A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

The group disembarked and set foot on this beautiful yet deadly island.

The island's scenery is even more magnificent, with exotic flowers and rare plants everywhere. Many plants even emit a soft glow, making the entire island look like a dream.

But everyone remained highly vigilant. The calming and soothing effects of Raine's soup were still present, allowing them to clearly discern the deadly danger hidden beneath that beautiful exterior.

They crossed a meadow of singing bellflowers, circled a stream flowing with colorful nectar, and finally arrived at the center of the island.

The sight before them left everyone speechless.

It was an ancient tree so huge that it was unimaginable.

Its trunk is so thick that it would take hundreds of people to encircle it, and its canopy is like a giant umbrella that covers almost the entire island.

The tree itself is not wood, but a strange substance somewhere between plant and flesh. Its bark is covered with veins that are like blood vessels and are still pulsating slightly, emitting a huge aura that is full of vitality yet extremely evil.

The strangest thing is that there are no leaves on the tree, but countless fist-sized, eyeball-like purple fruits.

These fruits were emitting a faint purple light, and the whispers that had caused everyone to fall into hallucinations were coming from these fruits.

"Is this... the true form of that thing?"

Oden gripped his twin swords tightly. He could sense that the aura emanating from this tree was even more dangerous than any beast he had ever encountered.

"The Nightmare Tree".

The light in Ryan's eyes was like that of a gourmet discovering the finest ingredients.

"A magical plant that exists only in legends and is recorded in the ingredient guide. It feeds on the dreams and spiritual energy of living beings. Its fruit is highly poisonous, but it is also a top-grade ingredient for making the ultimate spiritual cuisine."

"Hahaha! Who cares what kind of tree it is!"

Gatz had recovered from his initial shock; he hoisted the anchor and roared with excitement.

"It looks delicious! Watch me smash it to pieces with one anchor!"

As he spoke, he was about to rush forward.

"and many more!"

Raine stopped him: "Physical attacks are not very effective against it. Its true form exists between reality and illusion, and its real core is hidden in everyone's dreams. To completely destroy it, you must first overcome the nightmare within your own heart."

As soon as he finished speaking, the giant Nightmare Tree seemed to understand what Renn said, and all its purple fruits shone brightly at the same time!

Chapter 157 Food Techniques: Mental Explosion - After Bitterness Comes Sweetness

hum-

A mental shockwave, a hundred times stronger than before, instantly spread out, enveloping everyone within it.

The next second, the scene before everyone's eyes changed instantly.

Gatz found himself on a plain made of giant roasted meat, each piece exuding a deadly aroma.

However, as he excitedly pounced on it, the largest, mountain-sized tomahawk steak came to life. It grew arms and legs, wielded two enormous bones, let out a deafening roar, and slammed it down at Gatz.

"Waaaaah! Meat...meat can hit people!"

Gatz let out a strange cry and was forced to fight the monster that was the embodiment of his own appetite.

Oden found himself back in Wano Country, but Kuri was now a ruin, with flames and thick smoke rising into the sky.

His father, Kozuki Sukiyaki, and all his retainers lay dead in pools of blood, while a huge, blue dragon shadow hovered above the castle, emitting a ferocious laugh.

"No! This isn't true!"

Oden's eyes widened in fury. He brandished his twin swords and charged toward the phantom, but was firmly suppressed by an invisible force.

Newgate was confronting his deepest fears. He saw all his sons—Gates, Oden, Marco, Jozu, Vista… even Ryan—falling before him one by one, their faces filled with disappointment and reproach.

Then the figure of Lox D. Giebeck slowly appeared behind him, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a mocking tone, "See, Edward, you can't protect anything. Your family game was a joke from the beginning."

"Shut up!"

Newgate's eyes were bloodshot. He swung his fist, trying to shatter the illusion, but found his body incredibly heavy.

Even the usually calm Silver got into trouble. He saw his abandoned childhood and the people who had once given him warmth but then betrayed him.

In an instant, everyone was plunged into the cruelest nightmare created by their own minds.

Except for two people.

Ryan and Teach.

Raine's sense of justice was as firm as a rock; the illusions created by the Nightmare Tree were like reflections in a mirror or the moon in the water before him, shattering at the slightest touch.

Teach, on the other hand, once again demonstrated his unique qualities.

He did indeed see the illusion.

He saw himself holding the Dark-Dark Fruit, standing on Whitebeard's corpse, while his other hand pierced through Rein's chest, taking away his incredible cooking abilities.

Beneath his feet lay a burning world, above him a crumbling sky, and he stood atop the ruins of the world, letting out a maniacal laugh as he declared himself the king of the world.

However, faced with this scene, Teach showed no fear or struggle on his face, but instead revealed an extremely excited and intoxicated smile.

"Hahaha... So... this is what my dream is like? It's... amazing!"

He didn't even try to resist; instead, he willingly immersed himself in this wonderful illusion.

The Nightmare Tree seemed to have sensed this anomaly as well. It tried to use its stronger mental power to attack Teach, but was surprised to find that its power was like a stream flowing into the sea when it came into contact with Teach's huge and dark ambition. It was instantly swallowed up and assimilated!

"Ok?"

Renn, who was observing the battle, keenly noticed this anomaly.

He saw Teach standing there with a strange smile on his face, and the Nightmare Tree itself was showing a faint, abnormal energy fluctuation because of him.

"This guy... is actually absorbing the power of the Nightmare Tree?"

Ryan was startled; for the first time, he had a very direct understanding of the danger this child posed.

Can't wait any longer!

Ryan's eyes narrowed; he knew he had to break the deadlock immediately.

He took out a fist-sized, jet-black fruit from the food box; it was the Soul-Devouring Fruit.

Without hesitation, Renn tossed the whole fruit into his mouth and began to chew.

A stench filled with resentment, decay, sorrow, and countless other negative emotions—enough to cause an ordinary person to instantly break down—exploded in Renn's mouth.

However, Raine's face remained expressionless. He calmly activated his sense of sustenance, forcibly digesting and transforming this massive negative energy.

"Food Techniques: Mental Explosion - After Hardship Comes Happiness!"

Raine opened his mouth and spat out an invisible yet extremely concentrated mental shockwave at the Nightmare Tree's true form.

The shockwave was no longer a simple attack, but a mixture of the negative energy of the Soul-Eating Fruit and Raine's own warm will to protect his companions, forming an incredibly contradictory yet incredibly powerful force.

boom!

An invisible shockwave slammed violently into the trunk of the Dream Tree.

The enormous, seemingly ancient demonic tree, upon contact with this power, emitted a complex lament filled with pain and relief, unlike any other living being.

Its trunk, both real and illusory, twisted violently, and countless eyeball-like fruits on the tree burst open, splashing purple sap everywhere.

The illusion that had enveloped everyone shattered at that moment!

The moment the illusion shattered, everyone was as if they had woken up from a long nightmare, panting heavily, their faces still showing lingering fear and anger.

"I...I was almost killed by a piece of steak just now..."

Gatz touched the non-existent wound on his body with lingering fear, feeling that his worldview had been shaken like never before.

"Damn illusion!"

Oden gripped his twin swords tightly, staring at the Nightmare Tree that was trembling violently, his eyes burning with rage.

Newgate slowly stood up. He glanced at his family members who were still in shock, and then at Ryan, whose face was pale from breaking the illusion. His hawk-like eyes were filled with lingering fear and anger.

"How dare you lay a hand on my family..."

His deep voice was like a pronouncement from hell, and a powerful aura of dominance, as heavy as a mountain, suddenly erupted and soared into the sky!

"You deserve to die!"

The Nightmare Tree seemed to sense the deadly threat as well. It let out a shrill scream, and countless thick, tentacle-like roots burst out of the ground, sweeping towards the group like a swarm of wildly dancing demonic snakes!

"Well done!"

Newgate roared, unleashing the full power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, his fists covered in a pure white, spiderweb-like cracked aura.

"Emperor Zhen!"

He unleashed both fists simultaneously, and two extremely condensed shockwaves, like two invisible giant axes, slammed fiercely into the surging torrent of roots.

Boom!

Without the slightest suspense, those roots, strong enough to crush steel, were as fragile as rotten wood in the face of absolute power, instantly shattered into pieces and turned into a sky full of black ash.

Chapter 158 Purification and Transformation

"It's my turn!"

Oden was equally unwilling to be outdone. He drew his twin swords, simultaneously imbuing them with Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki.

"Kozuki Itto-ryu: Peach Blossom Spring!"

He transformed into a white dragon-shaped phantom, carrying an aura of cutting through everything, and charged into the black ashes. Two massive slashes landed precisely on the core of the Nightmare Tree!

Click!

The tree heart, pulsating like a heart, finally let out a mournful cry under the weight of the blow, and huge cracks spread across it.

Having lost its core support, this demonic tree, which had occupied this place for countless years, finally crumbled slowly and inch by inch amidst a series of unwilling howls, ultimately turning into countless purple light spots that dissipated into the air.

All that remained was a purple crystal core, the size of a human head, crystal clear, seemingly woven from the purest dreams and nightmares.

The battle is over.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they looked at the crystal core that was emitting a strange light.

Although the battle was brief, its danger far exceeded that of any physical battle.

Defeating an enemy is easy, but overcoming the nightmares within one's own heart is as difficult as climbing to heaven.

"Hahaha... What a... what a pity..."

An untimely voice rang out; it was Teach.

He looked at the Nightmare Heart, his eyes flashing with undisguised greed and regret, as if a favorite toy had been stolen.

Only then did everyone notice the little brat who had been ignored all along.

"Teach, are you alright?"

Newgate asked, somewhat surprised.

"It's alright."

Teach scratched his head, reverting to his innocent and harmless demeanor.

"I think I just fell asleep and had a beautiful dream."

His answer was flawless, but Ryan keenly caught a fleeting, lingering darkness in the depths of his eyes.

This child is definitely not as simple as he seems.

"Alright, now that the problem is solved, we should prepare dinner."

Raine stepped forward and carefully placed the Nightmare Heart into a specially made lead box.

Looking at the slightly tired faces of everyone, who were exhausted from mental exertion, he calmly said, "Tonight's dinner will be a true feast of dreams, using the specialties of this island and this Nightmare Heart."

……

As night fell, a huge bonfire was lit on the beach.

A unique and grand feast began amidst everyone's anticipation.

Instead of using conventional cooking utensils, Raine directed Gatz and Oden, while Marco arranged the glowing crystal flowers containing pure energy on the island into a giant circular magic circle.

Then, he placed the Nightmare Heart in the center of the magic circle.