A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

High in the sky, Shiki's smile had completely vanished, replaced by endless shock and a hint of barely perceptible solemnity.

His prized Lion's Might Earth Roll, capable of instantly destroying a naval fleet, was so easily neutralized by the opponent.

That wasn't just a simple contest of strength; it was a higher level of crushing the very essence of strength.

The seemingly insignificant shockwave from the other side did not shatter the ice floes, but rather completely disintegrated their structure at the molecular level!

"Newgate...you bastard..."

Shiki stared intently at the man carrying the naginata below, his eyes becoming incredibly dangerous.

"Gurarararar, Shiki, your little tricks are still the same as before, all show and no substance."

Newgate gently slammed the naginata onto the deck, and an invisible aura of dominance spread out, causing the surrounding sea surface to sink slightly.

"Hahaha! This is interesting! So interesting!"

Shiki suddenly burst into wild laughter again, the shock in his eyes quickly replaced by an even more fervent fighting spirit.

"Looks like you guys haven't been idle all these years! That's more like it! That's how you become stepping stones on my path to domination!"

Without further ado, he soared into the sky from the main island, like a true lion, and launched an attack.

"Sakura-ju! Withered Tree!"

The two famous swords beneath his feet transformed into two golden streaks of light, tearing through the air at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, heading straight for Newgate's head.

"Dad! I'll do it!"

Oden roared, feeling the cherry blossom-like energy surging within him, and his twin swords yearned for a thrilling battle.

With a powerful push of his legs, his massive body soared into the air from the deck, meeting the two deadly blades head-on.

"Kozuki Itto-ryu: Tougen Totsuka!"

In mid-air, Oden simultaneously wrapped Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki around his twin swords, unleashing two massive, dragon-shaped phantom slashes that clashed violently with Shiki's Sakura Ju and Mokuku.

Clang!

The deafening clang of metal clashing echoed through the sky, sparks flying everywhere.

Oden felt an overwhelming force coming from the blade, which made his arms go numb and sent him flying backward uncontrollably.

The two famous swords were also sent flying back, tracing a graceful arc in the air before returning to Shiki's feet.

With just one test, the difference in skill was immediately apparent.

Although Oden's strength increased greatly with the help of Rein's cooking, he still had a considerable gap in combat experience and the purity of Haki compared to a seasoned pirate like Shiki.

"Oh? A samurai from Wano Country? Interesting."

Shiki glanced at Oden, who had landed steadily on the deck, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "However, you think you can challenge me with just this much skill? You're a hundred years too early!"

"hateful!"

Oden wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, but his fighting spirit remained undiminished.

"Gats! Let's all go together! Let's drag this guy down from the sky!"

"Oh oh oh!"

Gatz, who could no longer contain himself, let out an excited roar. He felt his blood burning, and the power from the blazing chili pepper seemed to be about to burst his body.

The two battle maniacs exchanged a glance, and simultaneously unleashed their power, charging towards Shiki in the sky like two cannonballs, one on the left and one on the right.

"Two ignorant brats."

Shiki scoffed dismissively. He raised his hands, and two more massive ice floes rose from the sea below, like two giant shields blocking Gatz and Oden's path.

A fierce aerial battle between two against one ensued.

Newgate didn't intervene; he simply crossed his arms and watched the fight with great interest, like an old father examining his son.

Meanwhile, the Flying Pirates' fleet also began to move.

More than a dozen warships hovering in the air adjusted their cannons, their dark barrels all aimed at the New Moby Dick.

"Fire!"

With a command given, a barrage of shells, trailing black smoke, rained down on the New Moby Dick like a storm of steel.

"Hmph, a bunch of small fry."

Silver's figure had appeared on the highest observation platform at some point, his eyes cold as he looked at the barrage of shells raining down from the sky.

He downed the ink-black juice that Ryan had given him in one gulp, and the next second, his figure blurred in place, as if merging into the surrounding shadows.

"Shadow Step - Silent".

Silver's figure disappeared from the lookout tower.

The cannonballs that were powerful enough to blast an ordinary pirate ship to pieces mysteriously exploded in mid-air just as they were about to hit the New Moby Dick.

Only upon close inspection can one discover that each exploding shell has an extra tiny, almost imperceptible hole.

Silver's figure moved like a ghost through the gaps between countless shells. Every thrust of his spear struck the weakest point of the shell with perfect precision, triggering the most violent explosion with minimal force.

He alone, with just a gun, managed to completely dismantle the Flying Pirates' first round of saturation fire.

This scene left the Flying Pirates crew members dumbfounded.

"Then...what is that?!"

"Ghost! It's a ghost!"

Panic began to spread through the enemy fleet.

On the bridge of the New Moby Dick, shipwright Dorum watched all this with fascination, his small notebook flying as he jotted down notes.

"Records show that after drinking the chef's special power-breathing juice, the test subject Gatz's explosive power increased by 35%, and his muscle strength increased by 20%. However, his destructive power to the ship's deck increased by 50% simultaneously, and the estimated repair costs have increased..."

"Records show that after drinking the special Cherry Blossom Fragrance Concoction, the experimental subject Oden's Haki concentration and penetrating power significantly increased, but his fighting style was too unrestrained, posing a great potential threat to the railings on both sides of the ship..."

"Record: After drinking the concentrated juice of the Silent Abyss, the experimental subject Silver's speed and stealth abilities reached a new level, making him almost impossible to detect with the naked eye or conventional Observation Haki. He is assessed as extremely dangerous, and it is recommended that he not be allowed to sneak into the kitchen to steal food in the future..."

Raine stood beside him, calmly watching the battlefield data stream on the holographic projection, like a commander in charge.

He knew that the outcome of this battle was no longer in the sky, but in this small kitchen.

Chapter 140 Lunchtime

The battle in the sky has entered a fierce stage.

Gatz and Oden joined forces, like two berserk beasts, and fought fiercely against Shiki the Golden Lion.

Each swing of the anchor by Gatz was powerful and heavy, carrying the scorching heat of the Exploding Pepper, smashing the ice floes controlled by Shiki to pieces, and filling the air with a burnt smell.

Oden's twin swords became even more ferocious, with the Haki of Ryuo swirling around them. Each strike carried an indestructible penetrating force, forcing Shiki to be distracted and unable to deal with them as easily as before.

"Two troublesome brats!"

For the first time, a look of annoyance appeared on Shiki's face; he realized he was being entangled.

He originally intended to finish this quickly, get rid of these two troublesome guys first, and then focus on dealing with Newgate.

But these two guys were like two leeches, one incredibly strong and the other highly skilled, and together they made it difficult for him to break free for a while.

On the sea below, Silver became the nightmare of the Flying Pirates' fleet.

His figure moved back and forth between more than a dozen warships as if they were empty.

When he does act, he either does nothing at all, or he does precisely destroy the ship's power core or weapon system.

The crew of the Flying Pirates could only watch helplessly as their warships lost power one after another, slowly plummeting from the sky in plumes of black smoke, without even being able to catch a glimpse of the enemy.

"Damn it! Where is that ghost?!"

"Fire! Fire on all the shadows!"

Panic and chaos spread like a plague. The Flying Pirates' proud aerial fleet was thrown into chaos by one person, and their formation was thrown into disarray.

"A bunch of trash!"

Shiki looked down at the incompetent fleet and was furious.

He finally realized that he had made a fatal mistake from the very beginning.

He underestimated the ship and the crew.

Although Rocks is dead, the monsters who have inherited his will seem to be even more troublesome than before.

"We can't waste any more time with you guys!"

A cold glint flashed in Shiki's eyes. He decided that he would no longer hold back and that he had to finish the battle quickly.

"Shishiwei Senkiriya!"

He roared, abandoning control of the floating ice and instead pushing the power of the Float-Float Fruit to its limit.

An invisible force swirled up the surrounding seawater, transforming it into thousands of rapidly spinning water blades in mid-air, like a giant meat grinder, engulfing Gats and Oden!

This move has a huge range and is unavoidable; the cutting power it contains is enough to tear even steel into pieces instantly.

Faced with this devastating attack, Gatz and Oden's expressions became extremely solemn.

They knew they couldn't withstand this attack.

Just at this critical moment, a lazy voice came from below.

"Have you had enough fun, Shiki?"

Newgate's figure had appeared in mid-air at some point, holding a knife in one hand, hovering there quietly, as if there were invisible steps beneath his feet.

He looked at the water blades filling the sky, and simply swung the naginata in his hand forward casually.

"broken!"

One word, and the law follows.

A higher frequency vibration, imperceptible to the naked eye, instantly spread out.

Those thousands of water jets, powerful enough to cut through steel, seemed to lose all their strength the moment they came into contact with the shockwave. They disintegrated and transformed back into countless water droplets, which splashed back into the sea.

Another move.

And it was resolved so easily, with such nonchalance.

Shiki's pupils contracted sharply, and he stared intently at Newgate, his mind reeling with shock.

He finally realized that the gap between himself and Newgate had become so large that he could not comprehend it.

The opponent's power has transcended mere destruction and entered a realm closer to the laws of nature.

"You...what exactly did you do?"

Shiki's voice was slightly hoarse.

"nothing."

Newgate grinned: "It just restored the water to its original state."

Shiki fell silent. He looked at Newgate, then at the unscathed white whale below, and at the calm crew members on board. For the first time, he felt the urge to retreat.

He knew he had already lost this battle.

Continuing the fight would not only fail to gain any advantage, but could even result in the loss of the fleet that had been painstakingly built up.

However, just as he was about to order a retreat, a calm voice came again from the New Moby Dick.

"Captain, Oden, Gatsu."

It's Rennes.

He remained standing at the bow of the ship, holding a huge food box in his hands.

"Lunchtime has arrived."

Raine's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, including Shiki high in the sky.

"Today's lunch is a sea king-themed all-meat burger, served with a secret flame sauce and chilled seaweed juice. Please finish your meal within ten minutes and come back for lunch. Latecomers will not be waited for."

Shiki: "..."

He looked down at the boy who solemnly announced that dinner was served, and then at Gatz and Oden whose eyes lit up instantly upon hearing the word "hamburger." He felt that his worldview had been shaken like never before.

What are these guys thinking?