A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

Gatz touched his shrunken belly and realized for the first time how terrible hunger could be.

The smile on Lockes' face vanished, replaced by a solemn expression.

Dorum's words enlightened him.

The boat is so dilapidated.

There is too little food.

These future maritime powers are currently facing a fundamental yet deadly dilemma—a logistical crisis.

Chapter 42 Infiltration through Food

This ship can no longer contain their ambitions.

Lockes walked to the bow of the ship, facing the sea breeze, and remained silent for a long time as he looked at the boundless sea.

He knew that changes had to be made.

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over each of his crew members, finally settling on Renn.

"Ryan."

"Ok?"

"If I gave you the world's sturdiest ship and the world's best kitchen, could you make these guys... even stronger?"

Raine paused in his wiping of the cleaver, looked up, and a flame of ambition ignited in his calm eyes.

"As long as the ingredients are top-notch enough, it's absolutely possible."

"Hahaha! Great!"

Lockes burst into laughter, pulled out a somewhat tattered nautical chart from his pocket (he didn't know where he got it from), and spread it out on the deck.

His finger tapped heavily on the nautical chart, his voice booming like a bell, carrying an undeniable domineering authority.

"Men! Our next target—Naval Branch G-5! Let's seize one, no, let's build the world's most powerful ship for our head chef!"

Navy G-5 Branch.

The name was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples on the deck.

"G-5? Captain, are you kidding me?"

Dorum's face was even paler than when he saw the crack in the hull.

"That's the Navy's most important large-ship construction and research and development base in the first half of the Grand Line! It's known as a mobile Great Wall at sea! Its defensive capabilities are more than ten times stronger than the G-8 fortress we encountered before!"

"That's right!"

Gatz, unusually, put away his belligerent expression and scratched his head, saying, "I heard that the commander there is a lieutenant general from headquarters named Iron Stomach Bastiel. Not only is he incredibly strong, but he's also notoriously stubborn. In his hands, G-5 has been turned into an iron barrel, so tough that not even a seagull can fly in."

"Most importantly, a fleet of thirty large warships and tens of thousands of elite naval personnel are stationed there year-round, with so many gun emplacements that they can cover the sky."

Silver added that his intelligence was always the most accurate.

"A frontal attack is tantamount to suicide."

The crew's concerns were not unfounded.

Although the Rocks Pirates are all future maritime giants, they are still in the early stages of development.

They had only a small, dilapidated boat that could fall apart at any moment, and six core members, including the cook.

Using such force to attack a heavily armed top-tier naval fortress sounds like a joke.

Locke, however, paid no attention to the reactions of the crowd. He simply crossed his arms and looked at Raine with interest, as if waiting for him to speak.

Raine walked up to the chart and his gaze lingered for a moment on the G-5 fortress marked with skulls and crossbones.

"A direct assault is something only a fool would do."

He spoke calmly, extinguishing Gatz's sudden surge of fighting spirit with a single sentence.

"But any strong fortress can be breached from within, especially when its commander has obvious weaknesses."

Ryan tapped the name Iron Stomach Bastil lightly with his fingers.

"I've studied this person's information. Bastel, a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, is cruel and ruthless in his military discipline, but he has one fatal hobby—food."

"It is said that he enjoys rare ingredients from all over the world for every meal, and half of the logistics supply line of the G-5 branch is dedicated to serving his personal appetite."

"In order to obtain a magical seasoning, he even personally led a fleet to conquer a kingdom."

A subtle smile curved at the corners of Ryan's lips, the kind of smile a hunter gives when he spots a weakness in his prey.

"For a chef, a greedy diner is the best entry point."

"what do you mean……"

A glint flashed in Lox's eyes.

"We don't need a direct assault."

Raine raised his head and looked at everyone, his tone calm but full of confidence.

“All we need is a lure that he can’t refuse, and he will personally open the gates of that fortress for us.”

"Using food... for infiltration?"

Dorum felt his brain was starting to malfunction.

"Yes."

Ren nodded.

“I need a special ingredient, one that is absolutely impossible to find in the G-5 kitchen, an ingredient that would drive even a gourmet like Bastil crazy.”

He took out his food catalog from his pocket and turned to one of the pages.

It depicts a strange creature, resembling a squid, yet radiating a dazzling light like stars...

……

G-5 Branch, Commander's Office.

In front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, a man with a burly build, as tall as an iron tower, stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at his proud steel fleet.

He is the highest-ranking officer of the G-5 branch, Vice Admiral Bastiel of the Navy Headquarters.

"What did you say?"

Bastiel did not turn around; his voice was deep and thunderous.

"A caravan claiming to be from the Seven Seas sent me a sample, saying they have the world's finest dream ingredients and want to make a deal with me?"

"Yes, sir."

An adjutant stood respectfully behind him, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"They were in the A-7 berth area of ​​the port, saying... saying that their ingredients were only offered to true connoisseurs."

"King?"

Bastiel chuckled and turned around.

His weathered face was filled with menace, and a hideous scar stretched from his forehead to his chin, making him look less like a naval admiral and more like a demon crawling out of hell.

"Are even fishmongers this arrogant these days?"

He originally intended to order these arrogant fools to leave, but the words "dream ingredients" were like a tiny feather, gently stirring his heart, which had long been spoiled by gourmet food.

"Where are the samples?"

"it's here."

The adjutant quickly presented a beautiful box made of deep-sea jade, which was still emitting wisps of cold air.

Bastiel took the box and opened it.

An indescribable, deep, and fresh aroma, seemingly containing the essence of the stars and the sea, instantly filled the entire office.

In the center of the box, a small dish made of pure black crystal holds a pool of inky sauce that looks like a melted galaxy.

The sauce changed colors beautifully under the light, sometimes as deep as the night sky, sometimes as dazzling as the Milky Way, as if it had a life of its own.

Just smelling this aroma made Bastiel feel as if all the taste buds in her body were awakening and screaming.

He stretched out his finger, dipped it in a drop, and put it in his mouth.

boom!

It was as if an entire universe had exploded in Bastiel's mind.

It was an indescribable, exquisite freshness, as if the essence of the entire deep sea had been concentrated into a single drop.

The flavors change constantly on the tongue as the temperature changes, sometimes the salty freshness of the sea tide, sometimes the subtle sweetness of coral, and sometimes the mystery and profundity of the deep trench.

"This...this is..."

A look of shock appeared on Bass Thiel's devilish face.

"Bring them to me!"

He practically roared the order.

"No! Bring my mobile kitchen to the port! I want to see them cook a dish for me with these ingredients!"

……

Chapter 43 The signal to start dinner has arrived.

Port A-7 berth area.

A dilapidated merchant ship lay quietly moored there, standing out starkly against the backdrop of the imposing naval warships around it.

Ryan, dressed in a clean chef's apprentice uniform, stood quietly at the bow of the ship.

Silver, meanwhile, disguised himself as a taciturn guard, leaning against the shadow of the mast.

Soon, a huge mobile kitchen, converted from an armored vehicle, rumbled in and stopped in front of them, escorted by a squad of naval soldiers.

The car door opened, and Bastiel stepped out, his massive frame fixed on Renn with eyes as sharp as a hawk's.

"You're the chef from Seven Seafood?"

"I'm."

Ryan answered calmly.

"Did you make that Galaxy Ink just now?"

"Yes."

"it is good!"

Bastiel grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth.

"Now, use the ingredients you brought to cook me another dish. If it satisfies me, I'll give you anything you want. If it's just bluffing..."

A murderous glint flashed in his eyes.

"I will sink you and your boat to the bottom of G-5 to feed the fish."

"can."

Renn nodded, as if he hadn't heard the deadly threat.

"However, I need to borrow some of the best ingredients from your kitchen."

This request surprised Bastiel, but he agreed nonetheless.

Raine, carrying the jade box containing the Star River Ink, walked into the luxurious mobile kitchen under the watchful eyes of Bastiel and a group of naval officers.

Instead of starting to cook immediately, he surveyed the various top-quality ingredients in the kitchen like a king inspecting his territory.

Frosty beef air-freighted from the East China Sea, snow crabs from the ice fields of the North China Sea, and fiery chili peppers, a specialty of the volcanic islands of the South China Sea... you name it, they have it.

"The ingredients are good, but unfortunately, the preparation method is too rough."

Raine shook his head and picked up a snow crab leg that the G-5 chef was very proud of, which had already been prepared.

"The crab meat's membranes were not completely removed, and the ice-cold temperature was too low, which damaged the cell walls, causing at least 30% of the flavor to be lost."