A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

This is the true power of whispers: an attack that acts directly on the mind.

Only Lox, he simply picked at his ear impatiently, his face full of disgust.

"It's so noisy, like a swarm of flies."

His Conqueror's Haki naturally provides him with extremely strong resistance to this kind of mental attack.

In the kitchen, Ryan frowned slightly.

Although he could resist it with his strong mental power, this feeling made him very uncomfortable.

"Mental pollution can affect the flavor of food."

"Raine said to himself."

The next moment, a rich, warm aroma wafted out of the kitchen, like an invisible sun, instantly dispelling the surrounding chill.

Ryan came out carrying a pot of steaming soup.

It was a pot of thick soup made from fish bones and several herbs he had collected along the way that had a calming effect. The soup was milky white and had a rich aroma.

"Drinking it will calm your mind and spirit."

The crew members, as if grasping at a straw, swarmed around.

After a bowl of hot soup, a warm current rose from my stomach and quickly spread throughout my body, sweeping away the chill and negative emotions that had invaded my mind.

Gatz's eyes regained their clarity, and Dorum's complexion became rosy.

"Ha...alive."

Gatz let out a long sigh of relief, his face still showing signs of fear.

"This place is too eerie."

Lox looked at Renn with admiration in his eyes.

Force can destroy enemies, but Raine's culinary skills can protect the hearts of her companions.

Only when these two forces are combined can they be invincible.

Guided by the Dragon Stomach Stone and protected by the delicacies of Raine, the small boat finally passed through the thick fog, and the outline of a huge and gloomy island appeared before them.

The rocks on the island are an eerie blackish-gray, and the trees are twisted like struggling ghosts. The entire island is shrouded in a depressing silence.

They moored their ship in a secluded harbor and set foot on the legendary forbidden island.

As soon as he got ashore, Silver squatted down and found some marks on the wet mud.

"They are footprints, at least five people, professionally trained and well-equipped."

He used his fingers to measure the depth and spacing of the footprints and made a judgment.

"They landed no more than three hours ago."

"It seems we are not the only guests."

Rocks gave a cold laugh.

They followed the trail deeper into the island, and soon, the sounds of fighting came from ahead.

Passing through a twisted forest, they saw five men in black suits and masks fighting against several beast-like monsters made of black mist.

The men in black suits moved with lightning speed and unpredictable movements, their punches and kicks accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder.

Shave, Moonwalk, Finger Pistol, Tempest Kick... these are the six signature martial arts techniques of CP (Cipher POl), a secret intelligence agency directly under the World Government.

"A member of CP?"

Lockes recognized the other party's origin at a glance.

"The World Government's lackeys have a really keen sense of smell."

The CP agents also spotted them, and their fighting movements noticeably paused.

The lead agent kicked a black mist monster away with a powerful kick, then flashed in front of Lox and the others, his voice cold and devoid of any emotion.

"This area has been designated a top-secret restricted zone by the World Government. All unauthorized personnel must leave immediately, or face death!"

As if ignoring his warning, Locke looked past him and gazed deeper into the island towards the source of the most intense sorrow, grinning.

"World government? So what?"

“I, Lox, have my eye on what’s on this island.”

The air froze in that instant.

An unexpected conflict is about to erupt.

"court death!"

A murderous glint flashed in the eyes of the CP agent leader, and he said no more.

He stomped his foot and vanished instantly, reappearing in front of Rocks, where he thrust a finger gun, imbued with all his strength, straight at Rocks' throat.

This strike was swift, accurate, and ruthless, enough to pierce through a steel plate.

However, his fingers stopped a centimeter away from Lockes' skin, as if blocked by an invisible wall, unable to go any further.

"too slow."

Lox didn't even move, he just looked at him with disdain.

The CP leader's pupils dilated violently. He tried to back away, but found that his body was as if welded to the spot by countless invisible steel bars, unable to move.

"Gats, Silver, Dorlum."

Lox's voice rang out lazily.

"Clear the area, don't let these flies disturb my meal."

"okay!"

Gatz roared and charged forward, carrying the anchor.

The remaining four CP agents immediately engaged in battle.

A fierce battle broke out instantly.

Chapter 16 The King of Weeping

CP agents' six techniques are exquisite and their teamwork is impeccable, but Rocks' crew, after being strengthened by the Food of Righteousness, are no longer what they used to be.

Gatz's giant anchor moved with sweeping, powerful strikes, each carrying the force to shatter mountains and split rocks. This forced the two agents, skilled in Shave and Moonwalk, to dodge in disarray, unable to get close at all.

Silver's spear was like a ghost, always appearing at the most unexpected angles, forcing the other agent to scramble and struggle to defend himself.

Although Dorum wasn't fast, his body seemed to be covered by an invisible armor. The CP agents' finger guns and storm kicks only produced a muffled sound when they hit him, and could not cause any effective damage.

He wielded his giant axe, fighting steadily and forcefully, which instead forced his opponent to retreat repeatedly.

The battle situation is showing a one-sided trend.

Lox ignored the battle, which was already a foregone conclusion, and carried the imprisoned CP leader as if he were a chick, walking toward the center of the island.

Ryan followed behind him expressionlessly.

They passed through an archway made of enormous skeletons and arrived at a huge circular valley.

In the center of the valley, there grows an ancient tree so huge that it defies description.

The tree's bark resembled dried tear stains, its enormous canopy blocked out the sun, and countless luminous, teardrop-like drops of sap slowly dripped from its branches and leaves.

A fruit hangs from the highest branch of the ancient tree.

The fruit was crystal clear, radiating a soft, soul-like glow, and pulsating rhythmically, like a living heart.

Without a doubt, that was the legendary Soul Echo Fruit.

But between the ancient tree and them stood a huge figure.

It was a giant tens of meters tall, its entire body composed of the island's black rocks and condensed resentment. It had no facial features, and black, sorrowful mist constantly seeped from the gaps in its body.

It simply stood there quietly, and an immense, almost tangible, sorrow that could crush one's spirit enveloped the entire valley.

This is the King of Sorrow, feared by the giants of Elbaf.

"Finally found."

Lox casually tossed the CP leader aside, his eyes fixed intently on the massive rock golem.

"A big stone thing? Perfect, saves me the trouble of looking for a target."

Just as Locus was about to make his move, the King of Sorrow moved.

It made no sound, but slowly raised its arms made of giant stones and pointed them at Lox.

An invisible spiritual shockwave, composed purely of sorrow and despair, swept in like a tsunami.

Behind Lockes, Renn frowned; the intensity of this mental shock far exceeded that of the previous mist.

However, Rocks neither dodged nor avoided, but instead took a step forward, and an even more domineering and arrogant will soared up from his body!

boom!

Two invisible forces collided violently in the air, producing a roar that was almost tangible, distorting the air in the valley.

The King of Sorrows visibly faltered, seemingly not expecting this tiny human to be able to directly withstand its mental assault.

"Is that all you have?"

Lox grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

"Then it's my turn!"

He was about to rush forward when a figure was faster than him.

It was the CP leader he had abandoned.

He had somehow broken free of his restraints and was now moving at top speed, bypassing Rocks and the King of Weeping, heading straight for the Soul Echo Fruit on the ancient tree!

"That thing belongs to the World Government!"

The CP leader roared, his eyes filled with a crazed obsession.

The King of Weeping seemed to be enraged, and it let out a silent roar that shook the entire valley.

It abandoned Lox and instead punched the thief who dared to lay a finger on the sacred relic.

"I told you, don't interfere with my prey."

A cold voice sounded.

Rocks appeared behind the CP leader as if by teleportation, casually pressing a hand against the back of his neck.

At the same time, he raised his other hand and met the mountain-like fist that the King of Sorrows was throwing with a punch, without dodging or avoiding it.

Two fists, one large and one small, of completely disproportionate size, collided violently in mid-air.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

The next second, a deafening roar erupted.

click-

Dense, spiderweb-like cracks started from the King of Sorrow's fist and quickly spread to his entire arm and even half of his body!

Rocks stood still, motionless.

The King of Sorrow's massive rocky body shattered with a single punch!

Outside the valley, Gatz, Silver, and Dorum, who had just finished off their opponents, arrived and witnessed this breathtaking scene.

They surrounded the CP leader, whose face was ashen, cutting off all his escape routes.

Rocks shook his fist as if he had just swatted a fly.

Inside the valley, shattered rocks were still rolling down, and the dust and smoke had not yet dissipated.

The members of the Rocks Pirates, including Gats, Silver, and Dorum who had just arrived, were still reeling from the shock of their captain smashing the King of Sorrow with a single punch.

Locke, however, acted as if nothing had happened, dusting off his hands and staring intently at the ancient tree that blocked out the sky.

His eyes were like those of a gourmand eyeing an exquisite delicacy, filled with naked possessiveness.

"Alright, stop standing there like an idiot."