One Piece: Under the Throne

Five days later, Leo finally saw the Star Island. He thought it was not far away, but it ended up running 5000 nautical miles in one breath. Fortunately, the Poseidon was worthy of its reputation as the fastest ship on the sea, otherwise Leo and Will's excitement would have worn off.

No wonder there is a saying that the Grand Route has seven fixed routes, and once a route is selected, it cannot be easily changed. If you change the route at will over such a long distance, you will really be waiting for death once you get lost at sea. Moreover, there are various dangerous weather conditions, and you never know when you will be buried in the sea.

Before entering the port, they could smell an enticing aroma. The aroma of delicious food kept whetting Leo and Will's appetite, and their mouths were watering before they even got off the boat.

The Star Islands are also a famous place in the first half of the Grand Route, and are known as the Fragrant Islands. The geographical location of this archipelago is very unique. It is located at the junction of the Calm Belt and the Grand Route, so the climate around the Star Islands is pleasant and natural disasters rarely occur.

The entire archipelago is composed of 73 small islands. Except for the Lord Island in the center, each island has an independent number, from 1 to 72. The Lord Island in the middle is a dead volcano and the largest of all the islands. The other small islands are like stars surrounding the moon, with different sizes and scattered in an orderly manner. Whenever the lights of the small islands are on at night, it seems that there is really a starry sky above the sea.

After parking the boat, Leo and Will couldn't wait to board the Star Island. They each rented a floating bicycle and began their food tour. They didn't find a guide and just followed their noses to go there and stay.

They first came to an island that specializes in selling snacks, and the two sat in front of a takoyaki stand and ate like crazy. Their cheeks were bulging like goldfish, and they asked for information while eating: "Ou Sang, the takoyaki you made is so delicious, I feel like I can eat a hundred more."

"Ha ha ha, of course, I'm going to use takoyaki to compete for the title of the best takoyaki this year." The boss answered excitedly while his hands kept moving.

"The No. 1 Octopus Balls? Isn't the competition for the No. 1 chef?" Leo asked puzzledly. How come the No. 1 chef became the No. 1 snack? Was he deceived by the pirates?

"This is your first time at the Star Island, right, little brother? The food competition is indeed a competition for the title of the world's best chef. But do you know how many chefs are participating?"

"How many chefs are there? Judging from how busy it is, there must be at least 5000."

"5000? Not even half of that. Let me tell you, there are at least 3 chefs participating in the competition every day, and it will take three days to select 72 champions to enter the final elimination round. So if you want to become the world's number one chef, you have to be an all-rounder who is proficient in all kinds of cuisine." The boss showed an envious expression when he said this, and then shook his head helplessly.

"So what about the first octopus-yaki you mentioned?"

"Hahaha, that's just an agreement between chefs. Competitions like No. 1 Takoyaki, No. 1 Curry Rice, No. 1 BBQ, etc. are all competitions between specialized chefs. The participants are all chefs who didn't make it to the knockout rounds. This kind of private competition will not be officially recognized by Star Island."

"Why are you doing this? What's the point of having the title of No. 1?"

"Of course it is useful. In addition to chefs and tourists, the majority of people who participate in the cooking competition every day are businessmen. Businessmen who want to enter the catering industry can definitely find suitable chefs here. Therefore, the title of the best chef has become their criterion for selecting chefs."

"Souga, what reward will the person who wins the title of the world's number one chef get?" Leo talked about this and that for a long time and finally asked what he was most interested in. If it really was a devil fruit, then he would have to think of a way, because Boss Jesus was still waiting.

"After three days, the chef who becomes the owner of the island will receive a considerable amount of bonus. If you look at the distribution of the islands, the closer to the center the island is, the higher the bonus will be. In addition, there will be royal families and nobles from various countries watching the competition on the leader island. If you can achieve good results in front of them, you will have the opportunity to be hired as an exclusive chef. That would be a great opportunity."

"As for being the best chef in the world, forget about it. Even if you make it to the finals, the dishes you make must be recognized by three judges at the same time. If one judge is less recognized, you can't get the title of the best chef in the world. Did you know that no one has won the title of the best chef in the world for many years?"

"Boss, according to what you said, there is nothing special about being the world's number one chef except for getting a devil fruit. The devil fruit is only 100 million berries. Will a top chef care about this little money?"

After hearing Leo's question, the boss suddenly became mysterious: "Let me tell you a secret. If you become the world's best chef, you will become the exclusive chef of the Celestial Dragons and be sent directly to the abode of God. That would be really..."

That's really bad luck, Leo thought to himself. But the information provided by the boss is still very important. Maybe there are people from the World Government among the spectators.

"Thanks, uncle. We have finished eating. We will come to your restaurant again when we have time. I wish you good luck in the competition." After saying that, Leo pulled Will and headed towards other islands.

A few days before the competition, Leo and Will had a blast eating. Fruit caviar ice cream, grilled sea bream, deep sea pearl oyster soup, navy curry, pirate banquet barbecue, there were too many kinds of food to count. While enjoying themselves, Leo also did not forget to find a suitable chef for the team, so he actually ran into an acquaintance.

On the 36th island of the Stars, Leo and Will were savoring deep-sea eel rice. The table in front of Will was already piled high with dishes. The little fat fish showed the momentum of his race, and he ate like a whale. On the other hand, Leo seemed very well behaved today, savoring every bite carefully, but if you looked closely, you would see that he kept glancing at the owner of the stall next door.

I didn't expect to meet Red-foot Zeff here. He is definitely a master chef. He will be able to teach an outstanding chef like Sanji in the future. Zeff's cooking skills are also impeccable. And this guy's physical skills are also very good. It would be great if we could recruit him to join the group. I don't know if he is a pirate now. If he is, the bounty order is still a troublesome matter. How should I fool him? Leo's eyes suddenly narrowed.

Just when Leo was thinking of a solution, he suddenly heard a quarrel behind him: "What nonsense are you talking about? If you don't want to eat, don't take up the seat. Get out of here..." Before he finished his sentence, there was a crackling sound.

Leo turned around curiously and saw a green-haired young man being beaten by two strong men. The strange thing was that the young man who was beaten actually put his hands in his arms and used his back to withstand the strong men's fists.

While being beaten, he shouted, "The saury you used has passed its best consumption period. It has excreted too much acid. You shouldn't use salt from the East China Sea as seasoning. That salt is too mild and can't enhance the taste of the saury. So your dish is not up to standard at all."

"How dare you talk nonsense? Who do you think you are, a gourmet? You are just a down-and-out noble, a sinner of Star Island just like your useless father." The speaker was the owner of the grilled saury stall. He folded his hands and watched the young man being beaten while making sarcastic remarks.

The young man who was beaten seemed very stubborn. In Leo's opinion, he was even a little stubborn. He kept chattering: "You didn't put any effort into the food you cooked. Food that is not made with care can't make people happy. You are basically tarnishing the profession of chef."

Many onlookers were talking about the young man who was beaten.

"Why is he here again? I remember this guy came to the competition every year and was eliminated every time. If you don't have talent, don't waste your time in this industry."

"Don't you know? This guy's family has some grievances with the Lord of Star Island. This guy has been causing trouble in recent years. The Lord had generously let him go, but he was so ungrateful that he still comes to cause trouble every year."

The onlookers stared at the young man who was beaten with disdain and called him an unreasonable bastard.

Leo didn't think so. Seeing that young man desperately protecting his hands showed that he was a chef. Taking care of hands is a basic quality of a chef. His words seemed to be nitpicking, but the guy's eyes were very serious. Besides, who would be so bored to come here and suffer every year? Leo felt that it was necessary to learn more about it.

Walk to the saury stall, pick up a grilled saury and take a bite.

Hmm! This boss's skill is about the same as mine. The whole fish was burnt in some places and soft in others. It was obviously not heated evenly. The taste was also a bit bland, which showed that what the young man said was right. Instead, the chef who grilled the saury was too guilty.

Suddenly, a loud roar came from outside the crowd: "Stop, the lord is coming."

The onlookers automatically parted to make way, and a handsome middle-aged nobleman walked up to the young man with his soldiers.

The Lord first pressed his hands down to signal everyone to be quiet, then adjusted the three medals on his chest, and then said in a gentle tone: "What happened? What are you all doing here?"

As soon as the lord finished asking the question, some tourists shouted, "Lord, that kid is causing trouble on purpose. Please expel him and don't let him ruin the chef competition."

Hearing this, the lord glanced at the young man who was beaten black and blue, then smiled slightly: "Charles, why are you here again? Didn't I tell you that with your current cooking skills you are not qualified to participate in the cooking competition? I advise you to go back and study hard for a few years."

The young man looked at the lord with an indignant look, his eyes still revealing hatred: "Greedy, put away your hypocritical disguise. You can fool others but not me."

"Alas, Charles, you are still so ignorant. Your actions simply bring shame to your father. In this case..." Lord Grady paused deliberately, and then continued to announce to the people around him: "According to the rules of Star Island, anyone who fights during the cooking competition will be disqualified. Then I declare that both of you are disqualified. Please leave Star Island as soon as possible."

However, the young man named Charles suddenly struggled: "Greedy forbids you to mention my father. Just wait, I will definitely win the cooking competition and take back my father's relics in an honorable manner."

Lord Grady laughed when he heard this. "Your father's knife was given to me for safekeeping because you are still immature and cannot wield it. That's why I am keeping it for you. When you can prove that you are a capable chef, I will return it to you."

"Greedy, you have been using despicable means to eliminate me, just to occupy my father's kitchen knife, the legendary kitchen utensil."

"Ahahaha, dear Charles, you really make me so sad. You actually misunderstood me to this extent. Alright, alright, I'll give you one more chance. If you can win the cooking competition this time, I will return your father's kitchen knife to you. But what if you can't win?"

"If I fail, I'll give you my right hand and promise never to be a chef again."

"Okay, very good, you are very courageous. I will look forward to your performance in the competition."

Lord Griddy left, but the people around him were still laughing at Charles's arrogance. The boss who had a conflict with him didn't care about being eliminated, and looked at Charles as if he was a dead man.

Leo walked up to Charles and said seriously, "You're a good guy. I like what you said: only dishes made with care can bring happiness to people. Come on, do you want to be my partner?"

Charles was shocked by this, and then looked at Leo as if he was a fool: "Silly boy, whose child is this? An adult, please come out and take care of him."