Ren didn't make any complicated dishes. He simply prepared the freshest lamb chops, lobsters, and vegetables with minimal seasoning and grilled them over the fire.
But when Ren once again secretly used his Endless Spice Bottle, sprinkling invisible, secret seasonings over the food, an aroma even more powerful and overwhelming than any feast before erupted and soared into the sky.
This fragrance seemed to have a magical quality, spreading rapidly across Whiskey Peak. The townspeople who had been hiding in their homes, frightened by the fighting, heard their stomachs grumble involuntarily at the scent. Some of the bolder ones quietly opened their windows, greedily sniffing the air. The bounty hunters, beaten half to death by Rocks and groaning on the ground, were revitalized by the smell. Their survival instincts made them turn their heads towards the source of the aroma.
Rocks was also curious, wondering what Ren was up to.
Soon, the first batch of grilled food was ready: golden-brown lamb chops sizzling, bright red grilled lobsters gleaming enticingly, and colorful grilled vegetables.
Ren didn't give the food to Rocks and the crew. Instead, he carried a plate of grilled lamb chops to the highest-ranking bounty hunter, who was still pinned under Rocks's foot. The man stared at the fatally fragrant lamb chops, just inches away, swallowing his saliva frantically.
Ren crouched down, held the plate in front of him, and asked calmly, "Who is the boss of Baroque Works? Where is the headquarters? How many members are there? Tell me everything you know."
A flicker of resistance appeared in the man's eyes.
Ren didn't press him. He simply picked up a lamb chop and took a small bite in front of him.
Crunch...
The crispy skin broke, and succulent juices instantly flowed out. The rich aroma assaulted the man's senses of smell and sight at close range. This was more torturous than any physical pain.
"I'll talk... I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!" The bounty hunter's will completely shattered. He spilled everything he knew about Baroque Works like beans from a jar.
Ren nodded in satisfaction and tossed him the lamb chops from the plate. The man received them like a priceless treasure. Ignoring his injuries, he devoured the food, tears streaming down his face. It was impossible to tell if they were from pain or from the delicious taste.
Rocks watched this scene, stunned at first, and then burst into a sky-shaking laugh. "Hahahaha! Excellent! Using food to pry open the enemy's mouth! That's my Head Chef for you! That move is even better than my fists!"
Following this, Ren repeated the process. He used his unparalleled culinary creations as a weapon, systematically destroying the mental defenses of these tough bounty hunters. For a time, a bizarre scene unfolded in the square: a group of pirates casually enjoying a barbecue, while a group of half-dead bounty hunters competed to betray their organization for a single bite of grilled meat.
Gatz watched, dumbfounded. He finally gave Ren a thumbs-up, his face full of admiration. "Head Chef, that move of yours... is absolutely brilliant!"
This "interrogation banquet" lasted until dawn. The Rocks Pirates not only emerged unscathed but also plundered a large amount of Beli from the bounty hunters and obtained detailed intelligence about Baroque Works and the powers in the first half of the Grand Line.
When they were preparing to leave, the townspeople of Whiskey Peak spontaneously lined the harbor. They watched the departing pirates with complex emotions. There were no farewells, no curses, just silent observation. Ren tossed a bundle filled with food to a little girl in the crowd who looked the hungriest. After doing this, he boarded the ship without looking back.
The ship set sail. Rocks stood at the bow, unfolding a new nautical chart he had obtained from the bounty hunters.
"We're famous," Rocks said, waving a newspaper he had just bought from a News Coo at Whiskey Peak. On it were their faces and bounty posters. Although the amounts were not high—Rocks's was the highest at only thirty million Beli—the name "Rocks Pirates" had appeared on the world stage for the first time.
"Captain, where to next?" Dolum asked.
Rocks looked at the chart, his finger tracing a path across it before stopping on one location. A smile of interest appeared on his face. "According to the intel, the next island is a place that has retained its prehistoric features, called Little Garden. It's said that two giants have been dueling there for over fifty years."
He turned to Ren and grinned. "Head Chef, are you interested in dinosaur meat?"
Ren, who was polishing his frying pan, paused. He looked up, a glint in his eyes. "Dinosaurs?"
His ingredient index did indeed have records of such ancient creatures. They were very rare, high-grade ingredients.
A slow smile spread across Ren's lips. "A little."
The battered ship of the Rocks Pirates tossed and turned in the unpredictable climate of the Grand Line for another half a month. Besides eating, Gatz's favorite pastime was pestering Ren about the next meal. He fantasized more than once about the taste of dinosaur meat, drooling so much that even Silver had to move a few steps away.
"Head Chef, is dinosaur meat as big as a mountain? Is one leg enough for us to eat for a year?" Gatz asked, carrying his anchor, his eyes sparkling with desire for the unknown ingredient.
"I don't know," Ren replied calmly, maintaining his kitchen knife. "For an unprepared ingredient, size is meaningless."
"If this wreck of a ship really runs into a dinosaur, we'll be the ones to fall apart," Dolum muttered his usual pessimistic tune while hammering a loose plank, but everyone could hear the trace of anticipation in his voice.
Finally, Silver, in the crow's nest, gave the signal. "Island sighted ahead. Massive outline. Vegetation appears... primitive."
As the ship approached, everyone was stunned by the sight. It didn't look like an island so much as a forgotten, prehistoric world. Giant ferns blotted out the sky, forming a dense green canopy, and bizarrely shaped, colossal trees pierced the clouds. The air was thick with a hot, humid, and primal scent of soil and decay. Occasionally, long roars of unknown creatures could be heard from deep within the island.
"Gulp..." Gatz swallowed, a mixture of excitement and nervousness on his face. "This place... is intense!"
Rocks stood at the bow, his wild black hair whipping in the humid wind. There was no fear on his face, only the excitement of a hunter who has found the ultimate prey. "Alright, boys, are you ready for a feast?"
The ship carefully navigated around the island, searching for a suitable place to land. Just then, a deafening boom came from the center of the island, followed by a tremor that seemed to shake the very ground.
BOOM!
A plume of smoke rose from deep within the jungle.
"What's going on? A volcanic eruption?" Dolum's face changed.
"Doesn't seem like it," Silver's gaze was eagle-sharp. "It's more like... a collision of some immense forces."
Rocks licked his lips, a battle lust rising in his eyes. "Interesting. Let's go check it out."
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