New World, Sphinx Island.
On the outside of the Sphinx Island, it can be seen that all members of the Whitebeard pirate group have made various preparations related to the cooking match that will be held today which will be carried out between the Fortis Kingdom's Chef, Saiba Jouichirou and also the Chief Chef of the Whitebeard Pirates Group. The preparations they did were quite complete because there were two places that would be used for cooking along with various kinds of fresh ingredients that had been collected which would later be used as food ingredients for the party that would be held after the match was over.
"How are you preparing, Yoi?" Marko asked with a smile to Thacht who is currently preparing all the equipment that will be used by him in today's match.
"Don't worry" Thacht smiled as he stopped his work then turned to Marko and the others who were currently coming at him, "Even though Hashirama said that Jouichirou's dish was really great. However, I will definitely win."
"You really have to, Thacht" Ace said with a grin, "We have to prove to Hashirama that we also have great cooks and not only them"
"Thacht" Namur called out to him, "You have to make your best dish in this match. I heard Jinbey tell me several times that the dishes made by Royal Chef Fortis especially the dishes made by Hashirama, are amazingly delicious"
"Hahahaha…" Thacht laughed then said, "Amazing dish? Hearing this, I became even more excited to compete with him."
"Too bad~ " Haruta sighed, "At a time like this, Vista can't come along"
"Forget about that sword maniac" Joz said calmly, "That guy, after hearing about those ancient swords. Apart from Oyaji who called him to come or there is news regarding the Fortis Kingdom, there is no way anyone can summon him to come back here."
"Gurarara~" Whitebeard who was there then laughed at Joz's words, "Let Vista do what she wants. Vista is a swordsman, it's natural for him to pursue anything related to swords especially those are swords that existed from ancient times and can become one of the deadly weapons of today's times" Whitebeard said excitedly.
"How's Vista? Has he given the latest news?" Whitebeard asked again.
"Yesterday he gave the news, Oyaji" Marko said calmly, "He is currently in the South Blue area to do a search there"
"South Blue?" Curiam asked, "How did he get there?"
"Vista did a search of the New World region and found no sign of the swords. This is what makes him widen his search to the South Blue area and his plan is also to want to go to North Blue" Marko said.
Instantly all the people who have the ability Haki OO Observation their eyes immediately turned to the sky. This was because they all sensed that three people were approaching them.
"Did they finally come?" asked Ace excitedly.
Even though Ace can't use his Observation Haki yet. However, seeing the actions of his friends, Ace knew that Hashirama and the others had finally arrived.
"Gurararara~ Finally they came" Whitebeard said excitedly, "Really, I didn't expect to meet an old friend again"
"Ha ha ha ha…." Laughter immediately sounded strong, "Long time no see you, Newgate" Said Rayleigh who appeared together with Hashirama along with Jouichirou who is currently being carried by Hashirama.
"Yo! This is a very cannonball welcome for us" Hashirama said excitedly and slowly descended from the sky, "Did we keep you guys waiting long?"
Jouichirou immediately got off Hashirama's body and looked around with a look of interest especially for the place that would later be used to compete.
"No" Marko shook his head, "We just finished preparing everything" Marko's gaze then looked at Jouichirou whose gaze was on the cooking place, "Yoi~ Hashirama, looks like your friend can't wait to be able to compete"
Jouichirou suddenly woke up hearing Marko's words then looked at Marko and the others while laughing, "Hahaha… Sorry, sorry. I'm just really looking forward to being able to compete against the chefs from your group. Hashirama once told me that your chef is really great and it made me want to compete with him immediately"
Thacht who heard Jouichirou's praise became very happy in his heart.
"You, the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirate Group – Marko The Pheonix, aren't you?" Jouichirou asked with a smile, "First meeting, I am Saiba Jouichirou. Just call me Jouichirou, my friends call me that"
"Nice to meet you" Marko returned the hand from Jouichirou with a smile.
Meanwhile Jouichirou got to know each other with the Commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates. Rayleigh and Whitebeard also spoke to each other.
"This is really quite a shocking thing, Rayleigh" Whitebeard said with a sigh, "I didn't think you would make a move again after choosing to retire since Roger's death"
"Hahaha…" Rayleigh laughed excitedly, "There are many things that King Fortis has to offer that I cannot refuse. Another thing is, Shakky asked me to get a house there because he wants to build a business in Fortis Kingdom."
"That woman still has a great ability to see an opportunity" Whitebeard's comment then sneered, "You really have become a love slave, Rayleigh"
"I'm not that kind of person, Newgate" Rayleigh pursed his lips, "If it weren't for the debt I owe him, I really wouldn't want to do it before"
"Previously?" Whitebeard raised his brow.
"If it was before, I might not be that interested" Rayleigh then smirked, "However, there's a lot of interesting stuff in the Fortis Kingdom, Newgate. What the world knows right now… It's only a small part of what this kingdom has."
"Fraction?" Whitebeard's interest became even more lifted upon hearing this, "Does it have anything to do with your access to the Fortis Kingdom's techniques? How did you get access to that?"
"I was offered to become a Coach in the Kingdom of Fortis. My job is to train the troops that will be recruited by the Fortis Kingdom especially in the field of physical and energy control abilities" Rayleigh paused and continued, "Although you know that there are many strong people there, however, they themselves are not good at teaching anything especially for Hashirama. He's not very good at teaching things."
"Is that what gave you access to the technique?"
"Yes" Rayleigh nodded, "The technique itself is just a theory quite easy to do. However, it is something that is quite difficult to practice" Rayleigh said, "Until now, I have only been able to use only one ability of the technique and there is still much I need to develop."
Rayleigh sighed, "That technique is truly something of an extraordinary thing, Newgate. I didn't expect that spiritual energy that is normally used only for offense and defense has such a use." Rayleigh paused, "King Fortis, he really is a great person"
"By the way, is that all you got? Or, is there something else?" Whitebeard asked with great interest.
"You almost kind of interrogated me, Newgate," Rayleigh said dryly.
"Gurararara~ What can you do? The Kingdom of Fortis is a kingdom that has always been a mysterious thing. Even for myself, I'm quite interested in the various things that are there" Whitebeard laughed excitedly, "Well, you wouldn't be stingy to tell me the things that were there, would you? Especially for something interesting"
"You really are a shameless old man" Rayleigh said.
"Gurarara~ " Whitebeard wasn't angry but just laughed excitedly.
"In addition to gaining access to the technique. I was also given a house that was the same as the house used by the other higher-ups from the Fortis Kingdom. The house that was given to me was very large and luxurious. Many of the technologies that exist in the house itself are not owned by the houses that are outside. Also, I have access to the royal library which records various kinds of information there."
"Information?" Whitebeard's interest grew even higher when he heard this, "Does that mean you also know about the information about those ancient swords?"
"Sure" Rayleigh wasn't surprised that Whitebeard knew about the information since Ars had said before that several parties already knew about the information and Whitebeard was the only one who knew directly from Hashirama, "There is a book that records complete details regarding sword information. -the sword. The image of the sword, description of the sword, previous sword holder, and also the power of the sword. The book records everything."
"What about the location?" Whitebeard asked quickly.
"Too bad~ " Rayleigh shook his head, "That book doesn't record any information regarding the location of the swords. If anything, it's likely that by now the Fortis Kingdom has gathered them."
"I think so too." Whitebeard nodded.
"You two are old people, you seem to be having a great time talking." Hashirama's voice suddenly caught the attention of Rayleigh and Whitebeard.
"Especially you Whitebeard, you seem to be digging for information" Hashirama said with a smile.
"Gurararara~ Don't get me wrong, Hashirama" Whitebeard smiled shamelessly, "I was just asking an old friend a few questions"
"What a shameless old man" Rayleigh muttered with a sigh then looked at Jouichirou, "How was the cooking match?"
"It's about to start" Jouichirou smirked, "We need the judges to be the judges of this match. Hashirama has become someone who wants to be on the jury and our plan is for you and Whitebeard to be additional judges."
"To be a judge?" Rayleigh immediately shone upon hearing this, "No problem. I can do it"
"What about you, Whitebeard?" Jouichirou asked without any fear towards Whitebeard, "Are you willing to be the judge? Oh yes. I hope you can be neutral in judging. Don't take sides with anyone even for Thacht who incidentally is your son. Don't take sides with anyone because this is a sacred match for us chefs"
"That's right, Oyaji" Thacht nodded seriously, "I want Oyaji to be neutral and not take sides with anyone. I hope Oyaji can do something like that"
"Gurararara~ " Whitebeard laughed at this especially when he heard that it was neither Hashirama nor Rayleigh but Jouichirou who incidentally was an ordinary human being who could be easily defeated by him.
"Of course! Do you guys think I'm a jury siding with someone?" Whitebeard asked with great emotion.
"You don't have to say that, Newgate. Everyone knows that you love your children very much. If they didn't say this beforehand, you would definitely incriminate your son" Rayleigh said dryly.
Whitebeard fell silent hearing this then suddenly laughed excitedly.
"Hey, can I not participate in the judging?" Ace asked with a sullen face, "Isn't the more people the better"
"Don't do that, Ace" Thacht suddenly said, "You have a tongue that can't judge something good. You'd better not come."
Ace became sullen hearing this.
"You'd better listen to the words, Thacht, Ace" Marko suddenly said, "Cooking is something that requires high focus especially in matches. Cooking for many people or few people will have a difference in the taste of the food. The fewer people the food needs to be served, the better the chefs can make it."
"Hmm… Alright" Ace said with a still sullen face.
"Well, Ace. If you want, I can make a dish for you" Jouichirou said with a smile.
"Is it okay?" asked Ace excitedly.
"No problem. It's an easy thing to do" Jouichirou said with a smirk, "Adding one won't affect the outcome of my cooking" Jouichirou's gaze stared at Thacht, "I'll make one for you too"
"Oh? Interesting. Well, I will also make one dish made by me for you. We can judge each other," said Thacht.
"By the way, have the two of you decided what dish to make?" Hashirama asked.
"Theme?" Jouichirou and Thacth looked at each other and this had not yet been determined by the two of them.
"What do you think?" Thacht asked with a grin, "You can decide. I'm free for this."
"Really? Well, then…" Jouichirou paused for a moment then smirked, "The theme for this cooking competition… How about being free?"
"Free?" Marko and the others asked in confusion.
"Free. We both can be free to cook any dish. This is also so that each chef can use all his abilities to create the best dish they have." Jouichirou said calmly, "What do you think?"
"That's a good idea" Thacth nodded, "I agree"
"Good" Jouichirou nodded and his gaze fell on Hashirama, "We will use the free meal theme. Hashirama, help both of us to guide the start of this match and also arrange the time to end it."
"No problem" Hashirama nodded, "How much time will you two cook?"
"How long?" Jouichirou and Thacht muttered.
"How about an hour?" Jouichirou asked with interest "I think the two of us are enough to cook our best dish in an hour"
"One hour?" Thacht mumbled and thought for a moment, "I don't think so. I can do it"
Jouichirou's gaze stared at Hashirama, "The duration of the match is 1 hour"
"Okay" Hashirama nodded, "Well then, please go to your cooking place and prepare all the things you need such as food ingredients and cooking utensils"
Jouichirou and Thacth nodded and immediately went to their respective places. The Whitebeard Pirates immediately cheered excitedly. Even though this is just a cooking match and not a fighting match. However, it's still fun to watch especially this match has to do with the Fortis Kingdom.
When he arrived at the cooking place, Thacht had already started to prepare all the food ingredients that would later be used for temporary cooking for the cooking utensils, he had prepared beforehand. While Jouichirou himself took out all the cooking utensils and food ingredients that he had previously used with the storage ring and then started to prepare everything.
"That ring really is a very useful item" Marko said with a sigh, "If only the Fortis Kingdom would sell the item. Whatever the price, I will definitely buy it."
"Hey, Hashirama" Whitebeard suddenly called out. "Is your kingdom really not going to sell that thing?"
"It's hard for that to happen, Whitebeard" Hashirama shook his head, "The storage ring is a unique item in our kingdom. His Majesty would definitely sell such an item to anyone even for a kingdom allied with us. Those items will only be used by the higher-ups of our kingdom."
"Will Rayleigh get it too?" Whitebeard asked with great interest.
Rayleigh's focus was instantly shifted in this direction and he was also curious about this.
"Sure" Hashirama nodded, "Even though Rayleigh doesn't belong to the ranks of the high ranking higher-ups in our Kingdom. However, Rayleigh belonged to a mid-level higher-up. He will later get those items that can be used by him."
"How lucky you are parents" Whitebeard commented.
"Hahahaha…" Rayleigh laughed excitedly and was also happy that Whitebeard had feelings of envy towards him. At least, Rayleigh in the future if he met Whitebeard, there was something he could be proud of.
"Hashirama, I'm ready!" Jouichirou shouted.
Hashirama's gaze immediately turned to Jouichirou who had put all the ingredients needed by him and all the cooking utensils in their place were ready. Hashirama's gaze then looked at Thacth, "What about you? Ready?"
"Of course. You can start at any time" Thacth said.
"Okay" Hashirama immediately stepped forward then turned to look at the audience watching the cooking match, "Everyone! Today is a special day for us! Because today we are going to have a match between Fortis Kingdom's Chef, Saiba Jouichirou and Whitebeard Pirates' Head Chef, Thacth, with the theme of this match being free. They are both free to cook whatever they want within 1 hour."
All the audience immediately cheered with enthusiasm.
"With this! I declare that the cooking match between Saiba Jouichirou and Thacth STARTS!" Hashirama shouted at the end of his sentence.
At the same time the screams started. Jouichirou and Thacht immediately started preparing all the food ingredients that would later be processed into a dish while Hashirama went to an empty place and then created a table and chairs that would be used as a judging place using his wood elemental abilities.
This cooking match between Jouichirou and Thacth itself is not only Whitebeard's side who knows about it. However, the Navy knows the news. They knew this news from the spies they stationed on an island guarded by Whitebeard's group. The news of this cooking match between Thacht and Whitebeard has become a byword for all members of Whitebeard's pirate group. This is also what makes the Navy know this.
This is why at this time a Navy ship led by Vice Admiral Garp is heading to the Sphinx Island with the aim of being able to taste Jouichirou's homemade dishes.