A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

There's an island ahead.

Raine's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

Guided by Ryan, the Moby Dick adjusted its course.

Half a day later, a magnificent island appeared before everyone's eyes.

It was an island of miracles that defied description.

The mountains on the island are not rocks, but huge clusters of crystals that shimmer with seven colors.

The plants on the island are not ordinary flowers and grasses, but mineral vein plants made of various strange minerals, blooming with gemstone flowers.

Dorum's voice trembled with tears and ecstasy as he exclaimed, "Look at those mountains! Those are natural diamond veins! And those flowers, those are hyacinth sapphires!"

"My God! If I used these materials to build a ship... I feel like I could build a ship that could smash through the Red Line!"

Just as everyone was marveling at the island's abundance, two figures suddenly rushed down from the highest crystal peak in the center of the island.

They were incredibly fast; one was as strong as a bear, and the other as agile as a butterfly.

"Halt! Who are you?!"

A deep, hoarse voice came from behind, carrying the characteristic huskiness of a young man.

Everyone looked closely and saw two boys who looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years old standing in front of them.

The boy on the left is exceptionally burly, with dark skin, short, dark blue hair that stands up like steel needles, and a bare upper body revealing muscles as hard as rock.

He just stood there, and he gave people an unshakable sense of weight and solidity.

The boy on the right is tall and slender, with a signature curly mustache, wearing a swordsman's outfit that allows for easy movement, and two famous swords hanging at his waist.

His eyes were sharp, but a cynical smile played on his lips.

Although they were still quite young, the powerful aura they exuded was undeniable, in no way inferior to that of a typical naval lieutenant commander.

Upon seeing the two of them, a playful smile crept onto Ryan's lips.

Joz and Vista?

It was unexpected; I never thought I'd run into these two people here.

Gatz grinned at the two brats blocking his way, hoisted the anchor, and said, "I've been itching for a fight, you two come at me!"

Gatz's challenge to a fight was straightforward and blunt, typical of his style.

His massive body, like a giant bear that had discovered a new toy, swung the huge anchor into a black tornado with overwhelming force, crashing down on Joz and Vista.

"Giant Anchor - Mountain Collapse!"

Despite the attack being powerful enough to smash a warship in two, Joz showed no fear.

He took a step forward, crossed his arms in front of him, and let out a low growl.

Chapter 117 The Heart of Diamond

hum-

A dazzling, diamond-like light instantly enveloped Joz's entire body!

His skin shone brilliantly in the sunlight, making him appear as if he were a war god sculpted from the hardest diamonds.

clang!

With a deafening metallic clang, Gatz's powerful anchor slammed solidly into Joz's arms.

The expected scene of carnage did not occur.

Gatz felt as if his anchor had struck an unshakeable diamond mountain, and a tremendous force of recoil came from the anchor, making his hands go numb.

He uncontrollably stumbled backward seven or eight steps, each step leaving a deep footprint on the crystal floor.

"what?!"

Gatz's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at his anchor, forged from refined steel, which bore a clear dent, while the other man remained completely unscathed, not even a scratch.

"so hard!"

"You're quite strong too."

Joz lowered his arm, stretched his shoulders, and said in a deep voice.

His voice carried a hint of seriousness, and his eyes remained vigilant.

Just as Gatz was stunned by his brute force failure, a dazzling sword light, like a fluttering rose, silently attacked from his side.

"Rose Dance!"

Bista moved.

His swordsmanship was both elegant and deadly. The twin blades in his hands transformed into two pink phantoms, their light intertwining to form a blooming rose, aimed directly at Gatz's weakest point: his waist.

"not good!"

Gatz was startled and tried to anchor back to block, but it was too late.

Just as the magnificent sword blade was about to strike, a wall of blue-green fire appeared out of nowhere, blocking the sword light.

Ding-ding-ding-ding!

Vista's twin blades struck the wall of fire, producing a metallic clang, yet they couldn't advance an inch.

The flames seemed to possess a life of their own, both supple and strong, neutralizing all his force.

"Two against one is not a glorious thing to do, yOi."

Marco had appeared beside Gatz without anyone noticing, his body engulfed in azure flames of regeneration, calmly observing the two boys before him.

"Another one?"

Vista sheathed his sword and stepped back to stand beside Joz. The carefree smile on his face faded, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness.

The pineapple-headed boy who suddenly appeared before them also exuded a powerful aura.

"Who exactly are you people? What is your purpose in coming to this island?"

Joz asked again in a deep voice. He could sense that everyone on this ship was someone to be trifled with.

"We are pirates."

Newgate’s loud voice came from the ship. He did not disembark, but leaned against the ship’s side, watching the confrontation between the younger generation with great interest.

"As for the purpose... our head chef smelled something nice on this island, so he came to check it out."

"Head chef? The taste?"

Joz and Vista exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

These seemingly terrifying monsters actually came to this island for food?

"That's right!"

Gatz rubbed his numb wrist, pointed to a peculiar little tree at the top of Crystal Mountain, and shouted, "That's it! That fruit that looks like a big diamond! I just smelled it, it must be delicious!"

Looking in the direction he pointed, on the mountaintop, on a tree made entirely of crystal, was a fruit the size of a fist, crystal clear, like a perfectly cut diamond.

The fruit was emitting a faint glow, and the surrounding air seemed to become fresher because of it.

Upon seeing the fruit, Jozu and Vista's expressions instantly changed.

"No! You can't have that!"

Joz's attitude became incredibly resolute.

"That's what we're protecting!"

Vista also gripped his twin swords tightly.

"guard?"

Whitebeard's laughter echoed from the ship, filled with disdain and arrogance.

“There is nothing on this vast ocean that I, Whitebeard, cannot obtain if I set my sights on it. Since you are unwilling to give it to me, then we will take it ourselves.”

A terrifying aura of Conqueror's Haki spread out as if it were a tangible force, instantly enveloping the entire coastline.

Joz and Vista felt a sudden jolt, as if they were being crushed by an invisible mountain, making it difficult to even breathe.

They stared in horror at the man on the boat, their eyes filled with disbelief.

What kind of monster is this man?!

Just as a major battle was about to break out, a calm voice broke the tense atmosphere.

"Everyone stop it."

Raine had disembarked at some point and stood between the two sides. He looked up at the diamond-like fruit on the mountaintop, then at Joz and Vista, who were on guard.

"You plan to eat that fruit once it's fully ripe to strengthen your bodies, right?"

"Rain asked."

Joz and Vista were both taken aback by what they heard.

"how do you know?"

"Because I can smell it."

Ryan's answer was concise and to the point.

"This diamond heart is the crystallization of the mineral energy of this island. It only matures once every hundred years. If you eat it raw, the energy inside is too violent, and your body simply cannot fully absorb it."

"You can only absorb up to 30%, and the remaining 70% will be wasted, and may even cause permanent damage to your body."

Every word Ryan said was like a precise hammer blow, striking Joz and Vista's hearts.

That was indeed their plan, and it was the only way to become stronger left by their elders.

"but……"

Raine then changed the subject, saying, "If cooked the right way, I can make you absorb 100% of the energy in the fruit, and even increase its effects by another 50%."

"cooking?"

Bista repeated the word somewhat uncertainly.

"Yes."

Ryan nodded, his eyes calm and confident, as if stating a simple fact.

"In exchange, we'll share this fruit in half."

Joz and Vista fell silent.

Ryan's offer was tempting, but also fraught with uncertainty.

They have lived on this isolated island since they can remember, guarding this once-in-a-century diamond heart, their only hope for becoming stronger.

Now, a young chef of unknown origin claims he can make the fruit even more effective?

"Why should we trust you?"

Joz asked in a deep, muffled voice, his nature cautious and unwilling to take unnecessary risks.

"That's all."

Raine didn't say much; he simply took out a piece of dried meat wrapped in oil paper from his pocket and handed it over.

It was a snack he made by air-drying the spinal meat of sea monsters he had hunted, with the addition of more than a dozen special spices, specifically to replenish the crew's energy.

Chapter 118 Joz and Vista board the ship

Joz took the jerky with some skepticism. The jerky looked ordinary and even a bit dry and hard.

He broke off a small piece and put it in his mouth.

The next second, Joz's resolute face froze.

An indescribable, domineering, and pure meaty aroma, mixed with the unique flavor of spices, exploded in his mouth!

The jerky looked dry and hard, but it was incredibly chewy. With each chew, a richer burst of juice would burst from the fibers, as if stirring up a storm on his tongue.

Even more miraculously, as soon as he swallowed the jerky, a warm and powerful energy quickly flowed through his body. He felt his arms, which had been numb from taking Gatz's attack, instantly regain sensation, and his physical strength returned to its peak.