Chapter 26: Tranquil Afternoon
“Dong dong dong~”
“Captain Kaido, are you there?” Lapp gently knocked on the gate of Kaido’s residence, and the only response was the snoring from inside the door.
“He’s still sleeping, as expected.”
Without choosing to go in and wake Kaido, Lapp turned and left, thinking she’d wander around on the island first.
The island occupied by the Beasts Pirates wasn’t very large, but there was a very tall mountain peak in the center of the island, from which one could see far out to the sea surface.
The port was to the east, where three large pirate ships and several small boats were docked, and one could see busy pirates on the decks and along the port.
A wide main road led straight from the port to the town on the island—yes, there were townsfolk living on this small island.
The pirates didn’t engage in production, and a large part of their supplies resupply came from tribute from the townsfolk, which was a very common arrangement in the New World.
The pirates protected them from raids by other pirates, and the townsfolk handed over a hefty amount of supplies every month.
Generally speaking, pirates wouldn’t raid their own base, and when shopping in town, most would pay, with some even being quite generous.
In this line of work where one might not live to see tomorrow, few people saved money, and most pirates spent like it was going out of style.
Walking through the town, Lapp toured the shopfronts and stalls along the streets; she had no money right now.
Neither Captain Kaido, the meticulous Deke, nor the fellow executives Ember and Burufaruto seemed to have thought to give her any Belly.
Or rather, they hadn’t even realized that she and her sisters were flat broke.
Of course, Lapp had no desire to shop anyway.
“Grilled rock sheep skewers~ Fresh rock sheep skewers, one leads to wanting two~”
“Pomelo juice, sour and sweet pomelo juice, 20 Belly a cup~”
“Latest sumo panda T-shirt, starting at 5,000 Belly~ Take a look, come see~”
……
『Not as oppressive as imagined; it was quite lively instead—a truly interesting symbiotic relationship.』
Lapp listened to the cries of hawkers while mentally calculating prices and the purchasing power of the currency called Belly.
『It seems the so-called Belly has about the same purchasing power as yen from the last century.』
In fact, Belly had fairly strong purchasing power in this era; many pirates famous across the sea had bounties of just a few hundred million Belly, on par with the Supernovas of later years.
Kaido’s initial bounty was only 70 million Belly, and now it was around 400 million Belly.
It wasn’t until after the Great Pirate Era that Belly became watered down, worth less and less “money.”
……
At a street corner, Lapp suddenly heard someone calling her.
“Ahem~ Hey, you there, the little girl with golden hair—want to try our shop’s new pineapple pizza? This is our head chef’s improved West Sea specialty dish.”
A restaurant shopkeeper dressed in a fine black suit with a fur windbreaker over it gestured while pitching to Lapp, oddly holding an orange in his hand.
His attire didn’t look like that of a restaurant owner at all; rather, he resembled an elegant old gentleman.
Lapp took a step back and looked up at the signboard, which read 【Syracuse】—presumably the restaurant’s name.
“I’m very sorry. Though I’m quite curious about your new item, unfortunately I have no Belly on me.” Lapp sounded a bit regretful; she was indeed interested in pineapple-flavored pizza.
“I see… Hmm~”
Hearing that Lapp had no money, the old shopkeeper didn’t give up; instead, he leaned in close, bent down, and whispered in her ear:
“Little girl, how about this: I’ll pay for you. You just need to act like it tastes delicious no matter what, after eating it. Deal?”
“The one who created this dish is your relative?”
Lapp instantly guessed the reason, then added: “It seems you love her very much.”
“Eh?! N-no… of course not! It’s because… uh, well, this, this… um!
Anyway, just do it, how about it.”
This old gentleman who always seemed to embody elegance now looked somewhat flustered.
“Mm, contract made—I agree.” Lapp nodded, then pushed open the door and entered the shop, sitting at the nearest spot.
“Thank you, beautiful young lady.”
Seeing Lapp agree, the old shopkeeper was delighted. Once she sat, he immediately shouted toward the kitchen, as if afraid she’d change her mind.
“Hey! Lapp! One pineapple pizza!”
“Eh? Finally someone ordered this dish?!”
A white head poked out from the kitchen—it was a white-haired girl.
The girl wore a black fur jacket with what seemed to be a women’s suit underneath, and a black-and-white apron over it all, looking a bit mismatched.
『This outfit—is it father and daughter?』
Before she could take a second look, the white-haired girl had already ducked back into the kitchen and started energetically preparing the cooking, full of vigor.
Amid the clatter of bowls and plates, time passed quickly; soon, a steaming pineapple pizza was placed in front of Lapp.
“Your pineapple pizza—please enjoy, cute young lady.”
After setting down the pizza, the girl named Lapp elegantly bowed, seemingly some West Sea courtesy—and a gentleman’s bow at that, typically for men.
Lapp looked at the girl’s proud creation on the plate—the pale yellow pineapple contrasting with the golden crust, the fruit’s fresh aroma mingling with the sausage’s meaty savor in the surrounding air. It was an eight-inch pizza.
The pizza had been thoughtfully sliced into small pieces, each with pineapple and sausage, as if hoping every bite would let the guest experience the whole pizza’s flavor.
Lapp speared a piece with a fork and put it in her mouth, then closed her lips to savor it carefully.
“Mm~ The texture is very novel—quite unique.”
After swallowing the pizza in her mouth, Lapp speared another piece and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly again.
“The pineapple’s crispness pairs perfectly with the cheese’s creaminess, yet they don’t overpower each other; the cooking is masterfully controlled.”
Piece by piece, before she knew it, the remaining pizza was gone.
Lapp didn’t eat quickly; on the contrary, every bite was chewed slowly. But her movements were so pleasing to watch that time slipped by unnoticed.
Seeing the spotless plate with not a crumb left, the boss hurried over to Lapp, who was wiping the corner of her mouth, and deliberately asked in an exaggeratedly loud voice: “Customer, how was the taste?”
At the same time, he winked emphatically at Lapp, while Miss Lapp in the kitchen quietly perked up her ears.
“Very unique and very delicious—truly an inventive dish.” Lapp gave her honest evaluation.
This wasn’t a lie. Though Lapp now only perceived flavors conceptually, she could still tell what was tasty from what wasn’t.
To Lapp, the pineapple pizza’s taste was merely strange, not bad.
And she didn’t dislike this strange texture; on the contrary, its strong personal flair was exactly what she sought now—something to anchor her sensibility.
『Should I learn some cooking after I get back…?』
“Yay!”
An excited voice came from the kitchen; Lapp could almost feel the white-haired girl suddenly sprouting a tail and wagging it wildly.
“In that case, thanks for the meal, boss. And to that inventive head chef miss.” Sensing the girl’s joy, Lapp stood to leave.
“Wait!”
The white-haired girl now rushed out from the kitchen, holding a takeout paper bag.
“As our first customer to try pineapple pizza, you’ll get a free signature mille-feuille. Please take it, beautiful young lady.” She elegantly bowed again.
“Thanks, I’ll share it with my sisters when I get back.”
Lapp didn’t stand on ceremony, took the paper bag, waved goodbye, and left the restaurant named 【Syracuse】.
Hugging the paper bag, Lapp continued strolling the streets, the town’s outline becoming clearer with each step she mapped.
Time passed quickly; in the blink of an eye, it was almost dark. But in Lapp’s perception, Kaido still showed no sign of waking.
『Looks like it’ll have to wait until after dinner.』
With that thought, Lapp turned and slowly walked toward the canteen.
