Alex steps even closer to Sanji and Menchi as he watches the two cooks hard at work, keeping his eyes on both of them.
"How much time left?" he asks the shopkeepers, cheering from a distance.
"Just fifteen minutes," one of them yells. "They both took their time shopping."
Alex takes a brief look at Sanji and sees him cutting apart the oranges he collected earlier, skillfully removing the fruit flesh piece by piece.
Shortly afterwards, he throws together spices, a little bit of fat from various meats he collected, and some kind of oil he collected as well, turning it into an oily, dark orange sauce.
With a sharp knife in hand, he then skillfully cuts apart the camel meat he bought earlier, slicing it into thin pieces, before heating up another pan.
Looks like he'll use the potato peels for a side dish... reminds me of the thing he did in the Anime after crashing down from the sky. The vegetable cuttings are already prepared, apparently—some kind of stuffing? No, a side dish? He also prepared the camel meat and other meats... I can't really say what he's creating, but it looks fairly decent. His movements are full of confidence. It's a small course... made out of trash alone.
However, does he have experience with camel meat? This is a local delicacy... as far as I know, camels are quite rare in this world. Since he was stuck in the South Blue and East Blue, it's unlikely he has ever encountered it. Can he really prepare a suitable dish with that kind of meat? He is a genius... he might succeed, but still, this is the only opening I see for Menchi. Sanji is an incredibly skilled cook, so her win is actually not guaranteed.
I'd say Menchi would be at a slight disadvantage in her canon form. Since she is a gourmet, she is more focused on discovering and experimenting with fresh, new ingredients than on focusing entirely on cooking.
However, this Menchi has experienced a lot and with her Hatsu... I'm not sure. Let's see how she's doing.
Menchi has chosen a bunch of ingredients.
Various fruits, meats, and fish, all looking decent at first glance. Every single item should cost a lot of money, but somehow Menchi obtained them for cheap.
How did she afford so much? She got a little bit for free, like Sanji, but this still looks like too much. No... these are not in great condition. In fact, they are already close to being spoiled... maybe they...
Alex steps forward and smells, using his Aura via Gyo to enhance his sense of smell.
They are spoiled! They stink. What the fuck is she doing? She already lost! Did she think she would win with inferior ingredients? Does she think more expensive ingredients are superior, even if they are spoiled? Surely not. Even an idiot wouldn't make that mistake, much less someone like Menchi.
"Lady..." he hears Sanji say. "I'm a little disappointed. My nose is smelling something foul. I'm surprised you decided to use a similar strategy to mine, but there is a difference between leftover and what fools think is undesirable food, and spoiled food. Spoiled food makes your customers sick, while food commonly thought of as undesirable is often the healthiest and can be delicious if prepared correctly."
Menchi smirks. "You're quite right, my friend—however, spoiling is not always a bad thing. Surely you have heard of dry aging and fermentation?"
"Of course," Sanji responds, still grinning. "There is a difference between controlled spoiling and food that's rotting away on its own, though."
"Indeed," Menchi replies. "And a truly great cook can turn characteristics others may find disgusting into a true delicacy."
What is she planning?
Menchi quickly prepares a bunch of ingredients, sauces, vegetables, and leftover mushi noodles.
In just seconds, she fries them to perfection, skillfully putting them on an empty dish, not bothering to separate them.
Looks good... her side dishes are on the same level as Sanji. At least taste wise... but she just dumped them all together. Also Sanji has combined different meats and used camel meat as the highlight, using a fruity sauce to balance its gamey taste. The sweetness of the sauce will probably go well with its taste.
With just five minutes left, a bright blue flame appears in Menchi's hand, rising so high that it touches the tent. However, to his surprise, the blue flame does not burn it. Nobody aside from Alex and Jewel even realizes what is happening. Despite that, Sanji suddenly stares at Menchi. Not able to see the blue flame, Alex gets a strange feeling that Sanji is able to feel it.
His instincts are good... no wonder he is good at observation Haki... or to be more precise, will be good at it in more than two years.
With just a little time left, Menchi throws her fish, neatly cut into small pieces, and meat, cut into even cubes, into two different pans.
Adding some spices, a dark oil infused with various herbs and spices, she quickly stir-fries, her blue flame always surrounding the pans.
I see... can she maybe... simulate something like dry aging? She can use her Hatsu to take advantage of the spoiled meat... now I see! She can simply erase undesirable effects and replace them with something she wants. The more spoiled, the more room for changes.
Alex and the others look on in amazement as both Menchi and Sanji quickly finish their dishes.
"30 seconds!" one of the storekeepers yells.
Menchi and Sanji continue to cook undisturbed. Menchi suddenly grabs her earlier prepared vegetables and noodles and throws them into both pans. She then grabs both of them, puts them together, and spins them over the fire plate, increasing the intensity of her blue flames even more.
With just seconds remaining, they both quickly plate their dishes, and everyone claps in amazement.
Alex, ignoring the commotion, stares at the dishes, once again getting distracted by Jewel.
Princess Jewel thinks both of these Peasants have failed! Where is the fucking Lamb Sauce?!
Spare me with the damn Lamb Sauce. It makes no sense.
Sanji has prepared two dishes. One looks to be an entrée, using the remaining fish meat and fat he received, formed into flat meat patties, served with potato skins and a second sauce, which he didn't see him preparing. His main dish is camel meat with the fruit sauce and various vegetables.
Despite his personal disgust and dislike for camel meat, Alex has to admit that the dish looks amazing.
Haven't tried camel meat, but if it looks and smells like that, I guess even I would give it a go.
Meanwhile, a fragrant aroma drifts from the side, making Alex look at the single dish in front of Menchi.
It's plated on a single plate. Fish, meat, which Alex can't fully identify, along with various vegetables and noodles, are combined into a single stir-fry dish, an incredible aroma filling the air surrounding it, with everyone trying to catch a sniff.
Damn... that is... cheating! This smells incredible... but will it really taste good? The meat was spoiled after all... and Sanji's dish looks incredible as well.
Minutes later, both of the cooks step closer to each other, both looking confident, eagerly eyeing their opponents' results.
Without a word, Menchi grabs Sanji's two small plates and tries them.
Sanji also grabs Menchi's food, unable to stop himself from smelling the dish first.
"This... just how?" he mutters, staring at it like he's missing something obvious.
"Just a second," Menchi says, using her knife to cut off a tiny layer of wood from the table. She then cuts the long wood piece in two and quickly shaves it down until only two clean, makeshift chopsticks remain.
"You eat it with them," she says, briefly demonstrating how to hold them before handing them to Sanji.
"I... I see," he says.
"Who won?"
"I think they are both extremely skilled!"
"This was intense."
"The smell is killing me... maybe I can have some?"
The crowd asks, mumbling with each other, pressing in closer.
Princess Jewel is not impressed! No chicken and not even lamb sauce!
Jewel... if you continue like that you'll learn a Taunt-related skill by mistake. Also why the fuck are you talking about lamb sauce again?! I don't even know what that is and what it's made of.
Soulmate, lamb sauce is made out of lamb. Soulmate shouldn't be silly.
I... no, it isn't. I mean, maybe part of it... you know what, I'll look it up when we're back.
Also if Peasants can't take the heat, they should step out of Princess Jewel's kitchen!
"..." Alex sighs loudly.
"It's not your kitchen," Benezia mumbles, instantly a hint of regret appearing on her face.
Couldn't help but comment? This is funny.
Alex smiles at her and says, "You shouldn't take what Jewel says completely serious—"
"I know!" Benezia says, cutting Alex off.
Jewel has a talent for triggering her... she must feel a little ashamed that she's unable to ignore her.
Meanwhile, Nami smiles confidently. "Clowning around is useless! That might have looked incredible, but that's all. How can Sanji lose? Her meat was spoiled and of low quality. Also, it's just all meshed together."
"I agree," Vivi adds. "Too many ingredients will destroy the balance and character of a dish. I was served food from Terracota all my life, and I have never seen such a chaotic dish."
Both of them eat. Menchi looks genuinely pleased as she closes her eyes and tastes both plates, quickly chewing, eating half of the contents of both plates.
She... ate half? If I remember correctly, that's actually extremely high praise.
However, on the other side, Sanji stops after a single bite, dropping the chopsticks onto the plate.
"I... I can't understand," he says, a bead of sweat pouring down his chin. "This shouldn't be possible. This dish shouldn't work. Spoiled ingredients, chaotic presentation, but this taste.... It's just not possible."
It's unfair... Sanji can only cook with true talent and experience, while Menchi can literally change the ingredients with her Hatsu. I guess she didn't hold back. It would have been foolish to cook without it. It's as much a part of herself as her hands. This might look unfair, but the truth is, she just has a weapon that Sanji doesn't have... at least yet. In the future, I'm pretty sure he has a great shot at defeating the current Menchi... but at this point. He just started his journey.
"Your dish is fantastic," Menchi says. "It was incredibly delicious. There was just a single thing I could maybe consider as a flaw."
"A flaw?" Sanji asks, now sweating even more.
"The camel meat with that sauce is perhaps a flawless, perfect dish. It's so rich and delicious. You perfectly covered the weakness of the camel meat and even enhanced them with that sauce. That is your weakness. The dish is so incredibly rich and powerful that everything else becomes a weak-tasting dish that only distracts from it."
Upon hearing that, Sanji perks up for a second. "Excuse me... may I?" he asks, stepping forward and tasting his own dishes. First everything else, then the camel meat, then the rest again.
"You... are right," he admits. "This was a mistake."
"Not a mistake... you just should have only presented the meat with the sauce. Alone, it would have been perfect with absolutely nothing to critique. However, as you presented it, I believe you are trying to mix oil and water," Menchi explains. "My dish also has a weakness—its presentation might be a little simple. However, that is part of my dish and this style of cooking, so I went with it anyway."
Why is Menchi acting all serious now?
Because she cares about cooking... if you are serious about something, of course, you'll take it seriously.
Princess Jewel cares about Jewels!
Then get serious about them.
Sanji returns and tastes Menchi's dish again.
"Even after trying the camel meat, your dish tastes delicious..." he says, his eyes lighting up, now growing excited.
"I can't understand how you did it," he says. "This is probably the second tastiest food I have ever eaten... if only objective taste is concerned... it's the best, without a doubt. With such ingredients, no less. You win, this is not even a close contest."
"Sanji..." Nami says, her face shocked. "Lost at cooking? I don't believe it!"
She storms forward, trying the food herself, rudely using her fingers.
After a single bite, her expression changes, and she licks her lips before regaining control, blushing a little before stepping back.
"What... what do I owe you?" Sanji asks.
"Nothing," Menchi says. "I just wanted to experience your cooking, and I have learned a lot. This was not an even battle.... You can say I've been to places you couldn't even dream of. Those places allowed me to experience a lot of things and learn techniques that I couldn't have learned otherwise. With time... you'll get better, without a doubt."
"She means the Grand Line," Vivi says. "Did you... visit the second part? The New World?" she asks, looking shocked.
Menchi just grins, without confirming anything.
"No, I can't accept that...." Sanji says, looking torn by her reply.
"I've already received my reward," Menchi says, now grinning even wider.
Meanwhile, Alex sees the system activating.
[Menchi]
Level: 13 (0%)
Rarity: Purple
Free Skill Slots 0/2
Skills: Potioneering (Advanced +), Trading (Intermediate -)
Support Skills: Cooking (Expert), Dismantling (Advanced +), Synthesizing (Expert -)
Weapon rank: Purple
Armor rank: Light Purple
Her cooking and her synthesizing skills increased! That's a surprise.