.
Streusen explained, "This is the ability of Linlin's Soul-Soul Fruit."
Linlin often attached the extracted souls to ingredients, giving them life force. When cooking, the ingredients could adjust themselves according to the cooking environment.
If the heat was off or a step was wrong, they could even alert the chef.
"That's a really convenient ability for a chef," Alice sighed after hearing Streusen's explanation. Ingredients that could adjust themselves and even communicate with the chef… truly, anyone who obtained that ability could become a famous chef.
"How about we kill them both and take the Cook-Cook Fruit and Soul-Soul Fruit?"
As soon as Makoto said this, Streusen was completely dumbfounded. Linlin also felt that the cake in her mouth wasn't so tasty anymore, 'Damn, so ruthless?'
Streusen fell to his knees with a 'thump', crying and shouting, "My lord! Streusen is innocent! My lord!"
His voice was so piercing, as if he were about to be sent to the execution ground.
Makoto said with a smile, "I know you're innocent. But if I don't kill you, where will my wife's Devil Fruit come from?"
"Um, Makoto-kun, no, it's okay, I, I was just saying," Alice quickly tried to dissuade him.
Although she was happy that her man was thinking of her, this felt a bit too harsh.
The guy had just been cooking for you, and now you're going to kill him to take his Devil Fruit… that's indeed a bit inhumane.
Makoto glanced at Alice, then at Streusen kneeling on the ground. Then he suddenly stood up and kicked Shiki.
"Ouch!" One of the future three great pirates, Golden Lion Shiki, was kicked over, tumbling several times, his face covered in soup and vegetable leaves, looking utterly pathetic.
Makoto said calmly, "These guys are all scoundrels who stop at nothing. Don't stand on ceremony with them. The way to deal with these idiots is through violent suppression. If you're nice to them, they'll only think you're weak."
He paused, sweeping his gaze over the assembled great pirates. "Only Edward Newgate barely qualifies as a normal person."
Yes, this was why Makoto chose Whitebeard as the manager for this group.
Newgate, chewing on a large piece of Sea King meat, blinked, 'Huh? Was he praising me?'
Shiki, kicked over with soup and water on his face, ground his teeth in anger, thinking: 'I'll remember this.'
Having said that, Makoto ultimately did nothing to Streusen or Linlin. After all, Makoto didn't have the Dark-Dark Fruit himself right now.
Even if he killed them, he couldn't obtain the Cook-Cook Fruit or the Soul-Soul Fruit.
Speaking of Devil Fruits, Leonora suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right. We found a Devil Fruit on that Forget Island earlier."
As soon as she said this, Kotonoha, Saeko, and the others also remembered.
Chika and Moeha's eyes lit up, and they leaned in to ask, "What kind of Devil Fruit is it?"
Then, amid the crowd's urging, Alice went to her room and brought out the Devil Fruit. A purplish-red fruit, shaped like an enlarged tomato, its surface covered in the characteristic spiral patterns of a Devil Fruit.
"Such a gloomy color..." Miku couldn't help but remark.
"I wonder what ability it has?" Itsuki tilted her head curiously.
Then, Erina explained to everyone how they had obtained the fruit and told Makoto that the Red Count had seemed to be after this fruit as well, suggesting it was quite valuable.
"I'll get the picture book," Utaha said, getting up to go to the study for the Devil Fruit encyclopedia. But just then, a voice rang out.
"Mythical Zoan: Bat-Bat Fruit, Model: Vampire." Miss Bakkin spoke. Everyone's gaze turned to her.
Newgate glanced at his mistress and asked, "Isn't that the Devil Fruit you've always wanted?"
Miss Bakkin pressed her lips together and didn't speak. Internally, she grumbled: 'How did those clueless little girls find it?'
Makoto then asked Miss Bakkin to explain the fruit's abilities. Miss Bakkin spoke reluctantly. "The fruit's ability is… by drinking human blood, you can maintain eternal youth."
Yes, just like vampires in Western fantasy stories. Although there was another Devil Fruit, the Zoan-type: Bat-Bat Fruit, with similar effects, it was merely an inferior version.
The ordinary Bat-Bat Fruit could only restore stamina through blood-drinking. The Mythical Zoan Vampire Fruit, by drinking blood, could not only restore stamina but also drain the lifespan of others, converting it into the user's own vitality, thereby achieving eternal youth.
Not to mention the Vampire Fruit's ability to create darkness and a favorable environment for itself.
Miss Bakkin's explanation proved she truly wanted this Devil Fruit.
It was no surprise that the Red Count, PatrictRedfield, wanted it… his age was naturally much higher than Edward Newgate, Garp, and the others, belonging to the same era as Kong.
Although he was only in his early forties now, he was also facing aging issues, which was why he wanted this fruit.
And thus, a question arose… who would eat it? The deck was silent for a moment.
Everyone's gaze focused on that purplish-red fruit. Eternal youth. Those two words were as devastating to every woman present as a nuclear bomb.
The members of the MILF Group stared wide-eyed. The younger girls' breathing also became rapid. Even Megumi, usually the calmest, couldn't help but sneak a few more glances.