"Hey, everyone." Standing on a rock, Merry stared behind them and said, "We should have shaken off those Marines by now."
Hearing this, Sanji smiled and said, "We've already run this far; we've definitely shaken those guys off."
The pirate ship, propelled by Merry's Power of Wind, was very fast—the warships certainly wouldn't be able to catch up.
"That's good." Merry breathed a sigh of relief.
If possible, she really didn't want to deal with the Marines. After all... it was easy to attract a Marine Admiral that way!
Once a Marine Admiral appeared, there was a possibility that the fact Meiser was still alive would be exposed. So, it was better not to provoke them if they could help it.
"It's been a long time since we've seen any strange weather," Usopp said, looking up at the sky. "Does this mean we've finally left the Mobius Sea?"
Nami didn't answer immediately; instead, she stared carefully at the sky for a moment.
A moment later, she said, "Yeah, we should have broken out of that strange sea area."
"That's great..."
Usopp breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want to experience any more of that bizarre weather from before.
It was simply too terrifying!
Then, Usopp looked at Chopper, who was examining Panz Fry's body, and asked, "Hey, Chopper, how's the big guy's condition?"
"Although he was hit by a cannonball, he didn't suffer any fatal injuries." Chopper jumped down from Panz Fry and said, "He just needs to rest quietly for two or three days, and he should be fine."
After saying that, a look of admiration appeared on Chopper's face.
The bodies of the Giant Race were truly sturdy; even being hit by such a powerful cannonball wasn't fatal.
"That's wonderful..." Lily breathed a sigh of relief, then said excitedly, "Thank you, Doctor Chopper!"
"Stop it~" Chopper twisted his body bashfully and said, "Even... Even if you say that, I won't be happy, you bastard~!"
Lily, watching this, was stunned for a moment. That clearly means he's very happy... Doctor Chopper is really strange.
"Anyway... as long as you're okay."
After speaking, Luffy paused for a moment, then looked at Panz Fry with eyes shining. "Then... old man, make that delicious Heavenly Cuisine for me right now!"
Sanji: "?"
Thwack!
Sanji kicked Luffy into a rock and roared with a Shark Mouth, "Are you a demon?!"
"Can't you see the old man is injured?!"
To ask someone to cook in this condition—what a jerk!
Zoro also looked at Luffy with some speechlessness. Why was this guy only thinking about eating at a time like this?
"What was that for?"
Pulling his head out of the rock, Luffy said dissatisfiedly, "Didn't Chopper say he was fine?"
"Did you even listen to what I said?"
Chopper looked at Luffy helplessly and said, "I said he needs to rest quietly!"
"Do you understand 'rest quietly'?!"
Even if it wasn't a fatal injury, he couldn't push himself, or the wounds would tear open!
Luffy: "?"
What is "resting quietly"?
When you're hurt, don't you just eat a meal of meat and get better? Why do you need to rest?
"I really don't know what goes on in your head," Sanji said irritably.
"But I want to eat..."
"I know you want to eat, but Lily's father can't cook right now," Sanji said. "Besides, what about the ingredients for Heavenly Cuisine? We don't have any Sea Beast Meat right now!"
Although Meiser had some Deep Sea Fish meat stored away, that wasn't the same thing as Sea Beast Meat.
"Aha~ We actually have the ingredients!" Lily said with a giggle.
"?"
"Where are they?" Luffy asked excitedly. "Lily, where did you put the ingredients?"
"Over there."
Lily pointed to two bundles on a nearby reef and said, "When the warship was blown away earlier, a lot of ingredients flew out. I thought it would be a waste, so I gathered some."
Zoro: "?"
"You actually had the heart to collect ingredients in that situation?" Zoro looked at Lily with a face full of question marks. "Just how greedy are you?"
Perona also complained, "This is indeed a bit beyond my expectations."
Everyone was trying to figure out how to save people, and this girl ran off to collect ingredients... simply incredible!
"Oh, right!"
Lily finally realized and said blankly, "What was I doing while Pops was in danger?!"
Seeing Lily's head become uncoordinated with her body again, Perona's mouth twitched. "This girl is an idiot, isn't she?"
Hearing Perona's words, the others nodded in deep agreement.
In a sense, she really was an idiot.
Panz Fry was also somewhat helpless, but this was his daughter after all—what could he say? He had to spoil her.
"Oh, right." Lily seemed to remember something and added, "I also grabbed some alcohol while I was at it."
"Good job!"
"Hey!"
Looking at Zoro giving Lily a thumbs-up, Chopper was stunned. Is this right?!
Sanji also looked at Zoro with speechlessness. Why was this Moss Head like this too?
After shaking his head, Sanji said, "Even though we have the ingredients, the old man still can't cook, so I'll do it instead."
"No, leave it to me~"
"Old man?"
Seeing Panz Fry struggling to stand up, Chopper hurried over and said, "Old man, don't move around! Your wounds will reopen!"
"Pops..."
Lily also looked at her father with a worried face, fearing his wounds would tear.
"It's fine," Panz Fry said with a smile. "Making a little bit is no prob— Ow, ow, ow, ow!"
Seeing her father's pained expression, Lily quickly said, "Pops, your body can't handle cooking right now. You should listen to Mr. Chopper."
It wasn't like the cooking had to be done right now. Doing it a few days later would be the same.
Panz Fry smiled upon hearing this and said, "Lily, don't you think that for a cook, having someone who wants to eat our food is something to be proud of?"
"That's true, but..."
"Don't forget, they are our saviors," Panz Fry said. "If we fail them, it would be an insult to the name of a cook... no, an insult to the name of the Giant Race!"
Therefore... even with injuries, he was going to make a meal of Heavenly Cuisine for them!
Looking at Panz Fry's smiling face, Lily was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "I understand."
Pops was right; they couldn't refuse Luffy's request. After all... the members of the Straw Hat Pirates were the saviors of both father and daughter!
"He's quite a stubborn old man," Meiser said with some emotion.
Then, Meiser jumped down from a rock, came before Panz Fry, and continued, "In that case, let me heal this old man's injuries first."
Using Medical Ninja Techniques, he should be able to heal him very quickly.
"?!"
Hearing Meiser's words, Chopper was stunned, then asked in surprise, "Is that ability of yours effective on the Giant Race too?"
He had always thought Meiser's Medical Ninja Techniques only worked on humans. It could treat the Giant Race as well? That was amazing!
"I never said my ability was ineffective on the Giant Race," Meiser said helplessly.
Medical Ninja Techniques were effective on any living creature; naturally, they could treat Giants.
"That's great then!"
Luffy, seemingly understanding what Meiser wanted to do, said with glowing eyes, "Then I'll leave it to you!"
"Got it!"
"Who is this young man...?"
Seeing Meiser approach him, a hint of doubt appeared in Panz Fry's eyes. What did he want to do? Treat him? Was this man a user of some special Devil Fruit Ability?
"Let me introduce myself." Meiser took off his sunglasses and said, "My name is Ōtsutsuki Meiser. You can just call me Meiser."
"Ah~ So it's Ōtsutsuki Me—" Panz Fry's words stopped abruptly as he froze, then said with a face of disbelief, "Who did you say you were?"
Ōtsutsuki Meiser?! Had he heard wrong?
"Ōtsutsuki Meiser," Meiser repeated.
"Ōtsutsuki Meiser?"
Lily looked at Meiser in shock and said, "Are you really that Blood-Eyed Ninja who charged alone into Mary Geoise?"
"That's right, it's me."
Meiser nodded, then revealed his Sharingan to prove his identity.
Gulp... "That's right, those eyes!" Panz Fry swallowed hard and said, "Although your appearance has changed quite a bit, those eyes can't be faked."
After all... in the entire world, only the Blood-Eyed Ninja possessed such eyes.
Then, Panz Fry showed an excited expression and said, "Blood-Eyed Ninja, didn't you... didn't you die two years ago? Why are you..."
Lily also looked at Meiser excitedly, her gaze like that of a fan looking at an idol.
"That's a long story," Meiser said. "To put it simply, I used my abilities to deceive the World Government, using a fake death to make them think I was really dead. That's why the World Government released that newspaper before."
After speaking, Meiser paused, then smiled and continued, "By the way, the World Government still doesn't know about this, so remember to keep the secret for me~"
"So that's how it is..."
Although Meiser's explanation was simple, Panz Fry understood what he meant. The man possessed an Immortal Body, so he used that power to deceive the World Government! As expected of the Blood-Eyed Ninja!
Then, Panz Fry nodded very seriously and said, "Don't worry, we will all keep your secret!"
The Blood-Eyed Ninja was a heroic figure... so even if he died, Panz Fry would never leak his information!
Lily also nodded solemnly, indicating she would keep this secret. Then, she walked toward Meiser with an excited face, looking just like a starstruck fan.
"Why are they so excited?" Usopp looked at Lily curiously and asked. This expression was exactly like seeing an idol.
"Because Mr. Meiser is my idol!" Lily said excitedly. "Among us human pirates, he is the only man who dared to charge into Mary Geoise all by himself!"
Not to mention charging into Mary Geoise alone, he also liberated so many slaves. Most importantly, to let the slaves escape safely, that man stayed behind alone to challenge the entire World Government!
What a heroic man! Thinking of this, Lily became even more excited!
"Mr. Meiser, you must give me an autograph!"
"Uh... okay..."
Meiser nodded somewhat helplessly, clearly not expecting her to be this excited.
"I didn't expect Meiser to be so famous in the New World," Chopper said in surprise. It seemed like someone knew him everywhere they went...
"Chopper, you don't understand the significance of what Meiser did," Nico Robin said with a smile. "It's safe to say that there isn't a person in the world today who doesn't know Meiser."
This was not an exaggeration at all. After all... this man dared to challenge the entire world alone!
"Is that so..."
Chopper scratched his head. Although he didn't quite understand, he felt Meiser was very impressive.
"Alright, we'll talk about the autograph later." Meiser jumped onto Panz Fry and said, "I'll heal your body first."
After healing him, they could deal with other matters.
"Alright, thank you very much, Mr. Meiser," Panz Fry said, nodding.
"No need to be so polite."
Meiser smiled, then continued, "Old man, once you're better, you must make us a delicious meal of Heavenly Cuisine~"
He was also quite curious about that special cooking.
"Don't worry," Panz Fry said solemnly. "Staking the name of Elbaf, I will definitely make a Heavenly Cuisine that satisfies you!"
He, Panz Fry, would do his absolute best to satisfy them!
Meiser nodded with a smile and prepared to release his Medical Ninja Technique. However, before releasing it, Meiser gave a few warnings.
"My Medical Ninja Technique works by stimulating cells to divide and heal rapidly, thus achieving the effect of closing wounds."
"But correspondingly, it will consume a portion of your life force—that is, your lifespan," Meiser said. "Is that okay, old man?"
"It's just a bit of lifespan, go right ahead!" Panz Fry waved his hand. Clearly, he didn't care much about such things.
Seeing this, Meiser smiled and released the Medical Ninja Technique on Panz Fry. At that moment, Meiser seemed to remember something and said, "If I remember correctly, the lifespan of the Giant Race is about three times that of a human's, right?"
He remembered Granny Nyon mentioning this during a casual chat.
"Yes." Panz Fry nodded and said, "Barring accidents, a Giant can live for around three hundred years."
"Then there shouldn't be any problem," Meiser said. "The cellular life force consumed by this injury is negligible for you."
"Is that so? That's great then~ Hahaha!"
Hearing Meiser's words, Panz Fry immediately laughed happily. If possible, it was naturally best not to lose any lifespan.
Soon, under the effect of Meiser's Ninjutsu, the injuries on Panz Fry's body began to heal at a pace visible to the naked eye. This miraculous scene directly stunned Lily.
"This powerful?" Lily said in shock. Was this Mr. Meiser's Ninjutsu? It was incredible!
"If the effect wasn't this good, it wouldn't be worth the lifespan consumed, would it?" Meiser joked.
"That's true..."
If the effect really wasn't that good, it would indeed be a waste of lifespan. Then, a look of admiration appeared on Lily's face. Mr. Meiser was truly amazing. Not only did he have the strength to storm Mary Geoise, but he also had this skill for rapid healing... Was there anything he couldn't do?
"I'll take this chance to modify the old man's raft," Franky said, taking out a hammer. "This raft isn't suitable for sailing; it at least needs a sail."
With that, Franky jumped off the ship and walked toward the nearby raft. Seeing this, Usopp also moved over, intending to see if there was anything he could do to help.
Meanwhile, Meiser did his best to treat Panz Fry's injuries.
Soon, twenty minutes passed, and Panz Fry's body was mostly healed. However, Meiser wasn't entirely satisfied with the result.
"I have to say, the bodies of the Giant Race heal slower than ordinary humans," Meiser said helplessly. Is it because the density of a Giant's body is greater than a human's? It's not impossible.
Then, Meiser thought of Little Oars, whom he had met during the Summit War two years ago. He wondered how that guy was doing now.
Upon hearing Meiser's words, Panz Fry looked up at him and asked, "Is there a difficulty?"
"If it's difficult, then..."
"No, old man," Meiser said. "I'm just making an observation."
Let alone treating one Giant, even treating hundreds of Giants would be an easy task for him. It was just a passing thought.
"That's good." Panz Fry breathed a sigh of relief. If possible, he didn't want to cause trouble for Mr. Meiser.
Meiser nodded, then began to concentrate fully on healing Panz Fry's wounds. Soon, thirty minutes passed, and Panz Fry's wounds were completely healed.
"It's really better..."
Feeling the changes in his body, Panz Fry's eyes were filled with shock. Was this Mr. Meiser's method? So powerful!
Lily looked at Meiser with worshiping eyes and said, "Mr. Meiser is amazing!"
To this, Meiser only smiled and said nothing more.
"Chef old man!" Luffy walked over and looked at Panz Fry expectantly. "Can you make that delicious Heavenly Cuisine for me now?"
Looking at the expectant Luffy, Panz Fry gave a thumbs-up and said, "Of course! But..." Panz Fry paused, then looked around at the environment. "But the environment here isn't suitable for Volcano Cuisine."
"Do you need a volcano?" Sanji asked, rubbing his chin.
"Yes." Panz Fry nodded. "To eat the most authentic Heavenly Cuisine, you must use a volcano. Otherwise, the flavor won't be right."
"Yosh~!"
Hearing this, Luffy waved his hand and said, "Then let's go find a volcano right now!"
"Yeah!"
"Then let's go. When we get there, I'll go into the sea and catch a Sea Beast," Meiser said with a smile. "That way, we'll have the ingredients for the Heavenly Cuisine."
"Then we'll be counting on you, Mr. Meiser!"
"A piece of cake~"
"I've finished on my end too." Franky wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Next, the old man just needs to adjust the sail."
"You modified it this well?!" Looking at the raft that now had a sail, Panz Fry's eyes clearly showed surprise. Then he smiled and said, "Thanks a lot, shipwright!"
"SUPER~!"
Franky struck his signature pose and laughed, saying, "A piece of cake~"
"Alright, everyone, let's set off." Nami looked up at the distant sky and said, "Let's try to find a place with a volcano before tonight~"
"Yeah!"
"Is this place okay?"
Looking at the small island with a volcano in front of them, Luffy's face immediately lit up with excitement. After half a day, they had finally found an island with a volcano!
"Yes, this will work," Panz Fry said with a smile and a nod. The size of this small volcano was just right for cooking.
"Then I'll go catch the Sea Beast," Meiser said.
With that, Meiser released Water Release: Dance of the Swimming Fish over his body, then dove headfirst off the pirate ship.
"I saw a strange membrane suddenly appear over Mr. Meiser," Lily said curiously. "Is that a Ninja's Ninjutsu?"
"Yes," Merry nodded and said. "According to Meiser, that thing allows him to move freely underwater~"
"So cool!" Lily's eyes shone.
Panz Fry also showed a surprised expression; this was the first time he had seen Ninjutsu, and its practicality was simply too strong!
"That's right." Merry raised her head proudly and said, "Meiser is just that amazing~"
She looked as if Lily was praising her instead. This scene made the others laugh.
"Alright, let's go over and do the preparatory work first," Sanji said, a cigarette in his mouth. "Once Meiser catches the Sea Beast Meat, we'll start making the Heavenly Cuisine~"
"Yeah!"
Everyone nodded, then followed Sanji toward the nearby island.
In the vast sea, Meiser was working hard to find edible Sea Beasts.
"Though there are plenty of huge fish, I haven't seen a single Sea Beast," Meiser said with a frown. "What's going on?"
Wasn't it said that the marine resources of the New World were incredibly rich and Sea Beasts could be seen everywhere? Why hadn't he seen any?
Just then, a giant Sea Beast with the head of a pig appeared at Meiser's side, its body stretching at least dozens of meters.
"Speak of the devil," Meiser said, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
He had been thinking that if he couldn't find any here, he would head further out to take a look. But the moment the thought surfaced, his prey appeared. This was truly...
With a smile, Meiser charged toward the distant Sea Beast, reaching it in just a few breaths. Then, without giving the creature a chance to react, he raised a fist wrapped in Armament Haki and struck.
"Armament - Super Strength Fist!"
Bang!!
Awooo!!
The Sea Beast let out a miserable cry as it was struck, its eyes rolling back as it collapsed.
"This big guy must be nearly a hundred meters long," Meiser remarked, stroking his chin as he sized up the Sea Beast. "It should be enough for us to eat."
Nodding to himself, Meiser grabbed the tusks on the pig's head, turned around, and swam back the way he came.
A moment later...
Boom!!
"Whoa!"
"A monster!"
Seeing the massive pig head burst from the sea, Chopper was so frightened he cried out. Hearing this, the others immediately looked over and noticed the incredibly giant pig head. "A pig's head?"
"Is this the Sea Beast Meiser caught?"
Walking out of the seawater, Meiser looked at Chopper with a hint of amusement and said, "What, were you scared? Don't worry, I've already defeated this guy."
Hearing this, Chopper breathed a sigh of relief. "So it's already been defeated..."
That's good, that's good.
Meiser smiled at the sight and then turned to Sanji, saying, "Is it okay to leave it to you to handle?"
"No problem," Sanji replied with a nod.
He had handled Sea Beast Meat even larger than this, let alone a mere hundred-meter-long beast.
"Let me do it instead."
Panz Fry stood up and walked over, saying, "Processing such a massive Sea Beast might be a bit troublesome for Mr. Sanji since he is a human. So, leave it to me."
With that, Panz Fry grabbed the giant Sea Beast and waded into the ocean to begin processing it, his movements looking extremely skilled.
Seeing this, Sanji nodded and said, "Your technique is very practiced, uncle. You must handle Sea Beasts often."
The way he handled the beast showed he was a seasoned veteran.
"But of course!"
Lily tilted her head up proudly and said, "My father cooks Sea Beast Meat very often."
For the Giant Race, there was a sense of accomplishment in eating Sea Beasts that were larger than themselves, so they frequently caught such creatures for food.
"As expected of the famous Panz Fry!" Sanji said, giving a thumbs-up.
"Hehe~"
Lily smiled happily upon hearing Sanji's praise. Then, she walked toward Meiser and said, "Meiser-san, can you give me your autograph now~?"
As she spoke, Lily pulled out a pen and a small notebook, looking at Meiser with eyes full of anticipation. She looked just like a little fangirl.
"You've even got that prepared," Meiser said, caught between laughter and tears.
"Little sister Merry gave me the pen and paper~" Lily smiled bashfully and said, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to get Meiser to sign for me."
Hearing this, Meiser smiled and rubbed Merry's head before turning to take the items Lily handed over. "Then I'll write it now."
"Oh!"
Watching Meiser sign the autograph for Lily, Sanji ground his teeth in envy.
"That damn bastard Meiser..."
Why did that bastard have such good luck with women? Dammit, he was so jealous!!
"Yo-ho-ho-ho~"
"What a nostalgic scene~" Brook said with a chuckle.
"Oh?" Usopp looked at Brook with a smile and said, "Speaking of which, Brook was a big star too."
"I wouldn't dare claim to be a big star, but indeed, many people liked to ask me for my autograph," Brook laughed.
Usopp rolled his eyes. He was world-famous, yet he claimed he wasn't a big star. Talk about being modest!
"Yo-ho-ho-ho~"
"Dammit, I really envy you famous guys," Sanji grumbled.
He then turned and walked toward the cooking station, clearly intending to prepare some ingredients first. As for Meiser? Out of sight, out of mind!
"Heh, pervy cook."
"What did you say?!"
Sanji, who had just been about to pick up his kitchen knife, immediately flared up. He turned to Zoro and shouted, "Moss Head, do you want to fight?!"
"Heh~"
Clang~
Sanji's anger spiked past the limit as he decisively charged toward Zoro. And so... the two of them started fighting again.
"Sigh~"
"Here they go again..."
"?!"
Lily looked at the two fighting in a daze and asked, "Why are they fighting?"
Panz Fry was also a bit stunned, clearly not expecting them to start fighting at a time like this.
"Don't mind them," Meiser said as he put down the items. "This is their daily activity. You'll get used to it."
Lily: ?
Panz Fry: ?
Daily activity? Were the daily activities of the Straw Hat Pirates always this strange?
"Alright, here you go," Meiser said as he handed the items back to Lily. "I've finished writing~"
After taking the small notebook and glancing at it, Lily immediately broke into a happy smile. Then she said, "Thank you, Meiser-san!"
"It's nothing. Being liked by others is my honor as well," Meiser smiled.
"Mm!"
"I will cherish this autograph!"
After saying that, Lily used her Devil Fruit power to shrink the notebook and carefully tucked it into her bosom. She looked as if she were hiding a precious treasure.
Seeing this, a smile appeared on Panz Fry's face, clearly happy for his daughter.
With a chuckle, Panz Fry picked up the processed ingredients and turned toward the volcanic crater.
"Everyone, I shall now prepare the Volcano Cuisine you've been waiting for!" Panz Fry said with a powerful voice. "I definitely won't let you down!"
Today, he was going to put his heart and soul into this dish to make sure the Straw Hat Pirates could eat to their hearts' content!
Luffy grinned and laughed, "Then let's have a banquet to celebrate our first entry into the New World~"
"Oh!"
"Banquet time!"
The crew's faces immediately lit up with happy smiles. Their first banquet in the New World? They loved that idea!
"A banquet, huh~"
The corners of Panz Fry's mouth turned up. "That suits me perfectly~"
"Today, I'll show you my full strength and let you eat your fill!"
"Then we're counting on you, Frying Pan Uncle!"
"Oh!"
Panz Fry nodded and began processing the ingredients.
Soon, thanks to Panz Fry's hard work, two delicious servings of Heavenly Cuisine were prepared. One was the incredibly delicious Volcanic Roast, and the other was the fragrant Thousand-Portion Braised Rice!
"Everyone, come and try it~"
"So delicious!"
Luffy took a bite of a huge piece of meat, and his eyes instantly lit up.
The others also took a bite and gave Panz Fry a thumbs-up. "Uncle, the food you made is so tasty!"
"Is that so~" Panz Fry smiled. "Then make sure to eat plenty~"
"Hahahaha."
Clearly, Panz Fry was in a great mood after being praised by everyone.
"Everyone, let's have a toast~"
"Oh!"
"To celebrate our entry into the New World~"
"Cheers!"
"Hahahaha~"