Chapter 179: Itachi Can Cook?
"WHAT?!"
"The Revolutionary Army was DEFEATED?!"
Chef Luffy—still wearing his chef's hat, still brandishing a ladle—had emerged from the galley just in time to see the newspaper. His eyes bulged at the headline.
"I remember," Pedro said from his perch on the mast. "You're the son of Dragon the Revolutionary." Even on Zou, Pedro had followed world events closely. The Summit War. The revelation of Luffy's lineage. The world had learned everything.
"Sabo-san?" Brook tilted his skull. "Is that the brother Itachi-san mentioned meeting? The one who appeared in Dressrosa? Yohoho—he's actually the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army?"
"Wait! Isn't that the SECOND-IN-COMMAND of the entire Revolutionary Army?!" Brook's jaw dropped—which was impressive, given that he had no jaw to drop.
"What kind of family ARE you people?!" Nami clutched her head.
Luffy pointed at the photograph of Dragon. "So who's this Dragon guy...?"
"THAT'S YOUR FATHER!" Nami's patience, already thin, had officially snapped. "Garp told us at Water Seven! Your father is the leader of the Revolutionary Army!"
Itachi opened his mouth, then closed it. He remembered, from before they'd left Dressrosa, that Dragon and the Revolutionary Army had been present—but Luffy had been unconscious for the entire encounter. He had never actually met his father face to face.
"WAIT! THAT'S MY DAD?!"
Luffy's chef hat launched off his head from the sheer force of his shock.
Everyone stared. Luffy had NEVER seen a photograph of his own father.
"Haven't you looked at ANY news in the last two years?!" Nami demanded. "Robin was taken care of by your father and the Revolutionary Army during the timeskip, you know!"
Luffy scratched his head. "Really? This is the first time I've seen a picture of him." He squinted at Dragon's intense, tattooed face. "He doesn't really look like me."
"But I'm more worried about Sabo."
"Same old Luffy." Chopper shook his head.
Itachi pointed to the smaller text beneath the headline. "The report emphasizes that the headquarters was destroyed. But it doesn't mention casualties among the leadership. An organization that opposes the World Government would have multiple fallback positions. They likely evacuated before the attack fully materialized."
Luffy exhaled. "If that's true, then it's fine."
"But it's still unexpected." Itachi's voice darkened. "When I encountered Blackbeard at Rilke Callander, his injuries should have been severe. He shouldn't have been capable of launching a counterattack this quickly."
Nami's eyes widened. "The Revolutionary Army attacked the Blackbeard Pirates at Rilke Callander. That's why Blackbeard retaliated."
"THAT BLACKBEARD!" Luffy's fists clenched. "He's the WORST!"
Chopper bounced anxiously nearby. "Hey, Luffy..."
Itachi frowned. Something was wrong. "Is he still alive?" Itachi murmured to himself. It seemed the Yami-Yami Fruit's darkness had been able to absorb even Amaterasu in the end.
"Luffy!" Chopper's voice grew more frantic.
"WHAT, Chopper?! I'm busy being angry at Blackbeard!"
Chopper pointed a trembling hoof toward the galley. "I really appreciate that you wanted to make us delicious food... but is THAT supposed to be happening?!"
Everyone turned.
The kitchen was on fire.
"WHAT THE—?!"
"LUFFY, YOU IDIOT!"
Itachi's hands were already moving through seals. A waterspout rose from the sea and arced gracefully through the galley window. The flames hissed into submission.
One Hour Later
The Grand Line's weather had not been kind.
First, a sudden squall had nearly capsized them while they were patching the burned galley roof. Then, just as they'd weathered the storm, an unseasonable blizzard had descended from clear skies, blanketing the Sunny in ankle-deep snow.
Nami distributed winter coats with the efficiency of a quartermaster. She handed Carrot a fur-lined jacket sized for a mink. Pedro had his own cold-weather gear. Pekoms insisted he didn't need one.
"No one offered you one anyway!" Nami snapped.
"Gawu! You woman—!" Pekoms sulked, refusing to admit he'd been hoping.
To Itachi, Nami handed a dark green coat. "This is Zoro's spare. Don't worry, I washed it thoroughly."
Itachi accepted it with a nod. The color reminded him of something—a vest, worn long ago, in another world entirely. He pushed the thought aside.
"We should buy Itachi some proper clothes when we reach civilization," Nami mused. "Right now his entire wardrobe seems to be that black outfit, a black cloak, and chainmail."
In the galley, Luffy emerged triumphant.
"IT'S READY! Despite a few minor setbacks, the food has been SAVED!"
He hauled out the largest cooking pot on the ship.
"Everyone! Come taste my SPECIAL dish!"
THUD. The pot hit the deck.
Brook, Chopper, and Carrot gathered around with eager expressions. "Finally! I'm starving!"
"I've been looking forward to this! Shishishi!"
Luffy lifted the lid.
The contents were... purple. The liquid was purple. The solids were purple. The steam rising from the pot was a concerning blue-purple that seemed to move with malevolent intent.
"Go on! Try it! This is my cooking, made just for you!"
Luffy distributed chopsticks. Chopper bravely lifted a piece of... something... from the pot. He licked it.
"LUFFY! What IS this?! It's purple and BITTER!"
Nami covered her mouth. "Luffy... did you know that rice needs to be COOKED before you can eat it?"
"It's nothing but fish bones," Carrot observed.
"I found purple jam in there," Brook added weakly.
"What's this slimy blue thing?!" Pedro held up an unidentifiable mass.
Pekoms stared into the pot with the hollow eyes of a man who had seen too much. "I don't understand what I did wrong in my life."
He turned to Itachi. "Hey. Why didn't you just kill me on the Anthem?"
"I didn't know about your Turtle Fruit then," Itachi replied, still poking through the pot for anything salvageable. "Otherwise I would have confirmed the kill."
"WHAT ARE YOU ALL SAYING?!" Luffy's chef hat drooped. "I worked SO HARD on this meal! Your reactions are really disappointing!"
He grabbed a handful of the purple substance and shoved it into his mouth.
"AAAAAGH!"
His scream echoed across the New World.
"WHAT IS THIS?! WHAT DID I MAKE?!"
"We TRIED to tell you," Chopper wept.
"I should have stopped him," Brook sobbed. "The moment Luffy-san offered to cook, I should have tackled him to the deck."
Itachi surveyed the disaster—the burned galley, the purple horror in the pot, the crew scattered across the deck in various stages of despair.
"Nami. Where are the ingredients we brought from Zou?"
"Storage room. They haven't been organized yet."
"Fine. I'll cook."
Everyone blinked.
Then everyone's eyes lit up.
"EH?!"
"ITACHI CAN COOK?!"
Pekoms was visibly shaken. "A stone-cold killer like THAT... can COOK?!"
Pedro's throat moved. "Not only fearsome in combat... but experienced in domestic arts as well?"
"I CAN'T WAIT!" Luffy's eyes were already gleaming. "ITACHI'S COOKING!"
(End of Chapter)
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