A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

It's not just the aroma of food, but also a kind of spiritual nourishment.

He could clearly sense that Raine's cooking contained a will of protection that originated from the same source as his own.

That was the ultimate weapon tailor-made for him and for this family.

"Pretend to be a ghost!"

Silver Axe's fierce expression was extremely ugly.

He couldn't understand how a life-or-death showdown could have turned into this absurd situation.

The other team's chef was leisurely cooking nearby, while his opponent, who should have been fighting him, suddenly became more eager to fight because of the announcement that his midnight snack was ready.

This was an unprecedented humiliation for him.

"Newgate! I don't care what tricks you're playing, you and your bunch of childish crew members are all going to die here today!"

Without further hesitation, Xiong unleashed his Armament Haki to its fullest extent, covering his massive silver axe with a jet-black sheen that seemed capable of swallowing even light.

He stomped his foot hard, and the beach instantly collapsed, creating a huge crater. He transformed into a silver bolt of death lightning, carrying the determination to cut through everything, and once again struck down at Newgate!

This attack was more ferocious and more cohesive than any before.

He poured all his anger and confusion into that one axe blow.

Faced with this devastating attack, Newgate neither dodged nor evaded. He shouldered the naginata, grinned, and his smile was filled with absolute trust in his family.

"Raine, how well-done do you want the meat?"

He even had the leisure to turn around and ask a question.

"Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, bursting with juice."

Ryan answered calmly, gently tossing the iron pot in his hand. The huge steak drew a perfect arc in the air and landed squarely on the large plate that Newgate had already prepared in front of him.

"okay!"

Newgate laughed loudly, picked up the plate with his left hand, and gripped the naginata tightly with his right.

Just as the Silver Axe Fierce's axe blade, powerful enough to split mountains and shatter rocks, was about to strike him, he moved.

There were no earth-shattering moves; he simply held the naginata horizontally forward.

clang!

The axe and the knife clashed once more.

However, this time, the result was completely different.

Silver Axe Fierce felt as if his axe had struck an unshakeable, ever-growing divine mountain.

A powerful and domineering force, several times stronger than before, surged wildly along the axe, instantly shattering his condensed Armament Haki into cracks!

"what?!"

The fierce man's pupils suddenly contracted. He felt as if tens of thousands of thunderbolts had struck his arms at the same time, and his tiger's mouth instantly split open, bleeding profusely.

He was thrown backward uncontrollably, his feet carving two deep furrows tens of meters long in the sand. He finally knelt on one knee, using the axe to support his body so that he wouldn't fall.

One move, just one move, and the difference in skill was immediately apparent.

Newgate didn't even take a step back. He stood firmly in place, holding the plate of sizzling steak in his left hand and a knife in his right. His posture was incredibly domineering.

"Gurarararar, I said the warm-up is over."

Newgate cut off a piece of meat, pierced it with the tip of his naginata, and casually put it into his mouth.

The moment the meat entered his mouth, his hawk-like eyes shone even brighter.

A pure, extreme energy, brimming with life and power, exploded within his body!

He felt every muscle in his body cheering, every drop of blood boiling, and even the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit seemed to be injected with new fuel, becoming more violent and unpredictable.

"This...this is impossible!"

Silver Axe Fierce struggled to his feet, staring intently at Newgate, then at the deadly-smelling steak on his plate, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He could clearly sense that the other person's aura was rising at an irrational speed, as if there was no end in sight.

This was no longer a battle; it was a complete and utter crushing defeat.

"Nothing is impossible."

A cruel smile curled at Newgate's lips as he swallowed the last bite of steak and let out a satisfied burp.

"Because I am not fighting alone."

Before he finished speaking, his figure had already disappeared from the spot.

The next second, he appeared in front of Silver Axe Fierce as if he had teleported, his face, which always carried a hint of boldness, now only showed cold killing intent.

"Your biggest mistake was insulting my family, and even more so... interrupting our dinner!"

Newgate's voice was like a pronouncement from the depths of hell. He pushed the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit to its limit, and a pure white aura completely enveloped his right fist.

"Try this, it's fierce!"

"This is a gift I prepared for my family!"

"Emperor Zhen!"

A single punch, delivered without a trace of smoke or fire, caused the space in front of him to distort and shatter.

For the first time, fear appeared in Silver Axe's eyes. He tried to hide, but found that his body was locked by an invisible aura and he could not move at all.

He could only watch helplessly as the fist, powerful enough to shatter everything, grew larger and larger in his pupils.

Boom!

There is no suspense.

Silver Axe Fierce's proud body, covered in top-tier Armament Haki, was as fragile as rotten wood in the face of Newgate's punch, which was filled with the will to protect and the energy of food.

His chest caved in instantly, his hard sternum shattered inch by inch, and he was like a ball hit head-on by a battering ram. He spat out blood and flew hundreds of meters away, crashing heavily into the sea in the distance, creating a towering wave.

The entire beach fell into a deathly silence at that moment.

Gatz, Oden, Marco, and the others all stared in disbelief at the scene.

They knew their father was strong, but they never imagined he could be this strong.

That's the infamous Silver Axe Fierce, who's notorious even in the New World, and he was taken down by a midnight snack and a punch?

They looked at the figure still standing in the center, calmly wiping the iron pot, their eyes filled with awe.

This chef is the most unreasonable monster on this ship.

From the corner, Teach took in everything.

Deep within his small eyes, which always held an innocent smile, flashed a fear that he himself had never noticed—a fear that ran deep in his bones.

For the first time, he realized that the true core of this ship was not the superhuman white-bearded man, but the chef who could create miracles with his cooking.

This ability to directly enhance combat power through food... is more terrifying and unpredictable than any Devil Fruit.

Hahaha... I absolutely must get my hands on it!

The flames of greed reignited in his heart, but this time, a layer of frost called fear surrounded the flames.

Chapter 161 Let's Fight

The waves gently lapped against the beach, bringing with them a salty sea breeze, and also the sound of Silver Axe Fierce coughing up blood in frustration.

He struggled to his feet from the shallow water, half-kneeling on the beach, soaking wet and looking extremely disheveled.

The sunken fist mark on his chest was shocking; every breath aggravated his broken bones, bringing excruciating pain.

But there was no sign of submission in his silver eyes; instead, they burned with an even more frenzied flame.

It was a near-pathological obsession born from extreme humiliation and resentment after being utterly crushed.

"Cough cough... Newgate..."

Silver Axe's voice was hoarse, like a broken bellows.

"You won... but your victory was dishonorable! If it weren't for that cook... if it weren't for that damn steak! You could never have defeated me so easily!"

Instead of attributing the defeat to Newgate's strength, he stubbornly blamed everything on Ryan's cooking.

In his view, such a victory achieved through external force is the greatest insult to a true strongman.

"Shut up! Losers should act like losers!"

Gatz was the first to roar. He carried the anchor and stood in front of Renn with his huge body, like a giant bear protecting its cubs, glaring angrily at Silver Axe.

"The food prepared by our head chef is part of our strength! A fool like you who only knows how to fight and kill would never understand that!"

"That's right!"

Oden also drew his twin swords, his eyes filled with disdain.

"What right do those who can't even get enough to eat have to talk about strength and weakness? Brother Renn's cooking is the greatest power on this sea!"

Marco, Joz, and the others stepped forward, each with an unfriendly expression. Their powerful auras combined to make Silver Axe Fierce almost unable to breathe.

In their hearts, Ryan and his cuisine are sacred and inviolable.

Insulting Rennes angers them more than directly insulting them.

Newgate slowly walked to the front of the group, looking down at Silver Axe Fierce, his hawk-like eyes filled with icy killing intent.

“You wicked creature, I originally intended to spare your life.”

His voice was deep and authoritative: "But you shouldn't have, absolutely shouldn't have, insulted my family."

"Family? Hahaha!"

Silver Axe Fierce seemed to have heard the funniest joke. He pointed at Raine and burst into loud laughter, which aggravated his wounds, causing him to cough violently.

"Him? A cook who only knows how to hide in the back and play with pots and pans? Newgate, you're really going backwards! Is this how you win your so-called family games—by resorting to such opportunistic tricks? How pathetic! How laughable!"

"you wanna die!"

Newgate's rage was completely ignited. A white halo gathered again on his right fist, ready to wipe this reckless guy off the face of the earth.

However, just as he was about to make his move, a hand gently pressed down on his arm.

It's Rennes.

"Captain, let's forget about it."

Raine's voice was calm and expressionless, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

He walked around Newgate's tall frame and stood at the front, facing the mocking Silver Axe-wielding man alone.

"Brother Ryan!"

"Head Chef!"

Oden and Gatz were both anxious; they wanted to bring Rein back.

Ryan simply waved his hand, signaling them to be quiet.

He looked at Silver Axe Fierce, and for the first time, a faint, sharp glint, like the edge of a knife, flickered in his usually calm, abyss-like eyes.

"You're saying my cooking is opportunistic?"

Ryan's voice was soft, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"You're saying I'll just hide in the back?"

Silver Axe Fierce looked at the little brat who walked up to him, who was barely taller than his chest, and his mockery intensified: "Isn't that right? A cook should act like a cook. The battlefield is not a place for you."

"is it?"

A slight smile slowly curved the corners of Ryan's lips, a smile devoid of warmth, only a chilling coldness that sent shivers down one's spine.

"In this case……"

Rein paused, then said something that left everyone present, including Lox, speechless.

"Let's have a fight."

"what?!"

This time, the exclamations came from everyone in the Whitebeard Pirates.