Chapter 242

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The banquet started quickly, and Du Feld was very generous, using nearly half of the Kura beef to entertain everyone.

Even Abel and Baby-5, who were not invited and sneaked in with others, received a warm welcome.

The chefs on the ship were quite skilled, turning the already delicious Kura beef into a variety of dishes.

Many almost swallowed their tongues in delight!

It was also Abel's first time eating Kura beef, and he was completely intoxicated by its deliciousness.

The phrases "melts in your mouth" and "juicy and delicious" do not even begin to do justice to the taste of this meat.

"It's really so amazing~"

Abel looked up slightly dejected because the small portion he had was not enough; it was gone after just a few bites.

Looking around, he saw others with similar expressions of wanting more.

"I still have some here."

Baby-5, like presenting a treasure, held up her plate which was untouched, as if it had been waiting for this moment.

Abel was moved by the little girl. Although he wanted to eat, he didn't want to take her only portion.

However, when he felt the craving from his body, he immediately changed his mind.

"Alright, let me have this portion first. Later, I will think of a way to see if I can get you more so you can be satisfied."

After ruffling the little girl's hair, Abel's eyes twinkled as he thought about how he might get the remaining Kura beef from Du Feld.

Build a relationship?

That likely wouldn't work; the other party's father was a major financial backer of the Donquixote family.

But it might be worth a try to reverse.

Buy it with money?

Being the son of a loan shark king, Du Feld was unlikely to be swayed by money.

Use force?

That was an option, but the consequences could be severe.

If not for the craving cries of the gourmet cells within him, he might have given up.

Soon, he finished eating the portion given by the little girl.

Then another portion of Kura beef was pushed in front of him, and to his surprise, it was Stussy.

"If you can handle it, this portion is yours too."

"Thanks, I was just getting hungry. Although there's a bit too much seasoning, it doesn't matter."

Stussy's smile brightened upon hearing this.

While Abel hesitated about whether to take action, some guests started egging Du Feld on to bring out the rest of the Kura beef.

The suggestion won the approval of many.

What difference did it make if you're rich and powerful?

You're still a human being with emotions and desires.

Of course, there were many onlookers like Stussy and Abel who waited to see how the son of the loan shark king would handle the situation.

However, something unexpected happened.

Du Feld, seated in the place of honor, suddenly burst into laughter, and then a group of fierce pirates stormed into the banquet and aimed their guns at everyone.

"Du Feld, what are you trying to do?!"

"Poison, the food just now was poisoned!"

"So the Kura beef was just a front; your real targets are us."

"Bold move! Even your father Du Feld wouldn't dare to do such a thing!"

"What, the loan shark king isn't content with being the king of the underworld, and wants to be the king of the whole world?"

"Hand over the antidote if you want to live."

No one expected that Du Feld would poison the sumptuous Kura beef he served at the banquet. Hidden beneath the extreme deliciousness, the poison went unnoticed, except by a few individuals, such as Stussy, who passed on the Kura beef to Abel, and Abel himself, who, having developed antibodies, welcomed any comers.

It was precisely because he detected the poison that he refrained from letting Baby-5 eat the beef. One after another, the guests keeled over, frothing at the mouth.

"Eh? It seems a few have slipped through the net," Du Feld remarked with malice in his gaze, lingering especially on the faces of Stussy and Baby-5.

"Captain, what should we do with these people?"

"The usual rule: the pretty women's heads are to be cut off for my collection. I want them," he instructed, adding, "Drain the last drop of usefulness from the others, then chop them up and feed them to the fish."

Seemingly unfazed by the sober Abel and company, the conspirators eagerly began to take action.

"You're not Du Feld; you're an impostor," Stussy suddenly declared.

"As far as I know, the Loan Shark King's son doesn't have a penchant for collecting the heads of beautiful women. Which pirate crew do you belong to?"

"Mruru huff huff, you only guess now? What can you do about it? Isn't it better to remain clueless?" Du Feld let out a bizarre laugh, then, amid a puff of pink smoke, the rotund figure transformed into a tall woman.

This woman stood 3.6 meters tall with a muscular build and a slender waist. Her nose was long, her makeup thick, and her attire was strikingly form-fitting, conveying a focus on beauty that her own appearance hardly matched.

"Narrowing her eyes, Stussy remarked, "Huntress of the Full Moon, Catarina Devon, known for collecting the heads of beautiful, young women—it's you."

"Mruru huff huff, so my reputation precedes me, even the Queen of the Pleasure District knows of me," Catarina Devon laughed, "As a reward for you, I'll personally chop off your head to create my favorite prize for my collection!"

Amidst Catarina Devon's laughter, Stussy's information jogged Abel's memory. This towering woman was one of the criminals Blackbeard had taken from Impel Down. If he remembered correctly, she was a user of the Mythical Zoan-type Hebi Hebi Fruit, Model: Nine-Tailed Fox.

It was said that the Nine-Tailed Fox possessed nine lives and the ability to shapeshift into anyone. This made the Copy-Copy Fruit seem laughably weak in comparison!

However, as Abel recalled from the original story, Catarina Devon was already in her thirties when she emerged from Impel Down. Pushing that timeline backward, this Catarina Devon before him could be just over twenty, at the height of her infamy and before her imprisonment.

"Abel, I'm so scared, protect me," Stussy suddenly whispered, hiding behind Abel in feigned fear, apparently reluctant to reveal her true strength.

Abel looked back at the woman, thinking it wasn't time to burn his bridges yet. Considering he had eaten her Kura beef earlier, he wasn't inclined to stand idly by, particularly since Catarina Devon seemed intent on not sparing him or Baby-5.

"Last chance, let us go now, and I can pretend this never happened."

"Kill them," he said.