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*Link to Approval*

If Karakuri was cold in the middle of the day, then stepping outside early in the morning was much worse. That was probably the hardest thing to get used to on her assignment here. Before arriving on this island, she had never experienced such harsh winters before. And to think this winter was all year round for this country. It would take a while for her to get acclimated to it. Even so, there were some things that didn't really change regardless of where she went. Even in a country like this had its local fish market, and like in most places the freshest catch of the day was out for sale at dawn around the time the sun rose. Any chef worth their salt looking to serve the best fish meal they could would be the first in line browsing the stalls at this hour.

In other places, the freshly caught fish would be kept on ice to maintain its freshness. The icy water and icy weather of Karakuri however made this practice redundant. The little girl wasn't too surprised that most places in the market didn't bother. One particular stall had fish for sale that were bigger and longer than she was tall. It had been a while since she worked with ingredients this huge and so it briefly piqued her curiosity. The fishmonger manning the stall noticed her and beamed.

"The pike catch your eye miss? It's a fresh batch from Old Wally. I'd love to tell you it's good but pike is a bit of an acquired taste. I can vouch for the quality though if you're feeling adventurous. Old Wally's the best ice fisher around these parts."

An acquired taste? Where Suzume was from, that kind of comment was just an excuse. If the ingredients are good then there's no reason you can't make a good dish out of it. That's what she firmly believed. She was a more ambitious chef than most, and ingredients that were difficult to utilize were one of the things that really grabbed her attention. Now she wanted to learn more about the local delicacy. The way it was caught piqued her interest too. She had heard of ice fishing before but never got to actually see it in person. Before she could respond to the fishmonger, a big hand suddenly started patting her head from behind, causing her to look up in surprise.

"You interested in pike missy? I'm honored you're willing to have a look at my catch, but you'll have to bring your father or older brother here with you to help take it home. This big boy could probably swallow you whole if it were still alive."

The owner of the hand and voice was big tall man, probably in his 50's. He had graying hair and a neatly trimmed beard, showing his age, but his physique was far from frail. He was probably more buff and muscular than the fishmonger half his age. While he was laughing heartily at his own joke, the fishmonger startled by his appearance, tried to clear up the misunderstanding, noticing the expression on Suzume's face.

"Old Wally, I guess you don't know since you don't drop by in town so often, but this little miss isn't what you think."

"Huh?"

"She's the new Commodore who was assigned her recently."

"What?"

The gray haired man stared at the little girl in disbelief, waiting for someone to tell him that this was a joke too.

---

---

She got that a lot. When people think of a Marine officer, the last thing they expected was a girl who looked no older than 12 with a baby face and childlike physique. This old man wasn't the first and he won't be the last. Sometimes it was a little annoying. People would judge and dismiss her by her appearance. But lately people have been quite open-minded. She smiled while looking up at the old man and gripped his hand that had just stopped patting her head. It was no ordinary grip. She had put a little muscle into it, not that it would hurt someone of his size and build. But it ought to send the message. She let go after a few seconds and smiled again.

"Hoho, not bad little missy. For a moment there I thought I had a vice latched on to my hand. That's definitely not a child's grip."

He took a deep breath and Suzume noticed a slight change in his demeanor. It seemed this old man was open-minded too.

"Sorry if I was rude lass. A Commodore huh? You really never know what will wash up on these shores. The names Wally Dresden. But people around here just call me Old Wally. I used to be a sailor but found my true calling in fishing. Nice to meet ya."

He held out his hand for a handshake which Suzume promptly took as she responded with her own introduction.


"And that's a fine calling. It's nice to meet a Marine who isn't just all about justice."


It really was. She didn't want to have to prove herself so early in the morning. She was here for food and a peek at the local fishing scene. Speaking of which, there was a pro fisherman standing right in front of her at the moment. She ought to make use of this chance.


"Hahaha. Is that all? Say no more lass. I was on my way back to the fishing spot anyway. I Just got an order from one of my patrons. You're free to tag along."

The fishmonger manning the stall was all but forgotten, but he would let them have their fun. Suzume was getting a little excited after hearing Old Wally agree so easily. As they walked through the market heading to their destination, he began to share a few stories about his fishing exploits so far this year. The little Commodore listened with earnest.

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They arrived at a frozen lake not too far away from port. Though with the white landscape of Karakuri, a non-local might have not recognized that the vast frozen expanse was a lake from afar. Only when they got close did Suzume realize it herself. While they were waking, the old man ran into some of his buddies who were also on their way to fish. Some brief introductions later and the little Commodore found that she was among comrades, with most of the fishermen there being real foodies too and caught fish because they wanted to eat them.

"Did the fishmonger really tell you that pike was an acquired taste? Don't listen to him. The pike in this island are a real treat. Maybe in other places the fish isn't so good. But not here. We can vouch for that!"

The old buddies roared with laughter. Suzume couldn't help but chuckle as well. They were a lively bunch and reminded her of the regular patrons back home. Some of them were fishermen too. It was a port town after all.

They reached a part of the frozen lake that was a little secluded by trees and the fishermen began unpacking and taking out their gear. It seemed they had finally arrived at the fishing spot they were talking about on the way. While most of them brought out some reasonably-size drills, Old Wally had a monster with him. It was probably even wider than his own big body but he operated it with ease. The old guy was really quite strong in Suzume's opinion.

"Geez Wally, showing off to the little girl? Are you actually gonna try for the King Pike today?"

"Why not? It's a rare occasion. Gotta show something cool the little lass."

"Well, don't drag us into it. We know you're strong and can handle it, but for some of us, King Pike is a little too dangerous."

"Yeah, yeah I'll be drilling a little further away. You're with me lass. Let's show these guys what real fishing is like."

Suzume was the novice here so all she could do was smile and nod. She did take note though when they mentioned King Pike could be dangerous. Frankly speaking, considering that she was a Devil Fruit user, having a large body of water underneath her was already enough of a danger. But still she was curious what kind of fish this was. Presumably it was even bigger than the ones she saw at the market. When they got to their own spot, Old Wally began drilling. It was hand powered, again demonstrating his strength. He bore through the ice pretty easily. The hole was around the size of a kiddie pool. The old man then handed her a rod and reel. It was smaller than she expected and she looked up at him a bit puzzled.

"Ahhh no no worries. I know what you're thinking lass, but ice fishing rods are really smaller than what you're used to. When you've only got a hole this big, there's no need for those longer rods used in open water fishing. Actually these rods are kinda like you. They're tiny, but much much stronger than they appear. It will do the job trust me."


She may not openly admit it, but the idea of a small thing capable of doing great things hit it off well with her for pretty obvious reasons. After dropping her line in the icy cold waters, the only thing left to do was to wait and see.

---

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Suddenly she felt it. There was a strong tug at the end of her line. Old Wally was quick to notice this too and silently gestured for her to keep the line slack and let whatever was hooked at the end use up some of its energy. Judging from the weight she could feel, this was probably a smaller fish than the one she saw at the market. But that was fine. Just because it wasn't a big catch didn't mean it was a bad thing. In fact she was a little excited that her first foray into ice fishing was going so well. The old guy put down his own rod for a moment and walked over behind Suzume, never taking his eyes off her line as it moved around on the water's surface.

"It's your lucky day lass. A pike on your first try."

Suzume was surprised by this statement. The tugging on the line didn't feel like it was coming from a fish that big at all. But if Old Wally's reputation was the real deal, then he knew exactly what he was talking about. It was still strange for her hearing it though.

"I was expecting it to be a bit heavier."

The old guy chuckled softly.

"Heh. That's a common misunderstanding. One thing you should know about ice fishing is that fish are more sluggish in cold waters. So you can't just judge it by how hard they pull on the line. I mean sure if it's really really strong, then there's no doubt it's a big one. But for something of this level, it's hard to say at first glance."

"I think she's had enough. Start reeling her in slowly now."

This wasn't her first time fishing with a rod and reel, but learning about these differences was quite enlightening. True enough once hooked fish was drawn closer to the surface, the previously not so significant pull on the line suddenly felt much heavier. Old Wally was right that they got a big one.

"Yeah, this one's been tired out. It's just her own weight now that you can feel. Yep, pull her up nice and easy."

The large pike's head finally broke the surface of the water and Old Wally bent over to drag the fish out. Just like the ones she had seen earlier in the morning, this specimen was much longer than she was tall and almost certainly weighed more. The old guy was beaming.

"Luck is not a bad skill to have lass. This one is good enough to sell at the market. But to celebrate the occasion of your first catch, how about we keep her and cook her up later?"

"Even if you did plan to sell it, I would have just bought back myself. I've been interested in trying to prepare one of these ever since I heard that it was an 'acquired taste' around these parts. It sounded like a challenge to my chef soul."

"Spoken like someone with a true chef calling! I'd be happy to share a couple of recipes."

The old guy was pleasant to talk to as far as Suzume was concerned. It seemed like he was kind of used to this, teaching others and showing them the ropes. She stared again at the fish she just caught and quickly appraised it. Although Old Wally claimed it was market quality, she couldn't help but feel it didn't really have the same glimmer that she saw from the pike in the morning. Was it due to her own inexperience? Or was there some other factor that affected the quality of the fish? She pondered these thoughts while the veteran fisherman loaded the catch in an ice box. Afterward he returned to his own line and resumed the wait.

---

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The next half hour or so was uneventful for the most part. Old Wally was right that Suzume only had a stroke of good luck. And so they passed the time waiting for a bite by talking about various ways of preparing the fish.

"So grilling is the most common and 'best' cooking method for pike? What about baking or sashimi?"

"Hmm. Well you see lass, baking is a bit difficult cause of the size of the fish. Though I heard there were some giant ovens in Future City. Haven't really seen them myself. As for sashimi, you mean raw slices right? You're pretty brave for even suggesting that one. The boys may have been laughing at the fishmonger's comment but it's not a lie that pike has quite the taste. Can't say I've heard of a lot of people who've tried it, but those that do always had lots of booze on hand."

The old guy chuckled.

"Are you even old enough to drink lass?"

She didn't take offense to that. It was a fair question, given that even if she was good enough to be in the Marines, her appearance still made figuring out her exact age a challenge. Truth be told she could hold her alcohol pretty well. Alcohol was a staple in dining and so at some point early in her life she had grown accustomed to it. Though she was still a ways off from being a real connoisseur she could at least distinguish between different kinds by taste and texture.

"As a chef I've been around alcohol for a while now. Eating and drinking go hand in hand after all. Though I only drink moderately. People usually give me weird looks when I go out drinking."

The old guy burst out laughing.

"Ha! I can definitely see that! I don't know if you're lucky or not to be looking like you do at your age. But it can't all be a bad thing if it never stopped you from becoming a Commodore."

A big tug on his line would cause Old Wally to turn his attention back at the water. This time it was Suzume's turn to watch as the old guy went to work. The movements of the line were a lot more vigorous than when she hooked one and she could see that Wally had a serious expression on his face. Was it a pike? Was it something else? She had no clue. Come to think of it she never really asked yet what else could be caught in this lake. The only other thing she heard was King Pike which the other fishermen mentioned was dangerous.

It was nothing short of amazing watching a pro at work. His hand movements were subtle but the amount of line he gave the fish and the balance with reeling it back seemed well calculated and planned. All she could do before was follow instructions, but Wally here was able to make adjustments at the slightest changes in the movement of the fish. After a few minutes the old guy finally spoke his first words since he hooked it.

"Something's got this guy spooked. It's another pike but it's unusual that it's putting up this much of a fight after so long. Your catch earlier was more of the norm."

"You should stand back a bit lass just in case. I've got a feeling we might be in for a little trouble."

---

---

As Suzume took a few steps back away from fishing hole she felt and heard a large thud against the ice that almost made her lose her balance. Old Wally felt it too and his previously serious expression switched to something a bit more frantic. He also began to reel in the fish he caught by force even though it was still fighting back. The thud had come from underneath the ice somewhere. Even the inexperienced Suzume could tell that. There was definitely something big in the water. As an extra precaution she spread her wings and took to the air, hovering a few feet above the ice. The old guy nodded in approval at her quick thinking.

"Good call lass. We've got a predator here. It's best to be careful. I've almost got this one reeled in, afterward we can think of how to deal with the ki-"

The veteran fisherman was cut-off mid-speech by his line suddenly getting tugged at hard before going slack a few seconds later. The pike stopped fighting back? But it was totally motionless now. Even Suzume could tell something was amiss. Finally he managed to pull the fish out of the water. It was dead. And around a third of its body was missing, like it was bitten off. The sight made Wally whistle.

"Yeah, there's a predator under there alright. What we call a King Pike is about two to three times bigger than your typical pike. And like what happened here, some of them actually prey other pike. Well pike themselves are big and powerful so even Kings don't hunt them often. This is one of the more vicious ones I've seen."

Old Wally reached for his gear, pulling out a huge knife. Or at least it looked like a knife in proportion to him. It was pretty much a sword when compared to Suzume. With one swift chop, he severed the dead pike's head from the rest of its body. The old guy then replaced the hook on his line with much bigger hook before latching the head back on it. Afterward he let the blood from the body of the pike drain into the water and cast the line with the head back in.

"I had other bait for the King with me, but since it already took a bite out of this one I might as well use it."

Suzume processed the words Wally had spoken until now. If a King was two to three times bigger than a pike, then it was even bigger than the old man himself. It definitely sounded like a monster.

"Is there anything I can help with?"

"Ah right this was supposed to be a hands-on experience for you. Well, there's a harpoon gun among the gear I brought along. Once I hook the King, we'll need to hurt it to weaken it. I could do it myself but if you take charge of it, then I can focus on the line. I'll let you know when to shoot. I take it you have shooting experience as a Marine lass?"

"Of course!"

Suzume landed next to pack and found the harpoon gun in question. It was big and heavy for sure but it wasn't too much for her. Though the old guy might have bee able to wield it with one hand. The little Commodore had to hold it with two. She flew up high again and readied her aim.

As if right on cue there was another loud thud beneath the ice. The King was back, drawn by the blood and the pike's head. After a minute or so something strong and powerful suddenly pulled at Old Wally's line. The fight was on.

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This was different from before. Up until now the old guy made pike fishing look pretty easy. But this time he had a real struggle in his hands. He changed his stance for stability and with how bent the rod was, it almost looked like it could snap at anytime. The reel itself was spinning furiously as he gave the King some line. It was dragging it far. Wally took a few steps back away from the fishing hole and tried to pull back. Suddenly the line slacked, causing Wally's eyes to widen with surprise as he took the chance reel it back. Moments later a loud thud could be heard underneath the ice. It was the biggest and loudest for the day and was almost like a small earthquake.

"This one knows! It was probably hooked once before! It's trying to spook us by smashing against the ice!"

Suzume raised a look of concern and gripped the harpoon gun tightly.

"Isn't that dangerous? Won't the ice break and make you fall in?"

"It could. Frankly I can't say how long the ice would hold out against it if it keeps it up. You just stay up there where its safe. Let me handle drawing it to the surface so that you can get a clear shot."

"I understand. You're the boss."

It was worrisome but also thrilling. She felt bad about leaving the heavy lifting to the old guy, but she had an important role to play too. She flew up a bit higher to get a better view and that was when she saw it. A huge shadow was moving around underneath the ice. The King Pike was massive. No wonder Wally was struggling. But Suzume wasn't the only one excited. The veteran fisherman was also smiling while fighting. He was definitely enjoying this challenge too.

"I can see its shadow from up here! It's swimming around close to the surface!"

"I can tell from how the line looks. It's probably looking to try and bump the ice ag-"

Before he could finish the statement, another loud bump would strike the bottom of the ice, this time causing some visible cracks. That wasn't good.

"There are cracks on your right! Be careful!"

Old Wally nodded and shifted his position away from the damaged ice. He appreciated having a lookout from the sky to let him know what he couldn't see. That why he could concentrate on his role. Landing the King.

"I don't think it can see where you actually are despite being close to the surface. Its attacks on the ice were rather random."

"You'd be right about that lass! Their sight isn't the best. They locate their prey mostly through smell and taste. This one's just been guessing."

"What if we distract it with something it can smell and taste then?"

Suzume landed back next to piece of the dead pike from earlier and sliced a chunk. She then flew back up over the fishing pool and then dropped it in. The reaction was almost immediate. She watched as the shadow changed direction and headed for the spot where the chunk fell. Meanwhile the old guy smirked.

"Not a bad idea lass! Let's take this chance!"

Wally could feel it from the line that the King swimming close to the surface again. Seeing the movement of the water in the fishing pool, he then tugged hard at the line. Doing so briefly caused the King's head to surface.

"Now!"

Suzume who was waiting for this moment too had the harpoon gun aimed at the spot all this time. When the surface of the water broke, her finger was already on the trigger and the harpoon soared at the old guy's signal.

---

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It was a direct hit! The King Pike writhed vigorously in pain, splashing about on the surface of the water. Its body and tail smashed against the surrounding ice, widening the fishing pool. Now they just had to bring the big thing in.

Old Wally tugged at the line with all his might. Suzume who was still in the air did the same with the line latched onto the harpoon she fired. Said harpoon was lodged deep into the King Pike's gills. The pain, bleeding, and the fact that a sensitive part of its body was damaged was quickly weakening the monster fish. At the very least it was too busy suffering to fight back against the veteran fisherman and the Commodore pulling it out of the ice.

Suzume then heard some footsteps approaching them. It was Old Wally's fishermen buddies rushing over. With all the ruckus they caused while fighting the King, it was no wonder it got their attention. They were experienced fishermen too. A few of them brought out tools that looked like catch poles, looping it around the King Pike's head and helping pull it out of the water too. Even with all of them working together it still took a couple of minutes to drag the entire fish out. Which was immediately followed by celebratory cheers.

"I can't believe you actually got one! The little miss looked good on that harpoon too!"

The old guy laughed heartily.

"The lass was a great help! I mean of course I could have reeled it in myself. She just made things get done faster."

Suzume found herself laughing too, though slightly tired.

"This was a good experience. I'm glad it went well."

She eyed the King Pike with curiosity and a sense of accomplishment. It was a team effort but they did it. I fisherman might have been satisfied with just that. But Suzume was a chef. With such an interesting main dish freshly procured from the water, she couldn't help but want to try cooking it. Old Wally didn't miss the look on her face.

"We were just in difficult fight and you're already thinking about food lass? Ha, you remind me of someone I met years ago."

"We'll need to move it somewhere else if you plan to prepare it anyway. I guess we can call it a day and bring back the haul."

One of the other fishermen left for a bit and then came back with a sled or rather a chain of sleds linked together. Suzume was a little curious how they planned to move such a big fish and this answered her question. The men loaded up the King on the sleds and proceeded to pull. Meanwhile Old Wally carried the first pike they caught over his shoulder. They were going to return to town now. They had a fish to cook.

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Somehow it just turned out that way. Seeing as they actually caught the big one, the little Commodore insisted that they cooked that one instead. But the King Pike was humongous. You could literally feed half the town with it and still have a bit of leftover. And so that was exactly what they did. Suzume underestimated the old man's influence. He had reserved the entire market square and everyone in town who could make it was invited. A few people from the local Marine base turned up too. It was like a big party.

"Are you sure this was okay?"

"Ha, that's how I know you're a newcomer lass! We don't need an excuse to party in this town. There's few things people can do to have fun on this island, so when someone says they'll be making free food for everyone, then lots of people will show up for sure!"

"Besides, the mayor's an old friend so he was more than up for this. Between you and me, he's actually a fan of pike. He wouldn't miss a rare occasion of King Pike being served."

Suzume took a deep breath and smiled.

"I suddenly feel like a lot of pressure was placed on my shoulders."

Old Wally laughed heartily giving her a hard pat on the back.

"Grilling fish is my specialty. I'm sure we can count on each other for this lass. Now let's get to work!"

This wasn't the first time King Pike was being cooked in town, so the tools needed to accomplish it were already available in the market. Multiple large grills as big as one story buildings were set up for them to use. The rest of the old man's fisherman friends were taking care of loading them with coal and heating them up. As for preparing and slicing the fish into several portions, Suzume and Wally were on the case.

Wally's "knife" was huge and probably more than twice the little Commodore's height. It was a large cleaver that could easily be mistaken for a sword. Suzume was curious how good he was with it. Displaying his skill and experience, he wielded the blade with two hands, chopping through the entire pike in single strokes. Each piece was a couple of feet thick. Suzume carried the huge slabs up to the grills and tossed them right on top.

Cooking such large ingredients was tricky. The more time that passed, the less freshness and flavor was retained. And so rather than cut them up into smaller pieces, cooking the huge slabs as is helped preserve the flavor. Flying over each grill, Suzume would season them slabs of fish while at the same time periodically checking on their condition. Once one side was cooked to a certain extent, she would flip it over to the other side. It wasn't even time to eat yet but the huge slabs of fish being grilled would fill the town with an appetizing aroma, drawing a large crowd.

It had been a while since Suzume cooked for this many people at once. The feeling was sort of nostalgic. In the meantime Wally was busy preparing the other tools they needed. A selection of various knives were prepared for them to use once the grilling was done.

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While the pike slabs was grilling, Suzume was using the time to prepare various sauces for the fish. Wally had given her some suggestions on what people typically had with the fish and from there she worked on her concoctions. While the old man wasn't much of a sauce maker, he was still pretty handy in the kitchen with his knife skills. While cutting up the herbs and vegetables with Suzume, she couldn't help but notice that his knife strokes were a bit familiar. She didn't notice this before when he was chopping up the fish, but now that he was using regular knives, it was easier to see.

"I didn't expect you to be such a skilled chef too. At the very least your knife work is more than qualified for the level you would see in classier restaurants. Where did you learn it?"

"You say that lass, but working here beside you, I can't help but feel my skills are lacking. That man who taught me how to cook was a Marine too like yourself. It must be over thirty years now. Back then I was still a sailor. It was around the time I was at a loss on what to do with my life. I met the man when I was on one of my fishing holidays."

"Come to think of it, that man was also checking out ice fishing, but I was nowhere near the pro I am today. I kinda feel bad for not giving him any better advice. Anyway we managed to catch a bunch and he offered to tech me how to cook them. I suddenly remember how terrible I was at it before."

"He continued to give me some lessons until the time he needed to be reassigned. He was probably around my age now at that time. One of the few people I looked up to you know. Told me to keep up practicing. He said I had the talent for it. I never saw him again. These knife skills are all I have to remember him by."

A Marine chef from thirty years ago? Suzume wondered if it was someone her father knew. He knew a lot of great chefs back in the day, and even more so if they were also in the Marines.

"Did he ever tell you his name?"

Old Wally stopped to think for a bit before responding.

"I honestly don't think he ever did. I mean, I don't think I gave him my name either. Always called me "boy" or "you" or something like that. But I've never forgotten him. Every time I cook fish, I recall I owe it to him, knowing how to do this stuff."

"I've been around Marine chefs most of my life so I was wondering if it was someone I knew, or my father knew."

"Honestly I had the same feeling lass. Watching you work just brings back those memories. UI can tell you've put a lot of heart and effort into what you do. I'm pretty darn sure this feast will turn out scrumptious. Let's keep at it!"

In order to prepare enough sauce for everyone, they cooked them in large pots. They were far from the size of the grills but each pot was still big enough for a grown man to fit inside comfortably. Both Suzume and Wally took charge of watching their own set of pots, stirring and checking on them as needed. The little Commodore however was doing double duty of checking on the grilling fish too. It was one of the few times where being able to fly around quickly was actually useful for her cooking. It wouldn't be long now before the fish was ready.

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After grilling the fish the next step was to actually make appropriately-sized servings for the people eating. Once again Suzume relied on Old Wally to make the big cuts. After slicing a slab into eighths, it was the little Commodore's turn to make her magic. If there was one aspect of cooking that she prided herself in, it was her knife work. Displaying skill even beyond what she had showed while they were preparing the sauces, Suzume quickly divided the fish into various cuts. There slabs the size of the typical steak, thin slices like you would see in sashimi, and even bite-sized cubes for more casual eating. She based this on the advice she got from Wally on the common ways the fish was prepared.

By this time more helpers from the market had arrived, and Suzume would leave it up to them to arrange the plating and presentation for the dishes. Several long banquet tables were prepared for this and they were slowly but steadily being filled up by the fish that the little Commodore had gone through. Other local chefs who had closed shop for the afternoon walked into Suzume's makeshift kitchen and offered to help out. She wouldn't say no to this. These were people who were more experienced with the local cuisine than she was. She could definitely trust them to prepare and serve things properly. Old Wally who had finished his part stepped outside to entertain the townspeople while they waited. He really was a popular guy.

The entire cooking time took six hours. With the last of the slabs cut up and served, Suzume was finally done. There was a round of applause in the kitchen among the helper chefs, some of them the little Commodore had met today for the first time. When she finally stepped out of the kitchen she was almost immediately grabbed by Wally who propped her on his shoulder as he walked around, confusing the girl for a moment.

"Good job lass! As you can see this party is already well on its way. The townsfolk have been wanting to meet the one responsible. That's you by the way. Oh, there's the mayor!"

It was probably one of the longest train of introductions she ever had. After a lively conversation with the mayor who graciously complimented her cooking, she was passed on from one group to the next. By the end of it all it really felt as though she had grown much closer to the town. Finally she made it to where the people from the Marine base were gathered. The Rear Admiral himself was there and Suzume quickly stood at attention and saluted.

"This is a lively party you have here Commodore Kouchou. I was surprised to know that one of my Commodores was hosting one today. It was a great opportunity to have the Marines feel more welcome to the townspeople. Good work."

"Thank you sir. I hope the food is to your liking."

"It's excellent. I'll have to ask you to cook for the base another time."

The party went on until late in the evening. A few closing words were shared by the mayor and even the rear admiral towards the end. Afterward everyone present helped with the clean-up too. Looking back even though the town wasn't officially under the world government, there really was a good relationship between the Marines and the town. This was a good place to be assigned to. Suzume was looking forward to the rest of her stay.

And to think all this started just because she wanted to try a little ice fishing. She got that and more.

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