Chapter 309: 308: First Day as a Cook — Germa’s Abandoned Queen
May 12, 1504, Age of the Sea Circle
Lying on the bed of what would be his new home for the next month, Orion checked the system map, observing the markers that indicated the presence of Named Characters on the Vinsmokes’ artificial island.
Aside from Cassius’s daughter—Cosette—and Sanji, whom he had only briefly seen yesterday, there were six additional markers: Vinsmoke Judge (40), Sora (26), Reiju (7), Ichiji (5), Niji (5), and Yonji (5).
Leaving Cosette aside, the remaining Named Characters were all members of the Vinsmoke family, which was only natural considering he was currently inside the castle of Germa 66. Cosette’s presence was the only real surprise, and Orion found himself wondering whether she would play an important role in the future of this kingdom, or if she was simply a minor character within the story of One Piece.
Even so, Orion had already decided to recruit Cassius and his family, as well as Sanji, so now he needed to determine what he would do regarding the rest of the Vinsmokes.
If there were more talented individuals within the Germa 66 royal family worth recruiting, Orion would not hesitate to do so; although, considering the rumors he had heard during the few hours he had spent on the Vinsmokes’ artificial island, as well as the limited information Stussy had provided him, that seemed rather unlikely.
After all, the Vinsmokes did not possess the best reputation, especially Sanji’s three princely brothers, who according to what he had heard from Germa 66’s cooks, were better left unprovoked, since they were quite ruthless and sadistic.
Naturally, the cooks had not given such warnings so directly, since they feared someone might overhear them and cause them to disappear like so many other workers before them, but Orion had been able to read between the lines, taking into account the expressions of his coworkers and the emotions he could perceive thanks to his specialized Observation Haki.
"I need more information about this place," Orion said as he closed the system screen.
Stussy had not provided him with much information simply because she herself did not possess much to begin with. Although the World Government had been interested in Judge’s movements for quite some time and had sent numerous spies to investigate, they had rarely succeeded in infiltrating the kingdom, and even in the few instances where they managed to do so, they had been unable to maintain their cover for long.
That alone demonstrated that the security and surveillance on the Vinsmokes’ floating island were far better than they appeared at first glance, but even so, Orion was not worried about his identity being exposed before he completed his mission, since he had great confidence in his abilities as a spy.
Getting out of bed, Orion altered his appearance using Distorted Future, and then, utilizing Space Door, entered the Pocket Dimension before emerging in another corner of the city. Taking advantage of the darkness of the night, Orion carried out an initial investigation of the Vinsmokes’ artificial island, gaining a clearer understanding of the place where he currently found himself.
Even so, it was still far too early to begin digging into its deepest secrets, so after obtaining a general idea of the layout of the buildings and the security forces, he returned to his personal apartment and went to sleep.
In just a few hours, his first official day in Germa 66 would begin.
...
After sleeping for several hours, Orion got up and entered his Pocket Dimension to complete his morning training, although he had to shorten it to only one hour since he needed to begin his workday as a cook in Germa 66’s kitchens.
Fortunately, the Vinsmokes’ castle-ship was not continuously moving across the sea, but alternated between periods of travel and periods of stillness. That allowed him to use his Pocket Dimension whenever the artificial island remained nearby, since otherwise he would stay in the exact physical location where he had entered the alternate dimension while the island itself moved away and left him behind.
This was important, because it meant that whenever Germa 66’s castle was traveling across the sea, the use of his Pocket Dimension became far more limited, allowing him to use it only briefly.
After preparing himself for his workday, Orion left his new house and walked briskly toward Germa 66’s kitchens, where the vast majority of the cooks had already arrived and were preparing to begin their daily routine.
Orion took one of the stations in a corner, and after Cassius arrived to announce the menu they would prepare that day, he began working skillfully on preparing breakfast for the Germa soldiers.
Truthfully, the menu they had to prepare was far from gourmet food, and could only really be described as slightly better than military rations. The priority was for the soldiers to receive a balanced and abundant diet, while taste itself mattered very little.
Perhaps only Cassius, who cooked directly for the Vinsmokes, truly had to concern himself with the flavor of the meals prepared within Germa 66’s kitchens.
Very quickly, Orion fell into rhythm, personally preparing a large number of meal trays while simultaneously helping some of the veteran cooks around him with a few slightly more complex dishes.
However, the most interesting part of his first morning in Germa 66’s kitchens was not related to cooking itself, but rather to Sanji’s presence there.
Just like yesterday, Sanji did not dare enter the kitchen, instead watching from a distance with immense interest, his eyes shining brightly as he tried to imitate the cooks’ movements in the air, almost as though he were attempting to engrave the culinary techniques they were using directly into his muscles.
Unfortunately for the young Vinsmoke prince, his father had explicitly ordered that nobody was allowed to assist Sanji in his foolish cooking hobbies, and therefore every cook present in the kitchen was utterly terrified that Sanji might learn something from them—even indirectly—so they constantly blocked their cooking stations with their bodies to prevent the boy from clearly seeing what they were doing.
Orion observed everything with great interest, and he felt a bit sorry for Sanji when he saw the excited smile and light in his eyes gradually disappear each time the cooks refused to let him watch them work. It was obvious that the Vinsmokes’ third son was genuinely passionate about cooking, and that it was far more than a simple hobby or childish whim, but unfortunately for him, it would be impossible for him to cook freely while he remained under his family’s control.
Roughly an hour after the preparation of the breakfast that would be served in the cafeterias had begun, Sanji finally turned around and ran off with an expression full of reluctance, since he had to head toward the barracks to begin the morning training sessions he hated so much, together with his monstrous brothers.
Orion, who had been continuously spreading his Observation Haki, could clearly perceive Sanji’s emotions, and he sighed as he thought that the boy’s life was probably incredibly bleak while living in this place.
Even so, Orion had a mission to complete, meaning he could not attract too much attention, which forced him to refrain from openly interacting with Sanji or attempting to help him with his problems. At least not for now.
During the following two hours, Orion focused on cooking while trying not to think about anything else, although that was obviously impossible for his hyperactive mind, which almost never stopped moving—except when he was loving his wives.
Again and again, his thoughts returned to the miserable expression Sanji had shown before leaving the vicinity of the kitchen, and in the end, Orion could not help but feel pity for him once more, which eventually led him to decide that he would try to lend the boy a hand during his time on Germa 66’s artificial island.
Although he should have been focusing solely on his mission, he simply could not ignore Sanji, and he knew perfectly well that the system had probably taken this into account, which was most likely why the mission description specifically mentioned that the rewards could vary depending on his actions during the month he would spend working as a cook.
Eventually, the administrator with the butler-like appearance who had brought him to Cassius’s kitchens yesterday appeared once more, though this time it was to escort him to the mansion where Germa 66’s queen, Sora, resided.
Just as Cassius had explained yesterday, Orion would now be responsible for Sora’s meals under the supervision of his sister Cassidy.
Germa 66’s artificial island was not especially large, so after only a few minutes of walking at a normal pace, they arrived at the mansion where Sora lived. Even so, it was located in a distant corner far from the main castle, and it was obvious that she had been intentionally placed away from the kingdom’s center of power, where the rest of the royal family resided.
Only Sanji came to visit his mother daily and bring her food, while the rest of the family had practically forgotten about her existence, with the sole exception of Reiju, who visited occasionally, though not too often, since unlike her absentminded younger brother, she did not wish to attract her father’s attention.
After Sora had taken the special medicine in a desperate attempt to prevent the children in her womb from becoming emotionless monsters—the result of the modifications Judge had performed in order to turn them into perfect soldiers—the relationship between her and her husband had deteriorated to the point where they were now husband and wife in name only.
Sora had never truly loved Judge, having been married into the Germa 66 royal family in order to establish an alliance between her father’s kingdom and the Vinsmokes. Even so, she had not hated her husband either; on the contrary, she had genuinely tried to love him and live the life of a normal wife at his side, although that had clearly become impossible from the moment he decided to begin experimenting on their children.
Likewise, Judge also felt no affection for his wife Sora, who from his perspective should have been obedient and virtuous, yet had dared oppose his will to enhance their children through advanced technology, standing not only in the way of his science, but also in the path of his greatest ambition: conquering the entirety of the North Blue just as his ancestors once had.
Now, the relationship between the king and queen of the Vinsmokes had deteriorated to such an extent that they no longer even saw one another, and years had passed since the last time Judge had visited Sora.
She had remained bedridden for years, her health worsening more with each passing day, yet Judge not only had no intention whatsoever of searching for a cure for her, but had even sent her away to a remote corner of the artificial island where he would not have to see her, and where she could not maintain contact with her children.
Even though the mansion where Sora lived was extremely luxurious and staffed by a large number of servants who attended to her at all hours, she was nothing more than a prisoner awaiting her inevitable death, and her only ray of sunlight were the visits from her little son Sanji, the only one of her babies whom she had managed to save from the fate of becoming an emotionless monster.
"This way, Mr. Orion. This is the entrance to the mansion. Starting today, you must report here every day in order to cook for Queen Sora. However, due to the fact that you are a man, you will not be permitted to enter or leave the mansion freely, so you will need to request permission from the staff stationed here each day," said the elegant butler as he escorted Orion to the luxurious entrance of the mansion and rang a strangely technological-looking bell.
Orion raised an eyebrow after hearing the butler’s words, but made no comment about it, simply nodding as he had been doing ever since arriving in this place. He was here to complete a system mission, so he needed to avoid attracting attention as much as possible during the next month.
As for the butler’s explanation, Orion would soon come to understand that although Judge had no interest whatsoever in his wife or her well-being, he could not tolerate any man approaching her, because he was both proud and deeply insecure.
The mere thought of another man having close interactions with the woman who was still legally his wife caused his mind to stir with irritation, which was why he had explicitly ordered that all the personnel assigned to attend to Sora inside the mansion be female, with only a few exceptions permitted—such as the presence of a specialist like Orion.
It was true that Judge had assigned a mansion and a large staff to care for Sora, but it was not out of respect or love. Rather, his pride simply would not allow the woman who was legally his wife to live in poor conditions, since that would stain his reputation.
It could be said that Judge had never once thought about Sora herself when designing her living quarters and hiring the employees who served her; rather, she was merely an extension of his public image. That was why he did not care whether she lived or died and made no effort to seek a skilled doctor capable of treating her, while at the same time ensuring that her mansion remained spotless and overflowing with luxury.
Passing through the mansion’s doors, Orion was escorted toward the kitchen, where the butler finally bid him farewell and wished him luck, leaving him face to face with Cassidy, Cassius’s older sister, a somewhat plump woman around fifty years old who was just as kind-hearted as her brother.
"You must be Orion, it’s a pleasure! It’s good to finally have someone capable of preparing medicinal cuisine for our queen!" Cassidy said cheerfully while patting Orion on the arm in a friendly manner.
"It is an honor for me to be able to serve the Queen of Germa 66," Orion replied solemnly, genuinely trying to sell his words through his acting skills.
"That’s a good attitude. If you keep that mindset up, maybe you’ll soon steal the position away from my careless little brother, hahaha!"
Orion showed a faint smile at Cassidy’s words without continuing the conversation.
"Very well, you may begin cooking. Feel free to prepare whatever you want, and if you need any ingredients or cooking utensils, don’t hesitate to tell me," said the head cook of the mansion kitchen as she turned around as though preparing to leave.
"Shouldn’t I first review the queen’s medical records? I can’t prepare proper medicinal cuisine suited to her needs without knowing her condition," Orion said before Cassidy could leave.
"Ah, don’t worry too much about that," the cook replied, and glancing to both sides in a gesture identical to the one Cassius had made the previous day, she added,
"In reality, the fact that you were recruited to make medicinal meals is all just for show. Judge only wants people to say that he’s a benevolent king who cares about his sick wife, but it doesn’t really matter whether you prepare food that actually helps her or not."
Orion frowned slightly, because even though he had come to Germa 66 in order to complete a mission, both his professional ethics as a cook and as a doctor prevented him from simply doing half-hearted work, since that would be disrespectful toward his own abilities.
Normally, he was extremely pragmatic, but there were certain core values that mattered deeply to him, and respecting the things he loved doing was one of those values.
Cassidy immediately noticed the shift in Orion’s expression and could not help sighing softly, because although she appreciated the passion of the new cook, she had to admit that such an attitude could be dangerous for him in this kingdom.
"Even if I wanted to give you Queen Sora’s medical records, I couldn’t, because we don’t have any," Cassidy said with a shrug.
"Judge assigned a doctor to her, but it’s only to maintain appearances. As far as I can remember, there have never been any physical examinations, and it’s likely that the doctor doesn’t even know the current condition of her supposed patient."
Orion remained silent for a few seconds before finally saying,
"Would it be possible for me to see the queen and speak with her briefly? I would at least like to ask about her personal tastes before cooking for her."
"Oh! I wouldn’t recommend that, young man. Perhaps you don’t know because you’re a newcomer, but Judge is extremely jealous. If he finds out that a man had contact with his wife, he would probably send you to the guillotine without even listening to explanations," Cassidy said, clearly alarmed after hearing Orion’s daring proposal.
"I thought Judge didn’t pay attention to what happened inside the mansion. Didn’t you say he didn’t care much about his wife?" Orion asked.
"You’re right, but none of the employees want to risk angering our glorious king. Even if the chances of him deciding to pay attention to Sora and discovering your presence here are low, they aren’t zero. In that situation, your head probably wouldn’t be the only one rolling..." Cassidy replied, visibly nervous.
"Alright, I understand perfectly. Forget I mentioned it," Orion said, nodding his head and bringing the conversation to an end.
He knew it was useless to continue discussing the matter with the cook, since there was nothing she could do about it. For that reason, he had already decided to handle the matter himself, although he would not be able to do so right now.
After that, Orion prepared a medicinal breakfast for Sora, making something neutral that would not upset her stomach. Afterwards, he left the mansion in order to continue working under Cassius in the central kitchens of Germa 66, returning once again later to prepare the queen’s lunch, and repeating the same process again for dinner.
However, something he discovered during that first day working at Queen Sora’s mansion was that she had not eaten the lunch he prepared, because her little son Sanji had made lunch for his mother instead, something that according to Cassidy happened every single day despite Sanji being scolded by his father Judge and punished each time the proud king found out about it.
Finally, after a long workday as a cook, Orion returned to his apartment and threw himself onto the bed while thinking about his next moves.
After his first official day as a cook in the kingdom, he already had a fairly precise idea of what his future routine would be like, and he believed there would be no major problems completing the mission if things continued this way.
However, Orion was not someone capable of remaining still when injustice stood before him, and therefore he had no intention of turning a blind eye to the two problems he had encountered almost immediately after arriving on the Vinsmokes’ artificial island: the health of the abandoned queen Sora, and the abuse suffered by little Sanji.
Now that he was here in Germa 66 and had to spend an entire month working as a cook, Orion did not want to simply limit himself to preparing food for the soldiers thoughtlessly, nor to preparing medicinal meals with no actual effect for Sora.
Now that he had a clearer understanding of the situation in this place, it was time to begin creating change through his actions, just as he had been doing ever since arriving in this fantastical world of One Piece, and the first thing he had decided to do was visit the famous abandoned queen of Germa 66 and discover just how fragile her health truly was, as well as what kind of person she really was.
For that very reason, Orion waited until the night deepened and activity across the artificial island dropped to a minimum. Then, once again altering his appearance with his Distorted Future ability, he opened a Space Door, disappearing from his room and using the Pocket Dimension to head toward Sora’s mansion.
The time had finally come for Orion to have his first meeting with her, and that encounter would become the turning point that changed the beautiful queen’s destiny forever.
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