A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

The honey in the river became sweeter, the breadfruit on the trees became softer, and even the air smelled fresher and more vibrant.

Everyone looked at this miraculous scene before them, and their faces showed genuine, incredibly satisfied smiles.

They did it.

They saved a world.

Just then, a fist-sized fruit, with a dreamlike seven-colored glass-like appearance, slowly rose from the center of the heart that had been revitalized.

The fruit seemed to be the crystallization of all life and joy on the entire island. It floated quietly in the air and then slowly and gently drifted to Renn's front.

This is a gift from the island.

This is the highest gratitude to the chef who gave it new life.

Renn reached out and solemnly accepted the fruit.

[Ding! Detected that the host has completed the epic hidden quest—Saving the Island of Gluttony, obtaining the legendary ingredient—Heart of the World (Juvenile Form), and gaining a huge amount of experience points!]

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for unlocking a brand new recipe...]

Looking at the fruit in his hand, and then at his family members grinning at him from behind, a genuine and radiant smile appeared on his calm face.

……

The feast on Taotie Island lasted all night.

The revitalized island seemed to join the festivities, with the waves of the Honey River carrying the sweet scent of the holiday, and the breadfruit swaying gently in the night breeze as if applauding.

Gatz and a few hairy, burly creatures he found among the island's natives, whose intelligence was practically zero, put their arms around each other and played rock-paper-scissors in a language no one could understand. The loser had to punish himself by taking a big gulp of honey, and the scene was quite harmonious for a time.

Newgate leaned against a huge biscuit rock, watching his goofy family with a genuine smile on his face.

The barrel of wine beside him was empty. It was a mead unique to Taotie Island, capable of fermenting on its own. It had a mellow taste and a powerful aftereffect, and at this moment it was giving this future sea overlord a just-right buzz.

Raine didn't join in their commotion; he walked alone to the edge of the island.

The seven-colored glass fruit, which he named the Heart of the World, lay quietly in his palm, radiating a soft and warm light, like a newborn baby full of curiosity about the world.

His consciousness sank into his mind, bringing up the long-forgotten system panel.

[Ding! Epic Hidden Quest - Save the Island of Gluttony - Completed!]

[Task Evaluation: Perfect. Through a process of mutual support and reciprocation, it not only repaired the damage to the Gluttonous Heart but also helped it complete its initial life leap, with its potential far exceeding expectations.]

[Quest Rewards: Legendary Ingredient - Heart of the World (Juvenile) x1, Huge Experience Points +1,000,000, Unlocks New Recipe Heart of the World: Life Baking Method]

One million experience points!

Even Ryan's heart skipped a beat when he saw that number.

You have to understand, he had worked so hard to hunt so many powerful sea kings and cook so many top-notch dishes, yet his experience points were increasing at a snail's pace.

This time, a single mission brought him such terrifying profits.

His total experience points thus historically surpassed the million mark.

[Host: Raine]

[Cooking Skill Level: Unrivaled (1242544/200,000,000)]

【Cooking Skill Points: 350000】

【…】

However, when Ryan's gaze fell on the column for experience points required for promotion, the slight excitement he had just felt was instantly doused with cold water.

Two hundred million.

Advancing from the Peerless level to the next level requires a whopping 200 million experience points.

Looking at his meager experience bar, which had just surpassed one million, Renn gave a wry smile.

This is no longer a matter of whether it affects your liver or not; it's an astronomical figure that would require turning the entire ocean into a dish to achieve.

At the current rate, even if he captured all the future Four Emperors and made them into Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, he probably still wouldn't have enough.

It seems that I will have to stay at the Peerless level for a very, very long time.

Fortunately, I also received a lot of cooking points as a reward. Once I accumulate a few more, I can enjoy another round of spending.

Ryan sighed softly and turned his attention to the newly unlocked recipe.

The moment he saw the contents of the recipe, his pupils contracted sharply, and he even held his breath for half a second.

[Recipe Name: Heart of the World - Life Baking Method]

[Recipe Type: Simulation/Creation Level]

[Recipe Description: This recipe contains a glimpse into the principles of creation. The Heart of the World is a dormant cosmic wonder, the seed for building a complete ecological world. Through baking, using other higher-level energy sources as nutrients, its growth and evolution can be accelerated.]

Baking needs:

【1. Main Material: Heart of the World (Juvenile Version) x1】

[2. Core Heat Source: Requires a special flame containing immense life energy or the power of laws, such as the Phoenix Flame, the True Fire of the Sun, or the Hellfire.]

[3. Basic Nutrients: Foods rich in pure energy, such as the flesh and blood of sea monsters, the sap of ancient trees, and snow lotus from high mountains.]

[4. Special Catalysts: Legendary ingredients or rare items containing special laws of power. The higher the quality and the more diverse the types of catalysts used, the more unique the growth direction of the Heart of the World will be, and the greater its potential will be.]

Current growth rate: 0.01%

[Final Form Prediction: Unknown. Depending on the baking process and the nutrients added, it may eventually evolve into a mobile war fortress, a self-sufficient ecological ark, a secret realm containing the laws of time, or even a completely new, self-aware living world.]

As Raine looked at the recipe, a storm raged within him.

This has completely gone beyond the realm of cooking.

This isn't a recipe; it's clearly an instruction manual teaching you how to grow your own world!

Renn looked down at the small fruit in his palm, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

He seemed to see no longer a fruit, but a nascent universe with infinite possibilities.

"Raine, what are you thinking about?"

A deep voice sounded from behind. Newgate had walked over at some point, smelling slightly of alcohol, but his eyes were unusually clear.

Raine didn't hide anything and handed over the Heart of the World.

Chapter 127 The Legendary Clockwork Island

Newgate curiously took the fruit. As soon as he held it, he felt a warm and pure life energy emanating from it, which made his body, which was slightly violent due to the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, feel comfortable.

"Is this... a thank-you gift from that island?"

"Ah."

Ryan nodded, then succinctly explained the concept of the Life Baking Method.

Upon hearing this, Newgate's hawk-like eyes shone with an unprecedented light.

He had conquered the world, seen countless treasures, and destroyed countless enemies, but he never even dared to dream of creating a world.

"So... this thing can become our own island? A home?"

Newgate's voice trembled slightly.

"Theoretically, yes."

Ryan calmly replied, "But the process will be very long and will require astronomical resources."

"Goo la la la la!"

Newgate suddenly burst into laughter, solemnly returning the Heart of the World to Renn, patting him heavily on the shoulder with his enormous hand.

"So what! We're pirates, we'll just steal the treasure and resources!"

His eyes burned with an unprecedented flame, a flame that had found a new purpose, a flame called protection.

Just then, a loud burp came from not far away. Gatz walked over, rubbing his round belly. He immediately saw the fruit in Renn's hand and his eyes lit up instantly.

"Wow! Head Chef! Is this some new variety of fruit? It looks delicious! Can I have a taste?"

As he spoke, he reached out his large, fan-like hand.

Before they even touched each other, Newgate slapped him on the back of the head.

"Idiot! That's our future home! Can you eat that?!"

"Family?"

Gatz covered his head, looking completely bewildered.

……

The entire Taotie Island seemed to understand their conversation, and as they were about to leave, the enormous heart in the center of the island once again emitted a soft light.

Countless vines rose from the ground, packing the island's sweetest honey, softest breadfruit, and most fragrant spices into huge parcels, which they respectfully delivered to their ship.

This is a gift from the island, and an investment in the future.

As the group returned to the dilapidated sailboat laden with the gifts of the Gluttonous Island, a profound sense of alienation, like returning from paradise to a slum, arose within them.

The deck groaned under the strain the moment they stepped onto it, and Dorum could even hear the intervertebral discs on the third mast warning of an impending herniation.

The air was no longer filled with the sweet scent of honey and flowers, but with the smell of wood, salty and decaying, eroded by the sea breeze and the passage of time.

"I can't take it anymore! I can't take it!"

Dorum, the great shipwright, had his mental defenses completely crumble after witnessing the miracles of the Gluttonous Island and the stark contrast with the dilapidated ship before him.

He clung to a cracked ship railing, crying like a 300-pound child.

"Look at this! Look at this, everyone! This isn't a boat! It's clearly a coffin that's about to fall apart!"

He pointed to the seven or eight new cracks on the deck and complained to the crowd.

"We were just bringing those gifts up here when its dragon bones started screaming for help! I even heard it asking me why it couldn't stay on the Island of Gluttony and live out its old age in peace!"

Newgate leaned against the doorframe of the captain's cabin, having just digested the power boost from the feast, feeling an unprecedented sense of control.

Looking down at the dilapidated ship beneath his feet, which could disintegrate even if Gatz sneezed a couple more times, an unbearable sense of irritation welled up inside him.

"Dorum is right."

Newgate's voice wasn't loud, but it silenced everyone's crying and complaining.

"A king who is ready to conquer the world cannot ride in a chariot that may break down at any moment."

He surveyed his crew, his deep eyes burning with an ambition to dominate the world.

"We need a new ship!"

These words invigorated everyone.

Gatz was the first to excitedly shout, "That's right! Change the ship! Change to a ship big enough to hold a hundred whole roasted cows!"

"But... Captain."

Dorum wiped away his tears and asked the most practical question: "The best ships require the best materials and the best shipwrights. Where are we going to find them?"

"Go rob it."

Newgate's answer was simple and assertive.

"Let's rob the world's best shipyard!"

"The Seven Water Cities?"

Dorum instinctively asked, "That's a key protected city of the World Government. If we attack it head-on..."

"Do not."

A calm voice interrupted him; it was Ryan.

He had already sorted out the ingredients given by Taotie Island, and was now holding an old book with a cover decorated with various gears and steam pipes, which he had pulled out from somewhere.

"While the craftsmanship of the Seven Water Capitals is top-notch, the style is too traditional and too ostentatious."

Raine turned the page and pointed to an illustration of a floating island made up of countless clockwork mechanisms and gears.

According to records of ancient mechanics and lost civilizations, there exists a legendary clockwork island in an unknown sea area of ​​the New World.

"The inhabitants there are descendants of ancient mechanics. They possess mechanical and shipbuilding techniques far ahead of their time. It is said that the ships they build can self-repair like living things and even have their own thoughts."