Chapter 40: The Beautiful Chef
Hearing Nico Robin's voice, Yumesaki snapped back to reality and said, "I'm considering something."
"Oh? I didn't know what kind of matter could make Mr. Yumesaki look so serious," Robin asked with a smile, her curiosity piqued.
Yumesaki replied, "I'm considering whether we need to find a chef to be responsible for our three meals a day."
Robin: "Ah... that..."
For a moment, she didn't know how to respond. She had initially thought he was pondering something world-changing, but after all that deep contemplation, his only goal was to find a cook.
Was it really necessary to look so profound over such a small matter?
"Mr. Yumesaki's way of thinking is truly... unique," Robin commented with a slight edge of dry wit.
Yumesaki understood her implication but said casually, "Since I can finally travel between worlds, I don't want to torture myself. Finding a beautiful chef who is also an expert at cooking—isn't that a great idea?"
Robin rolled her eyes. "Of course it's great. So, does Mr. Yumesaki already have a candidate in mind?"
"I'm debating between the Fairy of Cuisine (Pai) or Erina Nakiri."
"Those two aren't from this world, are they?" At least, Robin had never seen those names appear in the One Piece manga.
Yumesaki nodded. "Indeed they aren't. The Fairy of Cuisine, or Pai, is a Supreme Dragon Chef from the world of Chuuka Ichiban. Erina Nakiri is the 'God's Tongue' from Shokugeki no Soma."
"While the latter isn't as legendary as the former, she possesses an incredible palate, and her growth rate is extremely fast. She should be able to satisfy our tastes."
Robin watched Yumesaki perform this logical analysis, but she asked only one question: "Can you go to the worlds they live in right now?"
"Ah... about that..." Yumesaki shook his head. "I can't."
"If that's the case, perhaps we should consider a more realistic option. How about we find a chef from this world first to satisfy your appetite?" Robin suggested a middle-ground solution.
Yumesaki thought for a moment and agreed. "That works. However, while there are many beautiful women in the One Piece world, beautiful female chefs are quite rare. I only remember someone in the East Blue named Carmen, who defeated every chef in the region except for Sanji. Other than that, I have no memory of anyone else."
"Besides, while Carmen is alright, she isn't exactly my type."
Robin rolled her eyes again. She hadn't expected this man to be so picky. "If Mr. Yumesaki truly wants to find a beautiful female chef, I actually have a very good candidate."
"Oh? Who?"
"Miss Cosette."
"Cosette? Who is that?" Yumesaki felt confused. Was there such a person in the original story?
Robin used the Transformation Jutsu, shifting her form into that of Cosette. "You might have forgotten, but Cosette is the head chef for the Vinsmoke family in the Germa Kingdom. Her cooking skills were acknowledged by Sanji himself."
With Robin's reminder, Yumesaki searched his memory of the original work and finally placed her. The reason he hadn't remembered her was that she was a minor character among the supporting cast. Her screen time was practically that of a background extra.
In the story, when the Vinsmoke family gathered, Cosette was responsible for preparing meals for the royals. One dish, a potato meat stew, disgusted Niji to the point where he refused to eat it. Because Sanji was unhappy with his older brother's wasteful behavior, he scolded Niji. Niji then took his anger out on Cosette, who was responsible for the cooking. When Niji tried to throw a plate at her, Sanji intercepted it.
In the ensuing conflict, Sanji refused to dodge Niji's attack to protect Cosette, resulting in her being caught in the wind pressure of the kick. After Sanji praised her seasoning as perfect, Cosette was deeply moved and shed tears of gratitude. Later, during the internal chaos of the Vinsmoke family, she tried to flee but was cornered and beaten by Niji until she was severely injured and unconscious, nearly dying. After that, Miss Cosette exited the stage.
In short, she was a side character with a tragic fate.
However, as a personal chef, she was more than qualified. After all, she was the head chef of the Vinsmoke family. Without true skill, she wouldn't have been able to hold that position.
The only problem was that taking Cosette would mean coming into conflict with the Vinsmoke family. It wasn't that Yumesaki was afraid of them. He didn't even care about the Celestial Dragons, let alone the Vinsmokes. The main issue was that he only had Robin and Hashirama with him. With just the three of them, storming into the Germa Kingdom to kidnap Cosette wouldn't be a simple task.
"We don't need to step in ourselves." Robin, sensing Yumesaki's concern, said with a smile, "I can contact the Revolutionary Army and have Kuma send her here."
Hearing this, Yumesaki's eyes lit up, and he snapped his fingers. "That's a great idea."
The Germa Kingdom certainly had strength, but compared to Kuma, they were far behind. Moreover, Kuma's Nikyu Nikyu no Mi was incredibly effective for both offense and defense. Infiltrating Germa to send Cosette away and then making a clean exit would be effortless for him. With Germa's power, they wouldn't be able to stop him.
Additionally, considering the Vinsmoke family's personality—always prioritizing profit above all else—they would never go to war with Kuma over a mere chef. Therefore, Kuma was the perfect person for the job.
After receiving Yumesaki's permission, Robin immediately contacted Dragon and conveyed the request. Hearing this, Dragon neither rejected nor accepted immediately, but instead asked with genuine curiosity.
"I wonder if Miss Robin has some sort of connection with this Cosette?"
"None at all." Robin looked at Yumesaki calmly and said, "The boss of my house simply wants a beautiful chef with extraordinary cooking skills."
"Boss?" Dragon felt a flicker of surprise.
Robin added, "Mr. Dragon, you surely didn't think that the secrets regarding the Revolutionary Army and the World Government were things I investigated myself, did you?"
Hearing this, Dragon found himself in agreement. He had already suspected as much; there was no way Robin possessed such capabilities on her own. If she did, she wouldn't have been hunted by the World Government so miserably for all those years.
It turned out there was indeed a mysterious boss behind Nico Robin.
As for who this boss was and how he knew such things, Dragon felt extremely intrigued.
"Miss Robin, I wonder if I am fortunate enough to meet your boss."
Robin replied with a smile, "Does Mr. Dragon wish to recruit my boss into your Revolutionary Army?"
Dragon let out a small chuckle. He hadn't expected his plan to be exposed by Robin so instantly. He admitted that he did indeed want to bring the other party into the fold. Gaining the help of such a mysterious information broker would provide an immeasurable advantage in the effort to overthrow the World Government.
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