Chapter Fifteen
Itazura Kukkuboi! [5]

"Destiny. Fate. Dreams. These unstoppable ideals are held deep in the heart of man. As long as there are people who seek freedom in this life, these things shall not vanish from the earth."

- Gol D. Roger, the King of the Pirates - One Piece

"Finally," Kaoru said, stepping onto the dock. "Land! Well, I'm off!" He walked off, Hikaru riding on his shoulder.

"Tamaki and I are headed to the market," Kyouya said, dragging the taller blond off in the direction of shouts and cries of prices.

"New swords," Takashi said, Mitskuni sitting on his shoulders.

"Bye guys!" the little blond said, waving happily.

"Well," Ritsu sighed, tipping his hat back. "Let's get going." The two brunettes followed the red head into the town, Shiro looking around wide-eyed at the new town.

"Haruhi!" someone called. The brunette turned to see a boy with spiky white hair and bright green eyes running after her.

"Tenno!" she said, surprised.

"You know him?" Ritsu asked, looking at the well-kept boy.

"He's my cousin," she said, glancing at her captain. "I'll see you later?"

"We'll be in the town square."

"Be careful," Tenno warned them. "They're not very welcoming of pirates. This is the last port you'll find before heading off into the Dead Man's Land. From here on out, things get strange."

"Thanks for the words of wisdom, we'll be fine." Tenno smiled.

"You're welcome. Hey, there's a cooking competition at noon if you're interested."

"You'll get a chance to show off you're skill," Ritsu said, looking at Shiro. "If you can win, you can join the crew."

"Alright! Let's go!" Shiro ran off, heading for the town square and the chance to join the Wildfire pirates.

"The Elephant Fish," Shiro breathed, staring up at the giant grey fish, which was at least twice his size.

"It's the Jewel of the Seas!" Kaya proclaimed. "It's the one thing every chef dreams of cooking!"

"It's the cooking competition's prize, kid." a man behind him said. Shiro turned to see a stout man with greying blond hair and a long braided mustache.

"The prize?" Shiro murmered, turning back to it.

"Here," An entry form was waved in front of his face. The boy looked up to see Ritsu standing beside him with a smile. "Well, aren't you gonna enter? If you win, you get in the crew and the fish."

"Gimme that!" Shiro said, snatching it and running over to the judges' table.

"Kasa-chan said this'll be our last stop for a while," Mitskuni said, riding on Takashi's shoulders. "We should get our weapons fixed. We'll take a look at what they're selling while we're here."

"Yeah," Takashi agreed, walking into a shop.

"I told you, that's way too much for a simple sword!" an irritated voice said. The cousins found a woman standing at the corner, her long dark brown hair pulled up into a ponytail and hazel eyes flashing. A tricorn hat rested on her head, a bit lighter than her hair. A sword hung at her hip, sheathed in red and black. A white half mask covered the top part of her face, making it hard to tell who she was, had they have known her. She seemed familiar to Mitskuni and Takashi, but they just couldn't place her. . .

"Hi there!" Mitskuni said, trying to break the tense atmosphere.

"Hello," the woman said, turning from the salesman to smile at the Lolita-Boy.

"What do you want?" the man said, obviously annoyed by the woman.

"We need to get our weapons checked out before we set sail." Mitskuni said as Takashi held out his swords.

The salesman unsheathed the first one, examining it carefully.

"That's the Tengoku Soshin," the woman said, watching the man balance it. "A very rare sword."

"It's fine," the salesman sheathed it with a shing and handed it back to the silent man.

"Thanks,"

"I'll be going now," the woman said.

Mitskuni noticed she picked up a sword while the man was occupied with Takashi's other swords, and walked out the door.

"GET READY TO START THE FINAL COOKING!"

"You ready kid?" Ritsu asked Shiro, who looked a bit green.

"Yeah," the boy said, nodding. He had swept past the other contestants with ease, only the man from before standing in his way.

"In one corner, we have the newcomer, Shiro Takaoji!" Shiro raised a hand to the applause. "Opposing him is the thirteen year champion, Fire Fingers Zeff!"

"Good luck," Ritsu said, walking off.

"Start the cooking!"

Both males dove into their work. Zeff grabbed a carrot and began washing it. One after one, he peeled them with ease, creating perfect spirals of carrot skins. Meanwhile, Shiro had a knife and was slicing a fish in half with practiced skill. He tossed the kinfe into the air, where it spun for a moment while he pushed the fish off to the side. He caught it mid air and repeated the action. Zeff grabbed a pot and filled it with water, Shiro cleaning off his knife as the older man did so.

"Shiro?" Tamaki asked, coming up behind Ritsu, carrying a mulititude of bags. Kyouya followed, watching the boy curiously.

Shiro cracked three eggs into a bowl and whisked them.

I'm gonna beat you, Shiro!" Kaya exclaimed, jabbing a finger at him. "I'm gonna be the World's Greatest Chef or die trying!"

"You shouldn't say stuff like that," the brunette said with a frown.

"It's true!"

Shiro set the bowl down and walked over to the crates behind him. The crowd watched anxiously as he picked up a few potaetoes. He chopped up an onion, a determined expression on his face. Zeff ran around his station, fixing his own dish. Shrio slid his chopped and diced vegetables into a pot, pouring a splash of red wine into it as he went. He grinned as he shifted a frying pan with the fish in it. He dropped a bit of wine into it, making it catch fire. Dropping a lid onto it, he raced over to the bubbling pot, stirring it expertly.

"You gotta let him in after this boss," Kaoru said, coming up to them with Haruhi, who was carrying Hikaru in her arms.

Ritsu pushed his hat down to hide his grin.

Shiro tossed the fish into the air and caught them on two plates, setting them down before the judges with the rest of his dishes.

"The winner of the contest is. . ."

"He's in," Ritsu said, moving to stand behind Shiro.

"SHIRO!"

Shiro slumped, shoulders sagging with relief.

"Congradulations," Haruhi said, planting a kiss on his cheek. The boy flushed, looking annoyed by his embarrassment.

"Am, am I a part of the Wildfire pirates?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course not," Ritsu said. Shiro bristled. "You're not a part of it. You /are/ a Wildfire pirate. You became one when you stowed away on our ship."

"Wha-?" Everyone asked, looking at the red-haired captain.

"Then why the hell did you make me be part of the contest?" Shiro screeched, Kaoru and Tamaki holding him back from jumping on the captain.

"I didn't make you," Ritsu sniffed. "You wanted the fish didn't you? And besides, I got a couple of great meals out of this." He picked up his fork and munched on his piece of fish.

"IDIOT!" everyone but Takashi and Kyouya shouted, bashing Ritsu in the head with their respective weapons.

"This has all been rather interesting," Kyouya commented, heading for the docks.

"Yeah," Takashi agreed, picking up the giant fish and following him. Shiro, Hikaru and Haruhi followed, looking irritated. Tamaki and Mitskuni dragged an unconcious Ritsu behind them, the red head's hand clamped firmly around his fork.

A/N: One Piece Fans: We have a OP fic up. It's called One Fall. Did anyone recognize Tenno? Or the cooking battle? Happy Thanksgiving! PS. Does anyone know who the woman might be?

- Since the Beginning - thanks for Story Alerting!
- Sezuki Naomi - thanks for Favorite Authoring, Reviewing and Favoriting! We could use some more OCs, we'd be happy to use her! :)
- MinusOne - it never does say what her name was. Thanks for the review!
- Shinu Mae - thanks for the review! Do you think you could PM them to us?

Next: The Naughty Cook Boy Arc has ended with the addition of yet another crew member! As they dock in a new port, a young woman meets them, claiming to know Kyouya. What will happen with this Romantic Princess?