Gatz's physique, after countless battles and Ren's medicinal cuisine, had been trained to be like a true primordial beast. His pure strength could even rival that of some giants. Silver had perfectly integrated his way of the assassin with his Observation Haki. He could merge with shadows, he could become the gentle breeze. He had become the most feared ghost in the dark world.
And the shipwright Dolum had had a painful but happy two years. The Azure Dragon, under the torment of these monsters, had been overhauled seventeen times and had undergone minor repairs more than three hundred times. Almost all of its parts had been replaced. But because of this, Dolum's shipbuilding skills had improved by leaps and bounds. He had absorbed the propulsion technology of Skypiea's Dials, the coating technology of Fish-Man Island, and the Seastone reinforcement methods of Wano. He had transformed the Azure Dragon into a truly unique mobile sea fortress. His title of "Iron Wall" had also become famous throughout the Four Seas.
Of course, behind all this was that small kitchen. Ren's life in these two years seemed plain. He was either studying new ingredients or preparing three meals a day for these monsters. But only he himself knew that these two years had been a golden period of rapid growth for his culinary skills. Ren's ingredient index had expanded to an astonishing degree. From the cloud shells of Sky Island to the anglerfish of the deep sea, from the cherry blossom carp of Wano to the various strange flowers and plants of the New World, everything was recorded and analyzed by him. His culinary level had also soared with every feast cooked with legendary ingredients.
[Host: Ren]
[Culinary Level: Master (1,900,000 / 2,000,000)]
[Culinary Points: 850,000]
With just the last 100,000 experience points, Ren could break through again and step into a whole new realm. Ren was no longer just a simple chef. He had become the true heart and engine of this hegemon's ship.
The Rocks Pirates had naturally drawn the highest alert from the World Government and the Marines. In these two years, the friction between them had never stopped. Marine Headquarters had dispatched elite fleets led by admirals to encircle and suppress them several times. But the final result was always failure, which made the World Government and the Five Elders' fear of Rocks reach its peak. They realized that conventional military force could no longer stop the rise of this behemoth. A larger, crazier plan was quietly brewing in the Chamber of Authority in Mary Geoise.
And at this moment, on the Azure Dragon, a daily farce caused by the last piece of barbecue was underway. "Linlin! You've already eaten thirty plates! This last piece is mine!" Gatz held a huge plate and glared at the mountain-like Charlotte Linlin.
"Mamamama... Gatz, a good boy doesn't snatch things from a lady," Linlin licked her lips, her eyes shining with a craving for food.
Just as the two were about to fight, Ren walked out with a pot of fragrant soup. "I've made a new Calming Sea King Soup. Who wants to be the first to taste it?"
"Me!"
"Me!"
Gatz and Linlin instantly became friends and raised their hands in unison. Such days were noisy, chaotic, yet filled with an irreplaceable vitality. Unknowingly, the Azure Dragon had sailed into a miraculous sea region known to the world as the Crystal Garden.
The seawater here was as clear as liquid gems. Crystal islands of all sizes, shining with a seven-colored light, floated on the sea surface. The sunlight, refracted through these natural crystal prisms, created countless magnificent rainbows on the sea. The entire world seemed to be wrapped in a huge kaleidoscope. It was beautiful, but it also hid a deadly danger.
"Wow... so beautiful!" Gatz lay on the ship's rail, looking at the fish with crystal bodies swimming in the water, his eyes shining with curiosity. "Head Chef, can we eat this fish? Is it crunchy?"
"The body of a crystal fish is composed of high-density energy crystals and cannot be eaten directly," Ren calmly recorded the data. "But its core contains pure light element energy and is a key material for making certain legendary seasonings."
"The Log Pose has completely lost its direction here. All the magnetic forces are being interfered with by the energy fields of these crystal islands," Dolum said, gripping the helm, sweat beading on his forehead. "We're like we've entered a huge crystal maze. One wrong move and we'll hit a reef."
These crystal islands were not stationary. They floated in this sea region in a slow and irregular pattern, constantly changing their positions, forming a natural, ever-changing labyrinth. "Interesting," Rocks stood at the bow, looking at this sea region full of the unknown and challenges, a hunter's smile on his face. "The more beautiful a place is, the more top-tier prey it often hides."
Their target was the legendary Heart of Eternity in the center of this Crystal Garden, a perfect, fist-sized crystal that was only born at the intersection of pure energy. According to Ren's ingredient index, the energy contained in the Heart of Eternity was enough to sublimate any dish to a supreme quality. It was the perfect legendary ingredient that could provide him with the last 100,000 experience points.
"Silver, can you find the location of the central island?" Rocks asked.
"The energy field here is too chaotic. My Observation Haki is greatly interfered with," Silver's voice came from the crow's nest. "But I can feel that all the energy seems to be flowing in one direction."
Just as the Azure Dragon was carefully sailing through the gaps between the crystal islands, following the flow of energy, an accident happened. The calm sea surface suddenly rippled violently. Then, dozens of thick, pure crystal spikes shot out from the bottom of the sea, like the open mouth of a giant beast, and stabbed viciously at the bottom of the Azure Dragon!
"Look out!" Dolum exclaimed and spun the helm hard. The massive hull of the Azure Dragon slid sideways at a dangerous angle, narrowly avoiding most of the crystal spikes. But a few spikes still scraped past the hull, leaving several deep, bone-exposing gashes in the sturdy alloy armor, making a sickening screeching sound.
"What was that?!" Gatz roared, shouldering his anchor and about to jump into the sea.
"Don't be reckless," Newgate held him back, his gaze fixed on the water below. "There's something under the water."
In the clear water below, a huge shadow, almost blending in with the crystal islands, slowly emerged. It was a terrifying giant beast, over a thousand meters long. Its body was entirely made of crystal, shaped like a giant crab. The dozens of crystal spikes were the shells on its back. At this moment, it was waving its two giant pincers, which were made of complete crystals and were as large as mountains, and was about to smash them down on the Azure Dragon again.
"The Crystal Emperor Crab, the guardian of the Crystal Garden," Ren's tone was still calm, but there was a hint of excitement in his eyes. "Legend says its roe is solidified light, and its meat is flowing rainbows. It's a mythical ingredient that exists only in legends in the ingredient index."
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