After touring the Xiaoyao with Master Yor, Lind, and the others decided it was time to return to the base.
The remaining work would be left to Master Yor. They just had to come pick up the ship in twenty days.
By the time they got back, it was nearly dinnertime.
Lind sent the others off to train, while he headed alone to the kitchen where the team's cooks were.
None of the current cooks were professionals—they'd just happened to be the ones doing the cooking on their previous ships. Because they had experience, Allison had assigned them to kitchen duty.
Watching them fumbling around the kitchen, Lind frowned slightly.
All the effort he'd put into designing the kitchen, selecting utensils and seasonings—it was being wasted on these guys!
"Ahem!"
Lind coughed to get their attention as they wrestled with the ingredients.
"Boss!"
"Boss!"
Noticing Lind's arrival, the cooks quickly greeted him.
"From today on, I'll be teaching you all some basic cooking skills. You'd better learn properly—don't embarrass me!"
Picking up a kitchen knife, Lind continued:
"First, let's talk about knife work. We'll start with how to process Sea King meat."
"Handel, give me that piece in front of you. I'll show you how it's done."
"When dealing with Sea King meat, you need to..."
Soon, Lind began demonstrating and explaining everything—knife techniques, heat control, seasoning, and basic cooking methods like frying, stewing, boiling, and roasting.
"That's all for today. Each of you make one dish—let's put it into practice."
Lind set down the pot and addressed the stunned cooks.
"Don't worry, I'll guide you along the way."
Seeing they were still in shock; Lind gave a few words of encouragement.
"Alright, get started!"
Only then did the cooks snap out of it. They quickly racked their brains, trying to recall the techniques Lind had just taught, and began processing the Sea King meat as instructed.
Lind wasn't surprised by their clumsy performance and patiently guided each of them step by step.
Thankfully, though their skills were mediocre, they weren't total beginners. With Lind's help, things progressed smoothly.
Feeding over 100 people, each with appetites far larger than normal humans, meant the cooks had their work cut out for them.
Even with their strong physiques and the ability to handle multiple pots at once, preparing dinner still took time.
Fortunately, Lind's kitchen had been designed with ample space, otherwise, they wouldn't have even had room to move, and it would've taken even longer.
Altogether, including Lind's instruction time, it took about two hours to complete dinner.
As for the taste—while it wasn't exactly world-class, it had at least reached the standard of a decent cafeteria meal from Lind's previous life.
Compared to their old level—where they could barely get food properly cooked—this was a massive improvement.
After tasting each dish, Lind felt confident that, within a few more days, these cooks could fully handle the culinary needs of the 7th Division.
As for finding a worthy successor to "Lin-style Cuisine", well… that would depend on talent and fate.
Lind's only real expectation was for them to fulfill the role of canteen staff, responsible for feeding the squad—just like a back-kitchen team in a modern cafeteria.
Inside the mess hall, as everyone tasted the noticeably improved dishes, their faces lit up with surprise and joy—it was clear they were satisfied.
Some pirates even shouted things like:
"Long live the Boss!"
"Boss is awesome!"
With their loyalty growing stronger by the day.
Though Lind felt he was simply doing what any leader should do, to pirates who lived by the blade, a captain who genuinely cared for his crew was a rarity.
He provided quality living quarters, proper training facilities, and even took the time to personally train and guide them.
Now, because the food was bad, he'd personally stepped in to teach the cooks himself.
Combined with his strength and approachable demeanor—although it didn't quite fit the typical pirate image—Lind was undeniably a perfect leader in their eyes.
Watching the group express loyalty and gratitude, Lind was genuinely happy.
He silently resolved that as long as they didn't betray him or do anything unforgivable, he would never treat them as expendable.
He would raise them—not throw them away like cannon fodder.
Twenty days passed quickly.
In those twenty days, every member of the 7th Division made tremendous progress.
First were the five officers. Thanks to the continuous supply of Dragon Bananas, their physical attributes all improved significantly.
Under Lind's guidance, their combat skills had also grown by leaps and bounds. Lind estimated that each officer now had strength on par with an average Marine Vice Admiral.
Once they went to sea and gained real battle experience, they might even reach the elite Vice Admiral level.
Next were the regular pirates. During those twenty days, Linde didn't just improve their training methods and techniques—
—he also taught them the Navy's "Six Powers".
He focused especially on Soru (Shave) and Geppo (Moonwalk). Now, everyone had mastered those two, and most had picked up some level of proficiency in the remaining four.
With optimized training methods, a steady supply of Sea King meat, and nonstop effort, their physical strength skyrocketed.
While they couldn't compare to the five officers on Dragon Bananas, their progress was still remarkable.
Now, all 92 regular crew members had reached the strength of Marine Headquarters officer level.
Each had two types of Haki, impressive physical prowess, and some mastery of the Six Powers.
Together, they formed one of the strongest private armies in the world.
Lastly, there were the cooks.
Thanks to Linde's dedicated instruction, all of them successfully graduated five days ago, reaching the standard of a high-end cafeteria team.
Lind now felt comfortable leaving the team's meals in their hands.
As for Linde himself, at his current level, further progress was slow.
Unless he mastered advanced techniques in the three types of Haki, or unlocked swordsmanship abilities like cutting steel or flying slashes, improvement wouldn't come easily.
Those things required accumulated experience or extreme battle stimuli.
It had only been a little over two years since Lind arrived in this world—and even less time since he began formal training. Achieving this level of strength was already a major feat.
But he wasn't in a rush. There were still several years before the God Valley Incident, and Lind was confident he'd reach Admiral-level strength by then.
When the Rocks Pirates eventually disbanded, he would emerge as a new legendary pirate.
Back on the training grounds, Lind looked at his steadily forming team—his heart filled with complex emotions.
It had been nearly three years since he came to this world. Now, he had his foundation and the power to protect it.
Combined with his connections, it was enough to barely survive in this dangerous world.
The only true uncertainty was the final catastrophe—something that had never been revealed, as the original One-Piece manga never finished in his past life.
People speculated it would be a global sea-level rise, but Lind couldn't be sure.
And even if that were true—how much would the sea rise? Would he survive it?
All Lind could do now was stay alert, keep growing, and not rely on Nika or any mythical force.
If possible, he'd clear the game early—on his terms.