A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

Dr. Clover fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

The scholars behind him also began to whisper among themselves, flipping through various ancient texts.

Just then, Robin, who had been quietly standing to the side, suddenly spoke up.

"Brother Renn."

She pointed to a symbol on the cover of an extremely ancient book made of unknown animal hide.

"I feel like I've seen a similar pattern somewhere before."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their attention to that direction.

It was an extremely complex symbol composed of countless concentric circles and radiating lines, resembling both a blooming lotus flower and a constantly rotating galaxy.

"This is……"

Dr. Clover's pupils suddenly contracted.

"This is a symbol used to mark the navel of the world during the time of the ancient Great Kingdom! Legend has it that it was the place where the first ray of light and the first darkness met at the beginning of the world, the cradle of all laws!"

"The Navel of the World?"

"That's right!"

Dr. Clover was so excited he was trembling all over.

"According to scattered records, that place does not exist in any known spatial dimension; it is a conceptual coordinate, and the door to it will only be opened when a specific key appears!"

His gaze was fixed intently on the Fruit of Origin on the table.

"And this fruit, without a doubt, is the key that has been lost for countless years!"

Just as everyone was shocked by this discovery, the Fruit of Origin suddenly shone brightly.

An invisible yet immense will surged into everyone's mind like a tidal wave.

That is not language, but a purer spiritual resonance composed of images and concepts.

Renn seemed to see an endless chaos, within which a singularity exploded, giving birth to time and space, and countless laws intertwined like threads, forming the prototype of the world.

At the center of this creation painting is the same symbol as described in ancient texts: the navel of the world.

Then, another image appeared.

It was in the Devil's Triangle, a region shrouded in thick fog and haunted by countless ghost ships.

On a colossal, terrifying three-masted sailing ship that resembled a moving island, a tall man with two horns, uttering Moriah's eerie laughter, hung a black compass, which bore a striking resemblance to the symbol of the Navel of the World and exuded an ominous aura, as a mere decoration in his captain's cabin.

The image flashed by in an instant.

Raine slowly opened his eyes and exchanged a glance with Dr. Clover. They both saw understanding and a hint of... strangeness in each other's eyes.

"It seems we already know where that door is."

Ryan's tone was somewhat amused.

"I also know who to borrow from now on."

"Moonlight Moria..."

Renn slowly uttered the name, his expression becoming somewhat amused.

He never imagined that the key that could unlock the path to creation would end up in the hands of this future Shichibukai.

Moreover, it seems that the other party is completely unaware of the extraordinary treasure he is holding, treating it merely as an ordinary decoration that fits his own horrific aesthetic.

It's like a child hanging a nuclear launcher key on their backpack like a regular keychain.

It's full of dark humor.

"Moria? I think I've heard of that guy before."

There isn't much information about this name in Newgate's memory bank.

"A guy who manipulates shadows and corpses is quite famous in the New World, but he seems to have been severely punished by that bastard Kaido a few years ago and then disappeared. I didn't expect him to hide in the Devil's Triangle."

"Thief hahaha... no, it's Moria hahaha..."

Gatz tried to imitate the man's laughter from the hallucination, but he almost choked because his voice was too loud.

"That guy doesn't seem that tough. Let's just grab him and steal that black compass!"

"It's probably not that simple."

Renn shook his head.

He had just gleaned more information from that brief illusion.

"That compass seems to have formed some kind of deep connection with Moria's Shadow-Shadow Fruit ability and that huge island ship called Thriller Bark."

Renn's expression turned serious.

"It is no longer an inanimate object; it is more like the heart of that ghostly sea. Forcibly seizing it could very well trigger the spatial collapse of the entire Devil's Triangle."

"What should we do then, yoi?"

Marco asked.

"It's very simple."

A subtle smile curved at the corners of Ryan's lips, a smile that carried a chef's unique confidence of being in control of everything.

"Since we can't rob him, let's just let him lend it to us willingly."

"An excellent chef must not only know how to handle ingredients, but also how to communicate amicably with the owners of those ingredients."

These words stunned everyone present, and then strange smiles appeared on their faces.

They knew that their head chef's so-called friendly communication often meant that the other party would experience what a real, painful yet pleasurable hell was, both mentally and physically.

"Gurarararara! Okay! It's settled then!"

Newgate delivered the final blow, rising from his throne with an imposing, mountain-like presence that exuded an undeniable aura of dominance.

"Men! Prepare to depart!"

"We're going to visit a guy who might become a friend, and while we're at it... borrow something from him!"

"Oh oh oh!"

After making a decision, the entire ship was filled with energy once again.

Dorum redesigned all the nautical charts and contingency plans, with his sights set on the legendary Sea of ​​Death.

Gatz excitedly stomped on the cracked deck a few more times, calling it a pre-battle warm-up, which drew a heart-wrenching roar from Dorum.

Ryan returned to his kitchen and began preparing a unique gift for this special visit.

Chapter 254 Moonlight Moria

Instead of choosing those violent ingredients that could enhance strength, Raine took out some things that looked the most harmless.

There is rainbow mist orchid pollen collected from floating islands, which can awaken the most beautiful memories in people's hearts.

There are musical note fish that are marinated with sound waves on Symphony Island and can bring joy to people.

There's also that dream crystal obtained from the Nightmare Tree, purified and refined by him, which allows people to taste their most desired dreams.

He wanted to cook a dish for the Shadow King, who was immersed in the shadows of defeat and revenge, so that he could regain his sunshine.

After all, to borrow someone's most important possession, you have to make sure they are well-fed, watered, and in a good mood first.

……

The ancestral giant tortoise's voyage was smooth and steady, its massive body like a moving island, ignoring the unpredictable weather and undercurrents of the new world.

After sailing for nearly a month, they finally arrived at the legendary Devil's Triangle.

As soon as we entered this sea area, the surrounding environment underwent drastic changes.

The sky was shrouded in a perpetual, veil-like gray mist, and the sunlight, penetrating through the mist, became hazy and bleak.

The sea was calm and still, like a giant black mirror reflecting the gray sky, making it impossible to distinguish where the sky ended and the sea began.

The air was filled with a cold, damp, and faintly rotten smell, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

"Tch, what a lousy place. Even the seawater smells like mold."

Gatz lay on the bow of the ship, his huge nostrils snorting like a blower, his face full of disgust.

Just then, faint, sorrowful, and desperate groans came from all directions through the thick fog, as if countless souls were wandering and weeping over this sea.

"Playing tricks and deception."

Newgate snorted coldly, and an invisible aura of Conqueror's Haki spread out, instantly dispelling all the annoying voices.

As they continued deeper into the fog, preparing to search for the legendary terrifying three-masted ship, a huge, twisted shadow suddenly emerged from the thick fog ahead, like a moving mountain, blocking their path.

The silhouette of the shadow looked like a ship, but its size far exceeded that of any warship they had ever seen.

The ship's masts were like swords piercing the sky, and the sides of the hull were ferocious, huge sails that looked like the wings of a demon. At the bow, an enormous, blood-red maw that seemed capable of swallowing all light was slowly opening.

The terrifying three-masted ship has arrived.

Even the ancestral giant tortoise seemed somewhat insignificant in its presence.

"Gurgling... This is really a huge guy."

Newgate looked at the ghost ship that resembled a mobile fortress, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

"Moria, hahahaha!"

A neurotic and arrogant laugh came from the depths of the giant ship, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"Who are these fools who dare to trespass into the territory of Lord Moonlight Moria? Perfect timing, my zombie army is just missing a few powerful bodies, you've come at the right time!"

Amidst laughter, countless figures emerged from the deck of the giant ship.

There are zombie generals clad in armor and wielding giant axes, agile and ghostly animal zombies, and even several horrifying stitched-together monsters made from the corpses of different creatures, exuding a foul stench.

They were numerous and densely packed, crowding the entire deck, each exuding a chilling aura of death and hatred for the living.

"A bunch of... trash that doesn't even qualify as food."

Raine looked at the zombies lying scattered about and calmly gave his assessment.

He didn't even bother to lift a finger; he simply took out a small crystal bottle from his pocket and gently tossed it toward the giant ship.

The powder in the bottle drew a beautiful rainbow in the air, like the gentlest spring rain, silently sprinkling onto the seemingly invincible zombie army.

The next second, a miracle happened.

The dazzling rainbow powder was soft and silent, like the gentlest willow catkins in spring, drifting and scattering towards the legion of the dead composed of corpses and resentment.

The zombies on the deck remained in their charging stance, their empty eye sockets burning with hatred for the living, and their rotting throats emitting unintelligible roars.

Moonlight Moria stood atop the ship's deck, arms crossed, a maniacal laugh plastered on his face, as if he could already see these uninvited guests being torn to shreds by his zombie army.

However, the smile on his face froze the next second.

Time seemed to have been paused at that moment.

All the zombies froze at the same moment, their frenzied charging posture appearing incredibly stiff and comical.

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable, domineering fragrance, a blend of hundreds of top-grade spices and pure life energy, exploded from the body of every zombie like a perfume bomb!

The aroma was so rich and so overpowering that it instantly dispelled the cold, decaying aura that shrouded the terrifying three-masted ship, replacing it with an absolute law called deliciousness that could make any living being drool.

A miracle is unfolding in the most illogical way.

The zombie general, clad in heavy armor and wielding a giant axe, had its rusty armor turn visibly hot and red, eventually transforming into a perfect, glistening, and tempting caramel crust.

Its rotting flesh was reorganized and cooked by a strange energy inside, and in the end, the whole zombie turned into a golden roast suckling pig hanging on the grill, roasted until it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and still sizzling with oil!

Some of those agile animal zombies turned into skewers of grilled meat, brushed with a secret sauce and sprinkled with cumin and chili powder.

Some dishes were transformed into exquisitely presented sashimi platters, showcasing the tender texture of the fish with clearly visible marbling, and even offering a refreshing touch of chilled flavor.

Meanwhile, those terrifying stitched-together monsters, pieced together from the corpses of different creatures, put on a spectacular dismantling show.

The rough stitches on their bodies broke off automatically, and their different body parts flew into the air in different categories, where they were instantly cooked in a way that best suited their individual characteristics.

The enormous bear paw was stewed until tender and falling off the bone, then drizzled with rich abalone sauce.

The sharp wolf claws are fried until golden and crispy, making them a top-notch snack to accompany drinks.