Gourmet: Cooking for the Multiverse — Chapter 540

Chapter 540: Roronoa Zoro’s Mind Breaks, Nami’s Absurdity

Despite holding the lofty title of the Ghost Princess, Perona was currently trembling like a leaf at the prospect of encountering actual spirits. If Dracule Mihawk and Roronoa Zoro hadn’t been standing right beside her in the gloomy corridors, she would have bolted into the foggy ruins outside long ago.

“M-Monkey! Hawkeye!” Perona shrieked, clutching her parasol like a shield as she stared at the strange door. “Ghosts! We need to run!”

Zoro scowled, the heavy bandages wrapped around his torso pulling taut with the movement. How did this woman’s paranoid delusions manage to get worse every single day? He let out a harsh breath, his voice dropping into a gravelly warning. “I already told you, this is a restaurant from another world. There are no ghosts in there. And besides, aren’t you a ghost yourself?!”

“You’re the ghost! Your whole family are ghosts!” she snapped back, her voice cracking in panic. “I just use a Devil Fruit ability! You’re the real monster here!”

Zoro snapped his jaw shut, refusing to argue further. Just hearing the words ‘Negative Hollow’ was enough to give him waking nightmares. The sheer humiliation of being forced to his knees by those depressing specters still burned in his pride. As a swordsman, he would rather die than fall victim to that soul-crushing technique ever again.

Meanwhile, inside the otherworldly restaurant, Ren and the girls were already waiting. The ambient light cast a warm, inviting glow over the polished tables. After a prolonged stretch of silence, they had begun to assume the new guests had been delayed by some outside trouble. But a moment later, the heavy wooden door creaked open, and a tall, imposing man carrying a massive, cross-shaped black blade stepped into the dining room.

Hancock’s eyes widened, her haughty posture breaking as she shouted in pure disbelief, “Hawkeye?!”

Mihawk paused, his piercing golden eyes sweeping over the room before landing on the Pirate Empress. He looked mildly surprised. “Why are you here, Boa Hancock?”

“This is Mr. Ren’s establishment!” Hancock declared, her chin tilting upward with absolute pride. “To me, this place is my true home! Is there a problem with me being here?!”

Mihawk stared at her in silence. He shifted his gaze toward Ren, studying the calm proprietor for a long moment before speaking in a dry, measured tone. “You certainly keep a large company of women.”

Lucifer nodded vigorously in agreement. Beside her, Yakumo Yukari also nodded, though her golden eyes narrowed slightly as she shot a covert, piercing glare at Ren. He had promised to take her on a proper date, yet here was another beautiful woman staking her claim! Did this man have no sense of restraint?

A delicate flush dusted Hancock’s cheeks at Mihawk’s blunt assessment. Being officially grouped as one of Ren’s women sent a thrill straight to her heart. Her arrogant demeanor melted into a radiant smile. “Hawkeye! I have never found you so eloquent before! You truly are a good man!”

Mihawk opened his mouth to reply, only for Hancock’s expression to instantly snap back into a fierce, imperious glare. “Therefore! Even if you didn’t bring any new customers today, I won’t kick you to death!”

Mihawk exhaled a slow, quiet breath. What kind of deranged logic dictated a life-threatening risk just for walking into a restaurant? While he certainly didn’t fear Hancock’s kicks, he was rapidly coming to the conclusion that he needed to avoid interacting with women altogether.

That noisy Perona, who would unleash her Negative Hollows at the slightest provocation, already gave him a persistent headache. Yet, given the vast age difference, dealing with her felt more like managing a rebellious daughter. Now, facing the world’s most beautiful woman and her erratic mood swings, the entire situation was simply absurd.

Ren leaned against the counter, resting his chin on his hand. “So, did you come alone?”

“Of course not,” Mihawk replied flatly.

Lucifer’s eyes lit up with sudden excitement. Good heavens, a walking world synchronizer! That gruff, exhausted voice drifting from the doorway was entirely too familiar.

Just as Lucifer anticipated, Roronoa Zoro dragged himself through the entrance.

The heavy scent of iron and medicinal herbs immediately flooded the room. Seeing the swordsman absolutely covered in blood-soaked bandages and fresh stitches, Yukari and the others stared in stunned silence. To sustain such catastrophic injuries and still be walking upright—he should have been comatose in an intensive care unit, not casually strolling into a diner!

Hancock frowned, her dark eyes sweeping over his battered form. “Who are you?”

Zoro, completely oblivious to her identity, flashed a feral, pain-laced grin. “Roronoa Zoro.”

The moment the name left his lips, Hancock shot up from her seat. “You’re Roronoa Zoro?! The Straw Hat boy’s crewmate?!”

Zoro blinked, his grin faltering into genuine surprise. “Hahaha! Yeah, that’s me! But how do you know my name? Wait… don’t tell me you’re from our world too?”

Hancock nodded, crossing her arms beneath her chest. “I am the Empress of Amazon Lily! One of the Warlords of the Sea, Boa Hancock! Your captain is currently residing on my island!”

A wave of deep relief washed over Zoro’s battered face. He finally knew where Luffy was. He opened his mouth to ask for details, but Hancock suddenly pointed a manicured finger right at his face.

“So! Did you bring any new customers with you?! Let me make this perfectly clear—if you didn’t bring anyone new, I’ll kick you to death!”

Zoro swallowed hard, a drop of cold sweat rolling down his temple. He gestured awkwardly toward the open doorway. “There’s… someone outside. That should count as a new customer, right?”

He genuinely felt that he might never want to interact with another woman for the rest of his life. Between Perona’s ghosts and this Empress’s lethal threats, it was a miracle his sanity was still intact. To think a perfectly healthy, dedicated swordsman like him was being subjected to such psychological torment—he was half-convinced he was developing a severe case of gynophobia.

Lucifer leaned forward, practically vibrating with anticipation. “So, where is this person?”

Mihawk and Zoro both glanced back toward the empty doorway. Perona was nowhere to be seen.

“Roronoa Zoro,” Mihawk said, his tone dangerously low. “Where is Perona?”

“She was terrified this was the gates of hell,” Zoro muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “She told me to go in first and test the waters…”

Mihawk closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. He truly couldn’t fathom how the Ghost Princess managed to conjure such ridiculous fantasies just to scare herself.

Outside in the dark corridor, Perona had been waiting in agonizing suspense. Minutes ticked by, yet she heard no bloodcurdling screams or sounds of combat. She chewed on her lower lip, her grip on her parasol tightening.

“Is it… really just a restaurant?” she whispered into the gloom.

Tentatively, she reached out toward the glowing threshold. The ambient light spilling from the doorway felt incredibly soothing against her pale skin. “Hmm… such warm light. Surely no evil spirits would haunt a place this cozy.”

Gathering her courage, Perona slowly stretched her hand past the doorframe.

Zoro watched the trembling hand appear in the doorway. He was just about to call out to her when a blur of motion swept past him. Hancock dashed forward, grabbed Perona by the wrist, and violently yanked her inside.

Perona shrieked as she was dragged through the air, her heart nearly stopping from sheer terror. She squeezed her eyes shut, fully expecting to be devoured by a demon, only to land on the polished wooden floor of a beautifully decorated dining room.

Trembling, she looked up and locked eyes with the towering figure of the Pirate Empress.

“E-Empress?!” Perona stammered, her eyes rolling back slightly. “Boa Hancock?!”

Hancock placed a hand on her hip and nodded. “That is correct! It is I!”

Perona frantically scanned the room, her panicked gaze finally landing on Zoro and Mihawk. The tension drained from her body all at once, leaving her slumped on the floor in a breathless heap. “So… that creepy storeroom door really led to a place like this?!”

Zoro sighed, exhausted down to his very bones. “More than just that one door can lead here. We’ll explain the details later.” He turned his attention back to the counter. “Hey! Shopkeeper Ren! Has Nami arrived yet?”

Ren nodded calmly and cast a brief glance at Lucifer. Catching the silent cue, the fallen angel spun around and dashed up the stairs.

A few moments later, the soft padding of footsteps echoed down the staircase. Nami descended into the dining room, wearing a loose, comfortable t-shirt, a pair of fluffy slippers, and casually munching on a large bag of potato chips.

Zoro’s jaw nearly hit the floor. He stared at her relaxed, completely unbothered appearance, his one good eye twitching violently. “Hey! Nami! What the hell kind of outfit is that?!”

Nami paused mid-crunch, blinking down at her clothes. “Hmm? What’s wrong with my outfit?”

“Are you getting ready to go to sleep?!”

“No, no,” she waved a dismissive hand, popping another chip into her mouth. “I was just watching a movie upstairs in the lounge. I’ll probably sleep a bit later.”

Zoro’s mind shattered.

While he had been bleeding out, fighting baboons, and sacrificing his pride just to beg Mihawk for training, she was lounging around in paradise? Eating snacks and watching movies?! She was practically living here in absolute luxury! He had worried about his crew’s safety for absolutely nothing.

As expected, Zoro thought numbly, it really is better to just stay away from women.

Nami looked down at the potato chips in her hand, thought for a second, and then held the bag out toward his battered, blood-stained form. “Do you want some too?”

“I’m not eating your damn chips!”