A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

"exist."

The two composed and strong individuals responded.

"Your target is Pudding Volcano in the north, where there lives a giant pudding beast that spews caramel lava. It has extremely strong defenses, but its weakness is the vent on its head. I need its core; that stuff is the key to making the ultimate dessert."

"clear."

"Marco, your mission is the most special."

Renn's gaze shifted to the phoenix.

"The soda islands to the south, where the seawater contains a high concentration of bubbly energy in different flavors. I need you to bring back at least one barrel of each flavor of soda water as quickly as possible, especially the... cola flavor."

"Leave it to me, yoi."

"As for Dorum and Silver."

Ryan looked at the last two people.

"Dorum, I need you to go to the mineral salt mountains in the west. The salt crystals there have different flavors and are top-quality natural seasonings. You need to use your expertise to collect the purest mineral salt for me."

“Silver, your task is to protect him, and while you’re at it… see if any foolish prey will come knocking on your door.”

"it is good."

Silver's voice was as concise as ever.

In just a few minutes, an unprecedented hunting operation centered around top-quality ingredients was arranged in an orderly manner.

Newgate leaned back on his tiramisu throne, watching the young man who was methodically directing the monsters on the ship, his eyes filled with approval and satisfaction.

He knew he had made the best decision of his life.

Entrusting the ship's course to this cook is far more reassuring than entrusting it to any nautical chart.

"And... what about me?"

A weak voice rang out; it was Teach.

He had somehow joined in, a naive yet ingratiating smile on his face.

Ryan glanced at him and said calmly, "You and the captain stay behind to guard the house and... process the ingredients we brought back."

"Yes, Head Chef!"

Teach nodded vigorously, his eyes gleaming with excitement, as if this were some kind of glorious mission.

However, deep within his lowered eyes lay a cold calculation.

He knew this was both a test and surveillance.

Chapter 170 Hunting Operation

The next morning, before dawn, the entire island of Hangulila was awakened by a series of deafening roars and booms.

The Whitebeard Pirates, these monsters who have just found a new dream, are like tigers unleashed from their cages, launching a hunt called "Dream Hunt" toward their respective goals.

The combination of Gatz and Oden is practically a walking disaster.

They rushed into the French Fries Forest, but the two of them were too lazy to even catch the sneaky ketchup fairies.

Oden unleashed a powerful attack, Peach Blossom White Dragon, a massive slash that flattened the Potato Forest, which stretched for hundreds of meters, like a bulldozer. The tomato sauce fairies were stunned and fell out of their hiding places.

Gatz followed closely behind, using the giant anchor as a giant fly swatter, hitting the disoriented goblins accurately into the huge sacks he carried on his back.

"Hahaha! This was so easy! Even easier than I imagined!"

"Let's go! Gatz! Let's see what that whining potato looks like!"

The two simple-minded battle maniacs excitedly rushed toward their next target, completely unaware of the devastating impact their carpet-bombing method was having on the island's ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Joz and Vista also arrived at Mount Pudding.

The massive volcano was slowly spewing out sweet, caramelized lava, and the air was filled with an enticing, slightly burnt, sweet aroma.

Just as they were preparing to climb the mountain, the entire volcano suddenly began to shake violently.

From the crater at the summit, an enormous head made of pudding suddenly emerged, its two eyes, made of giant cherries, burning with furious flames.

"Roar!"

With a roar filled with the aroma of milk, the Pudding Beast rose from the volcano, its bouncy and enormous body actually cracking the entire volcano into pieces.

A head-to-head showdown between diamonds and pudding has begun.

The hunting expeditions of various groups were in full swing, and the tranquility of the Hangulila Islands, which had been silent for thousands of years, was completely broken by this group of top gourmets.

Ryan stood on the deck of the New Moby Dick, calmly observing everything through his binoculars, while quickly jotting down notes in his notebook.

"Record: The combination of Gats and Oden is too destructive and has extremely high collection efficiency, but it also causes enormous damage to the environment. It is assessed as a one-time collection mode and does not have sustainable development. It should be used with caution next time."

"Record: Jozu's defense and the Pudding Beast's elastic defense system have produced a strange chemical reaction. Preliminary judgment suggests that the core energy fluctuation frequency of the Pudding Beast resonates with the atomic vibration frequency of diamonds. Perhaps we could try... a sonic cooking method?"

He was engrossed in his research when a figure silently appeared behind him.

It's Teach.

"Head Chef, you're amazing!"

Teach had an admiring smile on his face.

"How do you know everything about these islands? It's like you're a god!"

Raine didn't turn around, but calmly said, "A chef needs to know his own kitchen, that's all."

He paused, then added, "Clean the deck thoroughly; the smell of blood will affect my judgment of the food information in the wind."

"Yes!"

Tichy immediately turned around, picked up the mop, and started working hard.

But in the instant he turned around, a deep greed and fear, completely out of character for his age, flashed in his seemingly innocent little eyes.

This chef... he knows too much.

If Gatz and Oden's hunting expeditions were a symphony filled with violent aesthetics, then Marco's gathering journey was an elegant and efficient solo.

He transformed into a phoenix, his blue-green fiery wings slicing through the sky, and soon arrived at that peculiar sea area known as the Soda Islands.

This archipelago consists of dozens of small islands, each with a constantly bubbling spring, the water of which varies in color and emits different fruity aromas.

Following Rein's instructions, Marco landed one by one, starting with the orange-scented island.

He doesn't even need a container; the properties of the Phoenix Flame allow him to easily manipulate liquids.

With a flap of his wings, the soda water in the spring was drawn up by an invisible force, transforming into a crystal-clear water dragon that obediently flowed into the huge oak barrel he had brought.

"Orange, lemon, grape... Hmm, this smells like... durian?"

Marco stared at a spring gushing forth a murky yellow liquid, a conflicted expression on his face.

"Raine probably won't like this, right? But I'll still take some back with me, yoi."

The collection work was going exceptionally smoothly. Just as Marco filled the last cola-flavored spring, which was also the one that Rein had specifically instructed him to fill, and was preparing to return, an unexpected event occurred.

The small black island beneath his feet suddenly shook violently, and then the entire island slowly split open from the middle, revealing a huge, bottomless mouth!

That wasn't an island at all, but the top of the head of a colossal creature disguised as an island, a creature of unimaginable size!

"Roar!"

A deep, guttural roar, seemingly from the depths of the earth, resounded. From that enormous mouth emerged a tentacle-like tongue covered in viscous syrup, which lashed out at Marco in mid-air with lightning speed!

"not good!"

Marco was startled and took flight, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.

He flew high into the sky and finally saw the monster in its entirety.

It was a giant salamander, like Godzilla, its body made entirely of black, oil-like caramel, with a few bubbling springs scattered on its back.

It seemed to be enraged by Marco's act of taking away the spring water (or saliva?), and was tilting its head back, staring intently at him with its eyes made of giant mints.

【Ingredient Name: Caramel Sea Monster (Mature)】

[Attributes: An amphibious dessert behemoth that feeds on the energy of the Soda Islands. It has a violent temper and a strong sense of territory. Its blood (cola concentrate) is a legendary dream drink.]

[Catch Level: Unable to estimate (This creature is connected to the archipelago's ley lines and can regenerate indefinitely within the Soda Sea).]

[Cooking Tips: The outer shell (caramel) is extremely hard and immune to conventional physical attacks. Its weakness lies in its internal energy circulation core. It is recommended to use a flame containing life energy to blast it internally, which will yield the most complete cola concentrate.]

"Another one that's impossible to kill?"

Marco looked down at the colossal beast below, which exuded an aura of world-destroying power, and a helpless expression appeared on his face.

He knew that a fierce battle was inevitable.

Meanwhile, in the vegetable jungle on the other side, Gats and Oden also encountered trouble.

They successfully located the habitat of the pig-shaped potato, a maze made up of giant cabbages.

Chapter 171 Precise Control

The potatoes, like real piglets, grunted and scurried around in the vegetable patch. As soon as they saw a stranger approaching, they immediately burrowed into the soil and disappeared.

"Damn it! These slippery creatures are even harder to catch than sea eels!"

When Gatz anchored, it only created a large crater; it didn't even touch the potato.

"Hahaha! Gatz, watch this!"

Oden laughed loudly and drew his twin swords.

"Kozuki One Sword Style, Oden Two Sword Style!"

He actually used the two famous swords as hoes, digging wildly at the ground, sending dirt flying and making a huge commotion.

Surprisingly, this trick actually worked. Several pig-shaped potatoes that couldn't escape in time were dug out of the ground and screamed in fright.

Just as the two were basking in their own cleverness and preparing to make a big splash, the cabbages around them suddenly moved.

The enormous cabbages, as big as small mountains, stretched out vine-like leaves that, like giant hands, closed up one by one, instantly trapping the two of them in a huge cage made of cabbage leaves!

Immediately afterwards, the seemingly harmless plants on the ground also revealed their hideous nature.

A plant that looks like a trumpet flower sprayed a highly corrosive green sap at them.

Onions buried underground suddenly sprouted from the soil, releasing a pungent gas that could cause tears to flow uncontrollably.

Even the most ordinary-looking carrots shot out of the ground like sharp javelins!

"Wow! These vegetables have come to life!"

Gatz swung the giant anchor, smashing the incoming carrot javelin to pieces, but was stung by the tear gas from the onions, which made him tear up and snot.

"Interesting! Very interesting!"

Oden was so excited that he danced around, brandishing his twin swords and fighting with the moving vegetables while shouting.

"This is much more interesting than killing people in Wano Country!"

Suddenly, a hilarious free-for-all of food and diners took place in the vegetable jungle.

On the New Moby Dick, Ryan calmly watched the few flashing dots on the map, representing the vital signs of his companions, through the simple life signal detector set up by Dorrum.

"Marco's signal source energy fluctuates wildly, but his heart rate is stable. He must be dealing with something big."

"Gats and Oden's signal source... Hmm? Why are there so many plant life signals around? And why is my heart rate soaring, my adrenaline levels are dangerously high, and I'm also experiencing a strong tear secretion reaction?"

Rein frowned almost imperceptibly, picked up the Den Den Mushi, and dialed Gatz's number.

As soon as the Den Den Mushi connected, it was filled with Gatsu's pig-like roars and Oden's excited laughter, along with strange sounds of various plant sap spraying and exploding.

"Head Chef! Help! I'm about to be killed by a cucumber!"

Renn: "..."

He was silent for a moment before speaking in a calm and even tone: "Gats, listen to me."

"At the heart of the vegetable jungle is a giant, singing sunflower, which is the mother of this jungle and the control center for all the plants."

"Its weakness lies not in its flower head or its root system, but in the way it absorbs sunlight."

"Mr. Oden."