A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

Newgate chose to protect, while he chose to explore.

They may have different paths, but they are equally worthy of respect.

As night deepened, the waves gently lapped against the hull of the ship, like a lullaby.

Roger leaned against the ship's railing, but he couldn't resist the effects of the alcohol and exhaustion, and fell into a deep sleep.

Newgate looked at his nemesis, who was sleeping like a child, and then at the young chef beside him who was gazing up at the starry sky, seemingly lost in thought. A surge of unprecedented pride welled up in his heart.

This era is getting more and more interesting.

With an opponent like Roger and a family member like Ryan, this journey called life is destined to be anything but boring.

The banquet hosted by the two top pirate crews lasted for three days before finally coming to an end.

For three days, this nameless sea in the New World became a sea of ​​joy.

The pirates on both ships went from being wary and tentative at first, to becoming inseparable, arm in arm, and calling each other brothers.

During the day, there are all sorts of strange competitions: arm wrestling, drinking, and even a contest to see who can steal the most snacks from Renn's kitchen. The loser gets their face painted and thrown into the sea.

In the evening, they would gather around the campfire, enjoying top-notch cuisine cooked by Renn while listening to Roger recount his unheard-of adventures.

After arm wrestling for three days and three nights and dismantling the table that Dorum had reinforced three times with shape memory alloy, the two power-type fighters, Gatzi and Jabba, finally ended in a draw.

The two became friends after a fight and agreed to settle their differences next time they met.

Oden and Rayleigh seemed to have found kindred spirits, and the two spent almost all their time discussing swordsmanship, except for eating and sleeping.

From the Ryuo of Wano Country to the Zantetsu of the West Blue, their understanding of swordsmanship was elevated through exchange and clashes.

In the end, the two even began to try to incorporate each other's swordsmanship philosophy into their own moves. Although the style became somewhat incongruous, they enjoyed it nonetheless.

Bucky Jr. and Shanks Jr. even turned the New Moby Dick into their playground.

They were filled with curiosity about everything on the ship, especially Ryan's octopus robot that could cook automatically.

The two little devils tried everything they could to teach the robot to dance.

As a result, each of them was tapped on the head by a robot with its mechanical arm. Feeling wronged, they ran to Renn to complain, only to be easily bribed by Renn with a freshly baked cream puff with double the cream.

Dorum was the most tormented person during those three days.

He followed Gatz and Oden around every day, his little notebook never stopping.

"The No. 3 load-bearing keel on the starboard side has bent by 0.05 millimeters due to an unknown force, and the estimated repair cost is 30 million Berries..."

"The kitchen exhaust fan's power decreased due to excessive chili powder; the estimated cleaning cost is 800,000 Berries..."

"The temporary bridge connecting the two ships has developed seventy-two micro-cracks due to the unexplained collision of sword energy and Conqueror's Haki. It is recommended that it be scrapped immediately..."

He felt like he wasn't attending a banquet, but rather a funeral for his own wallet. Looking at the eyes of those vandals, it was as if he were looking at stacks of walking repair bills.

As for Teach, he has kept himself extremely hidden and low-key these past few days, silently assisting Ryan without speaking to anyone.

Finally, on the morning of the third day, as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds and cast golden light upon the two battered legendary ships, this unprecedented maritime party came to an end.

Although the Roger Pirates crew members all had dark circles under their eyes, their faces were filled with satisfied smiles.

They left the last few barrels of fine wine on their ship to the Whitebeard Pirates as a thank you gift for the banquet.

Chapter 193 Promise

"Well then, goodbye, Newgate!"

Roger stood at the bow of the Oro Jackson, waving to Newgate with his signature confident smile on his face.

"Next time we meet, I'll definitely tear down your beautiful white whale!"

"I'll be waiting for you anytime, Roger."

Newgate crossed his arms and responded in a deep voice, his kingly aura undiminished.

The Oro Jackson turned around, raised the flag with the straw hat and skull design, and prepared to leave.

Just as the two ships were about to separate, Roger's gaze suddenly swept past everyone and landed on Kozuki Oden, who was carrying two swords and looking curiously at their sails.

Roger's gaze became somewhat complex, a mixture of admiration, curiosity, and a hint of deep calculation.

Hey! You samurai!

Roger suddenly spoke, his voice booming and echoing throughout the entire sea.

Oden paused, then pointed to himself: "Are you calling me?"

"That's right, it's you!"

Roger grinned, a smile tinged with mystery: "Your knife is quite good, and you're an interesting person too."

He paused, his smile fading, and said in an unprecedentedly solemn tone, "Samurai, when we meet again someday, there's something I might need your help with."

This unexpected remark stunned everyone.

No one expected that Roger would say such a thing to a foreign warrior he had only known for three days on his way out.

Oden was also a little confused, but his inherent samurai chivalry and sense of commitment made him pat his chest and loudly reply without thinking, "Hahaha! No problem! As long as it's an interesting adventure, you can come find me anytime!"

"Okay! I'll remember your promise!"

Roger burst into laughter, a laugh brimming with an air of unwavering determination.

He said no more and waved his hand at the crew.

"My men! Raise the sails! Set sail for the end of the sea!"

"Oh oh oh!"

The Oro Jackson sailed through the waves and soon disappeared at the horizon, leaving behind only a meaningful sentence that stirred up ripples in everyone's hearts.

The Oro Jackson disappeared completely from the horizon, but a peculiar atmosphere still lingered on the deck of the New Moby Dick.

Roger's last words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, leaving everyone guessing and pondering.

"Hey, what do you guys think Roger really meant?"

Gatz scratched his enormous head, looking utterly bewildered. "What could he possibly need Oden's help with? Does he want him to go and fight the Celestial Dragons together?"

"Don't talk nonsense, Gatz."

Marco corrected him from the side, saying that although he was equally puzzled, his intuition told him that things were not so simple.

“A man like Roger wouldn’t speak without reason. There must be a deeper reason why he values ​​Oden.”

Dorum, meanwhile, muttered to himself while holding a small notebook: "Whatever the reason, as long as they don't hold another banquet on our ship... This repair cost could probably build half a new ship..."

Oden himself was completely bewildered. He stood at the bow of the ship, carrying his twin swords, looking in the direction Roger had left, his face showing a mixture of excitement and confusion.

He couldn't figure out how he could help that guy, but he was filled with anticipation for that unknown adventure.

Only Raine calmly watched Oden's retreating figure, understanding the situation perfectly.

Others may not know, but he knows it very well.

Roger's journey is nearing its end. He has collected all three Road Poneglyphs and is only one step away from the final island.

However, the rubbing of the last road sign text, and the key to deciphering all the historical texts, cannot be separated from one person—Kozuki Oden.

Because only the stonemasons of the Kozuki clan in Wano Country can read and write that lost ancient script.

Roger's invitation to Oden at this moment was undoubtedly paving the way for his own final voyage.

However, the time is not yet right.

Both Roger's physical condition and Oden's growth require time to mature.

Ryan did not reveal this secret.

He knew that the tide of history had its own trajectory, and premature intervention was not necessarily a good thing.

All he needs to do is quietly cook, providing the monsters on the ship with the most abundant energy through his dishes, so that they can face that magnificent era in their strongest form.

Ryan turned around and silently walked back to his kitchen.

For Renn, the turmoil of the outside world was far less important than the pot of broth that was about to be cooked in the kitchen.

That was his true battlefield, and the starting point for him to change the world.

With the departure of the Roger Pirates, life on the New Moby Dick returned to normal.

After three days of revelry, the crew members entered a kind of "sage mode," spending most of their time catching up on sleep, except for their daily training.

Gatz's snoring was so loud it was said that even many fish in the sea were stunned by it.

Oden locked himself in the training room, seemingly digesting the lessons learned from his three-day sword duel with Rayleigh. Amazing fluctuations of sword energy occasionally emanated from the training room, causing Dorum's heart to tremble along with them.

A few days later, after everyone had rested and the damage to the hull had been mostly repaired by Dorum with tears in his eyes, Newgate did not immediately order the ship to set sail as usual, but instead turned his attention to the kitchen.

"Raine, have you decided on our next destination?"

It's unclear when exactly, but the ship's course has been decided by this young head chef.

Everyone fell silent, their eyes all turning to the kitchen.

A moment later, Ryan came out of the kitchen wiping his hands.

He held in his hand a map made from the skin of some unknown animal, which gave off a faint milky scent.

What was drawn on it was not a traditional nautical chart, but a map showing the distribution of different ingredients using various simple line drawings.

"The ship's reserves of top-quality ingredients were exhausted during the last banquet."

Ryan spoke calmly, as if stating a very simple fact.

"Ordinary ingredients can no longer meet everyone's growing energy needs, so we need to find higher quality prey."

He spread the nautical chart of the ingredients on the table in the center of the deck, and pointed his long, slender fingers at a distant sea area marked with thunderclouds and lightning.

"This is one of the most dangerous seas in the New World, known as the Thundercloud Sea."

Renn's gaze swept over the crowd, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of excitement.

"According to ancient records, the area was shrouded in thick thunderclouds year-round, with chaotic magnetic fields and harsh climate, making it a nightmare for all navigators. But at the same time, it was also home to a legendary ingredient—"

He paused, then said, word by word, "Thunder Dragon Eel."

Chapter 194 Target - Sea of ​​Thunderclouds

Thunder Dragon Eel.

The name struck like a bolt of lightning, hitting everyone on the deck and sparking a flurry of activity.

"Thunderous Dragon Eel? What's that? Is it tasty?"

Gatz's brain always processes information in such a direct way; his mouth was already watering.

"Idiot Gatz, you can tell he's no good just from his name."

Marco slapped the back of his head, but his eyes also gleamed with curiosity.

"Raine, is that thing very powerful?"

"sharp?"

A slight smile curved at the corners of Ryan's lips.

"To put it simply, according to the food guide, the electrical energy released by a single breath of an adult Thunder Dragon Eel is enough to paralyze a medium-sized island instantly."

"Its scales are natural insulators, immune to most physical attacks, and its body can become elemental, blending into the thunderclouds, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. Most importantly..."

Raine's eyes became somewhat intense.

"Because its flesh has been tempered by lightning for many years, it contains a unique paralyzing current, and its taste is extremely delicious. It is the dream ingredient for making top-level lightning-attribute dishes."

"It is said that eating its flesh can increase a person's nerve reaction speed several times in a short period of time, and even... briefly control lightning."

Control lightning!

These four words made everyone gasp.

"Hahaha! This is interesting! So interesting!"

Oden was the first to jump up excitedly. He drew his twin swords, and the blades clashed in the air, producing a clear, resonant hum.

"An eel that can generate electricity? I've never cut one before! It's decided! This guy's head is mine!"