I, Kizaru, only came to the chat group after I became invincible

Chapter 473 The Knife Skills of Grilling Fish

The poster was indeed very attractive. It featured various tempting food pictures and detailed event information.

"Wow! It looks delicious!" Chopper exclaimed, drooling.

"There are cooking competitions, food tastings, and culinary demonstrations!" Sanji excitedly read aloud from the poster. "And... a competitive eating contest!"

"A competitive eating contest?!" Luffy jumped up immediately. "I want to participate! I absolutely have to participate!"

“I knew you’d say that.” Nami sighed, rubbing her forehead.

“That sounds really interesting,” Robin smiled. “It’s rare to come across an event like this; it would be good to check it out.”

“I want to go too,” Chopper said. “I want to see what kind of dishes the chefs here make.”

“Tomorrow is our last day before we leave,” Franky said. “The ship repairs will be finished today, and we can set off first thing tomorrow morning. But if we want to attend the food festival…”

“We can leave later!” Luffy immediately said. “Let’s attend the food festival first!”

“Luffy…” Nami sighed. “Our journey…”

"It's only been one morning!" Luffy tugged at Nami's arm, pleading. "Nami~~ please~~"

"Okay, okay!" Nami surrendered. "I just can't do anything with you."

"Yay!" Luffy jumped up happily.

"Then it's decided!" Sanji exclaimed excitedly. "Tomorrow we're going to the Green Port Food Festival!"

"Can I participate in that eating contest?" Luffy asked expectantly.

“Of course,” Sanji said. “But I must warn you, the eating contest isn’t a simple competition. According to the poster, contestants must eat as much food as possible within a set time, and without wasting any.”

"No problem!" Luffy patted his chest. "I'm best at eating!"

"That's true," everyone nodded. When it comes to eating, no one in the Straw Hat Pirates can compare to Luffy.

“Then I want to participate in the cooking competition,” Sanji said. “I want to compete against the top chefs here.”

“Sanji’s cooking skills are so good, he’ll definitely win the championship,” Robin encouraged.

"Ah~ Robin-san~" Sanji immediately turned his eyes to hearts.

“The rest of us will just stand by and cheer you on,” Zoro said.

"You're always slacking off," Sanji glared at him.

"Huh? What did you say?" Zoro glared back.

"Alright, alright," Nami stopped the two. "Stop arguing. Anyway, we're going to the Food Festival tomorrow!"

"Oh, right, Uncle Kizaru." Luffy suddenly remembered something and looked at Borsalino, who had just returned. "Where did you go today?"

“Just taking a stroll,” Borsalino said casually. “This port town is quite interesting.”

"Then Uncle Kizaru, why don't you come to the food festival tomorrow too!" Luffy invited.

“A food festival, huh?” Borsalino thought for a moment. “Well, that sounds good.”

"Great!" Luffy exclaimed happily. "Then let's go together tomorrow!"

That evening, the Straw Hat Pirates had dinner at the inn's restaurant. Sanji went to the market to buy the freshest ingredients and cooked a sumptuous dinner for everyone.

"We're going to participate in the Food Festival tomorrow, so we need to replenish our energy tonight," Sanji said as he served the dishes.

"I'm starting!" Luffy couldn't wait to start eating.

"Luffy, eat slowly, be careful not to choke," Nami reminded him.

But Luffy wouldn't listen at all and devoured the food like a whirlwind.

"Luffy will definitely win tomorrow's eating contest," Usopp said. "His appetite is unmatched."

“That being said, it’s said that all the contestants are professional competitive eaters,” Sanji said. “Luffy can’t let his guard down either.”

"Professional?" Luffy asked, his mouth full of food, his words muffled.

“Yes,” Sanji nodded. “Some people make a living by participating in competitive eating contests, traveling all over the country to participate in these kinds of competitions. Their eating capacity and skills are all professionally trained.”

“That sounds amazing,” Chopper said.

“But Luffy isn’t bad either,” Franky said. “He’s the kind of person who can eat enough food for dozens of people in one go.”

“That’s true.” Zoro agreed. “When it comes to appetite, Luffy has never lost.”

"Hehe." Luffy laughed smugly. "I'll get first place!"

“Speaking of which,” Robin asked, “what’s the prize for the eating contest?”

“Let me see.” Sanji pulled out a poster. “The prize is a whole ‘Golden Ham,’ a specialty of Green Port, worth 100,000 Berries!”

"One hundred thousand Berries?!" Nami's eyes lit up. "That's a considerable sum of money!"

“And that golden ham is said to be the finest ingredient from Green Port,” Sanji said. “It’s cured with special spices and then aged for three years; the taste is absolutely first-rate.”

"It sounds delicious!" Luffy exclaimed, drooling.

"So Luffy, you have to win!" Nami clenched her fist. "That ham can sell for a lot of money!"

"I don't want to sell!" Luffy immediately objected. "If we win, I'm going to eat it!"

"What?!" Nami's eyes widened.

"I finally won this ham, of course I have to eat it!" Luffy said matter-of-factly.

"You idiot!" Nami punched Luffy on the head.

"Ouch!" Luffy clutched his head.

“Never mind, Nami,” Robin advised. “If Luffy wins, he can have the ham. After all, he earned it through hard work.”

"That's exactly what I meant!" Luffy said, sounding aggrieved.

"Hmph." Nami was dissatisfied, but she didn't say anything more.

"What about the prizes for the cooking competition?" Chopper asked curiously.

“The prize for the cooking competition is a ‘Master-level Kitchenware Set’ and a certificate of honor from the Green Port Culinary Association,” Sanji said, his eyes gleaming with determination. “For a chef, this kind of honor is more important than money.”

“Sanji will definitely win,” Robin encouraged.

“I will do my best,” Sanji said earnestly.

After dinner, everyone went back to their rooms to rest. Luffy was too excited to sleep, constantly imagining the food festival the next day.

"Tomorrow will definitely be full of delicious food," he murmured to himself as he lay in bed. "Roast meat, fried chicken, cake, pudding... Ah, I really want to go right now!"

"Luffy, go to sleep quietly!" Nami's shout came from the next room.

"Oh," Luffy obediently shut his mouth, but still had an expectant smile on his face.

The next morning, the Straw Hat Pirates set off for the Gourmet Food Festival venue.

The venue was set up in the central square of Green Harbor, about a ten-minute walk from the hotel. When they arrived, the square was already packed with people.

The entire square was decorated in vibrant colors, with colorful flags and lanterns hanging everywhere. Dozens of stalls were neatly arranged, each with a chef in a chef's uniform preparing various delicacies.

The air was filled with a variety of tempting aromas—the aroma of roasted meat, the aroma of bread, the aroma of desserts—mixed together, making one's mouth water.

"Wow! It smells so good!" Luffy took a deep breath, his eyes shining.

"Wow, so many people!" Nami looked around. "It seems this food festival is very popular." "Of course!" A passing resident overheard Nami's words. "The Green Port Food Festival is our annual grand event! People from all around come to participate!"

“I see.” Robin nodded.

"Look! Look!" Chopper pointed ahead. "There's a huge stage over there!"

Indeed, a huge stage had been set up in the center of the square, where a host was speaking through a megaphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the 15th Green Harbor Culinary Festival!" The host, a vibrant middle-aged man with a booming voice, announced. "Today, we have prepared a wonderful array of activities! First, let's welcome all the participating chefs!"

As the host introduced them, a dozen chefs dressed in chef's uniforms walked onto the stage one by one, waving to the audience. Each chef's appearance drew cheers from the audience.

"That's 'King of Bread' George! His bread is the best in the entire East China Sea!"

"And then there's Emily, the 'Dessert Princess'! Her cakes are simply works of art!"

"'Master Barbecue' Tom is here too!"

The audience discussed it excitedly.

"They all look like very famous chefs." Sanji watched the chefs on stage intently. "Their presence and skill clearly indicate they're not ordinary people."

"Will Mr. Sanji be nervous?" Robin asked.

“I’m not nervous.” Sanji lit a cigarette. “But I definitely need to take this seriously. It’s a rare opportunity to spar with so many skilled opponents.”

"Next!" the host continued, "we're about to have one of the highlights of the food festival—the eating contest!"

"They're here!" Luffy jumped up excitedly.

"Contestants for the competitive eating contest, please register at the registration desk on the right side of the stage!" the host announced. "The competition will begin in thirty minutes!"

"Luffy, go sign up!" Nami urged him on.

"Okay!" Luffy immediately rushed to the registration desk.

A long queue had already formed in front of the registration desk. It seems there are quite a few people who want to participate in the eating contest.

Luffy stood at the back of the line, curiously observing the contestants in front of him.

The people in front of me were all different – ​​there were tall, strong men, girls who looked very thin, and even a few elderly people with gray hair.

"These people don't seem simple at all," Luffy muttered to himself.

“Of course it’s not simple,” a voice said from the side.

Luffy turned his head and saw that the speaker was a young man in his twenties, dressed simply, but with a confident look in his eyes.

"Are you here to participate in the competition too?" Luffy asked.

“Yes,” the young man laughed. “My name is Thomas, and I’m a professional competitive eater. I’ve participated in over a dozen competitions.”

"A professional?" Luffy's interest was piqued. "Are you a big eater?"

"It's alright," Thomas said modestly. "My record is eating fifty bowls of ramen in thirty minutes."

"Fifty portions?!" Luffy exclaimed in surprise. "Amazing!"

“That’s nothing,” Thomas said, pointing to a fat man at the front of the line. “See that guy? That’s ‘Iron Stomach’ Harry. He once ate a hundred hamburgers in an hour.”

"One hundred?!" Luffy was even more surprised.

“And that old man,” Thomas said, pointing to a thin, elderly man. “Don’t let his age fool you; that’s Yamamoto, the ‘legendary competitive eater.’ He’s participated in hundreds of competitive eating contests and won over eighty.”

"Wow!" Luffy exclaimed. "They're all so amazing!"

“So, this match won’t be easy to win,” Thomas said. “But you seem pretty confident.”

"Hehe." Luffy grinned. "I may not be a professional, but I can eat a lot!"

"Really?" Thomas smiled. "Then see you in the match!"

"Okay!" Luffy smiled too.

Soon it was Luffy's turn to register. The staff member was a young girl, holding a registration form.

"May I ask your name?" she asked.

“Monkey D. Luffy!” Luffy shouted.

The girl wrote down her name: "Monkey D. Luffy." "Have you ever participated in a similar competition before?"

"No!" Luffy replied honestly.

"No," the girl looked up at Luffy. "Are you sure you want to participate? There are many professional competitors this time."

"It's okay!" Luffy said confidently. "I can definitely win!"

“Okay.” The girl smiled and handed him a number plate. “This is your competition number, number twenty-seven. Please be on stage five minutes before the competition begins.”

"Got it!" Luffy took the number plate and ran back to his companions excitedly.

"Registration successful!" he waved his number tag.

"Looks like there are a lot of people participating." Zoro observed the registration area.

"They're all people who look like they can eat a lot," Usopp said with some concern. "Can Luffy really win?"

“Don’t underestimate our captain,” Franky said. “He’s the kind of guy who can eat the entire ship’s food in one sitting.”

“That makes sense,” Usopp thought, feeling a little relieved as he recalled Luffy’s astonishing appetite.

“Let’s take a look around before the competition starts,” Robin suggested. “Check out these stalls.”

“Great idea!” Nami agreed.

The group began to stroll around the square. Each stall displayed a variety of delicious foods, and the chefs warmly greeted passersby.

"Here you can find Green Harbor's signature seafood soup!"

Try our handmade bread!

"The freshest fruit desserts!"

Luffy's mouth was watering as he looked at all the delicious food.

"I really want to eat this," he said, staring at a skewer of grilled meat at a stall.

"Hold on!" Nami patted him on the shoulder. "We have a match later, so we can't eat too much now."

"But it smells so good!" Luffy looked at Nami pitifully.

"You can eat whatever you want after the match!" Nami said. "Now we need to stay in top shape."

"Okay." Luffy reluctantly looked away.

Borsalino watched this scene from the side and couldn't help but laugh.

"Luffy is quite an interesting person," he said slowly.

"Right?" Nami smiled helplessly. "Sometimes you just can't do anything about him."

Sanji was carefully observing the dishes at each stall.

"The stew was cooked to perfection," he commented. "The knife skills on the grilled fish were also exquisite."

(End of this chapter)