One Piece: My Crew Members Are Legendary 3D Heroines

New Side Quest: "The people live on food, and food thrives on flavor."

On the long and often tedious journey across the sea, few things bring more joy than a delicious meal especially when you've got a skilled chef aboard.

Crew Requirement: A chef (preferably female, no extreme personality quirks)

Quest Status: In progress

Reward: One mastery point (may be freely assigned to personal attributes but cannot be changed once allocated choose wisely)

…

Ethan Chen blinked at the notification, slightly dumbfounded.

He hadn't even completed the navigator recruitment quest yet, and now the system was already asking him to find a chef?

Wasn't there supposed to be an order to these things?

And what about the character summon lottery? Had the system quietly swallowed his chances?

Unfortunately, the system had no AI or chat function. It was just a cold, mechanical task distribution interface, incapable of answering any of his questions.

So now, Ethan found himself saddled with two concurrent recruitment missions one for a navigator, and one for a chef.

He glanced at the newspaper again, eyes falling on the column about the upcoming culinary competition. Then he turned toward 2B, who was lounging on a chair beside him in a sensual swimsuit, enjoying the sun.

"Want to enter a cooking competition with me?"

"Sure," 2B agreed without hesitation. She took the paper from his hand and scanned the article. "First prize is twenty million Berries? That'll attract a lot of contenders. Sounds like tough competition."

Her concern was valid. Neither of them had the culinary confidence to back such a bold move.

Their support drone could manage a simple steamed fish, a fried egg, or the occasional breakfast.

Ethan himself wasn't much better. Compared to the drone, he had the added skills of grilling meat and simmering stews but that was it. His cooking couldn't even hold a candle to the old tavern chef back in the fishing village.

Winning a high-stakes competition with skills like that? Not likely.

"It's bound to be tough. But winning isn't everything. Let's sign up first and see what happens."

The timing of this quest, right after spotting the newspaper article, was too convenient to be a coincidence. Clearly, the two were connected somehow.

So they'd go. Even if just to check it out.

That said, the entry fee was nothing to scoff at a hefty two hundred thousand Berries.

Still, the decision was made. There was more than a week left before the registration deadline, so no need to rush. They'd just need to arrive two or three days in advance.

With the plan settled, Ethan took a sip of coconut juice from the table and asked, "Drone, are there any dangerous sea creatures detected in the surrounding waters?"

"Please hold..." The support unit quickly swept the area with its radar and scanning systems.

"There are no signs of dangerous marine life in the vicinity. It's safe to swim. However, be cautious predatory species from neighboring waters may still appear unexpectedly."

"Got it."

Reassured, Ethan dashed toward the water with a gleeful yell, diving in with the grace of a silver fish. He sliced through the sea like he was born for it.

Under the shade of a nearby tree, Mona glanced up from her book, unimpressed. She had no interest in the beach or the waves.

And then seawater splashed across her face.

"What the hell?!"

"Come play!" Ethan called from the water, flinging another splash her way. "You're at the beach. Can you not ruin the mood by reading a book right now?"

"This is part of my training!"

"Training requires balance. You've been reading for hours. Your eyes need a break."

"It's only been thirty minutes!"

"Exactly. Time to take a break. No excuses. Are you coming in, or do I have to keep splashing you?"

Another arc of seawater shot toward her. Even from this distance, Ethan's strength was enough to make sure she felt the sting of the cold sea.

"You jerk!" Mona shielded herself with her arms. "You're ruining my reading!"

"Then come down here! If you join me, I'll stop."

"Oh, so that's how you want to play, huh?" Mona snapped her book shut. "You're asking for it!"

The next second, her figure dissolved into a stream of rushing water, surging straight toward him.

She was visible on the sand, but once she hit the ocean and merged with the waves, she vanished completely like a shadow melting into the night.

Ethan looked around, confused, searching for any trace of her.

"Over here, idiot!"

He turned, only to get a faceful of seawater.

He instinctively raised his arms to block, but Mona had already disappeared again.

"Missed me!" came her teasing voice.

Following her voice, he lunged forward and managed to grab her!

For a moment.

Then she slipped right through his arms again.

It was only now that Ethan truly realized how overpowered Mona's fluid-style ability was in water.

The next moment, he was hit from all sides by waves manipulated by her magic.

"I surrender! I give up!"

"Oh? You surrender?" Mona asked playfully, still flinging water. "And what exactly are you sorry for?"

"I'm sorry for interrupting your reading!"

"And?"

"I'm sorry for... being too rough last night!"

"You-You pervert!" Mona shouted, her face flushing bright red. She gave him a swift kick. "You're not allowed to bring that up again!"

"Fine, fine! I was wrong, okay? I won't do it again."

"Hmph. That's better." Mona huffed, stopping her barrage. "Now don't bother me. I'm going back to my book."

She turned, flipping her still-dry twin tails with a proud little sway, and marched toward shore.

But Ethan had no intention of letting her go that easily.

Especially not with the way her swimsuit clung to her hips and thighs, outlining the soft curves of her body as she walked. The glistening sea made her skin glow, and the sway of her full, ripe figure was utterly mesmerizing.

He stepped forward, wrapped an arm around her waist, and drew her close. His fingers brushed over the curve of her chest as he leaned in to whisper against her ear.

"Why the rush? Stay and play with me a bit longer."

His sudden closeness made Mona tremble, last night's memories rushing back.

"P-Play what? Let go! Or I'll splash you again!"

"What else do you play at the beach?" Ethan smirked, turning her to face him and stealing a kiss. "We play in the water, of course."

His hand slid from her waist down over her hips, tracing the path of droplets along her skin, drawing closer to the source of the sea's warmth.

"No-No way," Mona gasped, her body weakening. She reached out to stop his hand, her grip shaky. "It's broad daylight, and 2B is still watching..."

"She's got her eyes covered. She can't see anything."

"That's not the point..." Mona protested faintly, but her resistance was feeble. She didn't even think to dissolve into water and slip away.

"I still have studying to do. Can't we wait until tonight?"

"We could," Ethan said, gently guiding her hand downward, "but if you help me out a little now, I'll let you off the hook."

The heat in her palm made her draw a sharp breath. Her whole body tensed, cold with nervous energy.

She had no idea what to do.