Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

The situation on the battlefield continued changing at a terrifying pace.

Luffy’s burst of Conqueror’s Haki had bought him a precious opening. With the Whitebeard Pirates’ Division Commanders, Ivankov, Jinbe, and the others repeatedly covering his advance, he finally broke through to the last person standing in his way.

Monkey D. Garp.

On one side was his own grandson.

On the other was the justice he had upheld for his entire life.

No one knew what choice the legendary Marine would make.

In the end, when Luffy’s fist came flying toward him, Garp closed his eyes.

He took the punch head-on.

The impact sent him crashing away from the path to the execution platform, stunning everyone who witnessed it.

Luffy did not stop.

He finally reached the scaffold and rushed to Ace’s side, managing to free him from the Seastone restraints even under Sengoku’s attack.

At that moment, practically every eye on the battlefield was focused on the execution platform.

Haruto moved.

With a light push from his toes, he landed neatly on Charizard’s back, where the Pokémon had already been waiting nearby.

”Roar—!”

Charizard let out a deep roar and beat its enormous wings, carrying Haruto into the air.

They flew over the chaotic sea of fighters and headed directly toward Whitebeard at the front of the battlefield.

The movement immediately put both sides on alert.

”Who the hell are you?! Stop right there!”

The pirates surrounding Whitebeard raised their weapons and aimed them at Haruto in the air, their expressions filled with caution.

They still had no idea whether he was friend or foe.

For all they knew, he could be another opportunist trying to take Whitebeard’s head while the old man was wounded.

Haruto ignored the hostile stares and weapons pointed in his direction.

From beginning to end, his attention remained fixed on Whitebeard, and he made no aggressive movement whatsoever.

Charizard stopped thirty or forty meters away and hovered in place, its wings beating slowly to hold them steady.

Standing on its back, Haruto looked straight at Whitebeard.

”Whitebeard, how about we make a deal?”

Whitebeard’s hand paused on the shaft of Murakumogiri.

His gaze shifted toward Haruto.

”Oh?”

A faint grin appeared beneath his mustache.

”What kind of deal do you want to make, brat?”

Ace had escaped the execution platform, but Whitebeard knew perfectly well that the most dangerous part of the battle had only just begun.

The Marines would never simply stand aside and let them leave Marineford with Ace.

From this point onward, they would do everything in their power to stop the Whitebeard Pirates from escaping.

”I can restore your stamina and ease your injuries.”

Haruto did not bother beating around the bush.

”In exchange, I want a few Devil Fruits and the training methods for Haki.”

Whitebeard’s expression immediately became serious.

Devil Fruit abilities were incredibly varied, so powers capable of healing injuries or restoring stamina certainly existed.

And no one understood the condition of Whitebeard’s body better than he did himself.

He was already running on fumes.

His willpower could force his failing body to keep moving for a while longer, but even that had limits.

Whitebeard did not care much about his own life anymore.

The problem was what would happen to his sons if he fell here.

Escaping Marineford alive would already be difficult enough. If Whitebeard died before they could retreat, getting everyone out would become nearly impossible.

The Marines had heard Haruto’s offer as well.

Weapons immediately turned in his direction, with numerous soldiers preparing to attack.

They had no idea whether Haruto was actually capable of what he claimed, but even if there were only a one-in-ten-thousand chance that he could heal Whitebeard, they could not allow him to try.

After a brief silence, Whitebeard suddenly broke into a wide grin.

”Gurararara! Fine! You’ve got yourself a deal!”

”Pops!”

Several nearby pirates immediately shouted in concern.

Whitebeard waved them off, signaling that there was nothing more to discuss, while keeping his gaze fixed on Haruto.

”If you can really do what you say, then Devil Fruits and Haki training methods are no problem!”

Whitebeard could not sense even the slightest trace of malice from Haruto.

More importantly, given the condition of his body, there was little reason not to take the gamble.

”Good.”

Haruto nodded.

Then he glanced over the Marines who were watching him with weapons ready and smiled.

If he tried to move any closer to Whitebeard, they would undoubtedly attack.

Even Kizaru’s attention had shifted toward him again.

Fortunately, Haruto had no reason to approach Whitebeard in the first place.

His En could already cover a radius of more than a hundred meters.

Within that range, he could freely release anything stored inside the Gourmet Restaurant.

Under countless watchful eyes, Haruto raised one hand and lightly moved his fingers.

The air directly in front of Whitebeard rippled.

The next instant, two enormous portions of food appeared out of thin air.

One was a thick cut of grilled manta ray Sea King meat, its golden-brown surface carrying a faintly charred crust.

The other was a large bowl of Creamy Puffer Whale Stew, tender fish resting in a rich, silky white broth.

An overwhelming fragrance immediately burst across the battlefield.

Amid all the smoke, blood, scorched flesh, and gunpowder filling Marineford, the pure aroma of delicious food felt almost absurdly out of place.

”Eat both of those. Your stamina should recover quickly, and your injuries will improve as well.”

Haruto’s voice carried across the distance at the same time.

”Don’t let Whitebeard get that food!”

The nearby Marines finally reacted.

Several immediately charged toward Whitebeard, intending to destroy the dishes before he could eat them.

They had no idea how the food had appeared, but it was clearly Haruto’s doing.

And anything that might benefit Whitebeard had to be stopped.

At the same time, a laser shot from Kizaru toward the two dishes.

Whitebeard was already moving.

He raised his right fist and drove it forward.

Crack—!

The air shattered.

White fractures spread through the space in front of him as the terrifying power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit erupted outward.

The Marines rushing toward him were blasted away.

Kizaru’s laser was stopped as well.

With the interference dealt with, Whitebeard caught both dishes.

He lowered his eyes and studied them with unmistakable curiosity.

The aroma alone was enough to tell him they were delicious.

But food that could restore stamina and heal injuries?

That was something else entirely.

After only the slightest hesitation, Whitebeard raised the bowl of Creamy Puffer Whale Stew and took a huge mouthful.

The instant the broth and fish touched his tongue, his movements stopped.

An extraordinary burst of umami exploded through his mouth.

The tender fish practically melted with the slightest pressure, while the rich white broth carried the pure sweetness of the ingredients without even a trace of fishiness.

Then a gentle warmth slid down his throat into his stomach.

A moment later, it spread throughout his entire body.

Whitebeard’s eyes widened.

The stabbing pain coursing through him had diminished by more than half.

The deep wounds through his chest and abdomen began closing. They were nowhere near completely healed, but the bleeding had stopped.

Even the searing agony from his magma-burned organs rapidly faded.

The pain from his old injuries, which had plagued him for years, also eased dramatically beneath the nourishing energy spreading through his body.

Whitebeard’s eyes lit up.

The effect was far stronger than he had imagined.

He stopped hesitating and finished the entire bowl in only a few mouthfuls.

Then he grabbed the grilled manta ray Sea King meat and took a huge bite.

The crisp exterior gave way to tender flesh, releasing rich juices between his teeth.

At the same time, an enormous amount of energy surged into his exhausted body like a rushing river.

His stamina, drained so thoroughly that there had almost been nothing left, began replenishing at a remarkable rate.

It was like rain finally falling on land that had been dry and cracked for years.

In little more than ten seconds, Whitebeard had completely finished both dishes.

He released a long breath.

Then he slowly clenched his right fist.

His knuckles cracked sharply.

The weakness that had weighed down his arm was gone.

Strength had returned.

Feeling the long-forgotten surge of power flowing through his body, along with the enormous relief from his injuries, Whitebeard’s expression gradually shifted from disbelief to delight.

He had expected little more than temporary pain relief and perhaps enough stamina to keep fighting.

The actual effects had completely surpassed his expectations.

”Pops! How do you feel?!”

The pirates around him could no longer contain themselves.

Whitebeard raised his head.

Then he burst into booming laughter.

”Gurararara! Damn good!”

”I haven’t felt this good in years!”

The next instant, an overwhelming presence erupted from his enormous body.

The Conqueror’s Haki of the Strongest Man in the World swept across the battlefield like a raging tsunami.

The Whitebeard Pirates around him immediately erupted into deafening cheers.

”POPS!”

”HE’S BACK!”

The injuries and illness ravaging Whitebeard’s body had prevented him from properly using Conqueror’s Haki for a long time.

His Armament Haki and Observation Haki had deteriorated as well.

The pressure now flooding Marineford was undeniable proof that Haruto’s cooking had truly worked.

While the Whitebeard Pirates celebrated, however, the mood throughout the Marine ranks became extraordinarily grim.