One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 114 The Fragrance of Osmanthus

Now that they had finished their work, the chefs finally had time to focus on Moke's every move. A few wisps of white steam kept rising from the top of the large steamer. It was just ordinary steam, but the chefs found it particularly tempting, constantly enticing them to open the steamer.

"Do you have peaches?" Moko suddenly turned around and asked, startling the chefs who had been staring blankly at the steamer.

"Have."

Upon hearing this, Alec quickly moved a basket of peaches from the corner to Moko's side. He glanced disdainfully at the large group of cooks standing behind him. If these brats weren't too slow at cooking, he would have already slapped them back to the beginner village with a spatula.

"These just arrived today. Only a portion has been brought up. They were originally intended for fruit platters. If it's not enough, I'll have someone go down and bring more."

Moko took a peach out of the basket and looked at it. It was big and round, plump and red, with a red tip. It was so fresh and juicy, and looked very beautiful against the green leaves. It looked very tender.

"No need, Grandpa Alec, this is enough."

"Let me help you, Xiao Mo, you just need to tell me what to do."

Alec rolled up his sleeves, eager to try, and this time Moko didn't refuse.

"Then I'd like to trouble Grandpa Alec to process the peaches. I'd like to make some fruit tea."

"it is good."

Alec waved his hand and shoved a basket of peaches into the hands of a burly man behind him. The man was Knox, the next head chef of the Navy Headquarters. Knox was a man of few words. You might not find Knox anywhere else, but you would definitely find him in the kitchen. Alec was particularly pleased with Knox’s passion for cooking and had been grooming him as his successor for the past two years.

Knox took the peach without saying much, and carried it to the pool to wash it carefully. His large hands, capable of smashing boulders with a single punch, were surprisingly gentle when washing the peach. The peaches in season were very tender, and the skin could be broken with the slightest force, but in Knox's hands, each tender peach seemed to come alive, obediently allowing Knox to wash it. The fine fuzz, covered with glistening water droplets, looked beautiful and tempting when placed on the crystal plate.

Meanwhile, the steamer was almost ready. While Knox was washing the peaches, Moko came to the steamer and opened the lid under everyone's watchful eyes. A strong, fresh aroma wafted out. One by one, crystal clear, round-edged, flower-shaped mint cakes were neatly arranged on tung leaves, looking like jelly, bouncy and chewy, with a beautiful mint color that shone with a unique luster.

But that wasn't quite the end of it. Moke took out a mint cake, drizzled it with glistening osmanthus honey, and decorated it with a small cluster of pre-prepared golden osmanthus and a sprig of osmanthus. In just a few movements, the mint cake, which was already as translucent as a gemstone, was transformed into a work of art. Every drop of osmanthus honey was like amber glass at dawn, clear and sparkling, flowing with a dreamlike and enchanting radiance. It was so exquisite that one was reluctant to eat it.

"Grandpa Alec, give it a try."

Moko presented the plate of mint-filled cakes to Alec with anticipation in her eyes. This was a recipe that Moko had suddenly come up with, and it should taste pretty good, but whether others would like it was another matter.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Alec forked a piece of mint cake and put it in his mouth. The fresh and sweet taste quickly spread in his mouth. The fragrance of mint and the sweetness of osmanthus honey blended perfectly. The slightly bitter medicinal aroma of Ossina grass, combined with the candied osmanthus, elevated the taste of the mint cake to another level. It was neither too strong nor too weak, but achieved a perfect balance.

As for the taste, it's simply superb—soft, chewy, and delicious, leaving you wanting more with every bite. For someone who has eaten a variety of main courses, this pastry is definitely the perfect ending.

Seeing that Alec remained silent, the chefs nervously swallowed hard, while Moko had already sensed the joy emanating from Alec and, without anyone noticing, had already brewed a pot of peach oolong tea.

"Grandpa Alec, and this too, they're a set."

Alec took another sip of the steaming hot oolong tea. The moment it entered his mouth, Alec was stunned. All he could feel was an explosion of sweetness on his taste buds, filling his mouth with a refreshing fragrance. The hot oolong tea did not trigger the intense coolness of the mint; instead, it made the pastry he had just eaten leave a smoother, more mellow taste in his mouth. His stomach, accustomed to all kinds of delicacies, was greatly satisfied at this moment.

"What does Grandpa Alec think?"

Hearing Moko's question, Alec finally snapped out of his reverie, still savoring the aftertaste of the pastries. If Moko weren't a professional chef, Alec would have loved to drag her into the kitchen. But how could such a little one be confined to this small kitchen? The little one in front of him truly possessed the skills of a legendary chef.

"Xiao Mo's desserts always bring happiness to those who eat them, and this time the desserts are also wonderful."

Alec gave Moko a thumbs up, and immediately, all the chefs behind him cheered. Alec clicked his tongue in exasperation and threw a spatula at her.

"I'm not praising you guys. You brats, if you ever have Xiao Mo Ke's skills, I'll go to Marshal Zhan Guo and praise you a couple of times."

"Chef Alec, there are very few people who can match Miss Moko's talent. And to put it another way, I would be completely satisfied if I had even a tenth of Miss Moko's skill." The chef who spoke barely dodged the flying spatula and said indignantly.

"Yes, yes," the others echoed with nods of agreement.

"Tsk, what a spineless coward. Go help with plating."

Alec threw the spatula that Knox had picked up back again and yelled at everyone. Watching the lively and loving scene, Moko's lips curled up slightly. Alec was actually a person with a sharp tongue but a soft heart. He said he would send the chefs who made mistakes back to the newbie village, but he never actually did it. He also taught all the chefs very carefully and did not hold back at all. This generous and unrestrained personality was very similar to Garp, so it was no wonder that the two could play together.

Seeing that everyone was helping with plating, Moko began to process the peaches that Knox had brought over. The peaches were washed clean, and the peels and pits had been removed, making the remaining processing much simpler. Moko picked up a fruit knife, and with a light twist of her wrist, the blade traced smooth arcs, and in just a few blinks, the pink peaches were transformed into evenly sized pieces.

Knox watched Moko's delicate and elegant movements, and gently bit the soft meat in his mouth. He had always been called by Alec the chef with the most potential to become a legendary chef. As a chef, there was no sentence that made him happier than hearing it. But after witnessing Moko's cooking skills, the pride in his heart was instantly shattered.

Should he back down now? No! Knox refused to back down. His passion for cooking was second to none. He had been arrogant in the past, especially after learning all of Chef Alec's skills. He once thought he was comparable to a legendary chef. Moko's appearance was a wake-up call. The road to becoming a legendary chef was long. He had to work even harder to hone his skills. If one year wasn't enough, he would work two years. If two years weren't enough, he would work three years. Ten years, twenty years. Before the end of his life, he would definitely become a chef like Moko, a chef who could make everyone smile with happiness after eating!

Amidst the playful banter, the mint cakes were all plated and the peach oolong tea was brewed. Less than a minute after they were finished, someone from the adjacent conference room came to announce that the main course was over. The freshly baked tea snacks were pushed to the adjacent conference room one by one. Apart from the ones in the conference room, there were still quite a few mint cakes and peach oolong tea left on the serving table. Moke took five portions of cakes and a pot of oolong tea and put them in a bamboo basket, then looked at the chefs.

"I made a lot more than I should have. Let's share the rest. I'm heading back now. See you tomorrow, Grandpa Alec."

"Xiao Mo, you should go back and rest now. See you tomorrow."

Alec knew very well that Moko had a lot of work to do. Luckily, Sengoku gave Moko a lot of vacation time, otherwise he would have taken Garp with him to cause trouble. He could squeeze Garp out a bit more, but he absolutely could not squeeze Moko out. What if the cute little Moko got exhausted?

(Garp: No, I, you, what? I'm just exhausted, that's all!! (╯°A°)╯)

"Goodbye, Miss Moko!" xN

After saying goodbye to everyone, Moko left. The moment the door closed, the kitchen suddenly became noisy. What happened was no longer Moko's concern.

"Pfft!"

"Woo-mi!"

Seeing Moko come out of the kitchen, Mihua and Ella, who had been lying idly on the windowsill, suddenly perked up, flapped their wings and flew into Moko's arms. Moko rubbed the two little ones' heads and smiled gently.

"Mihua and Ella have been waiting for a long time."

"Pfft!"

"Woo-mi!"

The two little ones waved their chubby paws, as if saying "soon." Their adorable appearance melted Moko's heart. With a smile, Moko took out a mint-filled cake from the basket. Upon smelling the fragrant aroma, Ella's eyes visibly widened, blinking rapidly. She quickly rummaged through the small bag that Mihua was carrying and pulled out her own little fork, eagerly holding it up to try it.

Their eager expressions were especially cute and funny. Moko let the two little ones sit on the windowsill and placed the mint cake in front of Ella. Ella forked the mint cake and put it in her mouth. Mihua didn't need to eat anything, but when she smelled the fragrant mint and osmanthus scent, she was overjoyed and hugged Ella, who was covered in the mint and osmanthus fragrance, and refused to let go.

While the two little ones were playing, Moko arrived at the conference room. The navy guarding the door saw that it was Moko and thought she was going in. Just as he was about to open the door, Moko waved her hand.

"These are snacks and tea for you. You've worked hard on this shift. I'll leave them here for you to take home when you're done."

As she spoke, Moko placed the bamboo basket on the shady windowsill. The four marines quickly stood up straight and saluted Moko. Their faces were expressionless, but their hearts were filled with tears of gratitude. Miss Moko was so considerate and kind. They wanted to be fans of Miss Moko for life!

Moko smiled and nodded slightly, then returned to the windowsill where Mihua and Ella were sitting. Ella had already finished eating the mint cake and was now being hugged tightly by Mihua. The two fluffy creatures hugging each other were incredibly cute. Moko picked up the two little ones, patted them, and took the empty plate downstairs.

The sunlit corridor was empty except for the four people still on guard duty and a bamboo basket placed in the shade. A small osmanthus flower remained on the basket, lying quietly and silently emitting its fragrance. Time seemed to stretch out quietly, and a sense of peace and tranquility pervaded the air.