Author's Note:
This time there are a few more crossover characters than usual. I don't think it'll be a problem even if you don't know the source material, but... sorry if that's not your thing. Here you go.
---
Now then.
Last time, we enjoyed snow activities at Leona's suggestion, but this time...
"Welcome to my Territory, the lot of ye!"
Suzu, changed out of her usual clothes into a practical, easy-to-move-in farmer's outfit, stood with her legs planted wide as she greeted us.
This time it was Suzu's idea: recreation from 'this era.' And the specifics were...
"From what I hear, the future world had its share of food troubles too, so I figured we ought to let ye all savor the joy of eating something truly delicious to the fullest! We're having a barbecue, everyone!"
Hearing that, everyone's eyes lit up for their own reasons.
Leona, who purely loved eating. Alice, who expected nothing short of deliciousness from a barbecue led by Suzu.
And the two who were, in a sense, the guests of honor: Iris and Snow. Just as Suzu said, in their original world, the concept of 'a meal itself being recreation' probably never existed. They looked surprised, but couldn't hide their anticipation.
Suzu added something with a quick "Ah, but hold on a moment."
"There are two things I need ye all to keep in mind. First: last time's snow activities were just family, so it was only us, but this time I've permitted a few others beyond our group of six to join."
"Oh, really?"
"Aye. A barbecue's more fun when ye eat with a big rowdy crowd. That said, it'd be foolish to have to walk on eggshells when ye just want to drink, eat, and make merry, so I've limited participants to those it's fine to discuss the future business around. Grandpa, Beauty, Blume, and the like. They'll join us later."
"Makes sense. What about Grandma?"
"I invited her, but apparently her research is at a critical juncture. She said, 'I'll go if I can.'"
"Isn't that just a roundabout way of declining...?"
"Ehh, really? Aw, Grandma should've come too... That's no fun."
Oh well, that's a shame... But Mama's basically an indoor person.
And right now she's at exactly the point where she got the Op-Op Fruit's powers and wants to throw herself into research more than ever... She's probably happily slicing and reattaching all sorts of things with ROOM today too...
...But Iris looks... no, it's not just Iris. Snow looks disappointed too...
"Then what about Zoro and Saga?"
"Those two can't be part of this one. It's not that I don't trust them, but the subject matter is what it is. Zoro especially, since he'll be leaving this Pirate Crew in a year... We can't let him know too much."
"That's true, I suppose..."
"However, there are others... Iris's Homies are fine. They're not just connected to her; Iris quite literally created them. Besides them, the Pleiades, and... Bonney's coming too."
"Wait, Bonney's okay? She's an Alliance partner, but she's not part of the Golden Lion Pirates."
"It matters not. On top of being plenty trustworthy, considering her goals and her origins, we'll likely be dealing with her on a crew-wide level for a long time to come. And besides... now that ye all know about that, ye can't very well cast Bonney aside, can ye?"
"I see. So she's basically 'family,' or at least recognized as someone whose fate is tied to ours. It's true... even if the Alliance itself came together through circumstance..."
"It does feel like it'll end up going all the way, doesn't it? Her people included."
"...?"
Snow and Iris, who didn't know much about Bonney yet, looked puzzled. Well, we'd explain later.
"So Suzu, what's the other thing to keep in mind?"
"Aye. The other point is part of this barbecue's 'recreation,' actually... The ingredients we'll be grilling, the meat and fish and vegetables, we're all going to hunt or harvest them ourselves from here on! Catch your own game, cook it, and eat it! That's what I consider 'modern entertainment'!"
***
Suzu's Territory encompasses multiple Sky Islands, and since it has Spring Island, Summer Island, Autumn Island, and Winter Island all accounted for, each piece of land grows a variety of crops suited to its climate.
This time, we'd be harvesting whatever we wanted however we wanted from those lands, grilling it, and eating it. Except for anything still immature and off-limits for picking.
There was a suggestion to split up and cover the Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter Islands separately, but since this was a special occasion, we decided to go around all of them together.
If we zipped through each one in just under an hour, we could finish harvesting by morning and roll right into the barbecue as lunch.
First up was Spring Island.
When it comes to foods in season during spring: onions, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, bell peppers, asparagus... quite a variety.
The selection might narrow a bit when limited to barbecue-worthy ingredients, but even so, there was more than enough.
We visited Suzu's managed fields and started harvesting. As always, the produce was big and densely packed, looking absolutely delicious.
Iris and Snow were amazed too. ...In the future they came from, scenes like this probably never existed. I'd heard that soil contamination and other issues made it impossible to grow crops, leading to food shortages.
...Also, even accounting for the exceptional quality, there were quite a few items that were just absurdly oversized. Abnormally so.
Needless to say, those were the varieties Mama had genetically improved.
And speaking of spring foods, the one thing you absolutely can't leave out...
"What is this? This... hard and pointy... Is it some kind of sapling?"
"It's not exactly a wild herb, is it... It looks sturdy enough to be a weapon."
"Hm? What, ye two don't know bamboo shoots?"
The quintessential spring ingredient: bamboo shoots. (That's my personal opinion, anyway.)
To my surprise, neither of them had any idea. Apparently, in the future, bamboo shoots were already an extinct food, or rather an extinct plant. Not just the shoots, but bamboo itself.
They'd heard of it before, but this was their first time seeing the real thing. "So this is what it looks like," they said, touching them with fascination and digging them up while asking Suzu how to do it.
That's right, the hoe goes like that, at the root part, not where it's growing above ground but aiming for the part still under the soil... Yes, yes, nicely done!
They'd definitely be amazed at the taste. Bamboo shoots are incredibly delicious.
I'll have you know, they're one of my favorites too. Have been since my past life.
"I knew the expression 'bamboo shoots after rain,' but I'd never actually seen 'bamboo shoots,' so I'm genuinely moved. But Aunt Suzu, you grow things like this too?"
"Well, these I'm not exactly growing, per se... They spring up on their own, and if ye don't pull them out regularly, ye'll have a full bamboo grove before ye know it."
"Wait, they grow on their own? Without any tending at all?"
"Aye. Just as Snow was saying, there's even a saying about 'bamboo shoots after rain,' that's how madly they sprout and how fast they grow."
Fun fact: depending on the climate and species, bamboo can apparently grow over a meter in a single day.
In any case, spring ingredients acquired!
***
Next up was Summer Island.
We harvested corn, tomatoes, lettuce, and bell peppers.
Wait, bell peppers overlap with spring? Depending on the vegetable and its variety, some have multiple 'peak seasons,' or their season is long enough to span multiple times of year. That's what I was told.
Beyond vegetables, fruits like cherries, pineapples, and peaches were delicious too.
And seafood like sweetfish, sea bass, hairtail, and tiger prawns had plenty of tasty options as well.
So after harvesting vegetables and fruit, we were going to go fishing by boat, but...
"Got one!"
One of my attendants, whom I'd heard would join up later, was already there.
Changed into a swimsuit, spearfishing by free-diving. Looked like she was having a blast.
Since we're Ability Users and can't move around in the water, we were quietly dangling our lines from aboard the ship, but...
"Ah, no no no, Master. You gotta put the bait on properly or the fish'll steal it and run. Don't think of it as a hassle or gross. The secret to successful fishing is not skimping on the prep work, pen."
There was some girl I didn't recognize riding on the boat with us.
Well, given she was calling Iris "Master," I could pretty much guess what she was.
Her upper half was that of a normal girl, but from the waist down, clearly not human. Fur... no, feathers, all fluffy and puffy. And her feet looked like webbed bird feet.
Well, Suzu did explicitly say earlier that Homies were fine. No problem here.
"Ah, sorry sorry. I haven't introduced myself yet, pen. Lady Suzu and Lady Leona have met me before, but this is the first time for everyone else, pen. I'm a penguin Homie named Periri, pen. Nice to meet you, pen."
"Oh, you already knew Suzu and Leona?"
"Yep. I've heard about them from the animals. Any Homies living around these islands pretty much know them too."
"Well, this area is my Territory, after all. I keep proper track of all that. Periri here is skilled at fishing and foraging from the sea, so she'll be a reliable helper, aye?"
"The sea around here is my Territory, pen! Just sit back like you're on a fishing boat and leave it all to me, pen!"
Is that so? As expected of a penguin... I think?
She was coaching Iris and Snow, who weren't very experienced at fishing, with impressive skill. In the future, there were no edible fish in the ocean or rivers, so they'd never fished before, apparently.
I see, Suzu was right. Very reliable.
The two of them, who should have been complete beginners, were catching fish after fish, and in considerable numbers at that.
Even accounting for how quickly they learned and the possibility that the fishing grounds around here were just that good, this was genuinely first-rate coaching.
...The only thing that caught my attention, though...
"Ah, you've got a bite, you've got a bite! Right, when you reel in, don't rush it. Match the rhythm of the fish's breathing... That's it, nice work. Master and Lady Snow, you've both got a real talent for fishing!"
...Something was off about the way she was talking.
Um... was the whole thing before just a character act or something?
"Oi, Periri. Ye've gone and turned into just a regular fishing person again."
"I have no idea what you're talking about, pen. Oh, look, Lady Snow's got a bite too, pen!"
'She just ignored that...'
Periri, tacking on the penguin character as if she'd just remembered.
And Suzu said "again." So this has happened before... or rather, it's just how she always is?
...Well, whatever.
"Right, reel in when the fish gets tired... Oh, a goby. Freshly caught, fillet it, deep-fry it as tempura, wash it down with a beer... man, nothing beats it."
"See, you're totally just a fishing enthusiast with a middle-aged guy vibe, aren't you?"
"Why would you say something so hurtful, pen? I have no idea what you're talking about, pen."
"..."
Well, various things happened, but in any case, we managed to get our summer vegetables, fruit, and fish.
***
When it comes to autumn... there's a reason they say "autumn of harvest" and "autumn of appetite." It's the season most strongly tied to food!
Seasonal ingredients, or staple autumn delicacies? You could list them forever.
Mushrooms, chestnuts, grapes, persimmons, pears, lotus root, sweet potatoes, pumpkins...
And for seafood: saury, bonito, salmon, oysters...
"Hey, didn't you just say 'kaki' twice, Mama?"
"I did, but they're different words, so it's fine."
Also, Leona, please don't react to the narration. That's too meta.
"...Hm?"
Just then, Snow seemed to notice something.
"What is it, Snow?"
"No, I just thought I... Did I see wrong? That... tree over there just... moved."
"Huh? No no no... I mean, a growing tree moving? Even on this Merveille, where crazy animals are par for the course, there's no way..."
"It does move."
So said the tree.
Said it, moved, and... turned around.
"...Apparently it moves."
"Yeah. It moved, alright. And talked, too."
"Oh my, it was Rentop all along. You were here?"
The moment Iris said that, the tree in front of us moved and walked right toward us with great gusto. Its roots shifted like multiple legs.
I'd seen similar sights on Whole Cake Island, but unlike the trees there, this one looked much more rugged... more monster-like. Like an elder of the forest.
And atop that great tree sat a single girl dressed in ethnic-style clothing.
The 'Rentop' Iris just called out to must be this girl.
"Are you one of Iris's Homies too?"
"Aye, pleased to meet ye. I'm Rentop. A tree Homie."
According to Iris, this girl, Rentop, was a Homie born when a centuries-old giant tree had a Soul put into it. She looked like a petite girl, but her old-man way of speaking was probably because of that.
And here was the big distinguishing feature, or rather the key fact: the girl Rentop we were talking to and the moving giant tree she was sitting on were both Rentop. Apparently, becoming a Homie made the tree able to move, and at the same time, a spirit-of-the-tree type beautiful girl personification also manifested.
So both could be called the main body, but if pressed, the tree was actually the true main body.
In fantasy terms, I suppose she'd be something like a 'Trent'? A tree monster living in the forest.
"So Rentop, why are you here?"
"Well, I heard ye lot were having a barbecue. Been standing by and waiting."
Saying that, Rentop patted the trunk of the giant tree she was sitting on.
At that, the giant tree swayed its massive body back and forth, and a huge quantity of something came raining down from above.
Chestnuts, persimmons, pears... Wait, this is amazing. Autumn delicacies that grow on trees, and this much of them...
"See, I've been spending time on Autumn Island for a while, so my tree's gone and ripened up nicely, just like this. Take as much as ye like, don't hold back."
"Oh, your tree has that kind of convenient function? Even I didn't know that."
Even Iris was surprised, apparently having not known.
Being able to bear different things depending on the season... Impressive, Trent girl.
...But something was bugging me...
"Some pumpkins and lotus root fell down too, but... do those grow on trees?"
Pumpkins, in my mind, get harvested from fields.
And lotus root is underground, right? You dig it out of the mud.
"Ah, well, hmm... But come now, no need to fuss over details like that. They're all plants just the same, and if they taste good, what's the problem?"
"That's so sloppy!"
Is that really okay for someone who looks like they should be the forest elder?
Beyond Rentop's sloppily gifted bounty, autumn delicacies were available everywhere.
Man, as expected of Autumn Island... no matter where you went, seasonal ingredients were abundant.
In fact, just like the bamboo shoots, there was stuff growing wild in places Suzu hadn't even cultivated, producing bumper harvests on its own. Grateful for it, sure.
Chestnuts and mushrooms, as many as you could pick. ...Could we even eat all of this...?
What I was personally most excited about, though, was the Shine Muscat grapes that Rentop had put real effort into bearing.
Since "dropping them would crush them," we all climbed up Rentop's giant tree and went grape-picking. It was fun, and they looked absolutely delicious. I couldn't wait!
Then, with the land's seasonal picks taken care of, we moved on to the sea's seasonal offerings.
This season has even more delicious fish than summer. Oysters especially. I absolutely love those too. Freshly caught oysters at a barbecue, grilled with butter and soy sauce, slurped up all juicy... Ahh, I can't wait.
But oysters require diving to collect, so we'd leave that to Beauty again, and we'd stick to fishing...
"Oh, there you are, pen. I've been waiting for you all. Come on, come on, hurry up and get on board, pen."
"...Huh? Why are you here... Weren't you on Summer Island...?"
"Where there are fish, there's Periri, pen. Also, I said it earlier, pen. The sea around here is my Territory."
"Ah, so your fishing grounds... or rather, your Territory covers multiple islands."
"Also, this looks like a boat or a fishing vessel, but it's a Shell Ship with flight capability, isn't it? So that's how you travel between islands... Where did you even get something like this?"
"I asked someone I know and they built it for me, pen. More importantly, if we don't hurry, it'll be lunchtime already, pen. Get on board, pen!"
Oh, and the catch was massive this time too.
***
Winter, understandably, didn't have as many seasonal ingredients compared to the other seasons.
But there were certainly foods that were delicious in winter.
Napa cabbage, a staple for hot pot, daikon radish... and broccoli is actually tasty too.
And even more so, when it comes to what gets delicious in winter: seafood!
There are tons of fish this time of year that have packed on extra fat to survive the cold winter!
Cod, shishamo, yellowtail, herring... and pufferfish and monkfish are delicious too.
Pufferfish is poisonous, but if we left the preparation to Beauty, that wouldn't be a problem.
And so...
"Hey, over here, over here! Everything's ready, pen!"
"Yep, knew you'd be here."
Penguin Girl, appearing for the third time.
Maybe because she was a penguin, she looked perfectly cheerful in the cold. Same outfit as summer, waving at us energetically from the ship.
She'd become the undisputed ruler of these seas. In the fishing industry sense.
"At this point, I'm actually curious why you didn't show up for spring."
"Ah, spring, yeah. I wanted to come out, but I was getting the boat and stuff ready and just barely didn't make it in time. I mean, I only heard about this barbecue thing on really short notice."
"Oh, is that what happened... Well, thank you. Sorry for springing it on you and dragging you around."
"Also your character's slipped back to just a regular fishing person again..."
"It's totally fine, pen. Don't worry about it, pen. Well, as for spring's seasonal flavors, we'll save that for another time. Today, let's enjoy the delicious fish of summer, autumn, and winter to the fullest, pen!"
I'd gotten tired of pointing out the character breaks, so as told, I started to board the ship... but was this vessel really going to be okay?
It seemed built sturdier and more capable than it looked, but the waters around Winter Island had strong winds, and there was drifting ice floating around and flowing in. Dangerous.
"I've got that covered too, pen. I called in some backup, pen."
"Backup?"
Just as Alice asked that, behind the ship Periri was on, with an enormous splash... several massive octopus tentacles appeared.
Everyone except Iris and Leona jolted at the sight. "What is that!?" But the tentacles didn't attack the ship or anything. Quite the opposite, in fact.
"Heave-ho! Sorry to keep ya waitin', Master and ladies. Okkyu-chan's seafood delivery, comin' right up!"
From the sea, a girl whose legs were those of an octopus surfaced and clambered onto the ship.
In her hands she held a net packed with a huge quantity of various fish.
And there was yet another surprise. At the same time the tentacles appeared, a massive wave crashed up, and...
"Welcome, welcome, Master and everyone. Help yourselves to plenty of winter's bounty from the sea."
The wave itself gathered together and took on a human form. A blue-haired woman with a mature, big-sisterly air.
Even the wave was a Homie.
The two introduced themselves as Okkyu, a Kraken Homie, and Lyuphche, a whirlpool Homie.
A Kraken... if I recall correctly, those appeared in the One Piece Original Work too. Sea monsters native to the North Blue, right? Basically octopuses or squids grown to enormous size. Was this a different individual from that one?
And a whirlpool... I wonder if she was similar yet different from Pneuma, the water Homie. Well, this one was seawater, after all.
I see, both would be incredibly reliable for winter sea fishing or foraging.
"Hey, Okkyu, I said help out, but you can't just go and catch the fish directly, pen. That takes away the whole thrill of fishing, pen."
"It's fine, it's fine. Look, what I caught are all fish from the deep places you can't reach with a rod anyway. You can still enjoy your fishing as fishing."
"Ah, well, if that's the case then I guess it's fine, pen. Alright then, Lyuphche."
"Sure thing. I'll mess with the currents so schools of fish head your way. Guaranteed bites, no question. Go ahead and fish as much as you like. I'll redirect the drifting ice too, so don't you worry."
"Thanks a bunch, pen! Alright everyone, let's go on a hun... I mean, let's go fishing, pen!"
To be continued...