Zeff and Sanji chose to stay and help Arashi run the restaurant!
This was a win-win situation—for both Arashi and the master-disciple pair.
Although Zeff had returned to Loguetown with a bag full of treasure and wasn't short on money, having a place to stay and working in the profession they loved was far better than living in a hotel and spending money every day.
As for Arashi, with the two of them helping out, he could complete the mission faster, obtain the reward, and leave Loguetown to begin his next journey.
The next morning—
Zeff woke up early and headed straight to the kitchen.
Sanji, too, was so excited after surviving the ordeal and finally finding a place to settle that he couldn't sleep well. As soon as Zeff got up, he quickly followed him downstairs to help.
However, when the two of them entered the kitchen, they found that Arashi had already prepared all the ingredients.
"Good morning!"
Seeing the two of them rush in, Arashi poured out the rice he had steamed the previous night and said with a smile, "This shop only serves Ultimate Yangzhou Fried Rice, so there's not much to do in the kitchen. Go open the door and get ready to welcome customers."
"Got it, Mr. Arashi!!!"
Sanji obediently turned and ran out, while Zeff glared with wide eyes, clearly displeased. "I only work in the kitchen—I'm not going to be a waiter!"
"If you don't know how, then learn! Look at little Sanji—he's doing great. On that point, you should learn from him. And also, you're only in your thirties or forties—why do you keep calling yourself 'old man'? Are you really that old?"
"I—"
Zeff's eyes widened even more, but before he could speak, Arashi waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, Zeff, go do your job! Since you agreed to stay, you should at least act like it, right?"
"You…"
Zeff nearly exploded.
If this had been in the past, he would have kicked Arashi flying without hesitation.
But that was the past.
After experiencing the horrors of the Grand Line and being stranded on an island for over forty days, his mindset had changed significantly. He had truly grown indifferent toward violence.
So even though he was on the verge of exploding with anger, he still held it in and turned to leave.
"Waaah!!!"
"Old man, come look!!"
Just as Zeff stepped out of the kitchen, Sanji's excited voice rang out.
Looking in the direction of the sound, Zeff was instantly stunned!
The entrance was completely packed with people. The moment Sanji opened the door, the crowd waiting outside surged forward like a tidal wave, rushing into the restaurant!
"Don't push! Don't push! I was first!"
"Hahaha, you guys are so unreasonable—I've been lining up here since dawn!"
"I'm first! Boss, one fried rice!"
Watching the customers scramble into the restaurant and quickly take their seats, both Sanji and Zeff were momentarily overwhelmed.
Fried rice priced at 18,888 Beli… had actually attracted this many people?
This outrageous scene completely overturned Sanji's understanding of the world.
So as long as the food tasted good enough… the price didn't matter at all!
"Sanji, hurry up and serve the customers!"
Although Zeff was shocked, he had seen plenty in his life. Once the restaurant was filled, he quickly stepped to the entrance and shouted, "Everyone, the restaurant is full! But don't worry—the notice has been updated! Today we'll be selling 300 servings! So please stay calm and line up properly!"
"Wow, it's really changed to 300 servings!"
"That's great! I can finally try the Ultimate Yangzhou Fried Rice today!"
"Yeah, yesterday I heard Aaron talking about how amazing it was—I was practically drooling just listening!"
"Haha, I heard Aaron got beaten until he cried? Is that true?"
"It's true! You should've seen it—he didn't even fight back and got beaten into tears!"
"That's nothing—didn't you see Captain Stork leave crying the other day? It was heartbreaking!"
"Haha, amazing! Did the boss beat them into crying or was the food just that good?"
…
At first, Zeff didn't pay much attention to the chatter.
But when he heard that Arashi had once been personally invited by a Marine Vice Admiral, he couldn't help but turn his head to look at Arashi, who was busy in the kitchen.
A traveling chef… invited by a Vice Admiral?
No matter how he thought about it, it didn't seem quite right.
First of all—what kind of traveler runs a restaurant?
…
If it was just for the experience, that would be one thing. But the Yangzhou fried rice Arashi cooked was so good that even he, a seasoned chef, couldn't help but praise it—and even wanted another serving!
So perhaps Arashi should be called a culinary traveler instead.
But even so—how could a culinary traveler attract the attention of a Marine Vice Admiral, who would go so far as to personally recruit him?
That didn't align with Marine recruitment procedures at all.
Could it be… a special exception?
With these questions swirling in his mind, Zeff's curiosity about Arashi grew stronger.
A busy day came to an end as all 300 servings of fried rice were sold out.
After the last customer left, Arashi cooked three more servings and brought them out.
"Waaah!!!"
Caught completely off guard as Arashi placed a plate of fried rice in front of him, Sanji's eyes widened in excitement. "Mr. Arashi, is this for me?!"
"Of course."
Arashi nodded with a smile, then picked up his own portion and began eating.
On the first day, he sold 98 servings.
On the second day, Aaron and his men consumed 50 servings.
Including today, he had already sold 448 servings.
At this rate, in less than two more days, he would complete the mission and obtain the reward.
A mysterious gift package?
Now that… was something to look forward to!
Extra chapters are already prepared… waiting to be unleashed.
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