The heartbeats and breathing of these people were completely at odds with the expressions on their faces. More importantly, as a chef, he only needed one sniff of the food to judge its quality—it was poorly made, and some ingredients weren't even fresh. For a town famous for its hospitality, this was highly abnormal.
"What's wrong, Head Chef?" Rocks asked in a low voice. "The food here not to your liking?"
Ren shook his head and replied in an equally low voice, "The meat is gamy, the wine is cheap, the smiles are fake, and the killing intent is real."
The smile on Rocks's lips widened. He had already sensed something was off, and Ren's words confirmed his suspicions. As expected of the chef he had chosen—not only were his culinary skills divine, but his senses were also incredibly sharp.
"Interesting," Rocks raised his cup, toasted the mayor from afar, and then drained it in one gulp. He laughed heartily. "Then let's play along with them."
The banquet was held in the town's central square. Gatz was already half-drunk, his arm around a townsman's shoulder, bragging about how they had hunted the Azurefin Tuna and how Rocks had stunned the sea beast with a single punch. The townsman smiled and played along, subtly prying for information, a greedy light glinting in his eyes.
Ren found a corner to sit and observed everything coolly. He saw the so-called mayor discreetly make a hand signal to the people around him.
As night deepened, the banquet's atmosphere grew more lively, but the killing intent hidden in the shadows also grew stronger.
Finally, at the stroke of midnight, they showed their true colors.
"Now!" the mayor ordered. The smiles on all the townspeople's faces vanished instantly, replaced by ferocious killing intent. They drew swords and blades from their clothes and charged at the Rocks Pirates from all directions.
"What?!" The drunken Gatz hadn't even processed what was happening when a long sword was already swinging at his face.
CLANG!
With a crisp sound, a long spear precisely parried the blade. It was Silver. He had remained vigilant the entire time. Now, his eyes were cold as ice. With a flick of his spear, he ran the ambusher through.
"Bastards! You dare to play dirty!" Gatz instantly sobered up, roared, and smashed a nearby table at the attackers. Dolum also reacted, drawing the axe and hammer from his waist and joining the fray.
These so-called townspeople were actually members of Baroque Works, a group of bounty hunters who would do anything for money. They had thought dealing with a rookie pirate crew would be easy, but they had severely underestimated their opponents' strength.
Rocks stood his ground, not even moving. He just watched the leader, the "mayor" and Baroque Works officer, Mr. 9, with cold disdain. "Is this all you've got? What a disappointing welcome."
Mr. 9's face changed. He hadn't expected them to be prepared, nor that the crewmen would be so skilled. He grit his teeth, pulled two short-barreled pistols from his curly hair, and aimed at the least threatening target in the group.
The eight-year-old boy!
"Die, little brat!" Mr. 9 pulled the triggers. He believed that if he could take the child hostage, he could turn the tide of the battle.
The bullets whistled through the air, aimed straight for Ren's forehead.
However, Ren's expression remained unchanged. In the split second before the bullets hit, his body swayed slightly to the side. The bullets grazed past his hair and hit the cactus behind him.
An impossibly fast dodge!
Mr. 9's pupils contracted. Before he could even register his shock, he saw the child move. Ren didn't retreat. Instead, he took a step forward and casually grabbed a... frying pan from a nearby table.
Yes, a black, cast-iron frying pan used for cooking eggs.
Before Mr. 9 could fire a second shot, his vision blurred, and a gust of wind hit his face.
CLANG!
A dull, loud metallic impact echoed. Ren's small figure had leaped high into the air, and the frying pan in his hand swung at an extremely clever angle, smashing viciously into Mr. 9's face.
The immense force made Mr. 9 see stars. Blood gushed from his nose, and two of his front teeth flew out. He fell backward like a rigid plank, his pistols clattering to the ground.
One hit. A clean takedown.
The entire square fell silent for a moment. Everyone, from the fighting Baroque Works agents to Gatz and the others, stared dumbfounded at the eight-year-old boy who was slowly landing, frying pan in hand.
Gatz rubbed his eyes hard, unable to believe what he was seeing. The Head Chef, who was always so quiet in the kitchen, was... this fierce in a fight? And his weapon was a frying pan?
Ren shook his slightly numb wrist, glanced at the unconscious Mr. 9 on the ground, then at the frying pan in his hand, seemingly quite satisfied with the weapon's feel.
"Alright, the flies have been dealt with," Rocks's voice broke the silence. He took a step forward, and a terrifying aura erupted from him, instantly blanketing the entire square.
"Now, it's your turn." He gave the remaining bounty hunters a devilish grin.
A one-sided slaughter began.
With Rocks in action, the fight lost all suspense. He was like a tiger charging into a flock of sheep. Every punch he threw carried the overwhelming power to crush everything. The bounty hunters, who were vicious criminals in the eyes of ordinary people, were as fragile as paper before him, falling one by one with screams of agony. Gatz, Silver, and Dolum finished off their opponents and stood behind Rocks, watching his display of power with awe and fanaticism.
Meanwhile, Ren, carrying his frying pan, walked over to the kitchen at the corner of the square. The cooks there were already cowering under the tables, trembling in fear. Ren ignored them and went straight to the stove. His eyes scanned the ingredients laid out for preparation, and then he frowned.
"Serving guests with ingredients that aren't fresh, and you even tried to poison them?" Ren's voice was not loud, but it made the hiding cooks tremble. He picked up a fish from a basin of water; its eyes were cloudy, and its gills were already dark. He then picked up a piece of beef and pressed it with his finger; the meat was limp and had no elasticity.
"This is the greatest insult to a chef and to food itself," Ren's voice turned cold.
He turned and looked at the battle outside, which was now over. Rocks had his foot on the chest of the last conscious bounty hunter, interrogating him.
Ren walked out and said to Rocks, "Captain, I'd like to borrow this kitchen."
Rocks was surprised but nodded. "As you wish."
Ren re-entered the kitchen and said to the cooks who were on the verge of wetting themselves, "Bring out the best, freshest ingredients you have. If I find out you're holding back..." He brandished the frying pan, which was still stained with Mr. 9's blood.
The cooks didn't dare to disobey. They scrambled out of their hiding spots and brought out all the top-tier ingredients they had hidden in the cellar and icehouse: a freshly slaughtered lamb, still-lively lobsters, and rare vegetables smuggled from nearby.
Ren nodded in satisfaction. Then, he lit the largest bonfire in the center of the square, placed a huge iron grill over it, and began his performance.
-------
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