Seeing Ash look tempted, Captain Markel chuckled and said, "Young man, don't rush. Top‑tier cuisine is very particular about ingredients. Kirk saved up for a long time to order a cut of Sea King meat. You'll be able to taste true deliciousness at tomorrow's Chef Competition."
"Old Shan used to say before he passed that the Kirk siblings had completely mastered his culinary style and even had the potential to surpass him one day. Ah… such a pity."
"So he passed away," Ash said silently, thinking that it was fortunate he was not like Yasopp, who constantly got into trouble.
Ash naturally understood what Markel lamented. The title of Chef God was the highest honor in the culinary world.
Especially since Old Shan Fu had held the title for over half a year but ultimately lost it, there was bound to be regret.
"Uncle, if Old Shan returned to Gourmet City at less than fifty, and the Kirk siblings are at most fifteen or sixteen, then Old Shan must have been around sixty‑five at most. How did he —?"
Ash figured that for someone who could travel the Four Seas and withstand the harsh conditions of the Grand Line, Shan's physique must have been formidable. Just from the hidden physical fitness of the Kirk siblings one could infer their lineage was exceptional.
"My father was murdered!" Kirk suddenly blurted out before Captain Markel could respond. He put down his cooking tools and looked directly at Ash as he spoke.
Ash leaned back slightly, visibly relaxing, and said, "I'd like to hear the details."
Kirk continued, "With my father's cooking skills, winning the championship for a full year and claiming the title of Chef God would have been easy. But some people couldn't tolerate the idea of him earning the title so effortlessly."
Saff added, "The current Vice President of the Chef Association used to cook for a pirate crew that traveled to the New World. After leaving the ship, he settled in Gourmet City and tried three times to win the title of Chef God, but failed every time."
Kirk said bitterly, "When Father started entering the Chef Competition and displayed different top‑tier dishes each month, easily taking the championship, that bastard became jealous. He actually called his former shipmates from his pirate crew to ambush Father, leaving him gravely injured!"
Saff continued, "At first we didn't know why Father was seriously injured. He just taught us all his cooking skills in a short time, entrusted Uncle Markel to look after us, and passed away soon after."
Kirk's eyes reddened as he added, "Not long after Father died, that man brought people to constantly harass our restaurant, resulting in malicious complaints that forced it to close. Soon afterward, he even brought people to forcibly seize Father's relics!"
Saff's voice grew tearful, "It wasn't until that guy boasted carelessly after finding Father's recipe book and notes that the truth came out."
"That is our story, guest," Saff said quietly.
After hearing this, Ash nodded, thinking such ruthlessness was typical in the Pirate World. He then turned to Captain Markel and asked, "Uncle, didn't you say before that if anyone tried to bully your chefs, they'd have to deal with your iron fists first? Has that Vice President been arrested?"
Captain Markel looked embarrassed and said, "We didn't uncover it when that man Hodge first hired pirates to ambush Old Shan. Although he admitted the truth in front of the Kirk siblings later, there was no third‑party witness present, so we had no way to use it as evidence for an arrest."
"So his name is Hodge," Ash repeated the name thoughtfully.
"That's not Captain Markel's fault," Saff said softly, her mood alleviating somewhat.
"That's right, we will avenge this ourselves!" Kirk said resolutely.
"So how do you plan to do that?" Ash asked, resting his chin on his hand. "By using money earned from stall sales to train your bodies?"
"Although your physiques are decent, if you need to save up just to buy Sea King meat, even with training your progress won't be great."
Kirk was silent, and Saff added, "We know that. That's why we absolutely must win this Chef Competition!"
"Why?" Ash asked, startled.
"Didn't you pay attention to the rewards for this Chef Competition?" Saff asked.
The three of them were curious. Someone who had gained fame in Gourmet City just by eating for a few days hadn't even bothered to check the competition's rewards.
Fortunately, Ash didn't know what the three were thinking, or he would have said: I'm only here to eat, not to compete, what good is a reward to me!
"The reward this time includes a Devil Fruit!" Captain Markel said, seeing that Ash was truly unaware.
"So that's it!" Ash immediately understood what the siblings meant: if training alone wasn't enough, they could use a Devil Fruit to compensate.
"I went through the same thing, brother!" Ash thought, recalling how weak he once was in this world, a Third‑Rate nobody whose physique was less than half the average!
"Judging by your expressions, you must be confident about winning the championship. Do you know what type of Devil Fruit it is?" Ash asked.
Kirk replied, "The organizers didn't say. But having a Devil Fruit is already enough; why worry about which one it is?"
Ash shook his head. "That's not how it works. Paramecia types depend purely on luck and use development, making them hard to judge. Logia types are always good, no matter what. But when it comes to Zoans, the differences are huge. The Dog‑Dog Fruit, Pug Form, and the Fish‑Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Azure Dragon Form, are completely different species."
Kirk frowned, deep in thought.
Ash continued, "Based on what you said earlier, that man Hodge's pirate crew had been to the New World. You must also know that Paradise and the New World are totally different. The combat strength of pirates in the two seas cannot be compared."
"A regular Zoan user might not even defeat an old pirate skilled in Two‑Color Haki!"
"By the way, you know what Haki is, right?"
Kirk nodded. "Of course we know. Our father and Captain Markel both have Armament Haki."
Hearing that, Ash couldn't help but regard Captain Markel with newfound respect. A person with Armament Haki in Paradise willing to serve as a city security officer and manage just one quarter of it was truly admirable.
That's a truly responsible man!
Far beyond the likes of Yasopp!
Ash couldn't help but snicker internally.
"Since the young man speaks in such detail, have you seen the legendary Devil Fruit Encyclopedia? Can you distinguish Devil Fruit types, and even…" Kirk began.
Have I seen a damned Devil Fruit Encyclopedia? My attention was on the plot and the beauties back then. Who cared about what those weird fruits looked like? Ash thought.
"I haven't seen it, no," Kirk said. "But you don't need to guess to know that any Devil Fruit offered as a reward can't be something great. It's likely a very ordinary Zoan."
Hearing Ash had not seen the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, the expressions of the three turned slightly unfriendly. Though they didn't say it, the message was clear: If you haven't seen it, why lecture us?
"However, although I haven't seen the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, I do possess a very good Devil Fruit myself."
Kirk's eyes widened, "You have a Devil Fruit!?"
Markel's eyes widened too, "You ate a Devil Fruit!?"
"Yes, yes! Don't get excited!" Ash said with a grin.
As he spoke, flames instantly ignited in his hands. The fire surged upward, then instantly formed a line of text made of fire.
"Want it?"
The Kirk siblings stared at the fiery message before turning to Ash with puzzled expressions.
"That's right, do you want it? I can give you a fantastic Devil Fruit!" Ash said with an innocent smile.
At this moment, Captain Markel completely failed to understand Ash. A faint tension even appeared in his stance, ready to act if Ash made any threatening move.
"You will give us a Devil Fruit?" Kirk asked suspiciously. "There's no such thing as a free lunch! What is your objective?"
Ash laughed, "It's a pleasure talking to smart people. It's simple: I want you two siblings to become my partners!"
"Become your partners?" Kirk furrowed his brow. "Are you a pirate too?"
"I am not scum of the sea like pirates," Ash said with confidence. "If I must define myself, I suppose I am a Pirate Hunter!"
"How about it? Do you want to join my team?"
Ash smiled as he looked at the two human‑shaped self‑propelled gourmet food machines in front of him.