A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

"And this, I can do."

Ryan's words were like a reassuring pill, instantly waking up Locke.

risk?

If it can be controlled, it's not a risk, it's a weapon.

And their head chef happens to hold the key to controlling this powerful weapon.

"Wa hahaha!"

Once Rocks understood the situation, he burst into another deafening laugh.

He walked up to Lingling.

"Want to board my ship? Sure."

Lox's voice turned cold and domineering: "But you must remember three things."

Lingling's attention was completely drawn to the plate of waffles, and she only nodded absentmindedly when she heard this: "Okay, go ahead."

"First, on this ship, I, Locke D. Gibbeck, am the sole captain, and my orders are absolute."

"Second, you are not allowed to damage my ship or lay a hand on my crew. Otherwise, I will personally dismantle you."

"Third, and most importantly..."

Locke turned his gaze to Ryan: "You are not allowed to disrespect my head chef, and you are not allowed to take his food. If you want to eat something, wait for him to give it to you."

"No problem! No problem!"

Lingling's mouth was practically watering. Pointing at the waffle in Ryan's hand, she asked eagerly, "Can I eat that now?"

Lockes grinned and nodded at Renn.

Ryan then handed the plate of waffles to Lingling.

Lingling was overjoyed and, disregarding her image, grabbed a piece with her hand and stuffed it into her mouth.

The moment the waffle entered her mouth, her huge eyes widened in shock, as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning of happiness.

"Wow! It's so delicious! It's so good!"

She wolfed down her food while letting out satisfied, kitten-like whimpers.

The raging, unruly aura he had just displayed vanished without a trace in the face of delicious food, turning him into a big, harmless idiot who only knew how to eat.

Seeing this, Gatz and Silver exchanged bewildered glances, Dorum stopped crying, and everyone looked at Rein with the eyes of someone looking at a monster.

Lockes nodded in satisfaction. He walked to the middle of the crew, waved his hand, and announced in a loud voice, "Alright, men! Welcome our new partner, Charlotte Linlin!"

And so, one of the future Four Emperors, BIG MOM, officially joined this ship that had just set sail and would become the future ruler of the seas in a way that no one had expected.

……

Charlotte Linlin's arrival brought about a dramatic change to the already somewhat crowded and dilapidated ship, the most obvious change being that the ship's groans became more frequent.

Dorum's daily work is no longer about repairing everyday wear and tear, but about following Lingling around and fixing structural damage caused by her walking too hard or accidentally bumping into the ship's side while stretching.

His notebook, which he always carried with him, was filled with all sorts of data.

The title has also changed from "The Ghost Ship Repair Manual" to "How to Maintain the Basic Integrity of a Wooden Sailboat Under the Daily Activities of a Two-Ton Creature," a story filled with blood and tears.

The rate at which food was consumed on board also increased exponentially.

Gatz used to be the ship's biggest eater, but ever since Lingling boarded the ship, that title has been ruthlessly stripped away.

When it was time to eat, Gatz could still wolf down a five-person portion of food, but Lingling could eat a fifty-person portion without changing her expression, and after finishing, she would still lick the plate with lingering satisfaction, staring longingly in the direction of the kitchen.

This was the first time Gatz realized what it meant to be outmatched by others, and there were always people better than you. The way he looked at Lingling was filled with awe for his fellow glutton.

All of this pressure fell on Ryan in the kitchen.

Ryan's workload is now more than ten times greater than before, but instead of complaining, he enjoys it.

Lingling was like a perfect experimental subject.

Her unique constitution and high energy requirements allow Renn to experiment with various rare ingredients containing enormous energy without worrying that she might be unable to handle the nutrients.

He used the tentacles of a giant deep-sea squid mixed with volcanic chili peppers to make flaming takoyaki, the violent energy of which was enough to make Gatz's whole body smoke after eating just one.

Lingling, however, was able to eat dozens of them in one go like snacks, and commented that the spiciness was just right, but they weren't chewy enough.

He used the leftover scraps from the Leviathan of Thunder Abyss and a kind of shimmering mushroom that could cause extreme mental excitement to boil into a Thunder Symphony Soup. It took Newgate half a day to calm the surging domineering aura within him after drinking just one bowl.

Lingling, however, could gulp it down like mouthwash, then burp and exhale a string of tiny sparks.

Under Raine's careful nurturing, Lingling's violent power not only did not become a threat, but instead became more solid.

Her mood became exceptionally stable because she could enjoy the ultimate in delicious food every day. Most of the time, she was like a huge cat that had eaten and drunk its fill, lazily lying on the deck sunbathing.

Of course, accidents can happen occasionally.

That afternoon, the ship was sailing on a calm sea.

When Lingling woke up from her afternoon nap, she suddenly sat up without warning, rubbing her stomach and showing an irritable expression on her face.

"I'm hungry... I want something sweet... I want a cotton candy cake made of clouds, drizzled with rainbow syrup, that melts in your mouth..."

As she spoke, she unconsciously clenched her fists, and a dangerous aura began to emanate from her.

Zeus and Prometheus, whom she had just repaired, sensed their master's emotions and began to hover anxiously around her, one amidst lightning and thunder, the other amidst raging flames.

The atmosphere on the deck instantly became tense.

"Oh no! It's food cravings!"

Dorum's face turned pale instantly. He had seen this entry in a pamphlet about the Charlotte family that he had somehow obtained.

"It is said that she must eat whatever she wants immediately, otherwise she will lose her mind and indiscriminately destroy things until her desire is satisfied!"

"Marshmallow cake? Where on earth are you going to find that in this vast ocean?!"

Gatz was so anxious he was scratching his head.

Rocks and Newgate also frowned; they could sense that Lingling's power was spiraling out of control.

Just at this critical moment, the kitchen door opened.

Chapter 41 Cloud Rainbow Cotton Candy Cake

Ryan walked out carrying a huge tray, his face still showing the same calm expression.

On the tray was an enormous cake with an exquisite design.

The cake base is made by mashing the meat of sea monsters that were previously hunted, mixing it with seabird eggs and flour, and then baking it, giving it a beautiful pinkish-white color.

The main body of the cake is made by whipping a special gelatinous extract from deep-sea plankton.

It has a light and airy texture, like a real cloud, and is topped with a rainbow-colored syrup made from seven different luminous berries.

"Your wish, the cloud rainbow marshmallow cake."

Raine placed the cake in front of Lingling.

Lingling's eyes widened instantly, and the frenzied aura she had developed from hunger vanished in an instant, replaced by endless longing.

She carefully scooped out a large spoonful and put it in her mouth.

The cake melted in her mouth, and its light, sweet flavor with a hint of fruitiness instantly filled her palate, making her feel completely blissful.

"Woo~~~"

Lingling let out a long, satisfied moan, her eyes squinting happily as she became completely absorbed in the world of delicious food.

A crisis that was about to erupt was easily averted by Renn with a dessert.

On the deck, Lockes, Newgate, Gats, Silver, and Dorum watched this scene and all breathed a sigh of relief.

As they watched the small figure calmly clearing away the dishes, a thought simultaneously popped into their minds.

Although the captain of this ship is Rocks, the true anchor of the ship is probably this unfathomable head chef...

Lingling's contented snoring sounded like a kitten purring, only amplified hundreds of times, creating a peculiar, soothing resonance in the air above the deck.

Dorum slumped on the deck, writing something in his notebook with trembling hands.

Gatz leaned closer to take a look and saw that it was written in crooked handwriting: "Final conclusion: The core element for maintaining the basic integrity of this ship is not the keel or the sails, but ensuring that the head chef has enough sugar and flour."

After he finished writing, he sighed deeply, closed the notebook, and looked at Raine with a gaze still full of shock.

Rocks and Newgate exchanged a glance, both seeing the same shock and lingering fear in each other's eyes.

They prided themselves on being monsters, capable of destroying everything with their power, but their fists proved powerless against Lingling's irrational, instinctive rampages.

But Ryan, an eight-year-old boy, effortlessly choked the sea monster with a spoon.

This is no longer just about cooking skills; it's about wielding the reins of monsters and wielding the power to control them.

"Um... head chef..."

Gatz rubbed his hands together, his face full of a fawning smile, and carefully approached Renn, pointing to the huge cake that was still half full.

"Look, what's left..."

Ryan glanced at him, his eyes calm and unwavering, as if he were looking at a silent stone.

“That belongs to Lingling.”

“I’ll just have a tiny bite! Just a tiny bite!” Gatz held up a thick finger, gesturing to indicate a very small length.

Raine didn't say anything more, but silently pulled out a gleaming cleaver from under the stove and began to slowly wipe it clean.

Gatz's smile froze on his face, and he sheepishly withdrew.

With the crisis over, Lingling entered a state of blissful tranquility, her enormous body lounging lazily on the deck, taking up most of the space.

The two Homies on her, composed of souls—Prometheus the sun and Zeus the thundercloud—became utterly docile.

A tiny flame and a soft, fluffy cloud nuzzled affectionately against Renn's calf, as if thanking the benefactor who had bestowed happiness upon their master.

Ignoring their attempts to flatter him, Ryan took out his research notes and began recording the data he had just collected.

"Experimental subject: Charlotte Linlin."

Trigger: Food cravings.

Symptoms: An indiscriminate destructive impulse triggered by an extreme craving for a particular sweet food; energy fluctuations increase exponentially; and mental state is extremely unstable.

"Solution: Cloud Rainbow Marshmallow Cake, main ingredients: sea king fish protein, deep-sea plankton colloid, seven-color luminescent berry syrup."

"Conclusion: By providing customized desserts with extremely high concentrations and abundant life energy, their manic emotions can be calmed within three minutes, and they can enter a state of fullness and dormancy that lasts for more than eight hours."

"In this state, the experimental subjects are docile, non-aggressive, and can even perform limited, controllable commands."

He paused here, glanced at Lingling who was using Prometheus as a torch to help Dorum scorch the damp wooden planks, and added a sentence.

"Side effects: The ship's structural wear and tear accelerates, food reserves are consumed exponentially, and the dependence on chefs reaches its highest level."

This is no longer a crew member, but an ultimate weapon with self-awareness that requires careful maintenance and upkeep.

And he, Raine, is the dedicated armorer and energy supplier for this weapon.

Just then, the shipwright Dorum, carrying his little notebook, ran up to Lox with a mournful face.

"Captain! This is no good! This ship is really going to fall apart!"

Dorum opened the notebook, which was covered with dense structural diagrams and various alarming red markings.

"Look, this is the structural strength of our ship when we set sail, and this is now... Ever since Miss Lingling boarded the ship, our keel has been groaning every day. Last night I even heard the mainmast talking in its sleep, saying it wanted to retire!"

"Plus the aftershocks of your and Lord Newgate's occasional stretching on deck, and the deck wear and tear caused by that idiot Gatz's daily anchor-waving practice..."

Dorum's voice was choked with sobs.

“Every plank of this ship is working beyond its limits! It’s old; it can’t support the weight of us monsters!”

"The most crucial thing is!"

Dorum pointed to the mountain of food storage boxes.

"Our food supply will only last us three more days at most! Miss Lingling has eaten our entire month's worth by herself! If we run out of food, the consequences will be..."

He didn't dare to continue, but everyone understood what the consequences would be.

All eyes were once again focused on the massive, sleeping figure on the deck, as if they were looking at a time bomb that could explode at any moment.