Today marked the start of the Grand Culinary Tournament an event that would determine whether Ethan Chen could win legal ownership of Jerusalem.
After breakfast, the group made their way toward the town center, where the competition would be held.
The streets were decked with colorful banners and balloons. The festive spirit was palpable not just among the cheering townspeople, but also on the faces of the competing chefs, whose intense focus and quiet determination practically radiated from their eyes.
Tifa, the team's culinary spearhead, wasn't daunted by the atmosphere. Quite the opposite it lit a fire in her. The thrill of competition stirred her inner chef to life.
Seeing this, Ethan reached for her hand. "That's the spirit. Let's give it our all."
Tifa responded with a fist pump. "Let's do this!"
They exchanged a smile and continued on.
At the town square, they checked in at the reception booth and received official chef hats and aprons with their team number: 88. An auspicious number. A good omen.
They suited up and entered the competition zone, only to discover something odd no ingredients, no kitchen tools, not even a stove.
"Are we really competing here?" Tifa looked around, puzzled. Many of the other chefs seemed equally confused. "Where's the equipment? The ingredients?"
"No idea," Ethan said, glancing toward the stage at the far end of the square. "Let's wait for instructions."
As they stood there, the town's clock tower struck nine. Bells rang out across the city, and celebratory fireworks burst overhead in a kaleidoscope of colors, officially kicking off the tournament.
"Welcome to the Grand Culinary Tournament, hosted by Antia, the City of Gastronomy!" shouted the flamboyantly dressed emcee onstage. "Today, one hundred and thirteen teams from across the East Blue have gathered here over four hundred chefs in total to compete in this grand celebration of food and flavor!"
"But let's not waste time. Before we dive into the feast, allow me to explain the rules for Round One!"
The emcee raised a finger, his smile turning sly.
"As you may have noticed, there are no ingredients, no utensils, not even a single stove in sight. So how do you cook?"
He paused, letting the tension build.
"Well, since this is a Culinary Showdown, the keyword here is 'showdown.' That means everything ingredients, tools, stoves has been marked with special red tags and scattered across the city. If you want to cook, you'll have to fight for it!"
A murmur ran through the crowd.
"Gather your team, defeat your rivals, and claim what you need whether it's raw ingredients, spices, cookware, or even pre-made dishes. You have half an hour to do whatever it takes. Bring your dish to the judges before time runs out. Points will be awarded based on taste, presentation, and creativity."
"The top twenty teams will advance to the next round. Or, if fewer than twenty teams remain standing, those who survive win by default!"
"One final rule: every chef is a precious treasure of the sea. Anyone who kills or permanently injures another chef especially damaging their hands will be disqualified on the spot."
"And with that... the contest begins!"
As the crowd roared in excitement, the square exploded into action. Chefs dashed in every direction, some scrambling for exits, others already grappling with rivals.
Tifa moved first, leaping into the air and kicking a would-be ambusher square in the jaw before he even reached her.
Mona was even more efficient. With a wave of her arms, rippling waves of starlight surged out across the square. One by one, dozens of chefs were engulfed in shimmering orbs of water and lifted helplessly into the air, suspended in floating bubbles.
"Nice work," Ethan said, giving her a thumbs-up. The moment the emcee had explained the rules, he'd come up with this plan. Since their cooking skills weren't top-tier, their only chance was to tilt the odds in other ways.
And Mona, with her support-focused powers, was the perfect choice. Her starlight spell, Destined Orbit, seemed even stronger in this world than it had been back in hers.
"I swear," Mona sighed, palm to forehead, "you really have zero sense of sportsmanship."
"Seriously," Tifa added. "You're shameless."
"I'll take shameless over broke," Ethan replied with a shrug. "There's twenty million on the line. You think honor's going to pay our rent? Besides, it's all within the rules."
On stage, the emcee's jaw had dropped at the sight of half the participants immobilized in midair. "Is this... Could it be? A Devil Fruit user? Mayor, is this allowed?"
The mayor a rotund man who resembled a stuffed meatball nodded after a moment's thought. "A bit lacking in flair, but yes, it's within the rules."
"There. Even the mayor's fine with it." Ethan turned to his team. "Tifa, come with me. We'll hunt for ingredients. 2B, stay and protect Mona. Mona, once your skill wears off, recast it. Keep those chefs locked down as long as you can."
"Understood," said 2B.
"Alright..." Mona muttered, still flustered. Her conscience was having a hard time accepting such underhanded tactics. This wasn't exactly how she'd envisioned competing.
With roles assigned, Ethan and Tifa dashed out of the square toward the main market street.
"Tifa, keep your eyes open for ingredients or cooking tools with red tags. They should be placed in eye-catching spots."
"Like that?" Tifa pointed to a string of balloons tied to a lamppost. Suspended from the string was a bag containing potatoes, onions, and carrots all tagged with red silk ribbons.
"Let's go!"
They bolted toward it, only to find another team racing there as well. The other group was led by a thug-looking guy swinging a rolling pin like a club.
"Out of my way!"
Ethan didn't hesitate. One kick sent the thug flying, and with a swift leap, he snatched the ingredient bag from the balloon string.
With their first ingredients secured, they wasted no time in continuing the hunt.
Thanks to Mona's control spell, the majority of the chefs were still trapped, leaving more than enough supplies scattered around the city. The farther from the square they searched, the richer the pickings. They barely encountered any resistance.
Not that any rival team could match their speed or strength anyway.
In short order, they'd gathered everything they needed ingredients, spices, cooking utensils, even a stove.
Looking over the haul, Ethan asked, "Have you decided what to make? Is there anything else you need?"
"Let's go with a beef and cream stew," Tifa said after a moment's thought. "It's one of my best dishes."
"Sounds good to me," Ethan replied. "I believe in your stew. With Mona locking down half the competition, we've got a real shot."
Tifa nodded and slipped her combat gloves into her belt. Then she rolled up her sleeves and began calmly prepping the ingredients, completely focused.
Her battle wasn't over but this time, it was one fought with flame, knife, and the soul of a chef.
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