Shirou's clones number 30 million

why?

It tastes even better than regular food, so why does he react like he ate something inedible?

Sitting in the car on the way back to the company, Yaeko Minezaki pressed herself against Shirou Sakurai and asked cautiously:

"Boss, I tried the vegetable rolls earlier, and they were delicious, far superior to similar dishes in stores. Why...?"

Shiro Sakurai glanced at him and slowly spoke:

Do you remember the scar under my tongue?

"Uh-huh."

"I drew those myself."

"Huh...!?...Why is this happening?"

"There are too many unreasonable chefs in this world. Their dishes are like magic, making people hallucinate and say things they will regret later."

Shirou Sakurai's face showed a hint of disdain as he spoke again:

"So I cut my tongue and severed my taste buds."

"This way, I can decide for myself whether a dish is good or bad."

"And coincidentally, all the world's famous chefs have a unique arrogance, believing that if they cannot impress someone's palate with their cooking skills, it must be because their cooking skills are insufficient."

"Ha...naive, serves them right for closing down."

Minesaki Yaeko hugged his arm tightly, feeling a chill as if she were in the dead of winter.

When exactly did this person become so cold-blooded?

……

One Piece world.

After passing through the Calm Belt, the luxurious ship carrying the Celestial Dragons successfully entered the first stop of their pilgrimage across the four seas—the East Blue.

Meanwhile, on a desolate island.

Two people who had been starving for a long time were leaning against each other, back to back.

Having been starved for so long, the two of them had become skin and bones, barely clinging to life as they stared at the sea.

"Old man, it looks like there's a boat."

"Really? Help!"

"But...but I see the navy at the bow of the ship."

"Is this the time to think about those things? As long as I can survive, it doesn't matter if I have to spend the rest of my life in prison."

"it is good."

The toddler struggled to his feet and waved his hands repeatedly.

"The ship is coming!"

"it is good…"

After saying this, the dying man fainted.

After an unknown amount of time, he opened his eyes again, and the first thing he saw was a monkey.

No, it was a middle-aged man with a monkey-like face wearing a navy coat.

"How are you feeling? Are you alright now, Mr. Redfoot Zeff?"

The sudden child's voice made Zeff instinctively look in the direction from which the sound came.

On the deck, a meter away from me, stood a child dressed in gorgeous clothes, and beside him stood a group of people whose bodies were completely covered up.

Having traveled the Grand Line, Zeff was quite knowledgeable and, after a little thought, quickly guessed the other party's identity.

The only people who can command the protection of a vice admiral and so many CP members are probably world nobles.

Zeff glanced at Sanji, who was fast asleep beside him, and breathed a sigh of relief.

It's good that you're still alive!

"Thank you for saving me."

"You're welcome, it was nothing," Shirou said with a smile. "How long have you been on the island? How did you survive without food?"

"We stayed on the island for a total of seventy-five days. We had no food and no water, but we just endured it."

As he spoke, Zeff unconsciously glanced down at his missing leg.

The other party is a world noble; if I tell the truth that I use this leg as food, it might scare him.

"admire."

Shirou paused for a moment, then asked curiously:

"However, I have some questions. Why don't you catch fish or seabirds for food? Although the island is desolate, there is an abundance of food in the sea."

"You overestimate me. I'm just a small-time pirate. How could I possibly do something so outrageous?"

Is this a big deal?

Shirou instinctively looked at Borsalino, trying to get his opinion.

“He’s right. Seabirds fly very fast, and there are a lot of Sea Kings in the sea. In the Navy, only a few can feed on these two types of creatures.” Borsalino paused. “Moreover, this is the weakest of the four seas, the East Sea.”

"Oh, I see."

Shirou seemed to be deep in thought. It seemed that I had made the subjective mistake of "taking things for granted".

However, Zeff must have some ability to travel the Grand Line for a year; he was probably held back by Sanji.

Chapter 55 This isn't too much, is it?

Section 55, Chapter Fifty-Five: This isn't excessive, is it?

"What do you plan to do with me?" Zeff couldn't help but ask.

Seeing his nervous expression, Shirou thought for a moment, then smiled and said:

"Before we leave the East China Sea, could you please be my cook?"

Aren't you going to arrest me?

"There's no need for that. You're just an unknown little pirate. Although you have a fierce face and aren't very pleasing to the eye, I can tell you're a good person."

Am I... a good person?

"As your savior, I'd like to ask you to be my chef for a while. That's not an unreasonable request, is it?"

"It's not unreasonable, I agree."

Zeff sighed inwardly. Wasn't this a situation where there was absolutely no room for refusal?

With a vice admiral beside him and a group of CP members watching him intently, if he refused, he would probably be thrown into the sea immediately.

However, if they manage to leave the East China Sea unscathed in the future, this experience will likely become a legend.

After all, not everyone can be saved by the world's nobles.

"Could I use the bathroom and kitchen?"

"No need to rush to work. You've been hungry for so long, why don't you rest for a couple of days first?"

"I……"

Just as Zeff was about to ask them for some food, he suddenly realized that he wasn't very hungry and asked in surprise:

"Did you feed me anything while I was unconscious?"

"I've given you some recovery medicine and juice. If you're hungry..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shirou realized he had said something pointless and corrected himself:

"Hyman, take him to the kitchen. Also, once he's on duty, have the ship's chefs assist him so he can learn as much cooking as possible."

"This... Young Master, please forgive my bluntness, but can such a petty pirate really compare to those carefully selected master chefs?" Hyman hesitated.

"Fame doesn't equal culinary skill. As a pirate, Zeff is indeed mediocre. But as a chef, he is at least world-class."

Although it's been a long time since I've cooked a meal myself, some of my counterparts in other worlds cook every day, so they're quite experienced.

From the perspective of a veteran like Shirou, the cooks on his ship were no better than him, at best second-rate in the world.

Seeing that Shirou's tone was very serious, Hyman lowered his head and said "Yes," without saying anything more.

Zeff was momentarily taken aback; he simply couldn't understand why this young world nobleman thought so highly of him.

Although he himself is very confident, that is completely different from being valued by others.

However, this feeling isn't so bad.

To have one's culinary skills recognized as world-class by the world's elite is the highest praise a chef can receive.

"In that case, please allow me to go and bathe and change immediately. I will serve you my best dish later."

"Oh...that's something to look forward to," Shirou said with a smile. "But are you alright? Recovery medicine can only heal injuries, not restore stamina."

"No problem! I feel perfectly healthy right now."

Zeff raised his arms, stretched them a few times, and followed behind Butler Hyman into the cabin.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly seemed to remember something, quickly turned back, picked up Sanji who was fast asleep on the deck, and then left.

Watching him leave, Borsalino said leisurely:

"He's not suited to be a pirate."

“There are many such guys at sea.” Shirou paused, filled with emotion. “Going to sea is not for burning, killing, and looting, but for adventure and treasure hunting. Such people should not be lumped together with the wicked villains of the sea.”

“Perhaps, but those who can consistently adhere to their own beliefs are always in the minority,” Borsalino said slowly.

……

That night, a space shrouded in white mist.

"Come, come...shake hands, shake hands."