Inside the grand marble halls of the Hotel Gourmet, Chef Komatsu stood nervously beside the well-dressed hotel Manager. Across from them sat the stern yet calm IGO Director General, Uumen Umeda.
Umeda's voice echoed, measured but heavy with importance:
"The upcoming Gourmet Parley will be unlike any before. Leaders of every major nation will attend… and so will the President of the IGO himself."
Komatsu's breath caught. The president…?
Umeda continued, adjusting his glasses.
"The main dish served at this event must be worthy of such guests. The main dish has to be atleast Galala Crocodile meat."
The Hotel Gourmet manager stiffened. Everyone in the Gourmet World knew what that meant.
The Galala Crocodile, a giant river beast with a Capture Level of 5. Something far beyond normal chefs or hunters.
Komatsu swallowed hard. "G-Galala Crocodile? That's… that's dangerous."
Umeda's expression didn't waver.
"That is why we will request the procurement to a Bishokuya."
Komatsu blinked. There was only one Bishokuya he could imagine for such a task. His voice came out hesitant, hopeful, and fearful all at once:
"…Director Umeda, do you mean… Toriko?"
Somewhere deep in the wilderness, the air was thick with the scent of nature. A man sat calmly by a wide riverbank, a fishing line cast into the waters. His physique was massive, his muscles tightly bound as though sculpted from stone, and his long wild hair gave him a primal aura. This was Toriko, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, a Bishokuya feared and respected across the world.
He snapped his fingers casually, lighting a cigar with a spark of heat, the flame bursting into life as though fire itself obeyed him. Taking a slow drag, he exhaled the smoke with an easy calm.
Behind him, timid footsteps approached.
".....at rate of 200,000 yen per kg,for a 500kg Galala crocodile,we will make a deal for 100 million" came Komatsu's uncertain voice.
Toriko didn't answer immediately. His fishing line suddenly jerked, the waters splashing violently. With a single smooth motion, Toriko hauled up his bait — a massive grasshopper — only for it to be bitten in half by a Crawdad Pincer Fish that erupted from the river, snapping its oversized pincers.
Before Komatsu could even gasp, a shadow streaked across the sky. A Five-Tailed Steller's Sea Eagle swooped down, its enormous wings cutting through the air as it tried to snatch the fish.
"Che," Toriko grunted. Without hesitation, he yanked the fish and the bird down at once, slamming them into the ground with an earth-shaking thud. Both beasts were instantly subdued, their capture levels meaningless before his raw strength.
Komatsu stood frozen, his jaw slack. "A-a-amazing…!"
Toriko turned, finally acknowledging the nervous chef. "What is it? Who are you?"
Komatsu quickly explained the mission—the IGO needed a Galala Crocodile, capture level 5, as the main dish for the upcoming Gourmet Parley.
Toriko smirked at the request, clearly interested. "Galala Crocodile, huh? Sounds like fun. I'll take the job… but," he added, leaning in with a sharp grin, "I want double the payment. That's my condition."
Komatsu stammered, but quickly nodded. "Y-yes! I'll report that immediately!"
Toriko stretched, towering over Komatsu like a giant. "Good. We'll leave tomorrow morning."
Komatsu swallowed hard, still replaying the image of Toriko single-handedly defeating two monsters without breaking a sweat. For the first time, he understood why the world called men like this "Hunters."