Yemu had no interest in dealing with this father and daughter pair—he was just here for a meal.
"Don't be surprised. The owner of the weapon shop recommended this place. Said your food was pretty good..."
The moment the shop owner heard that, he immediately realized who Yemu was. His face turned dark, and without thinking, he blurted out what was really on his mind.
"That bastard Ipponmatsu actually sent such a terrifying guy to my shop..."
As soon as he said it, he clamped a hand over his mouth in horror, staring at Yemu in fear.
Luckily, he didn't see the kind of cold, murderous look in Yemu's eyes that he was used to seeing in other pirates.
"Enough talk. I'm here to eat. Bring out your best dishes. Don't worry, I'll pay when I'm done... unless you've got a problem doing business with a pirate like me?"
"O-of course not... Please wait a moment, I'll get started right away..."
The owner turned around, grabbed his unfilial daughter, and with a look of surprise still on her face, dragged her into the back kitchen and quickly vanished.
Even though they were out of sight, their whispered conversation was still perfectly audible to Yemu.
"Dad, what do we do now...?"
"Don't worry. This is Loguetown. All the strong Marines are stationed here—he wouldn't dare cause trouble. Let him eat and leave..."
"No problem, leave it to me..."
"You idiot, what are you even leaving to you? I'll handle it this time..."
"You? Dad... how long has it been since you last touched a kitchen? Besides... I'm the head chef here..."
"You little brat, are you doubting your old man's skills?"
"Tch... you said it yourself. And I'm the head chef—I run the kitchen, so get out..."
"idiot... I'm the owner!"
"This place is gonna be mine one day..."
"That's one day. Right now, I'm in charge..."
Then Yemu heard the two of them start arguing, louder and louder, until it was clear that the small kitchen couldn't contain both of them.
Eventually, as the shouting reached its peak, the boss hurled his daughter—Flare—out of the kitchen like a cannonball.
"You damn girl, get out of my kitchen!"
Whether it was fate or just dumb luck, after smashing through the wall, the girl ended up landing in Yemu's arms yet again.
At that moment, the boss finally realized what he'd just done in his outburst. He rushed out of the kitchen, looking at the awkward scene with no idea what to say.
Yemu, on the other hand, looked curiously at the girl in his arms and her long, round legs wrapped in those sexy purple-patterned thigh-high socks, then asked a question.
"Hey... You two, father and daughter—you're not messing with me on purpose, are you?"
In an instant, the temperature in the entire restaurant seemed to drop a degree.
"It's a misunderstanding... just a misunderstanding... absolutely a misunderstanding..."
The owner froze in fear and scrambled to apologize. Flare's face turned pale as she quickly slipped out of Yemu's arms.
Even if Yemu didn't look particularly menacing, his 540 million Berries bounty was more than enough to make her imagination run wild.
"Flare might be my daughter and has inherited the cooking skills of both me and my wife, but she's still not quite there yet. For someone of your stature, I should be the one to personally handle the cooking."
After saying that, the boss shot a glare at Flare.
"You damn girl, stop causing trouble!"
Flare, already flustered, flared up at his words.
"Hey, Oyaji, what nonsense are you spouting? My cooking surpassed yours and Mom's ages ago! I'm the chef here! If you're the boss, then just stay out front and take care of the customers!"
"idiot... You brat, what do you know! You haven't even grasped the soul of cooking that your mother and I dedicated our lives to!"
"What soul? You mean that outdated nonsense you keep using to fool people? The kind of cheap food you and Mom made only fools people who can't tell what good food even is!"
Once again, the two of them were arguing right in front of Yemu.
Watching the scene unfold, Yemu could only sigh.
"What a strange world..."
It really seemed like people in this world were born with nerves of steel.
Still, as he listened to the argument, he found himself thinking about the transformation in Flare's body earlier. That had to be the power of a Devil Fruit. His interest piqued, he spoke up.
"Hey, if I heard right earlier, you said you don't even like being a chef or cooking, right?"
Flare answered immediately, as if she'd been waiting for the question.
"I don't like it. I actually hate it. But if someone says my cooking sucks, I won't stand for it. I've spent over a decade working hard at this. To deny my cooking is to deny all the suffering I went through in those years."
"Uh..."
What the hell was that even supposed to mean? Still...
"I mean, if you two can't agree, why not just each make your own dish? Isn't it kind of rude to keep the customer waiting?"
"!!!"
Before the boss could say anything, Flare suddenly lit up, as if struck by an idea. With a burst of boldness, she pointed at Yemu.
"In that case, Oyaji, let's have a cook-off!"
"A cook-off!?"
"Yeah! We'll see whose dish is better received. I've been wanting to do this for ages! He'll be the judge! If I win, you have to admit I've surpassed both you and Mom! And from now on, you're not allowed to interfere in my decisions or force me to take over the shop!"
"You idiot, what nonsense are you—how could we make Captain Yemu—"
The boss was about to protest, but Yemu suddenly let out a laugh, clearly amused.
"Hahahaha..."
Both father and daughter jumped, startled. But his next words made their hearts, which had nearly leapt into their throats, settle back down.
"Didn't expect a meal to turn into something this interesting. Flare, was it? Sure, I'll judge... but if I'm the only one judging, doesn't that seem a bit unfair?"
"Wait—Captain Yemu, please! It's just the kid being ridiculous, don't take it seriously..."
The boss was panicking. He never imagined a notorious pirate like Yemu would go along with Flare's antics. Fairness wasn't even on his radar anymore.
"It's not ridiculous! I'm serious!"
The two looked like they were about to start arguing all over again.
But then, a strange laugh echoed through the restaurant.
"Ara ara... Things seem pretty lively here..."
They both jumped in shock and turned toward the sound.
Standing at the entrance was a tall, burly man in a black overcoat, a headscarf wrapped around his head, small glasses perched on his nose, and a mop of black curly hair. At some point, he had arrived unnoticed and was now slowly pushing open the battered door as he entered.
As he stepped inside, the temperature visibly dropped again, and a thin mist began forming in the air.
The owner froze.
"Vice Admiral Kuzan..."
Then he turned and glanced at the calm, collected Yemu beside him, a bitter thought flashing through his mind.
"We're screwed... Are they really gonna fight?"