A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

Chapter 201 A Feast for the Soul

"Oh oh oh oh oh!"

Gatz let out a deafening roar, feeling every muscle in his body cheer and every drop of blood boiling.

He felt stronger than ever before!

Not just Gatz, but everyone who eats the snail meat of time experiences a unique journey through time.

Before Oden's eyes appeared his lawless childhood in Kuri, his youthful adventures with his retainers, and... in the distant future, the magnificent scene of cherry blossoms blooming in Wano Country and all people celebrating.

He felt his arm gripping the knife become stronger, and his ambition became even more unwavering.

Dorum saw in himself the joy of building his first small wooden boat when he was young, and the sleepless days and nights he spent pursuing the most perfect craftsmanship.

His back, which had been hunched over from years of hard work, slowly straightened, and the cloudiness in his eyes vanished, replaced by clarity and a renewed sense of creativity.

Even Newgate fell into a long silence after eating that piece of meat.

He saw the blood and fire of God Valley, Rocks' ambition and destruction, his original intention in starting a family, and he also saw... the vast and boundless sea that would belong to the Whitebeard Pirates in the future.

He could clearly feel that some of the hidden injuries he had sustained from years of fighting and the backlash from the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power were being repaired, and his body's functions were returning to their peak in an incredible way.

That's not a simple recovery, but a calibration at the level of life.

This is a feast for the soul.

What Renne presented to everyone was a unique dish called "Fleeting Eternity".

It allows everyone to reflect on their life in an instant, and then to greet the eternal future in the most perfect way.

This also led to a significant increase in Raine's experience points and cooking points.

Renn checked his experience points and found that he now had over six million.

The number of culinary skills points has reached over 800,000.

It seems I can finally find some time to splurge in the system store once I have a little more free time.

After the banquet ended, the chaotic scene in the Sea of ​​Time Stopped began to slowly return to normal.

The sky was no longer cleaved, and the sea returned to calm, as if the death of that giant tortoise of time had taken away all the abnormalities in this sea area.

Teach remained seated in that inconspicuous corner, taking small bites of the snail meat that had been given to him, a naive and innocent smile on his face.

But deep within his lowered eyes gleamed a light more dangerous than ever before.

He did indeed see his own life unfold before his eyes.

In that illusion, he obtained the most powerful Devil Fruit. He betrayed everyone and stood at the top of the world, with countless bones and burning ruins beneath his feet.

The sight did not frighten him in the slightest; instead, it made his ambitious heart pound more violently than ever before.

"Zehahaha... Power... Is this... the taste of destiny?"

Renn watched all this calmly, and in his little notebook, the record of the snail of time came to an end.

【Ingredient Name: Time-Reversing Snail (Mature Form)】

[Attribute: Conceptual type mythical beast, feeds on time, its flesh contains fragments of the laws of time.]

[Capture Level: Unable to estimate (The difficulty in capturing this creature lies not in its combat power, but in dealing with the time paradox it causes).]

[Cooking advice: Do not use conventional cooking methods. Any form of physical or energy contact may cause the temporal energy it contains to become uncontrollable. It is recommended to neutralize and guide it with life energy of the same level. Raw consumption is the best approach.]

[Overall Assessment: A top-tier conceptual ingredient that transcends taste and energy. After consumption, it can calibrate the consumer's physical and mental state to its peak, slightly enhancing mental resilience and lifespan. A side effect is that it temporarily induces a state of sage-like tranquility, significantly reducing the ship's daily noise levels and…maintenance costs.]

After making the notes, Ryan casually opened the system store, where a dazzling array of goods overwhelmed him.

There are ripening photon lamps that can instantly bring ingredients to their peak maturity, taste memory chips that can perfectly replicate any flavor, and even a strange book called the Cross-Dimensional Ingredient Capture Guide.

"Looks like I'll have to go on a shopping spree when I have time."

Ryan closed his notebook, having made up his mind.

With the demise of the Giant Tortoise of Time, this eerie sea known as the Sea of ​​Time Stop gradually returned to normal.

The sky and ocean, as if sliced ​​open by a sharp blade, slowly merged together, the clock that had stopped began to turn again, and the chaotic flow of time completely calmed down, as if everything was just a bizarre dream.

The sails of the New Moby Dick rose once more, and this white whale, carrying the dreams of a group of monsters and laden with the gifts of time and new power, slowly sailed away from the legendary sea that had witnessed yet another miracle of theirs.

……

Time flies, and years pass like a flowing river.

After their fantastical journey through time came to an end, the Whitebeard Pirates' voyage returned to its usual routine.

They continue to brave the waves of the new world, challenging the strong, exploring secret realms, and settling scores with gusto.

Everyone on board is growing at an astonishing rate.

Gatz's power grew increasingly tyrannical, Oden's swordsmanship became more unrestrained, and Dorum's ship repair skills reached a new level through repeated collapses and reconstructions.

Raine's culinary skills have reached a new level of perfection. He perfectly combines the new knowledge he obtains from the system shop with the unique ingredients of this world to create a series of incredible dishes.

This caused the overall strength of this monster ship to continue to rise in an unreasonable way.

Time flies, and two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

In the past two years, a new world has been in turmoil.

The Roger Pirates' reputation grew ever stronger, and they seemed to have collected all three Road Poneglyphs, now only one step away from the final island.

The Whitebeard Pirates, in their unique way, became another distinctive sight on this sea.

They don't fight for territory or status; their voyages have only one purpose—to find the world's finest ingredients and host the world's best banquets.

The title of Raine, the God of Cookery, spread quietly throughout the underworld with each of their gourmet hunts, its power even surpassing that of Whitebeard himself.

Just a month ago, on an island, the Whitebeard Pirates encountered the Roger Pirates again.

At that time, the Roger Pirates had just defeated a wave of Marines' encirclement and suppression, but unexpectedly they encountered the Whitebeard Pirates again.

Without saying much, the two pirate crews, who were at the pinnacle of the world, immediately started fighting when they met.

This battle lasted for three days and three nights.

The island's landscape was completely altered; mountains were leveled, forests turned to scorched earth, and rivers dried up.

Chapter 202 Roger's Request

By dusk on the third day, everyone was exhausted.

Newgate and Roger faced off, both panting and bruised, but their fighting spirit remained undiminished.

Gatz and Jabba collapsed to the ground, exhausted, still locked in a final struggle with their eyes, neither willing to close them first.

Oden and Rayleigh, each leaning on their swords, were panting heavily, but their faces wore the delightful smiles of having met their match.

There was no winner or loser in this battle; everyone had exhausted their last bit of strength.

"Huff...huff...Newgate, you're still so resilient..."

Roger, leaning on his knife, grinned.

"You're not bad either... Roger..."

Newgate was also struggling with his breathing.

Just when everyone thought this epic battle would end in a draw, an indescribable, domineering aroma, a blend of exquisite meaty fragrance and boundless vitality, suddenly wafted from the Whitebeard Pirates' ship, instantly enveloping the entire island.

The aroma seemed to possess a magical power, penetrating everyone's nostrils and instantly sending a warm current through their exhausted bodies, restoring a trace of their depleted strength.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction of the aroma.

On the deck of the New Moby Dick, the young man who always wore a clean cook's uniform was calmly striking a huge gong.

"Dinner is ready."

Raine's voice wasn't loud, but it sounded like a divine decree, bringing an unexpected end to the three-day war.

Rennes's call to dinner was more effective than any ceasefire agreement.

Just a moment ago, the two groups were locked in a fierce battle, but after smelling that irresistible aroma, they simultaneously lowered their weapons, their Adam's apples bobbing and their stomachs rumbling in protest.

"Gurgle..."

Roger was the first to sheath his sword. He looked in the direction of the New Moby Dick and burst into laughter: "Hahaha! Newgate! It seems your ship's cook knows more about hospitality than you do!"

Newgate snorted and sheathed his naginata: "Of course, my head chef is the best in the world."

A fierce battle, which shook the heavens and the earth, came to an eerie end amidst the peaceful aroma of food.

Raine didn't prepare any fancy dishes. He directed Gatz and Oden to clean up the several giant wild boars that had been knocked unconscious, and set up a huge grill using the kiwi-scented Drunken Dragonwood they had cut from the island as fuel.

They then used a giant pot with a diameter of over ten meters to simmer various energy-rich vegetables and sea monster bones together, creating a pot of "War God Revival Soup".

When the golden-brown, crispy roasted whole pig and the rich, golden-hued soup were served on the makeshift banquet table, the pirates from both ships no longer cared about friend or foe, and charged forward with a deafening cheer.

"Oh! Meat! It's meat!"

"This soup! The taste of this soup! I feel my wounds healing!"

The banquet was filled with a lively yet strangely harmonious atmosphere.

The deck was filled with laughter and joy, brimming with the purest, most unbridled boldness and freedom that belonged to pirates.

……

The banquet continued, but Roger and Whitebeard sat on the edge of the island, each holding a barrel of wine, in silence for a long time, watching the sunset be swallowed by the night and the stars begin to twinkle.

Just as the banquet was drawing to a close and everyone was thoroughly drunk, Roger suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, instantly silencing the noisy banquet.

"Newgate, I need to talk to you about something."

Roger's cynical smile vanished, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness.

"Ok?"

Newgate raised an eyebrow.

Roger's gaze swept over the crowd and finally landed on Kozuki Oden, who was arm in arm with Gatz and singing loudly.

"I have a request... Could you lend me that samurai from your ship, Kozuki Oden, for a while?"

These words were like a depth charge dropped into a calm lake, stirring up huge waves in everyone's hearts.

The Whitebeard Pirates instantly sobered up considerably, and stood up with unfriendly expressions, their powerful aura rising once again.

"Roger! What nonsense are you spouting!"

Gatz was the first to roar, "Oden is our family! He's not someone we can just borrow and leave!"

"That's right!"

Marco and others echoed this sentiment.

Newgate's face darkened, and he looked at Roger with an extremely dangerous gaze: "Roger, do you know what you're saying? Demanding my son from me, you're declaring war on me."

He recalled that two years ago, at the farewell after another banquet, Roger had also said something cryptic to Oden.

"Samurai, when we meet again someday, there's something I might need your help with."

Hearing these almost demanding words again brought Newgate's doubts and vigilance to a fever pitch.

What secrets does this samurai from Wano Country hold that would make Gol D. Roger, a man who fears nothing, take it so seriously?

Roger remained unmoved by the Whitebeard Pirates' fury, which threatened to overturn the entire island.

He simply looked calmly at Newgate and said, word by word, "I have no time, Newgate. To get there, I need his power."

"I need him to interpret the truth of history for me."

This interpretation of the truth of history brought Newgate's inner turmoil to its peak.

He certainly knew of the existence of the historical texts, and he also knew that behind those lost ancient scripts might lie enormous secrets capable of overturning the world.

But he never imagined that the Wano Country samurai on his ship, who seemed to be good for nothing but eating, drinking, fighting, and causing trouble, actually held the key to understanding all of this.

"The Guangyue clan..."

Newgate murmured the surname, countless legends about Wano Country flashing through his mind.

That closed-off, mysterious country that even the world government couldn't easily set foot in, and that clan of stonemasons who created the Poneglyphs.