A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

The tough beef tendons are braised until they become translucent and chewy.

In just a few breaths, the seemingly invincible zombie army, exuding death and despair, was transformed into a dazzling, fragrant...open-air buffet in front of everyone.

Chapter 255 Culinary Techniques: Cleaning the Pot

"Gurgle..."

A loud, thunderous sound, like someone swallowing saliva, came from the deck of the ancestral giant tortoise.

Gatz's eyes widened like two giant copper bells as he stared intently at the mountain of corpses made of various delicacies on the opposite ship. In his simple mind, his worldview was being ruthlessly overturned and reshaped.

"The head chef..."

Gatz's voice trembled slightly, revealing a clear longing.

"Then...are those...still edible?"

"Theoretically, yes."

Ryan calmly gave an answer that almost made Gatz jump into the sea and swim across on the spot.

"The powder I use is my latest research and development of the 'All Things Grow and Rejuvenate' fragrance, which is made primarily from the leaf powder of the World Tree and mixed with hundreds of fragrances that can stimulate cell activity."

"It can forcibly activate the last trace of life information remaining in dead objects and, based on their characteristics before they were alive, reshape them into the most suitable form for consumption."

Raine paused, then added in the tone of a gourmet reviewing ingredients: "However, the raw materials of these zombies are of very poor quality, full of resentment and impurities. Even after my initial processing, the taste is barely palatable. They're okay for filling one's stomach, but far from being truly delicious."

"This...this...this..."

Moonlight Moria stood on the ship's deck, pointing at the culinary legion below that exuded a deadly aroma, then at the indifferent-looking young man opposite him, trembling with rage, unable to utter a complete sentence.

His prized zombie army, the powerful bodies he painstakingly collected from all over the world, the capital and confidence that allowed him to rule this devil's triangle—all of this was actually... turned into a dish by the other side with just a packet of seasoning?!

This is no longer a provocation; it is the most extreme, cruel, and comprehensive dimensional reduction attack on him, the master of shadows, from his soul to his dignity!

"Waaaaah!"

Moria's laughter became twisted and shrill, and he roared with extreme rage, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"You...you bastard! How dare you! How dare you treat my zombie army as food! Unforgivable! Absolutely unforgivable!"

"I want your shadow! I must have your shadow! I will turn you into my most loyal and powerful zombie! So that you will serve me for all eternity!"

Moria's rage was completely ignited. He spread his arms, and the huge shadow behind him, like the wings of a demon, instantly came to life.

"Go! My shadow! Cut out that cook's shadow for me!"

"Shadow Mage!"

Moria's shadow stretched and deformed rapidly on the deck, eventually transforming into a shadow clone that was exactly the same as Moria's original body, but completely black.

In the hand of that shadow clone was a giant pair of scissors also made of shadow. It let out a silent, sinister laugh and, like a black lightning bolt, pounced straight at Renn on the ancestral giant tortoise!

"Gulalalalala..."

Newgate looked at the furious Moria and the charging shadow, and burst into hearty laughter.

"Raine, it seems you've really angered this guy."

"He's too noisy."

Raine answered calmly, his eyes unwavering as he watched the approaching shadow of scissors.

He didn't even move; he simply raised his right hand slightly.

Moria's shadow clones were incredibly fast, like phantoms moving through the darkness, silent yet deadly.

The enormous shadow scissors gleamed with a cold, icy light under the moonlight, as if they could sever all light and shadow in the world, and cut off the boundary between life and death.

Faced with this attack that transcended the realm of physics, the people on the Primordial Giant Turtle all showed solemn expressions.

They could sense that the shadow was imbued with a peculiar power of law that could directly affect a person's soul; ordinary Armament Haki would likely be unable to withstand it.

However, Raine, the target of the attack, remained completely calm.

He simply stood there quietly, and on his raised right hand, a cluster of golden flames, as brilliant as the sun, quietly ignited.

It wasn't the regenerative flame of Marco, which was full of life and healing, but a purer, more domineering flame, a law-based fire that seemed capable of cooking everything.

"Culinary Techniques: Cleaning the Pot"

Raine's voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to carry a certain power that made his words come true.

The golden flame in his hand did not fly out, but instead transformed into an absolutely pure energy field that was imperceptible to the naked eye, instantly enveloping a space within a ten-meter radius centered on him.

The air, light, dust, and even the space itself in that area were instantly purified by this force, becoming incredibly pure, like a spotless pot cleaned by a top chef with the strictest standards.

Moria's shadow clone plunged headlong into the force field.

The next second, a bizarre scene unfolded.

"Squeak!"

The pitch-black shadow, which seemed capable of swallowing all light, emitted a piercing, metallic shriek the moment it came into contact with this pure force field, as if it had been doused with boiling oil.

The cold, shadowy power emanating from it was quickly neutralized and evaporated in this realm brimming with life and flavor, as if it had encountered its natural enemy, ice and snow.

The shadow clone's solid body began to become illusory and distorted, as if it might dissipate at any moment.

"This...how is this possible?!"

Moria's pupils contracted sharply as he stared in disbelief at the scene before him, feeling as if his understanding was being overturned.

His Shadow Mage ability is the core manifestation of his Shadow Fruit power. He exists between reality and illusion, is immune to most physical attacks, and can be considered an unsolvable problem.

But now, the chef simply raised his hand, and his shadow let out a painful wail.

Nothing is impossible.

Ryan's voice came calmly, like a teacher explaining things to a dull student.

"Your shadow is essentially nothingness created when light is blocked, while my cuisine is something created with life and energy."

"In a pot of boiling oil brimming with the ultimate deliciousness, anything cold and intangible will only be instantly vaporized, or..."

A slight smile curved at the corners of Ryan's lips.

"It gets the flavor of the pot and becomes part of the dish."

As soon as he finished speaking, the golden energy field shone brightly!

Moria's shadow clone let out a mournful cry of unwillingness, and was actually forcibly cooked by that domineering power of law. A faint golden yellow appeared on its jet-black body surface, and it even emitted a faint aroma of toasted bread.

In the end, the shadow clone could no longer maintain its form, exploded, and turned into the most primitive shadow energy, fleeing back to Moria's feet in a sorry state.

Chapter 256 Moriah's Ambition

"puff!"

Moria was struck as if by a severe blow, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

The shadow clone was connected to his main body, and the severe damage to the clone was directly reflected back to him.

"What...what kind of monster are you?!"

Moria looked at Rein, and for the first time, fear appeared in his eyes.

This man wasn't fighting; he was crushing him with a set of rules called cooking that he couldn't understand at all!

"I'm just a chef."

Raine's answer remained the same; he withdrew his hand, and the golden flame quietly extinguished, as if it had never existed.

"A chef who is a little bit obsessive about the cleanliness of ingredients and the kitchen."

These words left everyone on the ancestral giant tortoise speechless.

Gatz scratched his head, looking completely bewildered: "Head Chef, how did you do that just now? It felt like it was even more powerful than Dad's Sea Tremor?"

That wasn't an attack.

Ryan calmly explained, "That's just the most basic preparation before cooking—cleaning the stove and making sure the pots are clean."

Everyone: "..."

Looking at Raine's serious face, and then at Moria across from them who was vomiting blood because of a clean pot, they suddenly felt that this world was becoming increasingly incomprehensible.

"Bastard...bastard!"

Moriah's pride was trampled upon like never before, and his fear was quickly replaced by an even more frenzied rage.

He knew that conventional methods were no longer effective against the monster before him.

His eyes were bloodshot as he turned his gaze to the mountain-like figure who had been leaning on the captain's throne the whole time, watching everything with great interest.

Edward Newgate!

A more perfect, powerful body!

The ultimate material that would allow him to create the strongest zombie in history!

"Since your shadow is so difficult to deal with, I'll just find another target!"

Moria let out a maniacal laugh, extending his enormous shadow, which resembled demonic wings, into an even larger and sharper pair of scissors.

"I want the shadow of your captain! I want the shadow of the world's strongest man!"

"With his shadow, plus the corpse of Oars I just obtained, I will create an ultimate zombie that no one can defeat! At that time, both you and that bastard Kaido will be trampled under my feet!"

Moriah's ambition was laid bare at this moment.

He wants to use the shadow of the world's strongest man to make up for his regret of losing to Kaido back then, and to realize his twisted dream of becoming the Pirate King.

"Oh?"

Newgate finally rose slowly from his throne, tossing the enormous barrel aside and stretching his limbs, making a crackling sound.

He looked at Moria, his hawk-like eyes showing no anger, but rather a hint of pity and disdain as if looking at a clown.

"Gurglalalala... You want my shadow?"

Newgate grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth.

"Then we'll see if your broken scissors are sharp enough!"

Newgate moved.

His mountain-like body didn't make any fancy movements; he simply took a step forward.

Boom!

A deep, resounding boom, like the thunder of an ancient war drum, echoed in everyone's heart.

Centered on his landing point, an invisible yet visible white shockwave spread like a spider web across the entire deck of the Primordial Giant Turtle, then traversed a thousand meters of sea surface and crashed down on the terrifying three-masted sailing ship opposite!

That wasn't the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit; it was just pure Conqueror's Haki belonging to the world's strongest man!

Faced with this terrifying aura of absolute dominance, even the massive hull of the Thriller Bark groaned under its strain.

Countless weak zombies didn't even have time to react before their shadows were shattered by this will, turning into piles of lifeless rotting flesh that collapsed to the ground.

"hateful!"

Moria's expression grew even uglier. He pushed his Shadow-Shadow Fruit ability to its limit, and a huge shadow formed a black shield behind him, barely managing to withstand the impact of the domineering aura.

But he could clearly feel his soul trembling before this aura.

"Is this... the magnanimity of the world's strongest man?"

Moria gritted his teeth, his jealousy and greed burning ever brighter.

He became even more convinced that as long as he obtained this man's shadow, he could have everything!

"Don't waste your energy, Newgate!"

Moria forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart and let out a frenzied roar: "Your Haki may be powerful, but my Shadow-Shadow Fruit ability is the manifestation of law! As long as this Devil's Triangle, which I rule, exists, I am invincible!"

"Shadow Box!"

He clasped his hands together, and the dense, almost tangible darkness surrounding Thriller Bark was instantly mobilized by him, transforming into a huge, airtight black box that completely enveloped and devoured Newgate's Conqueror's Haki that was spreading out!

"Do you see that? That's my power! In this realm, I am a god!"

A morbid fanaticism appeared on Moria's face.