Smokeless War - One Piece

(35)

After having stood over him for a moment I narrowed my eyes and sheathed my sword, walking away towards Thatch who approached with confusion at the crowd.

"Did something happen?" He asked, giving Ace a look as we walked away towards the kitchen.

"No, nothing happened." I gave a little smile, not glancing back as I couldn't help but hold my katana with a little more attention. I wondered if I'd garnered an enemy but knowing the type of person I'd faced, I didn't have anything to worry about but a rematch.

******

There was a few other young boys scurrying about, but otherwise the lantern lit kitchen was very neatly organized and the shining kitchen knives stood at attention. A whiff of steam came from a couple of tall pots already cooking on the stove and I stepped over some debris on the ground near a garbage can, the boys I saw earlier hurrying to move the overflowing trash elsewhere.

"Now that you're in the kitchen, I hope I won't be stepping out of line when I ask you to follow my orders. How confident are you in your culinary skills?" Thatch inquired as he stepped into a storage room, the muffled banging of wooden and metal utensils almost drawing my attention away from an overflowing pot which I easily guided to another burner before turning the heat down.

"I know my way around." I stood to the side, not quite sure what to do with myself. I examined my katana after a moment, before astonishment took over my face and I blinked hard to see my blade had changed color and the handle was unraveling to reveal a sturdier material underneath.

Sticking his head out before giving me a thumbs up, Thatch came out of the storage room with a bunch of other pots and pans before he started filling up all the burners with ease, the temperature of the kitchen immediately rising. My katana was forgotten after a moment as I worked hard to earn my place as a chef.

"I need you to make sure that sauce doesn't burn. Turn those skewers over. Give the dinner stews a stir please."

I thought it would be overwhelming to cook for so many pirates but all I felt was exhilaration. My muscles had been tensed for the longest time, preparing to be thrown overboard, for the worst. But as the hot steam of the boiling pots pressed on my face, I found myself moving in sync with Thatch and we never got in each others way.

A couple of boys had been tasked with scrubbing stains out of the floor, and I found they both stared unwaveringly at Thatch's coaxing of flames, the movements of knives. Their stares stopped abruptly and I noticed I'd been smiling.

Only for the fact they reminded me of myself did I break my concentration for a moment and give them a friendly wave. I'd observed chefs in kitchens all over the Goa Kingdom and that's the only way I learned because I'd certainly never been taught. After that, I made sure whatever I did was easy to observe though I didn't slow down.

We now had about 45 minutes to finish lunch before serving it. I continued chopping squash and onion until I questioned my favorite hobby, cooking.

How Thatch regularly did the heavy lifting all on his own was beyond me, as we started grabbing all the plates and assorted cutlery I had almost pushed myself to the limit. Mihawk had in no way meant to, but his training had helping me push through it all.

"Oy, take a breather Miss." Thatch winked before walking to the stairs that led to the upper deck. "I have some help who can take it from here."