A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

"Little girl, your prediction is very interesting."

His voice was devoid of any emotion.

"However, I, Whitebeard Hyde Newgate, do not believe in fate!"

He spread his arms, and a domineering aura of supreme power erupted, filled with absolute trust and protection for his family.

"As long as I stand here, this ship will never sink! This home will never be destroyed by anyone! Neither enemies nor..."

His gaze swept over each family member present, and finally landed on the small, thin figure who was still quietly munching on bread in the corner, seemingly indifferent to everything.

"...one of our own."

Newgate's words were firm and resounding, filled with undeniable authority, instantly calming everyone's hearts.

Yeah, what's there to be afraid of?

Their captain is Whitebeard! He's the strongest man in the world!

The atmosphere at the banquet became lively again, as if the unpleasant little incident had never happened.

Only Ryan, while everyone else was caught up in the revelry again, quietly walked over to Teach and placed a plate of freshly cut fruit in front of him.

"Eat more, you're still growing."

Ryan's tone remained as calm as ever.

"Hahaha, thank you, head chef!"

Teach grinned, revealing an innocent smile.

Ryan looked at him, said nothing more, and simply turned and left.

He could clearly smell that when Shirley uttered that prophecy, everyone present experienced a violent emotional fluctuation, except for this child, whose emotions remained as calm as a stagnant pool from beginning to end.

It was as if the prophecy had nothing to do with him, or perhaps... he already knew this ending.

……

After the eventful banquet at Ryugu Palace, the Whitebeard Pirates did not linger on Fishman Island.

Newgate declined Neptune's repeated offers to stay. After replenishing sufficient supplies and fresh water, the progenitor tortoise carried the monsters slowly through the underwater passage 10,000 meters deep, setting off once again toward the new world.

While Shirley's prophecy caused some ripples at the time, it was quickly calmed down by everyone's absolute trust in each other and their boundless enthusiasm for the future.

For these pirates who risk their lives and live without knowing what tomorrow will bring, the uncertain future is far less tangible than the grilled meat that can fill their stomachs.

Gatz still argues every day over the last piece of steak, Dorum still sighs every day about the ever-increasing maintenance budget, and Renn's kitchen still wafts out an aroma that would make even the gods drool.

Everything seemed the same as before, with no changes.

However, some things are undergoing subtle changes without our noticing.

Newgate drank less often, spending more time sitting on his throne, quietly scrutinizing each member of his family on board with his hawk-like eyes, his gaze so deep that it was impossible to discern his thoughts.

Raine then began to consciously adjust everyone's recipes, adding more special spices that could temper willpower and stabilize mind while ensuring deliciousness.

He knew that an impregnable fortress often first develops cracks from within, and what he had to do was use his cooking to firmly seal up every possible gap in the house.

When the silhouette of the progenitor giant tortoise, as large as a moving mountain, reappeared on the sea surface of the new world, the air of the entire ocean seemed to freeze for a moment.

The Great Pirate Era has reached a fever pitch, like oil being poured on a raging fire.

Countless new-generation pirates, harboring ambitions and dreams, swarmed across this most dangerous sea in the world, fighting and vying for a share of the legend left by Roger.

However, when these arrogant newcomers saw the overwhelming shadow from afar, and the pirate flag with a huge white crescent-shaped mustache fluttering in the wind above it, all their clamor and arrogance instantly turned into a cold, deathly silence.

"It's...it's the Primordial Giant Tortoise! ​​It's Whitebeard!"

On a pirate ship flying the hyena skull flag, the lookout's voice was distorted with fear, almost squeezed out of his throat.

"Turn! Turn quickly! Get out of this area at full speed!"

Without the slightest hesitation, the captain immediately issued the highest-level evacuation order.

A similar scene played out repeatedly over the next few days.

Several pirate crews, some of the more well-known in the New World with bounties exceeding 100 million, all turned their ships around and fled as fast as they could when they saw the giant turtle that seemed to be a god patrolling the sea from afar.

Are you kidding me? Going to challenge Whitebeard?

The Whitebeard Pirates don't even have a fixed route now; their home is a mobile, self-governing territory!

You don't even know if you'll drift onto their dinner table in your sleep.

The ancestral giant tortoise and its crescent-shaped beard flag have become the most eye-catching and awe-inspiring symbols on this sea.

"Tch, how boring."

Gatz lay listlessly on the lawn, nourished by the twin trees and exuding a faint fragrance, with the huge anchor casually tossed aside.

He felt that he hadn't even done enough warm-up exercises since returning to the new world.

"That's because we're too strong, Gatz."

Vista was polishing his twin swords under a fruit tree that automatically secreted lemon-scented juice, a confident smile playing on his lips.

"Moreover, Dad's reputation now goes beyond just being the strongest man in the world."

Chapter 287 Something's Wrong

Newgate leaned back on his throne, sipping a special rum brewed by Renn from the newly cultivated cloud cotton candy fruit, and watched the panicked ships fleeing in the distance, letting out a satisfied laugh.

He liked this feeling, not because of fear, but because it represented a sense of peace.

A sense of peace that would allow his family to sail safely on this vast ocean.

Raine didn't join in the chatter; he was standing on the edge of the huge basin that they jokingly called the world's largest soup pot.

His understanding of food, like invisible tentacles, quietly spreads through the air, savoring the unique, complex flavors of this new era, full of chaos and opportunity.

It has the spiciness of ambition, the sourness of desire, the sweetness of dreams, and a hint of the rich flavor hidden deep within, belonging to the strong.

"captain."

Ryan turned around and said calmly, "We should find a new target."

"Oh?"

Newgate put down the barrel and looked at him with interest.

Raine spread out the map rubbing he had obtained from the Five Elders, which recorded the locations of all the Poneglyphs, but his finger did not fall on any of the places marked with red stones.

His fingers traced across the seas teeming with exotic creatures, finally landing on a peculiar area marked on the map as the Fountain of Life and the Whirlpool of Wine.

"According to the latest deciphering of ancient documents by Ohara scholars, this sea area known as the Sea of ​​Fermentation is very special."

There was a hint of barely perceptible excitement in Raine's voice.

"The seawater there is constantly exposed to the energy radiation from an active underwater volcano and the influence of a special yeast that only exists there, making the entire sea area like a giant, natural brewing vat."

"Legend has it that a giant vortex of alcoholic vapor will form at the center of that sea due to the convergence of energy. At the center of the vortex, a liquid called the Elixir of Life will be born. It is the most mellow, sweetest, and most vital ultimate wine in the world."

As soon as Ryan finished speaking, the deck fell into a deathly silence.

next second.

"Gurgle..."

A loud, thunderous sound of swallowing saliva came from both Gatz and Newgate's throats at the same time.

"The best-tasting wine in...the whole world?!"

Gatz's eyes widened like two giant brass bells, and his saliva was already flowing like a small waterfall.

Newgate's usually dignified, hawk-like eyes suddenly shone with an unprecedented, dazzling light, like that of a drunkard who hadn't eaten for three hundred years.

"Gurala la la la! Good! Good!"

Newgate abruptly stood up from his throne, slapping his thigh as his mountain-like figure exuded an undeniable aura of dominance.

"What are we waiting for! Men! Target the Sea of ​​Fermentation! I'm going to bathe in the wine from there!"

"Oh oh oh oh oh!"

Amidst deafening cheers, the ancestral giant tortoise let out a long, drawn-out cry, as if it too could smell the aroma of wine.

Its massive body slowly turned around, carrying this group of drunkards who had found a new purpose in life, and sped towards that unknown sea full of legends and fine wines.

Only Dorum, clutching his brick-thick ledger, rushed back to the shipwright's room, tears welling in his eyes.

"Taking a bath in alcohol?! Do you know how wasteful that is?! And alcohol is highly corrosive to the ship... no, to the foundation of our house! My repair budget... my hair..."

His mournful cries were drowned out by the excited cheers of the crowd.

For the Whitebeard Pirates, the voyage to the Sea of ​​Fermentation was more like an exciting armed outing.

The colossal body of the Primordial Tortoise ignored the unpredictable climate and undercurrents of the New World. Whether it was a sudden hailstorm or a magnetic storm that could tear steel apart, they all seemed childish and laughable in the face of its godlike absolute power.

During this time, Raine began to systematically study the information about lineage factors that he had obtained from Germa.

With the help of Dr. Clover and a group of top scholars, the previously obscure and difficult-to-understand codes of life were deciphered one by one before him.

He was surprised to find that although Vinsmoke Judge's research had taken a paranoid and evil path, his understanding of the nature of life far surpassed that of most scientists of his time.

"I see. By altering bloodline factors, not only can the physical body be strengthened, but it can even endow non-living entities with certain characteristics of life..."

As Raine looked at a passage in the document speculating about the object-shaped fruit, his eyes became incredibly profound.

He remembered the huge wok made of shape memory alloy.

Perhaps... he could try to give his most reliable partner a unique soul as well.

And so, we sailed for nearly a month in a somewhat uneventful yet subtly turbulent atmosphere.

They finally reached that sea area.

Upon entering, an intensely rich aroma, a complex blend of malt, fruit, and yeast fermentation, wafted over, leaving everyone on board with an expression of utter rapture.

"My goodness... this tastes even better than a fine wine that's been aged for thirty years!"

Gatz lay on the bow of the ship, his huge nostrils snorting like a blower, feeling as if his very soul was being drawn away by the smell.

However, at that moment, Renn's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He detected a discordant note amidst the rich aroma of the wine.

It was an extremely faint, yet highly penetrating, sour, putrid odor.

It's like accidentally spilling a drop of vinegar into a barrel of the finest wine; though subtle, it disrupts the overall harmony and perfection.

"Something seems amiss."

Ryan's calm voice instantly cooled the frenzied atmosphere on the deck.

Following his gaze, everyone saw that on the distant horizon, the sea, which should have been filled with the smell of alcohol, now had a strange, dark green color, as if it had gone bad.

A thin layer of viscous foam with a strange smell was even floating on the sea surface.

The legendary vortex of wine, said to be like a fountain of life, now seemed weak and listless, like a dying old man making his final breaths.

"What...what's going on?"

As Newgate looked at the scene before him, the excitement on his face gradually gave way to solemnity.

"The legendary elixir of life... why does it smell like a barrel of stale vinegar that's been sitting out for a hundred years?"

The scene of the Fermentation Sea is quite different from the description in the legends.

The air was no longer filled with the pleasant aroma of fine wine, but with a sour, rotten smell, as if a huge vinegar factory had suffered a leak.

The color of the seawater changed from the legendary clear golden yellow to a murky dark green that made people lose their appetite. Thick foam churned on the surface of the sea, emitting a foul stench.

Chapter 288 Brewing Dragon (Guardian Form)

"Ugh... This smell is so strong! My nose is going to rot!"

Gatz covered his nose, his huge face full of disgust. He felt like he had been looking forward to a month-long culinary adventure, only to end up plunging headfirst into a giant garbage can.

"Something is very wrong."

Marco transformed into a phoenix and circled in the air. He could clearly sense that the life energy in this sea area was extremely chaotic, filled with an aura of decay and morbidity.

“This sea… seems to be sick, yoi.”