A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

The voice was devoid of any emotion, yet it carried an unquestionable, absolute will to erase everything.

"Become friends."

Just two words, yet they were like a silent thunderclap, exploding in the hearts of the five elders.

Befriend them?

Before they could even ask a question, Im had already vanished.

The five elders looked at each other, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

"Lord Im... what exactly do you mean..."

The Five Elders, wielding their swords, took a deep breath and then said in a solemn voice, "Lord Im's so-called friendship probably doesn't refer to the Whitebeard Pirates."

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines and instantly understood.

The person he befriended was the chef, Ryan.

Now is not the time to go to war with the Whitebeard Pirates or Rein. Lord Im seems to have developed some interest in that chef's abilities.

In order to maintain their rule built up over eight hundred years, and to keep this sea from spiraling out of control, they must make concessions, even... deals.

"It seems we need to send someone who is both capable and intelligent enough."

The towering Five Elders said in a deep voice, “Someone who can represent us, but won’t cause too much of a stir.”

The five fell silent again, their minds racing as they searched for suitable candidates.

Finally, a name was proposed, a name that surprised everyone, yet felt perfectly appropriate.

……

The days on the back of the ancestral giant tortoise were filled with chaotic surprises and the shipwrights' lamentations.

"Hahaha! Marco, look! I've found a river that sprays Coke!"

Gatz's roar came from the other side of the island, followed by a violent earthquake.

Dorum had just jotted down a passage in his notebook.

The surface stability assessment is extremely poor; it is recommended that all crew members wear shock-absorbing shoes.

But the next moment, he saw a black column of water, tens of meters high, shoot up in the distance, and a sweet, bubbly smell filled the air.

"My measuring instruments! They'll be corroded by the syrup!"

Dorum's screams mingled with Gatz's excited cheers, creating the daily symphony on the giant tortoise's back.

Ryan was already used to this, and he was focused on his new research.

He discovered that the food ecosystem on the giant tortoise's back possessed a peculiar resonance characteristic. Combining two ingredients with different properties could produce a strange effect similar to the awakening of a Devil Fruit ability.

For example, if you sprinkle the spores of a glowing mushroom onto the shell of a cookie beetle, the beetle will temporarily gain the ability to create optical camouflage.

This discovery added several new, taboo-filled chapters to his encyclopedic cookbook.

That afternoon, Raine was trying to combine a balloon flower that could produce high-pressure gas with a spicy popping berry in an attempt to create an edible grenade.

But just then, a clear and long chime suddenly rang out across the entire airspace.

The sound of the bell was unlike any musical instrument; it was ethereal and far-reaching, carrying a unique power that could soothe the soul.

Even Gatz, who was wrestling with Biscuit Mountain, subconsciously stopped, scratched his head, and looked puzzled: "What was that sound? It was quite nice."

"It's a boat."

Silver's voice came from the lookout tree. He was standing at the top of a huge, broccoli-like tree, his cold gaze fixed on the distant sea.

Everyone perked up and looked in that direction.

In the distance, where the sea meets the sky, a uniquely shaped ship is slowly approaching.

That wasn't a warship, nor was it a pirate ship.

It is made entirely of a warm, white sea stone, and its hull has elegant lines, like a swan about to take flight.

The sails were made of translucent golden silk, without any flags hanging on them, fluttering gently in the breeze and emitting a soft light.

The ship didn't look like a warship sailing in the new world; it looked more like a work of art from heaven, meant for a cruise.

Chapter 210 Saint Ilydia

"What...what kind of ship is this? Is it from the Celestial Dragons?"

Dorum looked at the ship, his eyes filled with the shipwright's amazement and the wariness of a commoner.

"Do not."

Newgate slowly stood up, put down the mead in his hand, and a hint of seriousness flashed in his hawk-like eyes.

"The Celestial Dragons' ships use gold and slaves to demonstrate their folly, but this ship... it exudes a purer and more dangerous aura."

He could sense that there was an extremely restrained yet vast aura emanating from the ship.

The small white boat showed no fear and sailed straight toward the moving land of the ancestral giant tortoise, eventually coming to a stop on the sea a thousand meters away from the tortoise's head.

A figure slowly emerged from the cabin and stood at the bow of the ship.

That's a woman.

She wore a pure white, antique-style floor-length dress, and her long silver hair flowed like moonlight, tied back with a simple jade hairpin.

Her face was covered by a thin veil, obscuring her features, but her exposed eyes were like the deepest starry sky—ancient, wise, and carrying a detached indifference that seemed to see through everything in the world.

Her appearance brought no murderous intent, but it seemed to quiet down the entire ancestral giant tortoise.

Even the normally noisy food creatures quietly retreated to their nests, trembling with fear.

"Gurarararar... The World Government really thinks highly of us, sending such an important figure over here."

Newgate's voice was deep; he could sense an aura emanating from the woman that was of the same origin as, or even more ancient than, that of the Five Elders.

"I am Saint Ilydia."

The woman's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly in a peculiar way; the voice was ethereal yet majestic, devoid of any emotion.

"By order of the World Government, we have come to have a friendly conversation with the Whitebeard Pirates."

"chat?"

Gatz shouldered the anchor, grinned, and revealed a set of gleaming white teeth.

"We only have one way of communicating, and that's this!"

He shook the huge anchor in his hand.

Ilya ignored his provocation. Her gaze swept over everyone and finally landed precisely on the young man standing at the kitchen door, holding a smoking popping berry in his hand.

"No, I'm not talking to the Whitebeard Pirates."

Her voice remained calm, but she uttered a sentence that made everyone present, including Newgate, shrink their pupils.

"My purpose in coming here is to discuss a deal with Mr. Raine, the master chef."

Saint Ilya's words were like an ice cube thrown into a calm pan of oil, instantly causing an uproar in the bustling land of the Primordial Giant Tortoise.

"What? Looking for Renn?"

"By bypassing Dad and going straight to the head chef to negotiate?"

"Just who is this guy? He's got some nerve!"

The Whitebeard Pirates instantly bristled, their hostile gazes shooting like arrows at the small white boat.

In their view, this behavior was tantamount to a direct provocation against Captain Newgate.

Gatz slammed the massive anchor to the ground, causing it to shake.

"Hey! You woman! The captain makes all the decisions on this ship! The head chef is only in charge of cooking! If you want to talk business, you'll have to get my approval first!"

Newgate's face also darkened. He took a step forward, his mountain-like figure casting a huge shadow. An aura of domineering power spread out as if it were a tangible force, causing the distant sea surface to dent slightly.

"Madam, you seem to have made a mistake."

His voice was deep and authoritative.

"No one on this ship can get past me and negotiate any deal with my family."

However, facing this terrifying pressure that could change the very heavens and earth, Ilydia remained standing quietly at the bow of the ship, her figure not swaying at all, as if that domineering aura was merely a gentle breeze brushing past her.

Her calm, unwavering eyes remained fixed on Renn, her voice even carrying a barely perceptible hint of amusement.

“Mr. Newgate, you misunderstand. I am not challenging your authority. On the contrary, it is out of respect that I have chosen to come in this most direct way.”

She paused, then her voice became clearer.

"Because the bargaining chips I brought are only understood by Mr. Rein in the entire Whitebeard Pirates, and only he... has the right to decide whether to accept them."

These words stunned everyone.

Newgate frowned and looked at Ryan with some confusion.

Raine didn't say anything. He casually tossed the Exploding Berry, which was about to explode, into a nearby river flowing with cream, causing a group of cream fish to frantically fight over it.

He clapped his hands and calmly met Ilydia's gaze.

"interesting."

Raine spoke, his voice not loud, but it silenced everyone.

"Then let me see what kind of ingredients the highest levels of the world government can offer to impress a chef."

"Raine!"

Marco called out with some concern.

Ryan waved his hand to reassure him, then nodded slightly to Newgate.

Newgate looked into his calm and confident eyes, remained silent for a moment, and finally withdrew his domineering aura.

"Gurarararar... Alright, since my head chef has said so."

He sat back on his throne, arms crossed, watching with great interest.

"Then let me see what tricks you Celestial Dragons' lackeys are up to."

With the captain's permission, Renn took a few steps forward and stood at the edge of the giant tortoise's head, looking down at Ilydia.

"Speak, what are the details of your transaction?"

Ilya nodded slightly. Without keeping them in suspense, she directly revealed her stakes.

"We know that you, Mr. Renn, are a chef who pursues the ultimate in deliciousness, and the finest cuisine cannot be separated from the most legendary ingredients."

She extended a hand as white as jade, and in her palm, an image of a Den Den Mushi (snail phone) radiating a soft light slowly appeared.

The Den Den Mushi projects a three-dimensional light screen, displaying a series of unheard-of and unseen images.

There is a sun apple that grows at an altitude of 10,000 meters, feeds on lightning, and has fruit as bright as the sun.

There is a lava dragon king that dwells in the earth's core lava, whose entire body is made of diamonds, but whose heart is a burning flame.

There is even a sea forgotten by time, where a fleeting flower that can turn back time grows.

Each image represents a fantastical ingredient that transcends the limits of imagination and exists only in mythology.

"This is a list of forbidden ingredients that world governments have collected, recorded, and sealed over the past eight hundred years through various means."

Ilya's voice carried a hint of seduction.

"The location of most of the ingredients is currently known only to us. If you, Mr. Renn, are willing to reach an agreement with us, we can give you the complete copy of this list, as well as the exact location of three of the ingredients, as a deposit immediately."

Chapter 211 Happy Cooperation

This bargaining chip made all the pirates present gasp in shock.

Even Newgate's eyes shone with an unprecedented light.

This is no longer a simple transaction; it's a treasure map to all the world's top delicacies!

For a pirate crew whose dream is to find the finest ingredients, this temptation is deadly.

"What are the contents of the agreement?"