Link to Approval

The sun shined brightly, though it was still cloudy. The wind was fair, but not enough to disturb the festival that was taking place on the fourth island of the Long Ring Long chain that spread so far. Gideon had arrived early before the sun had risen so he could get working on setting up his stand.

Compared to the other food stands that stretched out in the clearing on the mountain side, Gideon's stand was the largest which drew the most attention, which also gave the other chefs a reason to scowl, competition seemed tougher this time around... as far as Gideon knew, since this was his first trip to the island.

The intention was to show off his skills, practice, and see people enjoy his food and hopefully get new recipes he might be able to try. Though he had the largest stand, the kitchenware he had were too large to prepare any food the average human would eat, so he had to alter recipes he had received. Either way, he had already packed leftover seaking from the previous day to prepare.

There was a announcer who had arrived, speaking loudly so everyone would hear. It seems there was an expected competition and that there would be taste testers that would go about tasting the food of the competition and would determine the winner. Gideon seemed to have been the only person who didn't expect this, now he was nervous and began rethinking what he would want to cook.

The sea train blew it's whistle at the base of the island, it had just arrived. Gideon took a moment to think about the train, wondering how wonderful it would be to ride such a vehicle, though he doubt the train would have any carts large enough for a giant his size.

His eyes went back to the citizens who were spreading out, viewing the venues, though no one had food prepared yet and only a small handful of locals had arrived, early no doubt.

Gideon began to pull out spices.

Long Ring Long Island was always a particularly interesting place to visit, especially with its nearby location to Jaya, making it easily accessible to reach. It was one such island Legosi made sure to visit every once in a while, not because it was particularly interesting when it came to the landscape, but because of how interesting the islands were made to be. It was a cloudy day and yet a sunny one at the same time, creating a good balance of warm and cool that would make any human comfortable, and any deer minks slightly too warm, but still manageable. This small trip would be to go celebrate his winnings at the fourth island in the chain, a personal favorite of Legosi's: Gourmet Kitchen. It was festival season, and the tired-looking mink wished to have a little time to take the edge off of himself and just enjoy the aftermath of the entire situation that had happened. Getting ripped off like that was annoying, but by himself Legosi can go ahead and grab a little bit of his savings and spend them relaxing, making the attempt to forget about his plan to get back of Goh coming up in the coming days.

He would set foot upon Gourmet Kitchen. He would be dressed up for the occasion as well; donning his grey dress jacket with white dress shirt and a black tie, complimenting the dark grey pants he wore alongside his black loafers. He figured that since it's such a well-known place that it would probably be for the best that he didn't dress casually for this, especially since anything could happen at any moment. It was odd, looking at the various food stands, each one with its own cook that specialized in cooking meals of different kinds. Some were decorated intricately, such as a few that held signs with fish on them with little different colored lamps aligning them and a chef deciding to cut up and cook the food, making the experience interactive with the customers. Unfortunately others seem to either be just beginning or on their last legs, with a basic appearance, a bland means to attracting a crowd, though thankfully there are a few that will still give them a merciful shot.

One in particular did however stand out to Legosi, and that would be a large food stand, one that seemed to attracted quite a bit more attention than the others. Legosi even swore that had seen some people outright leave a stand before ordering, going directly towards that one! Was it the size that interested them, the chef, or the food? He had to find out for curiosity's sake, as clearly something there was certainly going to attract not only plenty of customers, but also plenty of scorn from the other stall owners that need said customers so they can make ends meet. Competition here definitely seemed to hold the potential to be particularly entertaining, this time of year.

The deer mink only caught a glimpse of the stall, his eyes already widening as what he had seen were things too big for a normal human-sized person. Was this possibly the stall a giant? It intrigued him moreso, but he didn't have the chance to have his suspicions confirmed, as an announcer had appeared, announcing a competition which would involve taste testers, and it was then that he knew what he had to do. He knew that the announcer had already had some pre-selected taste testers, whom of which would more than likely be judging not only the dish made but also the presentation. It made him nearly consider taking the place of one of them. With his experience in hand-to-hand combat, it wouldn't be hard, but to do so on these islands was to be a huge risk, as a deer can't exactly take the place of a human. Instead he would just have to approach the giant stall itself, looking for the chef within.

It took everything to make his mouth not drop as he had indeed spotted the man, whom of which was taller than he could measure right away, more than tall enough for the five foot and nine inches tall mink to be forced to look up, where he spotted the black hair-covered head of the man. "Hey, are you the chef of this stall? What do you think you're going to cook for the competition?" Legosi couldn't help but ask, not even asking for the man's name. He would ask out loud to the giant man as he placed both his injured left arm and his right arm against the stall, leaning against it in order to get a bit of a closer look, his soft tan fur complimenting the texture of the stall itself nicely.

The skillet was ready, the spices were on the nearby table, the knives were in arm's reach and the meat was defrosted after being removed from the icebox some time ago. Gideon took a deep breath as he readied himself mentally, twirling one of the knives in his hand, one big and sharp enough to cut through even the bone of the seaking he defeated, who's meat he was about to fry.

Someone caught his attention, Gideon looked down to see a deer looking very curious, "Shoo shoo, there's no food for you here- Oh! I'm sorry!" he initially didn't realize the deer wasn't a wild deer but a finely dressed being just with a deer's head, "Sorry, didn't realize you were... um, yeah I'm preparing seaking with rice and black beans" he tried to draw attention away from his mistake, with the suite the deerman is wearing, the giant now believes he is one of the taste testers, but expected them to begin scouting some time later when the foods were at least close to be finished.

He set the stove top to life with a quick exhaled breath of fire, as if he was putting on a show. He dropped two large slabs of seaking meat on the skillet and peppered it with three different spices, of course one of them was basil which he considers it one of his secret ingredients, "So um, excuse me for not putting more thought to it, I wasn't aware there was a competition going on" Every now and then, Gideon would catch sight with the deerman, but would make sure his hands didn't stop working. He poured just a bit more oil on the outerring of the pan, the meat sizzled as he then lit a nearby fire which tended to the cauldron by his feet, then another fire on another part of the stove top to begin on the rice.

"My name is Gideon Wodan of Elbaf" with the one moment he had free time for his hands, he reached out an extended hand as a greeting to the deerman.

Legosi was on the verge of offense as he nearly thought the man was trying to shoo him away, telling him that there was no food for him here. It made him begin to see this giant as no different than anyone else here that had a thing for hating Minks. He was getting ready to go somewhere and spend his time and money somewhere else, almost finding this giant not worth his time anymore. Anyone that looked down on him, no matter how powerful they are, will be in for a world of pain later when he can stand against them, as he doesn't forget grudges easily, but almost as quickly as the anger within him arose it also vanished, as he immediately apologized, and oddly enough it sounded genuine, as well. With his explanation, despite his not finishing it Legosi understood almost right away, and felt no offense to it. It was a common thing, to mistake a mink for an animal at first glance. Maybe they're right in making that assumption, maybe they're not, but he wasn't about to take offense when he spent his past learning how not to. "No need to apologize."

It took him by surprise to hear that the giant was making Sea King with rice and black beans, as it wasn't particularly common to see someone preparing such a fierce monster as a dish to be served, especially for a competition where even the most subtle of tastes could decide a winner, and something too strong may cause it one to fall apart and lose. Frankly, despite him not knowing much about food, the deer knew that this was a bold choice, one that he had some hope wouldn't backfire on the giant.

He would watch as the giant made the stovetop jump to life, the heat emanating from it, where then two large slabs of the fish mean would get dropped on a skillet of sorts. Legosi watched with genuine interest as the giant seasoned the meat well, all the while talking to him. He wanted Legosi to excuse him for not putting more thought into it since he wasn't aware a competition was going on, which Legosi understood completely, although it threw him off slightly that he would begin with that sort of request, though he would go with it. "Yeah, frankly I didn't know this was going on either. I was just hoping to get some good food." He responded as he watched the giant pour oil into the pan, the meat sizzling and the aroma of cooking seasoned meat filled the air. Legosi wasn't big on meat in general, but it did indeed smell good.

The man introduced himself as Gideon Wodan of Elbaf, extending a large hand to greet Legosi. Legosi's right furred hand fit easily within the hand of the giant, and he would attempt to shake it before withdrawing it. "Legosi Lockheart, it's nice to meet you, Gideon." With that he would look around, keeping a lookout for one of the taste testers before looking back up at the Elbaf giant. "Say, you seem to be busy cooking. Do you mind if I give you a hand and be your server? I'll handle making sure the food gets to the taste tester and you can go ahead and stay focused on cooking and prepping. How does that sound?" Honestly, with how he's dressed, he could certainly pull it off despite his deer looks. Actually, because of what he looks like, that may even make him look more formal, not to mention it should make quite the impression to the taste testers to see a mink and a giant working together. Yes, that would certainly leave an impression.

It was a relief to know the deerman wasn't offended, though Gideon was a bit confused to why this man was actually a cross between a man and a deer, he had suspected him to be a devil-fruit user at first since he has never come across a minks or ever even heard of them. Returning to the station, but still nodding to let Legosi know he was still paying his attention, he quickly wiped his hands on a towelette, a habit of his when cooking, then returned to tending to the seaking meat.

"I don't mind, I would actually enjoy the company" Gideon laughed as he tilted the large skillet, allowing the meat to slide back and force as he sprinkled a bit of salt over it. Realizing Legosi wasn't a taste tester brought his nerves to calm, it was way too early for him to be supervised, which he always had a problem with, when it came to anyone else, he was comfortable, but when it came to authority figures or high class chefs, the spectating made him nervous to a fault.

Getting a free moment away from the meat, Gideon reached back and pulled over a giant's chair, bringing it up by him so that Legosi had a quick jumping point so he could quickly access the table. He bent over to check the beans within the cauldron, then back up to check the rice pot on the stove. He nodded.

"Hopefully the meat will be done by the time the beans and rice are done" Gideon said as he placed a lid partially covering the skillet. He dabbed a towelette onto his brow, the sweat from the intense roaring of the fire was indeed making him sweat, but the way his oven and stove were built made it impossible for human or mink bystanders to get caught by the heat or the flame.

"So... are you a human who ate a devil fruit?" Gideon asked as he handed Legosi a box that contained plates and utensils. He would always have trouble serving them given the size ratio of them and his hands, he enjoyed the company even more so now.

Legosi listened as Gideon laughed, tending to his cooking via tilting the large skillet and allowing the meat to slide around, sprinkling more seasoning over it. It seemed what he said was actually a boon from how the giant visibly relaxed afterwards, more than likely mistaking him for some sort of authority figure. If only he had the opportunity to become one, but sadly he doesn't even know who the current taste testers are, so the deer mink could really do nothing to actually take the tester's spot. He could only imagine how awkward it would've been for them if he did actually appear alongside the judges, or if he claimed to be a tester now despite not really knowing much about the specifics of cooking. Frankly, it may have been enjoyable.

Seeing Gideon pull over a giant chair, Legosi would immediatel bring himself up it, where he now had full access to the table as a whole. The giant expressed his hoping that the meat will be down around the time that the beans and rice are as well, to which he could only nod in agreement about. He doesn't know enough to accurately point out anything or offer conversation in regards to cooking times and deadlines, but as long as he expressed that he was listening he came to the conclusion that that would be more than enough.

It seemed the heat was getting to Gideon, although Legosi was feeling nothing at all in terms of heat. It must be thanks to their height difference, or perhaps with how they were made, but it definitely seemed to be enough to make Gideon actually dab his brow with a towelette, seemingly sweating. Then came the question about what Legosi is, exactly. He laughed in response to Gideon's question about him being a human that ate a Devil Fruit. "I wish! No, I'm a Mink. The fur is permanent and my antlers fell off recently. Being a Devil Fruit eater would've made things way easier." He said, his tone changing from light-hearted to a hint of bitterness towards the end there as he recalled his getting ripped off from his boss recently. He couldn't help be scowl at the table as he began laying out the utensils. Unlike how easily he was able to place them, he himself struggled to find the ease in clearly the scowl from his face until partway in, where it would finally leave, and he would relax to more of a neutral expression.

"What about you? You're a giant, right? What's it like being that tall? Is Elbaf full of people your size?" He fired a few questions back at Gideon as he continued tending to the table, making sure things were placed symmetrically.

Gideon looked about, the amount of people had slowly increased. The sounds of kitchenware rattled all about the area and the aroma of spices filled the air, this he found to be an enjoyable time, relaxing and tasteful even though it was merely the preparations. Meat sizzled, pots boiled, it was an amazing scenery, at least to the giant.

"'Mink'? Not sure what that is, but you seem like a good person, so your company is welcomed" Gideon took a moment to check the beans, he grabbed a wooden spoon longer than the average human, and began stirring the beans as they heated, "Is it that time of the year for antlers to fall off?" as he gave his attention to the beans, he began to think back to when his father had taken him to the forest to hunt, and had remembered his father telling him something about deers' antlers falling off during the cold season... or was it the season preparing for the cold season? Gideon couldn't remember.

Gideon laughed when hearing the curious tone of the mink, he thought back to his home and how wonderful and comfortable it all was, "Yeah, everything was large and right for our size, I felt so small in comparison, houses, tables, even the trees, as a giant living there, you would never know you're large in the world until you leave, then everyone seem like ants" Hearing someone take interest in his viewpoint was enjoyable and curious. Gideon took a look back to Legosi and smiled, he has never been this close to a deer, because of his size, deers would run from him at first sight and because of their size compared to a giant, they weren't considered game.

Legosi wasn’t exactly surprised with the giant’s confusion as to what a Mink is. In comparison to some other races, Minks weren’t exactly commonplace. It wasn’t every day someone would see something looking like a zoan fruit user without the fruit. It was both a boon and a curse, since at the cost of being extremely rare one was also faced with the hatred accompanying that, and the Minks knew that better than almost everyone, with the exception being those three eyed people. ‘You can’t say you didn’t deserve that hate.’ He could hear himself pitch in. His thoughts had a point, for what crime is there that’s greater than being weak?

Legosi actually paused for a few moments, not exactly knowing himself about what time of year it is. Honestly how could he know, what with the biology of Minks appearing to differ from regular animals and with how wonky the seas are. It was weird, to be honest, as Legosi saw his shedding his horns twice a year, once in the summer and once in the winter. That was certainly something that shouldn’t actually be a thing, but on top of that it was almost as though he didn’t really get much benefit out of them either, what with anything resembling an improvement much returning to normal as soon as things began falling off again. He really didn’t care much for those things either. It would be easier on both himself and his shirts if they just stayed gone, but sadly not all dreams come true.

He listened as Gideon mentioned that everything was large and right for their size back home. It’s hard to imagine someone that if forty plus feet tall feeling small when compared to houses, tables, and trees. What must be a home to giants is more than likely a base for humans, and what may be a base for giants must be a hole city for humans. His imagination struggled to picture what that would be like as someone of his own size being there in a land where the large felt small, and they never truly knew how large they were until they left. It was at the least intimidating, and at the most amazing. The smile he got from Gideon seemed genuine, making him wonder if his cohort appreciated his curiosity. If he felt any need to, he probably would’ve smiled back, but unfortunately he isn’t that type of person that is suitable as a pillar for support.

It made him wonder what his own homeland looked like, as all he knew was either darkness or the lands of humans, where those that looked odd were either shunned or forced to stand out in many different ways. He’d rather not let the conversation fall on deaf ears floating admits a sea of silence, because then things get awkward, and awkward silence brings about the possibility of hostilities. His bandaged forearms still stung from the last hostile situation he was in. “I came from Here in Jaya, I think. I don’t know where I was born, exactly but I grew up here. My adoptive dad was some sort of trader while my mom managed a bar.” He paused for a second, considering the fact that he had never actually seen either one working at where they claimed to, even when he did a surprise visit. It was odd, but he just assumed they were on break at those times. “Things may be smaller here, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a day where things weren’t lively in one way or another. Man, there was this one time when this pirate crew came in and got into a crew-wide fight with another on land. It was so..” His voice trailed as he had begun to smile again, thinking back to that day when he watched both captains clash, seeing one with their blade coated in something that can only be described as a very, very dark metal while the other almost appeared to have some white creamy gunk covering them. Such a fight was one of many that remained ever so fresh within his mind, and always left him in wonder when he looked back on them. “...amazing.”

“Still though.” He began as he watched Gideon cook, already finished setting the table up to the best of his ability. “Back on topic, how much longer do you think it’ll be till the food’s done? The competition is probably gonna start any minute.”

Gideon and Legosi fell into conversation as time moved on. They traded their stories of their childhood, though it was Legosi's story that was more heroic and motivational. Though to the giant, he was enjoying the company either way. As the food's scent spread throughout the area, an announcement had rang out when the competition had begun.

Taste testers had moved about, tasting each chef's meal, delight, though critique came from the expression of each of the testers. When one of the testers, a middle aged woman arrived to the giant's table, Gideon placed a tray before her. The rice covered the majority of the plate with a big piece of seaking steak to side as if the plate resembled a representation of a lone island within a white sea. Then with a ladle, Gideon poured beans slowly upon the rice. Though as impressive as the average person would think, the Taste tester looked more stern as if she wasn't effected.

The woman grabbed her spoon and moved about the rice and beans, "What kind of meat is this? I don't recall the smell" She asked, poking it with a fork.

"Seaking, specifically the seaking that had terrorized the waters surrounding Jaya" Gideon proudly said. With that, many nearby people who had overheard, had arrived at the table as the middle aged woman took her first bite. With a few seconds of chewing and taking in the taste, all was quiet until...

"Decent presentation, taste is above expectancy" The woman began, then took another bite before marking down something on a clip board. After she left without another word, locals began ordering plates of their own from Gideon, to which the giant happily served.

After what seemed like an hour of serving those who were interesting in tasting seaking and preparing more than he had expected to serve, Gideon noticed the crowd was dying down. At some point he had lost sight of the taste tester during the small commotion. Eventually he had ran out of nearly everything which was just enough for the last local who walked away with a satisfied look.

The area returned to quiet, save for the distant conversations of those who walked about and the chefs who boasted about their skills. Gideon sat into his large chair, relieved that the worst was over. He had not expected such a crowd to swarm the area. Thoughts his possible winning came to mind, even though he wasn't the competitive type nor was he aware of a competition being set up. "Wrong place, wrong time" he sighed as he looked about the area. He spotted a number of his customers enjoying their meal happily, "Or right place, right time" he smiled as he leaned back into his chair, enjoying the results of his cooking.

"Mr. Wodan" a man called his attention. Gideon looked down upon the finely dressed man who held a clipboard, "You have done an amazing job with your meal" the man complimented.

"Does that mean I won?" The giant asked happily.

"No, You came in fourth place, sorry to say, but the meal was acceptable overall, but the fact that you managed to make seaking meat edible at such a taste earned you a well amount of points" The man presented Gideon with a smile. Though the smile wasn't going to pay for the ingredients, Gideon accepted the compliment nevertheless. He was proud of his craft, and that was reward enough.

Time passed. Gideon was the first chef to fully pack up and leave the large table empty before he made his way towards the seatrain station. The other chefs took their time boasting and taking in the compliments of their customers; though it seemed that the giant was upset that he didn't win, it wasn't the case at all. Gideon had enjoyed the competition, however he figured he does better work when he's not under pressure. Regardless, he enjoyed the moment and the aroma of the different meals.

By the time Gideon made it halfway down the hill, it had began to drizzle. He took a moment to look up and was entirely surprised that the sky was so cloudy. He couldn't guess when the clouds had suddenly cluttered. "No matter" Drizzle, even a fully heavy flow of rain, doesn't bother someone of Gideon's size. The giant simply trotted on with his large bag which contained all his equipment.

Soon enough, he had reached the station and waited outside since he couldn't fit in. "One ticket to Mock Town" he asked, but the clerk in the window shook his head.

"Sorry, sir, but the railways has been down recently, you may have to take a boat"

"Really?" Gideon was confused. He had initially swam to the island and figured he could probably get an enjoyable ride on the seatrain, but his luck seem to be diminishing. Unknown to him, there was an incident that he would later read about in the papers. though he wouldn't recognized the description that would be given of those involved with the stopping of the seatrain, he would end up leaving Jaya before ever considering to return for a ride.

The drizzling rain continued, though very light and barely noticeable to the giant, everyone else, locals and tourists, began to make their way indoors, including the station. When the competition had ended, Gideon had quickly taken a giant's bite of a platter, just enough to sustain him from becoming hungry, though he figured he should make his way back to the main land, he figured he have a full meal when he's settled into his boat.

By the time Gideon reached the shore and began walking into the water, the drizzle became a shower, though the giant found it enjoyable. He left the island behind him and trek through the sea, the surface of the water being at his waist level. In the distance he could see the speck that was Jaya's mainland which housed Mock Town, his destination, for his ship, Halal, was docked there, however hidden and docked elsewhere from the town. Gideon had little trust, especially when he didn't have the rest of his crew to back him up. He had always felt Halal was safe when docked right beside the Charon, but ever since Captain Mashyuu and the doctor had fallen off Sky Island, like an angel falling from grace, the crew had separated to avoid being spotted by locals or law enforcement. Ever since then, Gideon had been laying low with Vizmir, waiting for the chance to find the others.

Gideon continued to walk through the water. Twice he had walked passed a sailing ship, who's crew had waved at him, to which he waved back with a smile. It was a rare event in such areas to see giants showing off their massive size by simply trekking through the seas.

The clouds were cluttered and grey, the rain flow increased to a surprising amount. Though it was just a simple annoyance at this point, the giant kept moving forward. Soon enough it began to become a difficulty. The weather's wind picked up and began to cause the waves to slow him.

Though the giant tried his best to keep moving forward, at some point, Gideon ended up finding himself backtracking and nearly toppling over. "No choice then" He sighed as he turned about and began heading back to Chef island.

Lightning struck and the thunder roared along the sky. The waves push Gideon along, prompting him to hurry to the island. Though the situation he had gotten himself in was tedious and annoying, he was glad he had taken care of the seaking. He had heard somewhere that seakings tend to take advantage of larger foes, especially giants, during such storms. The match between him and the seaking was nearly evenly matched, so the storm would have probably led to the giant's death.

By the time Gideon reached the shore of Chef Island, he was drenched. He sneezed once and knew immediately he had to get out of the storm. The wind picked up enough to cause Gideon's fannypack to rattle. He made his way to the train station and squeezed his way into the large opening and laid between the two pillars that kept the roof up.

A few of the locals looked him over while one asked if he was alright. Gideon replied stating he was caught in the storm and thought he could beat it. A young teen laughed and stated something about 'Storms being the mightiest, even against giants'.

Gideon stared upon the ceiling above him. Life seem to be at a stand still for him. Much had happened, weird things brought along by either the pirate crew or just being a pirate, but overall, nothing had progressed, other than Gideon's own strength.

He gave a big sighed that felt like a small breeze. Sky Island and Jaya, two islands he visited since he began his journey and yet he had not gain any leagues, for Sky Island was just above Jaya. The sea is a open road, but things keep popping up to hold him still. He had things he needed to do, obstacles to overcome.

He sat up after catching his breath, though keeping his head low to make sure he didn't hit the ceiling, he thought about his first step before making his next: he needed to find Mashyuu, which he intended to do, he needed to test himself and force himself to make the goals. Soon when the storm settled, Gideon would make his way and travel the water again.

[Exit]