A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

Raine's tone remained calm, as if those fantastical ingredients were nothing more than ordinary radishes and cabbages in his eyes.

"It's very simple."

Ilya retracted the light screen.

"We need you to provide a complete recipe for a dish that you created that can greatly enhance one's life level, and to guarantee that the Whitebeard Pirates will not initiate any conflict with the World Government for the next twenty years."

In exchange for a recipe and twenty years of peace, a map to the realm of the gods.

This deal sounds incredibly good.

However, Renn laughed.

"Your chips are good, but your asking price is too high."

Raine shook his head and said, "My recipes are not for sale. As for peace... that's not something I can guarantee, but something my captain's fist can decide."

Ilya seemed to have expected him to say that and was not surprised.

"So, Mr. Renn, what are your conditions?"

"I'll take the map."

Ryan held up two fingers.

"In exchange, I can customize a dish for each of your five top leaders. As for the effect of the dishes... it depends on their luck."

"Furthermore, I need you to immediately cease all bounty and manhunt operations against the Whitebeard Pirates. This period is not twenty years, but... until the next time we want to fight."

These extremely arrogant words caused even the servants behind Ilydia to show their anger.

Ilya raised her hand to stop them, looking at Renn with a strange light flashing in her starry eyes.

“Mr. Ryan, you seem to have a lot of confidence in your cooking.”

"of course."

Raine calmly took out a thermos from his pocket and gently poured it towards Ilydia.

A stream of clear tea traced an arc through the air, traversing a distance of a thousand meters, and landed with perfect precision in an empty cup that had been prepared beforehand in front of Ilydia, filling it exactly eight-tenths full.

As soon as the tea is poured into the cup, a refreshing aroma instantly fills the air.

Ilya looked at the clear tea in the cup, hesitated for a moment, and finally picked up the cup and took a small sip.

The next second, her usually calm eyes trembled, and her hand holding the teacup tightened involuntarily.

In that instant, she seemed to see her past, which had been sealed away for hundreds of years, the endless void hidden beneath the cold throne of Mary Geoise, and... the deepest, long-forgotten yearning for freedom within her own heart.

This cup of tea caused a slight crack in her heart, which had long been integrated with the rules.

She looked up again at the still calm young man, and her eyes changed completely.

It was no longer scrutiny, but a deep-seated fear.

"Good tea."

She put down her teacup, her voice slightly hoarse.

"I agree to your conditions in principle, and I will report the specific details to my superiors."

"Pleasant to work with."

A top-level negotiation concerning the global landscape thus came to a dramatic close in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Saint Ilya did not linger any longer. She nodded slightly to Renn, and the small white boat, as elegant as a swan, silently turned its bow and slowly sailed away, eventually disappearing at the edge of the horizon as if it had never existed.

Only a ship full of pirates were left staring at each other, their brains still in a state of malfunction.

"It's...it's over just like that?"

Gatz scratched his huge head, looking at Newgate with a puzzled expression: "Captain, I don't understand. What were they here for? They gave us a map, had a cup of tea, and then left?"

"Idiot, you can't even understand this."

Dorum, standing to the side, pushed up his non-existent glasses, looking as if he knew everything.

"This is called strategic negotiation! The head chef, with his incredible culinary skills, secured temporary peace for us without shedding a drop of blood, and even managed to get a treasure map to top-quality ingredients! This is much more worthwhile than fighting!"

Although he said that, he was actually just as confused as Gatz.

All he knew was that the ship wouldn't be damaged and his repair budget was saved, which was more important than anything else.

"Goo la la la la!"

Newgate’s loud laughter broke the silence on the deck. He walked over to Ryan and patted him heavily on the shoulder with his huge hand, his eyes full of approval and pride.

"Well done, Ryan! Trading a meal for peace and quiet, that's a good deal!"

He knew better than anyone how dangerous the confrontation had just taken place.

That woman named Ilydia is incredibly powerful. If we were to actually fight, even if I won, it would be a Pyrrhic victory.

However, Ryan deftly defused the crisis with a seemingly effortless and effortless approach, even managing to secure the greatest possible benefit for them.

This skill and magnanimity far exceed the scope of a chef.

"But are you really confident you can cook for those five old guys?"

Newgate asked with some curiosity.

"of course."

Ryan answered calmly, a subtle smile playing at the corners of his lips—a smile only Newgate could decipher.

“I will tailor the most suitable supplements for each of them based on their individual physical condition.”

Newgate was taken aback for a moment, then burst into another deafening laugh.

He understood what Ryan meant.

This isn't cooking, this is clearly poisoning!

Using the finest ingredients to cook dishes that are most targeted at their inner flaws or physical health problems is more insidious and deadly than any sword.

"Hahaha! This is hilarious! So funny!"

Gatz leaned closer; he wasn't interested in the complicated deals, he only cared about one thing.

"Head Chef! Where should we go treasure hunting next? The Sun Apple, or the Lava Dragon King?"

All eyes instantly turned to Renn, their eyes burning with a desire for a new adventure.

Raine took out a scroll made of a special material that emitted a faint glow from his pocket. It was a rubbing of the list of forbidden ingredients left by Ilydia.

He slowly unrolled the scroll, which contained records of hundreds of unheard-of magical ingredients in ancient script and vivid illustrations.

Chapter 212 Rainbow Mist Orchid

The scroll slowly unfurled in Renn's hands. It was neither paper nor sheepskin, but tanned leather from an unknown creature, with a texture as warm and smooth as jade, yet exceptionally tough.

There was no ink on it; all the text and pictures seemed to have grown naturally, shimmering with a faint glow as the light changed.

"My God... what on paper is this?"

Gatz's enormous head loomed closer, his copper bell-like eyes wide open.

He pointed to one of the paintings, which depicted a huge island floating in a sea of ​​clouds, covered with mushrooms as vibrant as rainbows, each mushroom's cap seemingly concealing a starry sky.

"Stardust Truffle".

Raine's voice was calm and even, as if he were introducing the cabbages in his own backyard.

"Growing on a floating island at the boundary between dreams and reality, it feeds on the stellar energy dissipated when meteorites fall, and it is said that one can witness the birth of the universe the moment they taste it."

"And what about this? What is this volcano that looks like a bunch of grapes?"

Oden also pointed curiously to another picture.

"The heart of the Lava Dragon King."

Renn's gaze swept over the painting, which depicted a giant dragon made entirely of diamonds coiled in the earth's lava core, its beating heart being a string of grape-like crystals, as clear and bright as rubies, burning with flames.

"Legendary elemental ingredients can grant the consumer resistance to fire and the power of a dragon."

The scroll records hundreds of unheard-of mythical ingredients.

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

There are fleeting flowers that dwell in the river of time, capable of turning back the clock.

There is also a type of giant octopus that is completely black and is said to grant the user an immediate sense of dominance when eaten...

Next to each ingredient, ancient texts provide detailed information about its habitat, characteristics, catch level, and... recommended cooking methods.

This is no longer a simple list of ingredients; it is a treasure map to all the world's top delicacies, a forbidden recipe book that could drive any chef or gourmet in the world crazy.

The members of the Whitebeard Pirates gathered around the scroll, their mouths watering as they looked at it, their eyes burning with an unprecedented flame called appetite.

They felt that the sea monsters and beasts they had eaten before were as ordinary as wild vegetables by the roadside compared to this recipe.

"Head Chef! Where are we going next? That sun apple sounds really chewy!"

Gatz couldn't wait any longer; he felt his anchor was itching to crack open the apple's hard shell.

"The Lava Dragon King is not bad! If I eat it, wouldn't I be able to breathe fire?"

"Quiet down."

Newgate's voice was deep and powerful. Although he was equally interested in these legendary ingredients, he trusted Ryan's judgment more.

All eyes were on Ryan, waiting for the man who would decide their future food standards to make his final decision.

Raine did not answer immediately; his fingers slowly traced across the scroll, brushing over names that exuded a deadly allure.

The energy of the solar apple is too violent and unsuitable for the current physical condition of the crew.

The Lava Dragon King dwells in the Earth's core and is difficult to capture with their current equipment.

As for the Tyrannosaurus Rex... its capture level was followed by three blood-red question marks, and there was a small note next to it stating that eating it might cause a permanent drop in intelligence, which Rein completely ignored.

Finally, his finger stopped on a painting with a relatively soft style.

It depicted an archipelago made up of countless islands floating in the air, connected by rainbows, with clouds resembling solidified, sweet-smelling cotton candy.

At the summit of the highest floating island grows an orchid that emits a rainbow-colored mist, like a dreamlike bubble.

Rainbow Misty Orchid.

Ryan's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Is this edible? It looks so soft and mushy, it won't keep you full at all."

Gatz curled his lip.

"It cannot be eaten."

Renn shook his head.

"But its pollen is the main ingredient in a special seasoning that I call Dream Salt."

"This seasoning itself has no flavor, but it can bring out the deepest and most original potential of the ingredients, allowing even the most ordinary ingredients to have a flavor comparable to legendary ingredients."

Raine's gaze swept over everyone, and he calmly explained, "We can't find legendary ingredients every time, but with the Salt of Dreams, we can turn every hunt into a top-notch feast. This is the foundation for sustainable development that we need most for our future voyages."

These words stunned everyone present.

They were thinking about what to eat next, while Ryan was thinking about their food for the rest of their lives.

Newgate looked at Ryan, his hawk-like eyes filled with unwavering admiration and pride.

"Gurarararar! Good! Well said!"

Newgate burst into laughter.

"It's settled then! Our next target is that orchid that can fart... no, I mean, that can emit mist!"

"Oh oh oh!"

Once the decision was made, everyone immediately sprang into action.

Dorum rushed back to the cockpit, trying to glean the navigation theory for the floating island from the pile of burnt blueprints.

Gatz and Joz began inspecting the anchors and mooring lines, preparing for a landing operation at any time.

Meanwhile, Raine slowly walked up to the top of the ancestral giant tortoise's head.