"Gurararara! Now that's a big one!" Newgate stood up, cracking his knuckles, the flames of battle rising in his eyes.
"I'll handle it," Rocks also stood up, an aura of world-scorning dominance spreading from him. The two monsters looked at each other, and invisible sparks seemed to fly through the air.
"Let's do it together. We need to be quick," Ren's voice broke their standoff. "Its heart must be removed within three minutes of its death, or the lightning energy will dissipate."
"Wahahaha! Good! Then let's see who can make a bigger splash!"
"Gurararara! Suits me just fine!"
The next second, both figures vanished from the ship. Rocks appeared to the left of the Thunder Abyss Leviathan, his fist wreathed in black gravity and streaks of Conqueror's Haki, as if it could swallow everything. Newgate appeared to its right, his fist covered in a pure white halo of vibration, powerful enough to shatter space itself.
"Dark Water!"
"Quake Crash!"
With two thunderous roars, two fists, each capable of destroying an island, simultaneously slammed into the massive body of the Thunder Abyss Leviathan from opposite sides.
BOOM!
In that instant, the world fell silent. What followed was an explosion beyond description. The water of the Thunder Abyss was pushed down, creating a massive crater over a kilometer in diameter. The surrounding sea was displaced, forming a monstrous tsunami hundreds of meters high. The thunderclouds in the sky were completely torn apart by this terrifying force, revealing the long-unseen sun.
When everything settled, the once-invincible Thunder Abyss Leviathan was floating belly-up on the sea, completely lifeless. On each side of its body was a terrifying, bottomless fist imprint.
On the ship, Gatz and Dolum were completely numb from the spectacle. Ren, however, was the first to move, his figure striding across the sea surface as if on solid ground. "Silver, now!"
Silver was already prepared. His spear shot out like a bolt of lightning, accurately piercing the Leviathan's chest. With a powerful flick, a heart that was still flashing with lightning, like a blue crystal, was tossed into the air. It landed perfectly in a special food box made of Seastone that Ren had prepared.
A perfect hunt.
That night, Ren used the Heart of Thor as the main ingredient to prepare a final feast for the upcoming great battle. He didn't use any complicated cooking techniques. Instead, he sliced it thinly and served it as sashimi to best showcase the ingredient's original flavor. On the side was a sauce made from the Leviathan's blood and several special types of seaweed, which also shimmered with electric light.
The moment the first slice of the Heart of Thor entered their mouths, everyone felt as if their souls had been struck by a gentle bolt of lightning. An incredibly pure energy instantly flowed through their bodies. Every cell cheered, and their neural reaction speed was elevated to a whole new level. Gatz felt he could see every flap of a mosquito's wings. Silver felt his thinking speed had multiplied several times. Dolum felt that his hands, which had become a bit sluggish from years of ship repair, were now more nimble than ever before. Rocks and Newgate felt their Haki resonate wonderfully with this lightning energy, becoming even more ferocious and destructive.
Ren looked at the satisfied crew, then at his nearly full experience bar. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips. He knew he was about to undergo a brand-new transformation. And on the distant horizon, the silhouette of a steel fortress was already faintly visible.
The afterglow of the feast had not yet faded, and the fury of the Thunder Abyss had calmed. The battered sailing ship sailed on the clear blue sea, the air fresh with the unique scent of post-rain. The crew was adapting to the new changes in their bodies. Gatz excitedly swung his anchor. He found that his reaction speed was now astonishingly fast; he could even predict the trajectory of the wind pressure created by his swing. Silver stood quietly with his eyes closed. The range of his Observation Haki had expanded several times, and his perception had become more three-dimensional. He no longer just heard and saw; he could feel the flow of all things, as if the entire world had become a precise network of countless lines.
Dolum took out his toolbox and began to perform an unprecedentedly detailed maintenance on the ship. His hands were so fast they were a blur, each movement precise, his efficiency more than doubled. Rocks and Newgate were still drinking, but an occasional, almost imperceptible spark of electricity flashed in their eyes when they looked at each other. It was their Haki testing each other. Catalyzed by the Heart of Thor, their power was advancing to a higher level.
And Ren, standing in the kitchen, was calmly polishing his kitchen knife, but his heart was far from calm. Just now, the moment the feast ended, the long-awaited voice had sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Detected that the Host has cooked the legendary ingredient, the Heart of Thor, and has produced a super-standard enhancement for the entire Rocks Pirates crew, gaining a massive amount of EXP!]
[Ding! Top-tier culinary experience is full (200,000 / 200,000). Promotion in progress...]
Ren's consciousness was pulled into a pure white space. Before him, the massive system panel was undergoing a world-shaking transformation. The badge representing "Top-tier" shone brightly before shattering into countless points of light. These points re-converged, forming a new, more complex, and ancient badge that glowed with a gentle luster. On the badge were two powerful words: Master.
[Promotion successful! Congratulations to the Host for advancing to Master-Level Cuisine!]
[Master-Level Cuisine: A return to true essence. The Host's understanding of ingredients has been greatly enhanced, and you can now perceive their energy essence and soul network.]
[Ding! Congratulations on reaching Master level. Mental strength greatly increased. Observation Haki and "Boon of the Feast" have linked, unlocking a new exclusive ability—Soul of the Feast!]
[Soul of the Feast: The Host can infuse his own will and soul power into his cooking, bestowing a specific "soul" upon the food. The consumer will not only enjoy the delicious taste but also directly inherit the short-term, powerful, and targeted enhancement brought by this soul.]
[Example: You can create a dish containing the "Soul of Rage," which will greatly increase the consumer's aggression and destructive power for a short time, or a dish containing the "Soul of Silence," which will conceal the consumer's presence and enhance their perception.]
[Ding! Congratulations on reaching Master level. Reward: 50,000 Culinary Points. Master-level exclusive exchange list unlocked in the system shop. Received one Master-Level Recipe Pack.]
A massive amount of information flooded his mind, yet Ren's thoughts were clearer than ever. He opened his eyes, and the entire world had changed in his perception. Before, when Ren looked at an ingredient, he saw its texture, fibers, and freshness. Now, he saw the energy flowing within it, everything it had experienced from its growth to its capture, the very source and soul of its flavor.
Ren picked up an ordinary piece of dried fish. In his eyes, it was no longer a dead object. He could see images of this fish swimming freely in the sea, feel the imprints of the sun and sea salt left on its body, and hear the whispers of its deepest flavors.
"I see... so this is Master-Level Cuisine..." Ren murmured, his eyes shining with understanding. This was no longer just a technical improvement; it was a leap in his very level of existence. Ren felt that his understanding of the "Boon of the Feast" had also entered a whole new realm.
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