Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

With all of the stamina-restoring Pokéblocks used up, Haruto temporarily stopped what he was doing.

He picked up one of the white healing Pokéblocks and began mentally sorting through the ingredients available to him. Restoring injuries was different from replenishing stamina; what he needed now was something gentle enough to nourish the body while helping damaged tissue recover.

Among everything in his collection, the most suitable ingredient was undoubtedly the Puffer Whale.

After thinking for a moment, Haruto took one out and placed it on the cutting board. He had already decided what to make: a rich, creamy Puffer Whale stew.

The Melk Knife traced an extraordinarily fine incision along the fish’s belly, soon exposing the poison sac hidden deep inside.

Once the sac had been removed intact, Haruto carefully separated the skin from the flesh in a single complete sheet. The golden Puffer Whale skin spread across the counter with a soft, lustrous sheen.

He set the prepared flesh and skin aside separately, then filled a stockpot with spring water and placed it over high heat.

As the water began warming, Haruto took two thick leeks cultivated by Farfetch’d. Their pale stalks were plump and crisp, carrying a distinctive combination of clean sweetness and mild pungency.

He cut the white portions into sections, then sliced several pieces of volcanic ginger harvested from the Wuu Volcano. Growing between cracks in volcanic rock had given the ginger an unusually deep fragrance, its heat rich and warming without becoming harsh.

Once the spring water reached a full boil, Haruto added the leek and ginger.

The rolling water quickly became infused with their fresh aroma.

Next came the Puffer Whale skin.

Haruto lowered the golden skin into the boiling water to blanch it. As it curled slightly beneath the heat, its color gradually returned to a clean snow-white, while impurities and excess fat were forced out.

After three minutes, he quickly lifted the skin from the pot with a strainer and transferred it straight into a bowl of prepared ice water.

The sudden temperature change made the hot skin contract immediately.

Haruto left it soaking there and moved on to the fish itself.

He switched to a frying pan and poured in two different fats.

The first was extra-virgin olive oil produced from Arboliva, brilliantly golden and clear, with the fresh fragrance of olives and a light, clean finish.

The second was rendered animal fat that Haruto had slowly prepared over low heat from one of his stored ingredient beasts. Milky white and smooth, it carried a deep, mellow richness.

The freshness of the olive oil softened the heavier character of the rendered fat, while the richness of the latter filled out what the olive oil lacked in depth. Blended in the correct proportion, the two would draw out the Puffer Whale’s natural sweetness while creating several distinct layers of aroma.

Haruto started with the oil cold and gradually raised the temperature over low heat.

Once tiny bubbles began forming and the oil reached the proper heat, he scattered in a small amount of salt produced by Nacli.

Adding the salt to the hot oil beforehand served two purposes. It helped prevent the delicate fish from sticking to the pan, while also allowing the saltiness to disperse through the fat and season the flesh more evenly as it cooked.

The salt crystals gave faint pops as they hit the oil, releasing a savory aroma into the surrounding air.

Haruto then placed the prepared Puffer Whale flesh into the pan.

Sssssss—!

A bright, crisp hiss immediately rang out.

Moisture on the surface of the fish met the hot oil and erupted into countless tiny bubbles that danced wildly around the pan.

At the same time, an extraordinarily clean seafood fragrance burst into the air, mingling with the mellow richness of the fats.

Compared with the Sea King meat Haruto had grilled earlier, the aroma was lighter and sweeter, but it carried even farther.

Haruto held the pan steady and carefully controlled the heat, his eyes never leaving the Puffer Whale.

The side touching the pan slowly changed from glossy white to an enticing pale gold. Once the color was perfect, he gave his wrist a light turn and flipped the fish without damaging its delicate structure.

When both sides had developed an even golden sear, Haruto pushed the fish toward the edge of the pan and added the remaining leek and ginger to the hot oil.

The aromatics erupted the moment they touched the fat.

Their warm, pungent fragrance blended with the sweetness of the Puffer Whale and the richness of the oil, giving the dish another layer of depth.

Once the leek had begun to turn lightly golden, Haruto brought over a pot of premium stock that had already been heated.

He slowly poured it down the side of the pan.

The hot stock met the sizzling oil and seared fish with a loud rush before immediately boiling violently.

Bubbles churned across the surface.

An even richer seafood aroma exploded from the pan like a rising tide.

Haruto took out the white healing Pokéblocks and dropped them into the boiling stock.

The translucent cubes began melting almost immediately and disappeared completely within seconds.

He raised the heat first, keeping the stock at a vigorous boil for five full minutes.

Under the intense heat, the liquid churned constantly, becoming progressively whiter and richer as the aroma continued to deepen.

The moment five minutes passed, Haruto lowered the flame to its smallest setting, covered the pan, and left everything to simmer gently.

The war continued around him.

Cannons thundered.

Weapons clashed.

Thousands of people screamed and fought for their lives.

Haruto paid none of it any attention.

To him, the chaos of Marineford had become little more than background noise.

Every bit of his concentration was focused on the fish and the broth, listening to the quiet bubbling beneath the lid, tracking the increasingly rich aroma, and judging the cooking time with exact precision.

Fifteen minutes later, Haruto lifted the lid.

Whoosh—

A cloud of white steam burst from the pot, carrying an unbelievably rich seafood fragrance.

The broth had become as white and opaque as milk, with only a thin shimmer of oil floating across its surface.

The Puffer Whale flesh looked plump and glossy as it gently moved beneath the creamy liquid.

Just looking at it was enough to make someone swallow.

Haruto retrieved the Puffer Whale skin from the ice bath, drained it thoroughly, and lowered it into the simmering broth.

The moment it touched the steaming liquid, the skin curled faintly.

Using a ladle, Haruto gently pressed it beneath the surface and continued simmering everything over low heat.

Puffer Whale skin contained an extraordinary amount of collagen.

As it slowly cooked, that gelatin would gradually dissolve into the soup, making an already rich broth even thicker and silkier.

At the same time, the skin itself would absorb the flavors surrounding it, becoming soft, springy, and saturated with the concentrated essence of the stew.

After another ten minutes, Haruto removed the lid once more.

For the briefest instant, he could have sworn he saw a flash of white light from within the pot.

Then the aroma hit him.

It was several times richer than before.

Steam enveloped the entire cooking station, while the soup itself had developed an almost molten, gelatinous consistency. Thick and silky, it flowed slowly along the walls of the pot whenever Haruto tilted it.

The Puffer Whale skin had turned partially translucent after drinking in the broth, its glossy surface faintly visible beneath the creamy white liquid. Even a gentle touch with the ladle revealed how tender and springy it had become.

Haruto turned off the heat.

He finely sliced the green portion of the Farfetch’d leeks and scattered the pieces evenly across the surface.

Fresh emerald green stood out beautifully against the creamy white soup, creating such a vivid contrast that it was difficult to look away.

The Creamy Puffer Whale Stew was complete.

Its overwhelming aroma swept through the smoke-filled battlefield.

It passed through cannon fire, explosions, and crowds locked in bloody combat before forcing its way into practically every corner of Marineford.

Marines and pirates alike began hesitating in the middle of their attacks.

They had been preparing for battle since early that morning, both sides spending hours under intense tension even before the fighting began. Now they had already fought for so long that their stamina was rapidly draining away.

And throughout all of it, Haruto kept tormenting them with the smell of food.

The grilled manta ray Sea King had already been difficult enough to ignore.

The Creamy Puffer Whale Stew was on an entirely different level.

Under the assault of that aroma, mouths began watering uncontrollably and stomachs growled in protest all across the battlefield.

One Marine had his rifle trained on an approaching pirate, only for the fragrance to distract him at the crucial moment. His finger twitched, and the bullet went completely wide.

Nearby, a blood-covered member of the Whitebeard Pirates was clutching an injured arm while gasping for breath. Sweat had been pouring from his forehead because of the pain, yet the moment that rich seafood fragrance reached him, he actually forgot about the wound for several seconds.

The roar of cannon fire and the crash of weapons almost seemed to fade beneath the aroma.

More and more people found themselves staring toward the lone figure calmly cooking in the middle of the battlefield.

Haruto only belatedly noticed how much attention he was attracting.

Still, rather than being bothered, he found himself in an excellent mood.

After all, there was no better proof that his cooking smelled absolutely delicious.

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