"Well, then. Let's try the dish made by Jouichirou" Garp said with a grin.
Garp immediately took the prepared cutlery and then cut the meat with a knife slowly. Garp chose the meat that had a blue sauce because it looked more tempting in his eyes. By the time the knife touched the meat, even though Garp didn't use the slightest strength or use a saw-cutting technique that could be used to cut meat.
By the time the knife cut the meat. The meat was instantly cut.
"This…"
It wasn't just Garp who was surprised by the texture of the meat. Whitebeard, Hashirama, and Rayleigh were also surprised by the texture of the meat made by Hashirama. They don't need to use force or cutting techniques to cut the meat.
"This meat is so tender…" Rayleigh muttered.
"Almost like a jelly…" Hashirama added.
After the meat was cut neatly, the four of them immediately put the meat quickly into their mouths that had been covered with the sauce they had chosen. The moment the meat entered the mouths of the four men, their faces immediately showed a very significant change.
"This…" Whitebeard couldn't suppress his surprise as the meat melted in his mouth. Without even biting into it, the flesh instantly disintegrated and slowly entered his body.
"Unlucky! It's really really delicious!" Garp shouted excitedly, "This is the perfect dish!"
"The meat is so tender… The seasoning used in the meat enhances the taste of this meat combined with the sauce used by Jouichirou… It's a perfect combination" Rayleigh commented with a face full of happiness.
Hashirama nodded and slowly enjoyed the taste that was in his mouth at this moment.
All of Whitebeard's crew members who listened to the comments and also saw the happy faces of the four men even though it was only one mouthful. They are currently full of curiosity about the taste of the dish.
Meanwhile, Jouichirou finally gives Thacht's share to him.
"Thahct. My advice, it's best for each piece of meat, you divide into five pieces" Jouichirou said calmly.
"Divide into five parts? Is there a reason?" Thacht asked with great interest.
This conversation between Thacht and Jouichirou immediately pulled Garp and the others who had entered the illusion of food back into the real world.
"This dish is a perfect dish if you eat these two meats in succession. If you only eat one side of this dish, you will only taste half of the taste of this dish. Meanwhile, if you taste these two meats sequentially. You will be able to taste the highest taste of this dish. It doesn't matter if you start with the meat on the right or the left. The point is, as long as you eat the two meats in succession alternately. Every time those two meats go into your mouth. You will get the highest taste of this dish"
"Highest taste?!" Garp and the others were taken aback by Jouichirou's words.
"Hey, kid. Are n't you kidding? You're saying that a dish as delicious as just one piece of meat isn't complete?!" Garp asked with a face full of excitement.
"Yes. The dish is still incomplete if you only taste one part" Jouichirou nodded and continued, "Please try it yourself and feel the difference after this"
"Alright" Garp smirked and immediately did as Jouichirou said.
Meanwhile the others didn't do it and stared at Garp. As the second mouthful of meat covered in red sauce entered Garp's mouth,
"This…" Garp's face immediately changed drastically.
His expression immediately showed a touch of excitement, "Damn! It's really really delicious! This taste… It's really improved compared to the previous taste…." Garp then continued with his trademark laugh, "Bahahahah…. Perfect… This is really a really great dish… Damn! Your cooking skills really surpass Gin—No, Gin isn't even your equal."
Jouichirou smirked at the compliment.
Without waiting long, Garp continued to try the dish again by alternating the meat.
Seeing Garp's completely deceitful expression, Hashirama, Rayleigh, and Whitebeard also did the same . By the time the two pieces of meat entered their mouths. Their faces immediately turned into expressions full of joy.
"Thacht! Let's cut the meat right away. I want to try it soon" Ace said with a face full of impatience.
"Unlucky! That's right, Thacht! Let's quickly cut the meat. I can't wait to taste this dish"
Marko and Jiru are also currently looking at Thacht's face as if saying quickly cut the meat and give me mine.
"Be patient! You will definitely get your share" Thacht said as he started to cut the meat covered in blue sauce. When Thacht cut the meat, Thacht could feel the meat was very soft to cut, "The meat is very tender..." Thacht's gaze then looked at Jouichirou, "How did you make the meat this soft, Jouichirou?"
"I use honey" Jouichirou said calmly, "Honey has an enzyme which helps in tenderizing meat. When a meat is covered with a honey for 30 minutes, shame will break down the fibers of the meat which can increase the tenderness of the meat. In addition, honey can also increase the sweetness of the meat. The increase in sweetness is not too strong and is very suitable for use in the process of tenderizing meat and also in the combination of spices."
Thacht nodded and stored the information in his head.
Finally Thacht has divided the two meats into five parts where each meat has five equal pieces of meat.
"Finally!" Ace shouted excitedly then immediately took the cutlery he wanted to use and then put one of the pieces of meat into his mouth, "Damn it! It's really really delicious!" Ace exclaimed with a face full of joy.
After Ace ate it, then Marko and the others followed and their faces immediately showed that the dish made by Jouichirou was really very delicious.
"This sauce… You used blueberries as the main ingredient?" asked Thacht who had woken up in the illusion created by Jouichirou's dish.
"The main ingredient for the blue sauce is blueberry, while the red one is strawberry. These two main ingredients are food ingredients that taste not too strong and are very suitable for making sauces. Both can also help each other improve feelings for each other. Strawberry has a characteristic sour taste while Blueberry is a fruit that has a characteristic sweet taste . With these two conflicting flavors meeting each other, they will get a new taste."
Thacht was silent hearing this, "Even if you say that… However, the way to combine the two sauces is quite difficult, especially to get flavors that can mutually reinforce each other. At least…" Thacht sighed, "With the current skills, it's hard to do it"
Jouichirou shrugged his shoulders as he thought it was quite easy on his own.
It didn't take long for Jouichirou's dish to be eaten by those who got it.
"Bahahahaha… My choice to come here wasn't a wrong choice. This dish is really a perfect dish" Garp said excitedly looking at Hashirama, "Hey, Hashirama. You guys have a special department for chefs who open restaurants, right? Don't they have any plans to open a restaurant outside of your kingdom?"
"Opening a restaurant outside the kingdom?" Hahsirama asked in confusion.
"That's right, Hashirama" Ace suddenly said excitedly, "Isn't there a chef who will open a restaurant in your kingdom will open a restaurant outside your kingdom?"
"I think that's a pretty good idea, don't you, Hashirama?" Jouichirou suddenly said, "We can try to pass this idea on to His Majesty and send some chefs who will later open restaurants to open restaurants in several places. For example on Saboundy Island the territory held by Empress Amazon Lily and also in the Prodance Kingdom. The opening of this restaurant can also help introduce the citizens to the dishes that will be sold by our kingdom. It will be time for our kingdom to open up to the world. They already know about the dishes in our kingdom."
"Gurarara~ " Whitebeard laughed at the idea, "If you guys have such an idea. Don't forget to prioritize opening a restaurant in our jurisdiction. We will be happy to help build the restaurant where your chef works."
The entire crew of the Whitebeard pirates were excited to hear this.
"That doesn't seem like a bad idea" Hashirama nodded, "We will try to share this idea with His Majesty. I think His Majesty will definitely accept this idea."
"That's good." Garp nodded, "That way, I can eat well every day. Hehehe…"
"Okay. You guys have tasted the dishes made by me and Thacht" Jouichirou said back, "Now, we can start the judging. Who-"
"I think we'd better skip that" Thacht said calmly as he looked at Jouichirou, "I lost. There's no way my dish can compete with the dish you made, Jouichirou. The comparison is very far."
Thacht's gaze then looked at Whitebeard and the others, "Even though it's possible that Oyaji will choose me..."
Whitebeard looked away hearing this.
"You really are someone who can't be fair in a Whitebeard match" Garp said mockingly.
"Shut up, uninvited guest" Whitebeard said with an angry face.
"However, everyone knows that the dish you have is better than mine" Thacht said then sighed, "I lost. However…" Thacht's gaze showed determination, "Next match. I will definitely win"
"Next match?" Everyone was shocked by this .
"Next match, huh?" Jouichirou grinned excitedly, "I can't wait for that match. I hope your cooking skills have improved and also that you don't mix ingredients wrongly."
"Stay cool. Mistakes like this won't happen a second time."
Simultaneously, a newsbird suddenly descended from the sky and landed directly on Jouichirou's cooking pot.
"News bird?" Marko exclaimed, "Are there any interesting topics today?" Mark asked.
"Possibly today's topic is about our kingdom" Jouichirou said calmly, "Supposedly, His Majesty has asked Morgans to inform him of the actions he will take after this"
"Action?" Garp asked while raising his brow.
"He meant it was live," Rayleigh added.
"Yes" Hashirama nodded, "The news in the newspaper should record the timing of the live broadcast that will be conducted to inform the world of the cooperative relationship that exists between our kingdom and the Kingdom of Alabasta. Our own kingdom must do this to anticipate because we don't want the second incident to happen again."
"Second incident?" Whitebeard asked seriously, "Did your kingdom ever want to establish cooperative relations with other kingdoms but didn't do it?"
"Ever" Jouichirou nodded, "At that time with the Dressrosa kingdom"
"The Dressrosa Kingdom?!" Everyone exclaimed with faces full of surprise.
"Wait!" Marko said with a face full of surprise, "Don't say—"
"That's right" Hashirama nodded, "The destruction that the World Government did to the Kingdom of Dressrosa was because the Kingdom of Dressrosa wanted to establish a cooperative relationship with our side. At that time, there were several demands that His Majesty made Doflamingo to fulfill before the Dressrosan Kingdom could establish a cooperative relationship with us. However, before there is a formal agreement between our side and the Dressrosa Kingdom regarding the cooperative relationship . The World Government has learned of the actions of the Dressrosa Kingdom"
"Your Majesty estimates that the World Government is afraid that the strength of the alliance built by us will become even stronger. Moreover, with the Kingdom of Dressrosa establishing a cooperative relationship with our kingdom. There is a possibility that the Dressrosa Kingdom will leave the World Government alliance which would be a very strong slap to the World Government. The image they previously built will be shattered again. Therefore, the only way is that they can only destroy the Dressrosa Kingdom using the ancient weapons at their disposal" Jouichirou added.
"...."
Everyone fell silent hearing this.
"Are you not taking action regarding this?" Ask Ace.
"No" Hashirama shook his head, "We haven't fully agreed to establish a cooperative relationship yet . This is also used by the World Government so as not to get a counterattack from us. If until we have agreed and our party has announced the cooperation relationship . As long as the World Government dares to attack the Dressrosa Kingdom. We will strike back."
"You heard that, Garp" Whitebeard said with a mocking face, "The World Governments you protect are people like that. They even ruthlessly destroyed an island where many innocent people live. I am currently wondering, are you really the guardians of justice or are we the pirates who are the guardians of justice."
Garp's face was very ugly when he heard Whitebeard's mockery.
"Hey, Garp" Jouichirou suddenly called out, "I'm quite interested. What is the reason behind you Marines still being under orders from the World Government?"
Garp sighed, "That's because the Marines get their supply of resources from the World Government. Funds and weapons currently owned by the Navy all come from the World Government. Every year at least we the Navy spend 250 to 500 billion berries. These funds include salaries, as well as other things. The World Government will usually give us 350 billion berries as an annual fund"
"350 billion berries? What about the rest?" Jouichirou asked.
"The rest we get from the captured pirates" Garp said, "Usually the funds owned by the pirates we catch will go directly to our cash. That is a rule that has been set by us because if we only depend on the funds provided by the World Government it is impossible for the Navy to be able to continue to operate."
"Then, what if in a state. Do you the Navy have a place to supply your own needs? Will you Marines dare to come out from under the orders of the World Government?" Hashirama asked with great interest.
"What do you mean?" Garp asked seriously.
"I mean, if there was a time when you Marines had a way of getting supplies for resources that consisted of funds and weapons. Would you dare to try to disobey the orders of the World Government Party?" Hashirama asked again.
Garp was silent for a moment then shook his head, "That's hard to do."
"Difficult?" Hashirama raised his brow.
"Despite the strength of the World Government's troops when compared to our Navy side, we are stronger. However, they have ancient weapons that can help them destroy us." Garp said with a gloomy face, "If we act like stepping out of their subordinates. Of course, the World Government will definitely not hesitate to destroy us."
"What if in some case you Marines get one of the ancient swords? Ancient swords have a level of strength that is almost equivalent or there are even some swords whose power if maximized can exceed the strength of ancient weapons. What if you got those swords? Would you guys dare to step out of the World Government's vassals?" Jouichirou asked.
"Our side got the sword…." Garp muttered then looked at Jouichirou, "Are you guys going to give us one?"
"Don't ask stupid questions, Garp" Rayleigh suddenly spoke up, "We couldn't possibly give a sword like that to the party—"
"No" Hashirama cut him off, "There's a chance we'll give it away"
"Ha?" Everyone was shocked by Hashirama's words.
"What do you mean, Hashirama?" Whitebeard asked seriously.
"The purpose of finding the swords is to keep and look for the wielder of the swords later" Hashirama said calmly, "As long as on the side of the Navy there is someone who is qualified to wield the sword and also the belief of that person is good faith. and not save. I don't think His Majesty has the opinion to give the sword to the Marines."
Hashirama's gaze then turned to Garp, "Especially Your Majesty has enough respect for the Marines. Although I myself quite hate the Navy because of various past actions taken by them. However, at least because of their existence. The current five seas region is not in a state of chaos."
Garp was immediately embarrassed to hear Hashirama's words.
"Back to my previous question" Jouichirou, "What do you think, Garp?"
"…." Garp fell silent for a moment, "If there really was a situation like you said Jouichirou. I think we Marines can really separate ourselves from the World Government. On the premise that we the Navy have a steady source of income and weapons. Then, we have a handle that can counter attacks sent by the World Government using ancient weapons."
Garp paused again then sighed, "However, it would be difficult for such a situation to exist. Every movement we have is always monitored by the World Government. As long as they find out that we're doing what it's possible to betray them. They will immediately cut off the supply they provide and it is also not impossible that we will get an attack from their side."
"I see." Jouichirou nodded.
"The news in this newspaper is really about the time for live broadcasts," said Marko, who is currently buying a newspaper from newsbirds.
"When will the live broadcast time be Marko?" Whitebeard asked.
"One o'clock in the afternoon" Marko said calmly, "Shall we send our men to the Prodance Kingdom to take pictures?"
"I don't think you need to do that" Jouichirou said, "After all, you already know the contents of the live broadcast. You don't have to send your people to go there. It's just a waste of energy. The live broadcast is just a notification to the public regarding the cooperative relationship . Nothing else. If anything, it's likely that I, Hashirama, and Rayleigh should have the information by now."
"I think so too." Whitebeard nodded and looked at Marko.
"Rather than going on some known business" Hashirama smirked, "We'd better have a party!"
"Bahahahaha…. I support this." Garp said with an excited laugh.
"Aren't you going to share this information with Sengoku, Garp?" Rayleigh asked with great interest, "The Navy is a subordinate of the World Government. Shouldn't you tell them this?"
"Do you think I am their dog?" Garp asked in a cold tone, "If it weren't for the Navy's philosophy being in line with mine. I can't possibly stay in the Navy until now."
"You really are a unique Marine, Garp" Hashirama said with a smile, "You know, Garp. There are some people in the Navy that His Majesty respects."
"Oh? Honored King Fortis?" Garp felt proud to hear this, "Who are they?"
Whitebeard and the others were also quite interested in this.
"You, Admiral Aokiji, and also a Marine named Smoker"
"Smokers?!" Garp and Ace were immediately surprised to hear the name .
"Do you know this person, Ace?" Marko asked with great interest.
"Yes" Ace nodded, "He is a Marine currently guarding the Loguetown Island area."
"Loguetown Island? Isn't that the Eastblue territory? Why would King Fortis respect a weak Marine like that?" asked Joz in confusion.
"Don't get me wrong" Hashirama said seriously, "Your Majesty doesn't respect a person just because of his status, power, or ability. His Majesty respects a person only because of the philosophy as well as the beliefs held by that person." Hashirama paused and continued, "If Your Majesty respects a person just because of his status, all the Kings in this world will surely get the respect of His Majesty. However, not all Kings are respected by His Majesty. If His Majesty saw the power to respect someone, His Majesty would naturally respect Charlotte Linlin or Kaidou who possessed a strong level of power. However, His Majesty did not respect either of them. His Majesty respects a person based on the beliefs held by that person just like Whitebeard"
Hashirama's gaze stared at Whitebeard, "His Majesty respects Whitebeard because of the beliefs held by him. Whitebeard with the belief held by him that only wanting to have a family is something worthy of respect even for myself. I respect it. As for Garp, it's probably because of the philosophy you hold, Garp. Which is what earns you the respect of His Majesty."
"Then I guess I was quite lucky…" Garp said with a grin.
"What makes King Fortis respect Aokiji and Smoker?" Mark asked.
"I don't know" Hashirama shook his head, "I was only told about it. However, the reason was not disclosed. Also, there are actually quite a few people that His Majesty respects on the side of the Navy. However, His Majesty did not tell all these people."
"What about Sengoku?" Garp asked with great interest.
"Sengoku?" Hashirama raised his brow.
"I think it's difficult for him to earn the respect of His Majesty" Jouichirou said, "Especially his involvement with various incidents that occurred in the past" Jouichirou paused and immediately said, "Hey, can you stop this boring conversation? Shouldn't we have a party now?"
"That's right! I agree on this!" Ace shouted excitedly, "It should be a party now! Talking about boring things makes me sleepy."
"Only you sleepy, we don't" Joz said with a straight face.
"Hey, Jouichirou" Thacht called out, "How about you become the head chef today? I will help you. I also want to learn a few skills from you a bit. I think by helping you, I can learn a few things that I didn't know yet."
"I support it" Izo said nodding, "You should be a chef today, Jouichirou. We also have to taste your dish today."
"That's right" Haruta nodded, "I don't want only Marko and the others to eat your food. I should also at least taste it even if it's not your best dish."
Whitebeard's entire pirate crew immediately gave their opinion.
"Gurarara~ " Whitebeard laughed happily then looked at Hashirama, "Use all available materials, Jouichirou. You are free to use it. If not, notify immediately. We'll get it ready right away."
"Then I won't be polite" Jouichirou said with a grin.
Whitebeard's pirate party party has finally begun. Even if it's a pirate party. However, Garp, who incidentally is a Marine, joined the party on the grounds that he is currently Garp a Marine Hero or Vice Admiral from Marine Headquarters. Garp's current identity is Ace's Grandfather.
Which is where this gets ridicule from Whitebeard.
This was also the start of a mocking battle between the two which didn't bother everyone because when their thoughts were to eat the dish made by Jouichirou.