CHAPTER 14 — A Warm Meal, A Warmer Home
📅 12 April, S.C. 1510
👦 Ren — 7
👦 Luffy — 5
👦 Ace — 8 (watching from afar, no contact yet)
📍 Windmill Village
The morning sun painted Windmill Village in soft orange as Ren stepped outside Makino's bar. He stretched his arms, wincing at the lingering soreness from forest lessons yesterday.
Makino pushed open the kitchen window.
"Ren! Before you run off again, I need your help today."
Ren blinked. "With what?"
"Cooking."
Ren froze.
"…Cooking?"
Makino nodded. "You're living here. You should learn how to make simple meals."
Luffy popped up behind Ren like a raccoon.
"REN IS COOKING?! WILL HE MAKE ME MEAT?!"
Ren flinched. "No."
"WHY NOT?!"
Makino replied dryly, "Because you'll climb into the pot."
Luffy gasped in betrayal. "I WOULD NOT!"
He immediately tried climbing into a barrel.
Ren sighed. "Please stop."
The Kitchen Lesson Begins
Makino tied a small apron around Ren.
It was a bit too big for him.
He felt strange wearing it…
Strange, but warm.
Makino placed vegetables on the table. "Alright. Lesson one: cutting."
Ren swallowed. "With… knives?"
"Small ones," Makino reassured him. "Safe enough."
Ren picked up the knife carefully.
Makino guided his hands with gentle pressure.
"Like this. Firm grip. Angle the blade. Slow and steady."
Ren focused intensely.
His first slice was crooked.
The second was uneven.
The third flew off the table entirely.
Makino suppressed laughter. "You're doing great."
Luffy clapped like he was watching a magic show. "REN IS A CHEF!!"
Ren corrected him. "I cut a carrot in a weird shape."
"It's still food!" Luffy declared.
Kiro peeked in from the door. "Are you cooking or destroying the kitchen?"
Ren glared. "I'm learning."
Kiro smirked. "That's even scarier."
The Smell of Food… and Disaster
While Makino prepared the soup base, Ren stirred it carefully.
It was the most responsibility he'd ever been trusted with since arriving here.
The steam warmed his face.
The wooden spoon felt steady in his hand.
The bubbling sound was strangely soothing.
Makino smiled softly. "You look natural."
Ren's ears warmed. "I… don't think I am."
"You try hard," Makino said. "That's enough."
Ren hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Luffy, meanwhile, pressed his entire face against a loaf of bread.
Makino snapped, "Luffy! Don't kiss the bread!"
"But it smells GOOD!"
Kiro laughed from outside. "Luffy kissed bread, Ren burned carrots, and Makino is the only sane one here."
Ren muttered, "This town is chaos."
Makino whispered back, "You fit in perfectly."
Ren's cheeks reddened.
A Curious Observer in the Trees
As Ren fetched water from the well behind the bar, he felt… eyes on him.
Not hostile.
Not malicious.
Just… watching.
Ren turned.
Up in a tree, half-hidden by leaves, sat the same boy he'd seen yesterday.
Ace.
8 years old.
Ferocious eyes.
Silent posture.
A boy who had survived the worst parts of Dawn Island alone.
Ren frowned.
Ace stared at him for three seconds—expression unreadable—
then vanished into the trees like a wild animal.
Ren whispered, "He's fast…"
Kiro appeared beside him. "Who?"
Ren jerked slightly. "A boy."
"Dark hair? Scary face? Pipe?"
Ren nodded cautiously.
"Ah. Ace. Yeah, he watches the village from time to time."
Ren blinked. "Watches? Why?"
Kiro shrugged. "Who knows? He doesn't talk to anyone. Probably thinks we're boring."
Ren looked back at the trees.
He didn't know why…
but he felt something odd.
Was Ace curious about him?
Or was he just passing by?
Either way, Ren kept the thought quietly to himself.
The Final Lesson — The Hearth
As midday approached, Makino brought out a small wooden stool.
"Ren, sit."
He obeyed, confused.
Makino placed a bowl of steaming soup in his hands.
"You helped prepare this. So you eat first."
Ren stared at the bowl.
A simple soup.
Vegetables.
Herbs.
Warm broth.
It smelled… like comfort.
Like a home.
He took a sip.
The warmth spread through his chest.
Makino watched him gently.
"Well?"
Ren swallowed, nodding slowly.
"…It tastes like family."
Makino froze for a second.
Then smiled—soft, warm, almost relieved.
"I'm glad."
Kiro leaned on the counter smugly. "Does it taste better than dirt berries?"
Ren gave him a flat look. "Everything tastes better than dirt berries."
Luffy slammed his bowl on the table. "I WANT MORE!"
"You haven't finished that one," Makino said.
"I WANT MORE ANYWAY!"
Ren chuckled softly.
This village.
This warmth.
This life.
He wasn't just learning to survive.
He was learning to belong.
Nightfall Reflection
That night, Ren sat on the dock alone, dangling his feet above the water as the sun dipped behind the trees.
He watched the gentle waves.
He thought of:
the soup
Makino's smile
Kiro's jokes
Luffy's chaos
Ace's distant gaze
A small, quiet world.
But his world now.
Ren whispered to himself—
"I'm changing… and I think I'm okay with that."
The stars glittered above Windmill Village.
And Ren felt, for the first time in his life—
peaceful.
End of Chapter 14 — (12 April, S.C. 1510)