A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

Chapter 155 The Shadowy Sea?

In the corner, Teach was still perfectly playing his role as a well-behaved and sensible person.

He would always rush over immediately, wiping the cold sweat from Dorum's forehead with a towel, and then hand Gatz a glass of Rein's special juice to replenish his energy, just as he climbed out of the sea.

She always had that innocent yet ingratiating smile on her face.

However, as he bent down to hand over the water, a cold and calculating glint flashed deep in his small eyes, completely out of character for his age, as if he were observing prey.

He silently memorized everyone's habits, personality, and weaknesses, like a greedy sponge absorbing everything on the ship.

Meanwhile, the ship's true heart, Ryan, was conducting new experiments in his galley.

He had already processed the Soul-Devouring Fruit he obtained from the nameless island using a special method.

Instead of using it directly in cooking, Ryan extracted a very special seasoning from it, which he called an "emotion amplifier."

This seasoning itself has no taste, but just a tiny bit added to a dish can amplify the deepest emotions of the taster.

The happy will be overjoyed, the sad will be in agony, and the angry will instantly transform into a destructive beast.

This is a weapon that is more terrifying and more useful than any poison.

Raine carefully dripped a drop of the refined, ink-black liquid into a pot of simmering soup that exuded a rich, meaty aroma.

I scooped up a spoonful and took a small bite.

In that instant, Renn seemed to see his lonely figure from his past life, his confusion when he first arrived in this world, and his noisy yet incredibly real family on the ship.

A warm and powerful emotion called protection exploded in his heart, causing a gentle ripple to appear in his usually calm eyes.

"Yes, Not Bad."

Ryan nodded in satisfaction.

"The timing is just right, which can sweep away the fatigue of Newgate and the others after training, and at the same time allow them to more clearly feel the increase in their own strength."

He carried the pot of his special soup of joy out of the kitchen.

"dinner time."

At a single command, all the noise on the deck instantly subsided, and everyone's eyes were focused on the pot of thick soup that exuded a deadly aroma.

After taking a spoonful of soup, Gatz felt his muscles cheering. He excitedly waved the anchor he had just retrieved, feeling like he could punch ten admirals.

Oden felt his sword intent was clearer than ever before; he could even see the trajectory of the wind and hear the breath of the sword.

After a lunch filled with laughter, the New Moby Dick's voyage continued.

However, none of them noticed that in the unfathomable depths of the sea beneath their feet, a huge, twisted shadow had been silently following them for three whole days.

The shadow exuded an aura of hunger, greed, and an extreme thirst for life.

……

The New Moby Dick sailed into a strange sea area.

The sky was no longer azure, but shrouded in a layer of gray mist that never dissipated, like a thin veil. The sunlight, penetrating the mist, became hazy and bleak, casting a mysterious and oppressive hue over this sea area.

The sea was calm and still, like a giant black mirror reflecting the gray sky, making it impossible to distinguish where the sky ended and the sea began.

Most peculiarly, there was a faint, seemingly indistinct whisper that constantly echoed in the air, as if coming from all directions.

The sound was neither like the wind nor the waves, but more like countless people whispering in your ear the gentlest and most seductive tones, expressing your deepest desires.

"What the hell is this place?"

Gatz, carrying the anchor, looked around warily, feeling the hairs on his body stand on end.

He sniffed hard, but there was no smell in the air, which made this gourmet with a keen sense of smell feel inexplicably irritated.

"The recording pointer completely lost its direction here, the magnetic field was chaotic, or rather, there was no magnetic field at all."

Dorum gripped the helm tightly, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"It seems we've stumbled into a shadowy sea that's never been marked on any map."

"The Shadow Sea?"

Newgate put down the barrel of wine and slowly stood up. His domineering aura, as deep as the ocean, had already spread out, but he was surprised to find that his domineering aura had been weakened by at least 30% in this strange fog, and his perception range had also been greatly shortened.

"Gurgling, interesting. It seems that this sea still holds many secrets that we don't know about."

Far from being afraid, his eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Meat...so much meat..."

Just then, Gatz's eyes suddenly became somewhat unfocused. He stared at the empty sea in front of him, and a suspicious liquid dripped from the corner of his mouth.

"Look! That island! It's an island made up of giant, sizzling tomahawk steaks! The mountains are sizzling, juicy mountains, and the river is a river of meat juice! I want to go! I want to go!"

As he spoke, he actually picked up the anchor and, like a mad bull, charged straight toward the ship's side, seemingly preparing to jump into the sea.

"Gates, calm down! There's nothing there!"

Oden reacted quickly and grabbed him.

"Let me go! My roast meat! They're calling for me!"

Gatz's strength was astonishing; Oden was almost dragged away by him.

"Quick! Hold him down!"

Everyone rushed over in a flurry, and it took seven or eight people working together to firmly pin Gatz, who was in a hallucination, to the deck.

"It's not just him."

Silver's cold voice came from the mast.

"Listen carefully."

Everyone quieted down and listened attentively.

The whispers grew clearer and more targeted.

Oden heard the voices of Kozuki Toki and his retainers, who were anxiously waiting for him to return to the castle in Kuri, scolding him for not keeping his promise to open Wano Country.

The voice was so real that it made his yearning for freedom waver and feel guilty for the first time.

Dorum heard countless shipwright gods whispering to him, showing him flawless, timeless blueprints, telling him that if he abandoned this wrecked ship, he could obtain the supreme secrets of shipbuilding.

He looked at his battered hands and the new cracks on the Azure Dragon, a struggle evident in his eyes.

Even the usually composed Newgate seemed to hear a voice saying to him, "Edward, stop. You already have a family. Wouldn't it be better to find a quiet island and spend your old age peacefully with your children?"

Marco, Joz, Vista... all seemed to hear a voice coming from the depths of their hearts.

This sea area can directly evoke and amplify the deepest obsessions and vulnerabilities in everyone's heart.

Only three people were not greatly affected.

Ryan, Silver, and... Teach.

Chapter 156 The Nightmare Tree

Silver's will was like a gun honed to its limit, sharp, pure, and without any superfluous thoughts.

He silently resisted the mental erosion with his domineering aura, his cold gaze sweeping across the sea, trying to find the source of the sound.

Teach, however, remained as innocent and harmless as ever. He looked curiously at his struggling companions, a hint of confusion on his face.

"Strange, what did you all hear? I can't hear anything."

He scratched his head and asked stupidly.

However, no one saw that deep within his lowered eyes gleamed an intensely burning greed and ambition, as if it wanted to devour the entire world.

He did hear the sound.

The voice was showing him a completely black Devil Fruit that exuded infinite gravity, telling him that if he obtained it, he would gain the power to control everything and become the true king of the world.

For him, this was not a temptation, but a guide.

The reason he showed no abnormality was that his will had long been integrated with this ambition, and remained steadfast.

"It's some kind of large-scale psychological attack, and the source should be in the center of this sea area."

Raine's calm voice pulled everyone back from the brink of hallucination.

His understanding of food has long transcended the mere act of cooking, transforming into an unbreakable spiritual barrier that no illusion can penetrate.

"It seems that something doesn't welcome us outsiders."

Ryan went to the kitchen without a moment's hesitation.

Faced with this kind of attack that targets the mind, any physical means are futile; only purer cuisine that reaches the soul can counter it.

Raine produced a special ingredient called the Pure Heart Crystal Lotus, which was collected from the Sky Island. Its petals were crystal clear, like glass, and had the miraculous effect of calming the mind.

He also added a herb called Soul-Soothing Grass, which he found near a deep-sea volcano, and a special sauce he extracted from Soul-Eating Fruit that could neutralize negative emotions.

Renn's movements were fluid and fast, leaving only afterimages.

Soon, a pot of calming and soul-soothing soup, exuding a faint lotus fragrance and with a crystal-clear broth that seemed to reflect the soul, was ready.

"Come on, everyone, have some soup."

Raine's voice wasn't loud, but it sounded like a divine pronouncement, giving a jolt to the struggling crew members.

After finishing a bowl of soup, everyone felt a cool yet warm energy rise from their stomachs and rush straight to the top of their heads.

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over someone in the sweltering heat of midsummer, instantly extinguishing all distracting thoughts and desires in one's heart.

The alluring auditory hallucinations in my mind melted away quickly, as if encountering their nemesis, ice and snow.

"call……"

Gatz let out a long breath. Looking at the sea where he had almost jumped in, he patted his chest with lingering fear: "My goodness, I almost became fish food for a piece of roast meat."

"Thanks, Brother Renn."

Oden regained his senses and looked at Rein with eyes full of gratitude and respect.

In his view, this method of directly affecting the spiritual realm through cooking was more incredible than any powerful swordsmanship.

"You're welcome."

Raine calmly finished the last bit of broth in the pot, then cast his gaze into the depths of the thick fog.

"Now, it's time to see what's playing a joke on us."

"Young ones!"

Newgate roared, his suppressed domineering aura erupting once more after he drank the soup, dispersing some of the surrounding mist.

"Raise the sails! Destination: the center of the sea! I'll see what dares to play tricks on my ship!"

The New Moby Dick let out a deep roar, like a white behemoth that had broken free of all its shackles, and boldly sailed toward the center of that unknown, shadowy sea.

Deep within the thick fog lies an archipelago of dozens of islands of varying sizes.

Unlike the bizarre landscapes of other parts of the New World, these islands are picturesque, lush with trees, blooming with flowers, and filled with a sweet, refreshing fragrance, like a legendary paradise.

However, to the people on the New Moby Dick, this beauty had an inexplicable eeriness about it.

"It's so quiet."

Marco stood on the lookout tower, his cold gaze sweeping over the seemingly vibrant islands.

“There are no traces of any animals on these islands, not even a bird’s call can be heard.”

"Not only that."

Ryan sniffed the air lightly, his brow furrowing slightly.

"The floral scent in the air is problematic; it contains at least seventeen different hallucinogenic ingredients. Although the dosage is very weak, prolonged inhalation can cause ordinary people to fall into a permanent sleep and become nutrients for these plants."

"nourishment?"

Joz shuddered: "You mean, these flowers... eat people?"

"No, they are just accomplices."

Renn's gaze fell on the largest island in the very center of the archipelago: "The real predator is there."

The New Moby Dick is docked on the shore of the central main island.