A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

As soon as we entered the target sea area, the surrounding environment changed drastically.

The temperature of the seawater began to drop sharply, and large chunks of ice even floated on the surface of the sea, with a biting chill permeating the air.

However, in stark contrast to this cold scene is the island that is faintly visible on the distant horizon.

The sky above the island was ablaze with flames, turning half the sky crimson, and hot volcanic ash fell like snowflakes.

Half of it was frozen solid, and the other half was engulfed in flames.

Two completely different extreme environments coexist strangely in this sea area, forming a magnificent picture full of contradictions and shocks.

"My God...where am I?"

Dorum stared at the surreal scene before him, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the ship's rudder tightly.

"It's half winter and half summer; my ship is going crazy from the constant expansion and contraction!"

"Hahaha! This is so much fun! This place is so much fun!"

Gatz was so excited that he danced around, running to the port side where the cold air had created a thin layer of frost, and then to the starboard side where the heat had warmed him up, having a great time.

"This is Yanbing Island."

Rein's voice was calm, his Observation Haki already enveloping the entire island.

"Half of the land is covered by glaciers that never melt, and the other half by active volcanoes that never cease to thaw. These two extreme forces have reached a wonderful balance here, which has given birth to the unique ingredient, the Ice and Fire Twin Flower."

The ancestral giant tortoise slowly came ashore on the narrow beach where ice and fire met in the center of the island.

As soon as they set foot on this land, they felt a strange airflow that was half icy cold and half unbearably hot, giving them an instant sensation of extreme contrast between ice and fire.

"Alright, listen to my instructions."

Ryan gave the order.

"Gats, Joz, you two are tough as nails, go scout out the volcano and see if there are any heat-resistant prey. Remember, don't get too close to the crater, the temperature there is hot enough to melt steel."

"Alright! Head Chef!"

“Marco, Vista, Silver, go to the glacier and search for traces of the Deep Sea Spring. According to the records, the spring is hidden beneath the deepest layer of ice, and you will need to use your skills to extract it.”

"clear."

"As for me..."

Ryan picked up his food box.

"I'm going to find the true form of the Ice and Fire Twin Flowers."

The team split into three groups, and a challenging food hunting operation officially began.

As for Teach, he remained on the ship as a cleaner, looking after Ryan's kitchen.

Not long after, as soon as Gatz and Joz stepped into the volcanic area, they felt a wave of scorching heat hit them. The ground was hot volcanic rock, and the air was filled with a strong smell of sulfur.

"Wow! It's so hot here! I feel like I could fry an egg right on the ground!"

As Gatz walked, he fanned himself with his hand.

Just then, a deafening roar, like the earth shaking, came from ahead.

A colossal rhinoceros, its body as large as an elephant and composed entirely of burning lava, was slowly approaching them with heavy steps.

With each breath, it spews out scorching steam and sparks from its nostrils.

"Wow! Look! It's a walking roast meat!"

Gatz's eyes lit up instantly, and he grabbed the anchor and rushed forward.

A passionate clash between brute force and lava ensued.

On the other hand, Marco, Besta, and Silver's exploration was full of skill.

The glacier region is covered in a blanket of silver, with massive icebergs stretching endlessly, like a labyrinth made of crystal.

"found it."

Silver's voice was icy as he pointed to a very hidden crevice at the foot of a huge iceberg.

The ice crevice was bottomless, and a pure, chilling aura, seemingly capable of freezing time, was slowly emanating from it.

"The spring is right below."

Vista drew his twin swords, but instead of using brute force to break the ice, he concentrated his Ryuo Haki at the tips of his blades.

"Rose Blossoms - Diamond!"

His twin blades, like two high-speed rotating drills, silently pierced the hard ice, without making a sound or causing any unnecessary damage, simply carving a spiraling downward channel precisely into the ice.

In the heart of the island, in the vast underground rift where ice and fire meet, Raine finally found his target.

Chapter 245 The Twin Flowers of Ice and Fire

In the underground rift valley, half is the crimson of lava, and the other half is the eerie blue of ice.

The Twin Flowers of Ice and Fire, this natural miracle, grows wildly on this boundary of contradictions, both eerie and magnificent.

Half of its rhizomes are deeply embedded in scorching magma, drawing upon the earth's fury, making the coral body resemble a burning flame.

The other half is rooted in the ancient ice, absorbing the extreme cold. Its coral body is crystal clear, like solidified frost.

Raine could clearly smell that two completely opposite energies were circulating and merging in a mysterious way within the coral, eventually converging at a delicate balance point in the center of the rootstock.

That is the prototype of the core of the Philosopher's Salt—the Neutralizing Core.

However, obtaining it is far from as simple as it seems.

An invisible force field formed around this coral, creating an intensely hot environment capable of melting steel.

Half of it was icy cold, enough to freeze the soul.

Any single attribute that gets close will be instantly destroyed by another extreme force.

"interesting."

A smile crept onto Ryan's lips. This was no longer just about gathering ingredients; it was the ultimate test of a chef's skills—how to find the perfect balance between seemingly incompatible elements.

He didn't rush to take action, but instead sat cross-legged and placed the huge wok made of shape memory alloy in front of him.

Raine closed his eyes, and the power of food surged forth like a tide, but he did not directly touch the twin flowers of ice and fire. Instead, he transformed into countless tiny threads that probed into the surrounding rock walls and ice layers.

Renn is savoring the flavor of this land.

The lava was scalding hot, filled with the pungent smell of sulfur and the acrid aroma of metal. Deeper still, he tasted the savage, primal, and violent flavor of the earth's core, a flavor brimming with the desire for destruction and creation.

That's the smell of anger, the beat of a planet's heart.

Xuanbing, on the other hand, has a completely different flavor. The first taste is extremely cold, as if it can freeze your taste buds.

But upon closer examination, one can taste a hint of sweetness from that millennia of solitude—the purest tranquility and eternity that time has bestowed upon us.

That is the scent of slumber, the lingering echo of the world's breath.

Two flavors, two forces, confront and depend on each other here in a way that is almost like the Tao, ultimately giving birth to this contradictory yet harmonious twin flower of ice and fire.

"I see."

Renn slowly opened his eyes, already having made up his mind.

To break this balance, you can't rely on external forces, but rather you have to create a new balance, using one flavor to guide another, and one dish to persuade another.

Just as Raine was undergoing a silent enlightenment deep within the earth, the exploration teams on the surface were also receiving their own surprises.

Volcanic region.

"Hahaha! Joz, look! I caught it!"

Gatz roared like a volcanic eruption, his massive body pressing down on the lava rhinoceros. He used the huge anchor as a lever to pry open the rhinoceros's horns, which were as red-hot as branding irons.

The lava rhinoceros let out a defiant roar, and what spewed from its nostrils was no longer steam, but genuine magma, scorching the surrounding ground black.

Joz watched in horror. He had just tried to withstand the guy's charge with his diamond body, but it felt like he had been hit by a high-speed meteorite.

The diamond-cut arm is covered with a charred mark, which still aches faintly to this day.

"Gats! Be careful! Don't provoke it. If it self-destructs, we'll both be roast suckling pigs!"

"What's there to be afraid of!"

Gatz grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth.

"The head chef said that the more volatile the ingredients, the chewier the meat will be!"

As he spoke, he increased the force in his hand, and actually managed to break the giant rhinoceros's horn off its head.

The lava rhinoceros let out a mournful cry, its massive body convulsed violently a few times, and then it completely lost its life.

The lava on the body surface also cooled rapidly, turning into pieces of volcanic rock grilled meat that exuded a rich meaty aroma and was covered with marbling like top-grade Wagyu beef.

Gatz looked at his spoils, clapped his hands in satisfaction, and then unceremoniously broke off a piece of the still-steaming horn, opening his mouth wide to stuff it inside.

"Don't……"

Before Joz could even utter the word "eat," Gatz had already taken a bite.

The next second, his huge face turned a deep liver color, his eyes widened like copper bells, a thick cloud of smoke billowed from his mouth, and he froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

"Hot...Hot hot hot hot hot hot hot!"

Gatz started tap dancing on the spot, his huge feet creating smoking craters in the ground. As he danced, he frantically slapped his own mouth with his hands, tears welling up in his eyes.

Joz sighed and rubbed his forehead.

He felt that the greatest danger when going on missions with Gatz did not come from the enemy, but from this teammate who might self-destruct at any moment because of his gluttony.

On the other side, in the glacier region.

The explorations of Marco, Bista, and Silver are full of artistry.

With his superb swordsmanship, Vista carved a spiral ice staircase down the ancient ice, and the three of them followed the staircase deep into the heart of the glacier.

The lower you go, the more biting the cold becomes, as if it freezes even your soul.

Finally, nearly a thousand meters underground, they found their target.

It was a huge ice cave, and in the center of the ice cave, a spring was flowing quietly.

The spring water was crystal clear, yet there was no flow; it was as if time itself had lost its meaning over it.

The surface of the spring water is even covered with a thin layer of ice crystals that sparkle like diamonds, emanating a strange aura of extreme purity that can bring everything back to tranquility.

"A tranquil spring in the deep sea..."

Marco looked at the spring, a hint of shock in his eyes.

He could sense that the spring water contained a law power that was completely opposite to, yet equally powerful, to his Phoenix Flame.

One is the ultimate leap of life, the other is the absolute stillness of all things.

"How do I get it, yoi?"

Marco asked.

He could sense that there was also an invisible force field around the spring, and any external force could break the tranquility, causing the spring to freeze instantly into useless ice.

"Leave it to me."

Silver was a man of few words.

He took out a special container made by Renn, crafted from seastone and the stomach of some unknown sea creature.

Instead of directly fetching water, he concentrated his Observation Haki into a single point, transforming it into an invisible thread thinner than a hair, and carefully probed it into the spring.

He was listening, listening to the breath of the spring, listening to its still pulse.

Chapter 246 Using food to communicate with this world

After a long while, Silver suddenly opened his eyes, and the container in his hand slid silently into the spring water at an incredible speed and angle, following the only energy flow trajectory he had just discovered.

It didn't cause a ripple, nor made a sound.

The container, like a ghost, swam around in the spring, filled itself with the pure water, and then silently slid back.

The entire process was fluid and graceful, full of skillful beauty, which made Vista exclaim in admiration.