Chapter 51

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One Piece: I Will Wipe Out The Tenryubito!

Chapter 64: Devil's Feast

The allocated cooking time of over an hour quickly passed, many novel culinary techniques astonishing the audience.

"Is it ready yet? I'm so hungry~"

Baby-5 weakly lay on the table, looking absolutely adorable.

Truly, without comparison, there is no harm done!

Buffalo, despite having similar actions and tone, elicited nothing but the desire to reprimand him.

Indeed, regardless of the world, beauty was always justice!

"Hold on a bit longer. The food will be ready soon."

Just as Abel casually consoled Baby-5, as though hearing their pleas, the first completed dish was finally served.

"Coming from the strong Dong Island, Mick has completed his dish first, named the Flying Dragon Roast!"

With the host's passionate introduction, the dragon-shaped dish exuding a rich aroma was brought forth.

The five professional judges immediately began their elegant tasting.

On the other hand, Abel and his company appeared rather crude, crying out about the heat of the dish while also unable to resist stuffing it into their mouths.

The juicy flavor exploded in their mouths instantly, the hot aroma was akin to a dragon spewing fire.

Indeed, no chef who made it to the finals was ordinary.

However, the five professional judges gave their respective scores. On a scale of ten, three of them gave an eight, while two gave a seven.

As a 'special judge', Abel was quick to show his "delicious" card.

After all, his opinion wasn't crucial, and after enjoying someone else's dish, he wouldn't want to cause any displeasure.

Most of the feedback from the five professional judges centered around comments such as 'average' and 'lacking innovation', which caused some disappointment but was nonetheless accepted by the contestant.

After all, there was indeed no innovation in his dish; it was merely old wine in a new bottle. The score he received was already quite good.

Subsequently, dishes from the other chefs were also presented in succession, either uniquely shaped or exuding a tempting aroma, inciting waves of exclamations from the audience.

Interestingly, the guy who was swinging two flaming iron balls ended up serving crispy rice drenched in rich sauce, which was a surprise.

But after tasting it, the dish received unanimous approval from the judges, earning high praises and scores.

Even Baby-5, who wasn't particularly interested in crispy rice, cleared her plate.

Buffalo, without saying, was already licking his plate shamelessly.

Seeing this, the muscular man flexed his muscles joyfully in front of everyone.

This was a bit of an eyesore, to be honest.

As the finale was about to conclude, Chef Wang, who had been forcefully isolated, finally emerged, his eyes bloodshot and his face pale.

And his final dish turned out to be a black soup?

When a small bowl of black soup was placed in front of each person, their expressions became strange, and for a moment, no one dared to take the first sip.

Because they had seen the cooking process earlier.

The number of chilies this guy had tossed into the pot...

They were completely lethal.

This wasn't a question of whether one could handle spicy food anymore. Surely, no one would risk their life to rate a dish?

Therefore, everyone hesitated, exchanging glances, waiting to see if any brave soul would take the first bite.

Indeed, there was a brave one on the scene, but it was someone they did not expect.

Abel stirred the soup with the spoon in his hand, discovering that aside from its daunting color, it was surprisingly clear and lustrous, akin to obsidian.

There wasn't the pungent smell he anticipated but a unique fresh scent of plants.

How was this achieved?

Harboring a question, Abel, who was typically unfazed by poison, decisively spooned the soup into his mouth.

In an instant, an indescribable fragrance and sweetness exploded in his mouth, shooting straight to his brain.

Just one sip and Abel felt invigorated!

When he finally came to, a layer of perspiration had formed on his forehead, imparting the comfort akin to that after a sauna session.

He could understand the refreshing feeling of perspiration after eating spicy food.

But what was happening now?

He hadn't tasted any spiciness, yet he felt a similar sensation. Could it be a problem with his taste buds?

Unconvinced, he took another sip, and then another, until the entire bowl of soup was empty. There was still no hint of spiciness, but he was soaked in sweat, feeling ecstatic!

Longing for more, Abel stood up and set his sights on the soup in front of Baby-5 and Buffalo.

However, the two quickly guarded their bowls and started pouring the soup into their mouths.

They weren't fools!

Abel's earlier reaction had clearly indicated that not only was the soup drinkable, but it was also incredibly delicious.

Sure enough, upon tasting the strange black soup, their eyes widened, and they couldn't resist but to drain their bowls.

Seeing that the kids had drunk the soup, the five professional judges could no longer feign ignorance. They picked up their spoons and started tasting.

Once they started, they couldn't stop.

Bang!

Five empty bowls were simultaneously put down, licked clean of any remaining soup.

Even under the surprised gazes of the host and the audience, which turned their faces a shade of red, they regained their composure and unanimously gave a perfect score!

This immediately stirred up a commotion!

"Can you explain how you did it? Everyone saw you put so many types and quantities of chili peppers in the pot, but the final soup was so refreshing and sweet, without a trace of spiciness."

"And the most incredible thing is, even though there's no spiciness in the soup, it seems to be everywhere."

"After drinking this soup, the body breaks into a sweat as if 'spiced' up, followed by an unparalleled sense of clarity. It's truly incredible!"

Upon the professional judges' inquiry, Chef Wang, who made this dish and was initially doubted by everyone, finally began to speak.

"This is the culmination of a lifetime of chili pepper research by my master, named — The Devil's Banquet."

"As for the secrets of the spices, I'm afraid I can't disclose," Abel said.

Seeing his response, the judge could only regretfully sit down.

With the scores for all contestants finalized, the winner was, without hesitation, awarded to Chef Wang, who had rightly earned it.

Moreover, Abel, whose gastronomic cells were further enhanced by this dish, sought out Chef Wang after the competition to learn more about it. However, upon learning that the Grim Reaper chili peppers and some other precious chilies, the main ingredients, were extinct, he could only regretfully let it go.

"Blub blub blub~"

"Cock-a-doodle-doo, has it finished on your end?" came the voice of Doflamingo from the Den Den Mushi.

Senoir, looking at the dispersing crowd, replied, "It's done. Any instructions, Young Master?"

"Don't worry, it's just a small problem that needs your attention. To the east of the island you're on, Saint Gyr, there's an island called Phy Island. The king there has blatantly refused to buy weapons from us and even tried to intimidate us with the Navy. I hope you can go there, make the king change his mind, help him understand the importance of weapons to a country, and the fact that the Navy is useless, incapable of protecting anyone."

Senoir lit a cigarette, "To what extent do we go?"

"Hahaha, up to you. If he remains stubborn, just replace the king, or better yet, make the country disappear."

If it can't bring profits to the family, then it should be destroyed.

Senoir was silent for a moment but eventually nodded lightly, "I understand. Leave it to me."

"I knew you wouldn't let me down. I'm looking forward to your good news, Pica. Oh, and don't forget to take care of our future executives. We've been short of hands lately. They may need to complete some simple tasks soon, so I need them to grow up quickly, at least not remain so naive."

With that, the eyes of the Den Den Mushi closed.

Senoir put it away, looking up at the sky, enjoying this moment of tranquility.

Though this task troubled him, he knew he had to find a way to complete it.

Otherwise, the next executive to replace him would undoubtedly employ methods a thousand times more drastic to achieve the objective!

Therefore, he had no choice but to make such a decision.

After the food festival, Senoir gathered the jovial group and informed them about the task they were to execute next: the holiday was over!

Although it came rather suddenly, Abel and the others raised no objections.

It was futile to argue, after all; this was a command from Doflamingo.

So, they immediately packed up and headed to the harbor.

With a brief inquiry, they found a tourist ship heading to Phy Island.

And from Saint Gyr Island to Phy Island, it would only take about a day.

So, without further ado, Senoir decided to travel to Phy Island on this sightseeing ship, initially concealing his identity.

Phy Island is a thickly forested island with only one country at its center - the Kingdom of Flujesh.

The Kingdom of Flujesh is an autocratic slave state.

The current king comes from one of the country's three most prestigious noble families.

And the successors to the kingship are always chosen from these three noble families. Essentially, the entire Kingdom of Flujesh is the backyard of these nobles - they can do as they please.

Coupled with its defensible geographic location and a large number of expendable slaves, no one has dared to challenge this country for many years.

Furthermore, due to the extensive slave trade, notable figures from the Grand Line have begun to take interest,

Currently in contact.

Should they secure this connection, wouldn't it allow them to have free rein in the North Sea?!

So, the king and the nobles of the Kingdom of Flujesh have been making every effort to gather 'rare' slaves, preparing to present them to the influential individual.

Under such circumstances, they certainly have no surplus funds to buy what they consider worthless weaponry!

Not to mention, the Donquixote family, who control the majority of the underground black market in the North Sea, have always been an obstacle to them courting the influential figure.

Their widespread slave hunting is, in fact, direct competition to the Donquixote family's business.

It's just that the latter hasn't caught on yet.

Once they do, a face-off would be inevitable. But by that time, they should have secured the protection of the influential figure.

What would a minor Donquixote family matter then?

They could only flaunt their power in the North Sea.

In the Grand Line, they'd be nothing.

Consequently, they were even less inclined to wastefully 'fund' their enemy.

In such circumstances, Senoir, leading Abel and the rest, set foot on this country's land.

He refrained from acting recklessly, choosing instead to tour the island with a guide to become familiar with the surroundings.

It was only after they had entered the Kingdom of Flujesh and checked into an inn that he began to act.

"I'm going to the palace to confirm the king's location. During this time, you all should stay in the room. If anyone comes, you need to give the illusion that I'm still here, understand?"

Baby-5 and Buffalo quickly nodded, and Abel also responded affirmatively.

Then, they watched as Senoir dove into the ground and swiftly swam away.

In a sense, this devil fruit was more suitable for assassins who had dark hearts. It was quite incongruous with Senoir's personality, failing to bring out its potential synergistic effect.

However, it was too late to discuss such things now.

After leaving the inn, Senoir swam along the ground, occasionally peeking out to confirm his direction, heading straight for the opulent palace.

Even the strictest guards couldn't detect his presence.

In fact, Senoir was already swimming upwards on the palace walls.

Thus, as Senoir roamed freely, he finally located the current king of the nation in one of the rooms - Colin Campbell, a middle-aged man with curly hair and a small mustache.

At the moment, the king was in conversation with a few nobles.

"How's the collection of the slaves on the list going?"

"Eighty-five percent has been completed. We should be able to gather all of them in a little more time."

"We need to speed up. That influential figure is starting to lose patience with us."

"It's all due to that damn Donquixote family! Many of the precious slaves that were specifically named on our list are controlled by them, making us pay a high price to buy them from those scoundrels."

"What's more infuriating is that that scoundrel Doflamingo then turned around and tried to sell us the weaponry he had, and it wasn't cheap at all."

"After we've secured the trust of that influential figure, the first thing I'll do is completely annihilate that damn Donquixote family with the help of the navy!"

"Don't underestimate the Donquixote family. They've managed to escape from the navy's encirclement numerous times."

"That's merely because the North Sea's navy is too incompetent! We can request the influential figure to call for elites from the naval headquarters, after all, not all navies are the same."

"Good point. Then let's let the Donquixote family jump around for a few more days."