At the center of the island, the 37th Annual Pirate Cooking Competition was in full swing. The prizes? Glittering gold, world-class kitchen equipment, and the prestigious trophy: the Noisy Golden Cauldron—a legendary pot that, according to local myth, could ring by itself when used to cook instant noodles.
At first, Nara flat-out refused to join.
"I cook to eat, not to perform in a circus," she grumbled flatly.
But Bastien just pointed seriously at the ship's deck and said, "If you win, you're exempt from cleaning duty... for a whole week."
There was a pause. Silence. Even the wind held its breath.
Finally, Nara slowly pulled the frying pan from her back with a solemn, dignified motion—like a samurai preparing to march into battle.
On the other side, Arthur was already bouncing like a fighting rooster let loose from its cage.
"I'm betting on Nara! Five thousand beri on Nara!" he shouted, his voice soaring with pure confidence as he handed over all his savings from the past two weeks to the betting arena.
Ten minutes later...
"AND THE JUDGES ARE VOMITING BLOOD!!" screamed the event commentator, his voice booming across the entire island.
Three judges fainted simultaneously, collapsing like dominoes. The fourth—tears streaming down his face and voice hoarse—shouted "MAMAAAA!!" before diving into the nearest ocean.
Nara, her face utterly blank, calmly wiped the leftover smoky black chili sauce off her frying pan.
The official announcement followed:
Disqualified! Reason: "Threatening the mental health and existence of humankind."
Arthur stood frozen in place, looking like a little boy who had just lost the last candy on earth.
Bastien approached and gently patted his shoulder.
"You... okay?"
Arthur opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He just nodded slowly. His chin, however, quivered.
"I just realized... that money was two weeks' worth of work..." he croaked, voice cracking, "...and I spent it... on chili... that made people bleed... from their eyes..."
Tears welled at the corners of his eyes, but he blinked rapidly like a battle-hardened soldier trying not to break. One rogue tear slipped free... but he quickly shook his head like a wet dog.
"I'm strong..." he whispered hoarsely.
"Arthur, it's oka—"
"I'M STRONG!!!" he screamed, before immediately tripping into a basket of live oysters, which responded by slapping him with their shells.
---
When Midnight Came.
Lantern lights swung wildly in the salty sea breeze.
Insane music thumped through every corner of the island.
The smell of food—smoky leviathan steaks, gunpowder-filled donuts that exploded when bitten, and living tofu soup that kept boiling on its own—blended into the chaos of the festival.
Bastien, a mug of soda-beer in hand, his red hair a tousled mess like a flock of drunken birds, climbed onto a giant table.
With a voice half-drunk and half-fiery, he shouted:
"Other crews are known for their bounties and strength... but us? We're known for stupidity, steel spoons, and deadly chili!! AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I LOVE IT!!"
Juno, struggling not to topple over from too much whiskey-cake, yelled back, "YOU'RE DRUNK, AREN'T YOU?!"
"A little!!" Bastien declared proudly, raising an empty jug over his head.
And out of nowhere, he started singing—completely off-key but with uncontainable spirit:
"We're the Freebone Crew, wild and proud,
Eat three meals a day, fight loud and loud,
Hammers, chili, and spoons of steel—
Our ship sails fine... as long as it doesn't blow up, for real!"
The crowd EXPLODED with laughter.
Pirates from every corner of the island jumped into the dance.
A crazy old man—claiming to be the "6th Yonko" (even though everyone knows there are only four)—beatboxed with his farts.
A giant girl picked Arthur up like a doll as he tried desperately to flee from the mass dance.
Arthur laughed while half-crying (from trauma and exhaustion), choking on a fried crab while screaming, "I WANNA GO HOME!!"
Nara, in a corner, sipped her soup with an unreadable face, but if you looked closely... the corner of her mouth had slightly twitched upward.
Juno, way too hyped, accidentally bit into a giant chili hidden in her donut. Tears streamed down her cheeks like rivers, but she proudly thrust a thumbs-up high into the sky.
And Bastien?
Bastien stood atop the empty jug, staring up at the starry sky with a wide, reckless grin.
"If the world calls us pirates... let them know we also know how to laugh!!"
Under that star-filled sky, among laughter, flying crabs, fart-beatboxing, and a trembling floor...
The Freebone Crew wasn't just a crew.
They were family.
A family that was ridiculous, absurd, and extremely dangerous.
And tomorrow?
They would return to the seas.
To adventure.
To danger.
To a life that only fools brave enough could ever dare to chase.