The Rockhorn Tricerasaur’s amber, slit-pupiled eyes instantly locked onto Rocks and his group at the cave entrance.
“ROOOAR!” Its furious bellow reverberated throughout the cave, creating a deafening echo.
The beast had been enraged.
The Rockhorn Tricerasaur scraped its massive feet against the ground, lowered its head, and aimed its three deadly horns at the intruders before charging like a runaway armored tank.
The earth shook beneath its thunderous advance.
“I’ll stop it!” Gatz roared as he hoisted his giant anchor and prepared to meet the charge head-on.
“You can’t.” Silver calmly grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.
“The impact will send both you and that anchor flying.” “Then what do we do?” “Leave it to me.” Rocks stepped forward, placing himself between the beast and everyone else.
Facing a charge powerful enough to smash through fortress walls, his expression remained perfectly calm.
He didn’t even bother making a fist.
Just as the Rockhorn Tricerasaur was about to collide with him, Rocks slowly raised his right hand.
He spread his fingers…
…and gently pressed his palm toward the beast.
Hummm— An invisible, distorted force instantly enveloped dozens of meters of space before him.
The charging dinosaur suddenly behaved as though it had plunged into an ocean of liquid tar.
Its speed dropped sharply.
Its enormous body lifted from the ground under its own momentum— —but an unseen force froze it in midair.
It couldn’t move another inch.
The dinosaur let out a furious, unwilling roar as it struggled with all its might.
Nothing changed.
It couldn’t shake that invisible prison in the slightest.
This was Rocks’ power.
An overwhelming, tyrannical ability still unknown to the world.
“All right, Head Chef.” Turning his head, Rocks flashed Ryne a grin.
“This time I didn’t damage it.” “It’s whole.” “It’s fresh.” “It’s still practically alive.” “Tell me how you want it handled.” Gatz, Silver, and Dorum stared first at the prehistoric monster suspended helplessly in midair…
…then at the utterly relaxed Rocks.
The same thought crossed all three of their minds.
Anyone who has to fight Captain is truly pitiful.
Ryne walked over and slowly circled the immobilized Rockhorn Tricerasaur.
His eyes reflected the intense concentration of a master chef inspecting a supreme ingredient.
He lightly tapped the back of its neck with a finger.
“Here.” “The gap between the third and fourth cervical vertebrae.” “The nervous system is most vulnerable there.” Looking up, he turned to Silver.
“Drive your spear straight into that point.” “It’ll sever the spinal cord instantly.” “It won’t feel pain.” “And the meat won’t turn sour from struggling before death.” This wasn’t a combat technique anymore.
It was precision butchery.
Silver took a deep breath and nodded.
Stepping into position, he focused every ounce of concentration into a single thrust.
Thrust!
The spear tip pierced flawlessly into the tiny gap Ryne had indicated.
The suspended dinosaur’s enormous body stiffened violently.
Then…
It went completely limp.
The amber glow faded from its eyes.
Rocks casually waved his hand, releasing his ability.
BOOM!
The colossal corpse crashed heavily onto the ground.
A breathtaking hunt had ended with the elegance of a stage performance.
When the Rocks Pirates dragged the massive Rockhorn Tricerasaur back to the clearing, Dorry and Brogy had only just emerged from the opposite side of the jungle.
Both giants bore clear signs of battle.
Yet they had returned empty-handed.
“Wahahaha!
We searched every mountain on the western side and couldn’t even find a single dinosaur!” Brogy said with visible disappointment.
“Wahahaha!
That thing hides too well!
Looks like we lost—” Dorry abruptly stopped speaking.
Both giants stared fixedly at the perfectly intact Rockhorn Tricerasaur lying at the group’s feet.
Their mouths slowly dropped open wide enough to swallow an entire barrel.
“Y-You…” “You actually caught one?!” “And…” “Not a single wound on it?!” They couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
No one understood better than they did just how troublesome this prehistoric monster was.
How had these humans managed this?
Rocks couldn’t be bothered explaining.
He simply laughed proudly.
“Enough talking.” “Per our agreement, the best cuts belong to us.” “But…” “Since you two worked so hard…” “…today my Head Chef is treating everyone.” “I’ll show you what a true Giants’ Feast looks like.” “A Giants’ Feast?” Dorry and Brogy’s eyes lit up instantly.
Everything that followed completely shattered the two warriors’ understanding of cooking.
Ryne became the commander of the entire feast.
He directed the two giants to use their enormous axe and sword to butcher the Rockhorn Tricerasaur with astonishing precision.
Its massive backbone was removed intact to serve as the frame for an enormous grill.
The richest belly meat was cut into slabs several meters long.
The hind legs were carefully deboned before being minced.
“Dorry.” “Bring me smooth volcanic rocks heated by the magma near the volcano.” “Brogy.” “Split down that giant iron birch.
We’ll need a huge pit oven.” “Gatz.” “Gather Flame Blossoms from the jungle.
Their nectar is a natural sweetener.” “Silver.” “Find Freshspring Ferns.
Their young shoots cut through the richness.” “Dorum.” “Bring every barrel of spices from the ship.” Ryne never raised his voice.
Yet everyone heard him clearly.
Without a single complaint, they immediately carried out his instructions.
The two giants—warriors who had lived for well over a century—obediently followed the orders of an eight-year-old boy like diligent students.
Soon, the clearing became a frenzy of activity.
A massive pit was dug and lined with scorching volcanic stones.
Ryne thoroughly coated the enormous belly meat with spices and Flame Blossom nectar before wrapping it in dozens of layers of giant banana leaves.
He carefully lowered it into the pit and sealed everything beneath packed earth.
It became a prehistoric version of pit-roasted meat.
Meanwhile, thick dinosaur ribs were arranged across the enormous bone grill.
With his back turned to the others, Ryne quietly activated the Endless Seasoning Bottle once more.
It produced a perfectly balanced blend of black pepper, cumin, and an unknown aromatic herb, which he sprinkled evenly across the ribs.
Sizzle— Fat dripped onto the glowing coals below.
The crackling sound was accompanied by an intoxicating aroma that left everyone speechless.
Nearby, a gigantic stone cauldron had been carved from solid rock.
The dinosaur bones and less desirable cuts simmered slowly inside.
Ryne added several fragrant mushrooms he had gathered along the journey.
Before long, the pot was bubbling with a creamy white broth whose rich aroma filled the clearing.
Then the hardened earth covering the pit oven was broken open.
The golden-brown roasted dinosaur emerged, glistening with fragrant juices.
The first rack of ribs was sliced open, revealing meat that was perfectly charred outside and unbelievably juicy within.
The first bowl of creamy dinosaur bone soup was ladled out.
And then…
Everyone lost all restraint.
Chapter 12 — Legendary Ingredient: The Soul Echo Fruit Dorry and Brogy completely forgot about a warrior’s dignity.
They grabbed the piping-hot ribs with their bare hands and tore into them ravenously.
“Wooooah!
Delicious!
It’s unbelievably delicious!” “This meat…” “It melts in my mouth!” “My teeth don’t even meet any resistance!” The carefully prepared dinosaur meat contained a strange energy.
As the food settled in their stomachs, waves of pure warmth spread rapidly throughout every part of their bodies.
Gatz felt every muscle in his body cheering.
With every bite, his strength seemed to increase.
Even the cuts and scrapes he’d suffered during the hunt visibly healed before his eyes.
Silver’s eyes shone brighter than ever.
His five senses expanded dramatically.
He could even hear the faint sound of a beetle crawling across leaves several miles away.
The chronic aches in Dorum’s back and waist—earned from years of ship repairs—were washed away by the same warm current.
His entire body felt lighter than it had in years.
This was the true power of the Way of Food.
Through the perfect union of supreme ingredients and extraordinary culinary skill, the hidden energy within food was drawn out to its absolute limit— directly strengthening the consumer’s body and granting permanent improvements to their physical abilities.
Leaning against a tree with a bowl of dinosaur bone soup in hand, Rocks silently felt the ever-growing power coursing through his body.
A satisfied, almost ecstatic smile spread across his face.
He knew he had obtained the greatest treasure in the world.
Devil Fruits.
Meito.
Compared to a chef capable of making his companions stronger with every meal…
Even those legendary treasures seemed insignificant.
The Rocks Pirates were growing stronger in a way that defied all common sense.
The Giants’ Feast lasted from dusk until deep into the night.
An entire Rockhorn Tricerasaur disappeared into the stomachs of six humans and two giants.
Even the bones were split apart so everyone could savor the rich, buttery marrow inside.
At last, everyone lay sprawled across the clearing, rubbing their swollen stomachs with blissful smiles.
“Burp…” Dorry let out an earth-shaking belch before sighing sincerely.
“I’ve lived for over a hundred years…” “…and only today did I learn that eating can bring this much happiness.” Brogy nodded in complete agreement.
“Master Ryne!” “From this day forward, you’ll always be Elbaf’s most honored guest!” “Anyone who disrespects you…” “…insults every giant warrior!” Without anyone noticing, the way they addressed him had changed.
He was no longer “little kid.” He had become Master Ryne.
The warmth of the feast had yet to fade when dawn’s first rays pierced the dense prehistoric canopy, illuminating every sleeping figure beneath the trees.
Gatz was the first to awaken.
He sat bolt upright, feeling as though endless power filled every inch of his body.
It was as if he had swallowed an entire volcano the night before.
Instinctively, he clenched his fist.
Boom!
The air exploded with a muffled shockwave.
Frozen in disbelief, he stared at his own hand before looking toward the massive anchor that normally required both arms to wield.
Almost absentmindedly, he lifted it with a single hand.
“…Good grief.” His mouth hung open.
He felt as though he could punch straight through a mountain.
Silver also opened his eyes.
The world had become clearer than ever before.
He could hear a beetle nibbling on leaves several miles away.
He could distinguish hundreds of different floral scents carried on the wind.
His body felt almost weightless.
With a single thought, he vanished.
A heartbeat later, he stood atop a tree more than ten meters away without making the slightest sound.
Dorum stretched lazily.
A series of crackling pops echoed through his bones.
Not the creaking of age…
But the song of renewal.
The chronic back strain and hidden injuries left behind by decades of shipbuilding had been completely washed away.
Vitality surged through him like never before.
Over the course of a single night…
Every member of the Rocks Pirates had undergone a complete transformation.
“Wahahaha!” “Master Ryne’s cooking is truly a blessing from the gods of Elbaf!” Brogy’s booming laughter startled flocks of birds into the sky.
He and Dorry had also felt the changes within themselves.
The blood of giant warriors burned through their veins once again.
If anything…
They felt even stronger than they had in their youth.
The two giants strode toward Ryne.
Their towering figures cast mountain-like shadows over him.