Chapter 11: The Galala Gator
ROAR!
The roar of a great tiger shattered the tranquility of the forest, sending birds and beasts scattering in every direction.
A massive, brownish-yellow tiger emerged from the trees, its eyes fixed on Kenji. Its long, sharp canines were like twin swords, and standing on its hind legs, it was over three meters tall.
It was a Baron Tiger, and it had clearly mistaken Kenji for its next meal.
"Well now, it's just a little kitty," Kenji said with a calm smile. To him, a Capture Level 3 tiger was no different from a housecat.
The taste of a Baron Tiger wasn't worth savoring; compared to a Galala Gator, it was in a completely different league.
Kenji began to walk slowly toward the tiger. A primal sense of danger flared in the beast's mind.
"Heh, little kitty. Do I look like prey to you?"
Kenji's smile was deceptively gentle. A hazy, indistinct phantom flickered into existence behind him. The faint echo of a majestic dragon's roar seemed to reverberate through the air, striking directly at the beast's very soul.
This was the Dragon King's Intimidation, a pressure that came from a higher order of life. The Baron Tiger instantly submitted, its aggressive snarls dying in its throat.
"Be a good mount and take us to the Galala Gator. Do that, and I'll let you go," Kenji said.
"Roar!?"
At the mention of the Galala Gator, the Baron Tiger let out a terrified cry. It was deathly afraid of the 300-year-old monster. The only reason it was even hunting in this area was because the gator's immense power had driven it from its own territory. If it didn't run, it would have ended up as the gator's next meal.
"So you do know where it is, little kitty," Kenji chuckled. "Thinking of refusing? You don't have a choice."
Kenji slowly made a fist, the sound of his knuckles cracking echoing crisply in the quiet forest.
"Whimper..."
Feeling the palpable threat from Kenji, the Baron Tiger let out a submissive whine. A wise tiger knows when to submit.
"Such an obedient kitty," Kenji praised. "Now, for dinner..."
Biu!
Kenji looked up and selected a Croc-Pterosaur circling overhead. He fired a long-range Knocking Needle, and the creature's body instantly went rigid, plummeting to the ground.
Kenji tied the prey to the Baron Tiger's back and returned to their campsite. Komatsu and Toriko were there, roasting a Snake Frog over a fire.
"W-w-what is that?! It's a B-Baron T-Tiger!" Komatsu shrieked. Hearing the heavy footsteps behind him, he turned around and came face-to-face with the predator. The color drained from his face instantly.
"Yo. No need to be scared. This little kitty is very well-behaved," Kenji said, patting the Baron Tiger's back. The massive beast immediately lay down, docile as could be.
"You tamed it?" Toriko asked, intrigued. Baron Tigers were notoriously feral beasts; taming one was no easy feat.
"It wasn't too much trouble," Kenji said nonchalantly. "You could do the same with your Gourmet Demon's Intimidation, Toriko. Or just use a bit of physical persuasion." A Capture Level 3 beast was nothing compared to the monsters of the Gourmet World, which had Capture Levels in the hundreds. It was weaker than even a newborn beast from there.
"Are you sure it won't eat people?" Komatsu gulped. He felt he wouldn't even be a toothpick for the Baron Tiger. His hunting rifle was useless.
The Baron Tiger opened one eye and glanced at Komatsu. The chef was too scrawny, offering very little energy. He wasn't nearly as appetizing as the power-packed figures of Kenji and Toriko. Kenji's true body mass was far greater than it appeared, thanks to his Food Immersion ability storing vast amounts of energy without affecting his physique. Toriko weighed in at a solid 230 kg, also packed with energy. Komatsu, at only 51 kg, wouldn't even be worth the energy the tiger would expend chewing.
"Komatsu, I'll leave the cooking to you," Kenji said, gesturing to the Croc-Pterosaur. With the head chef of a five-star hotel present, there was no need for amateurs like him and Toriko to butcher the job.
"Leave it to me!" Komatsu nodded, his professionalism taking over.
A dish prepared by a professional chef was on another level entirely. The flavor was elevated, and it was undeniably much more delicious than anything the other two could have made. Kenji briefly considered finding his own chef partner in the future, but decided against it. Komatsu was a good fit, but teaming up with another guy felt a bit strange. He wouldn't be the one to break up the dynamic duo of Toriko and Komatsu.
After a short rest, the group mounted the Baron Tiger and headed toward the Galala Gator's territory.
"Huh? Mr. Toriko, what's going on with all these beasts? Why are they all running away?" Komatsu asked, diligently taking notes in his small notebook as part of his assigned survey.
"The Galala Gator's nesting ground is probably too dangerous for them," Toriko explained. "This gator is several hundred years old, likely the highest Capture Level on the Baron Archipelago. It's at the top of the food chain. If the other animals don't run, they become its food. A gator this big must have a huge appetite, and if it keeps eating, it'll threaten all the other life on the island."
As they neared a large lake, the signs of life vanished. Even the trees were bare and lifeless.
"You can go now, little kitty."
Seeing the Baron Tiger's legs trembling with fear, Kenji knew it was terrified and didn't force it to stay.
ROAR!
Receiving its royal pardon, the Baron Tiger bolted, disappearing in a cloud of dust. It had seen the Galala Gator before and knew what a terrifying monster it was.
"It's probably a threat to me, too," Komatsu whimpered, his face a mask of fear.
"Just leave it to me," Toriko said, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "You stand back so you don't get hurt." A Galala Gator that had aged for several hundred years was sure to be incredibly delicious and rich in flavor.
SPLASH!
Suddenly, a massive commotion erupted from beneath the lake's surface. An enormous shadow, over twenty meters long, shot out of the water, its massive body crashing onto the shore.
"Ahhh! It's a Swamp Snake, Mr. Toriko, Mr. Kenji!" Komatsu screamed, his face contorting into a cartoonish expression of terror. It had a Capture Level of 5, far beyond what any normal hunter could handle.
"It's already dead. And the culprit is this big guy," Kenji said, glancing at the massive bite mark on the Swamp Snake's body. A true monster from the lake had come ashore.
The crocodile was immense—18 meters long, over 4 meters tall, and weighing 14 tons. Its body was covered in a thick layer of hard scales, like a suit of armor. Leeches could be seen writhing among the teeth in its massive jaws.
This was the Galala Gator. Over three hundred years old, with a Capture Level of 8. It could destroy a military tank with ease.
The sight of the beast petrified Komatsu, freezing him in place. Kenji grabbed him by the collar and moved him to a safe distance, out of the way of the impending battle. Toriko could handle this fight himself; he didn't need any help.
"Haaa... I've finally found you... the Galala Gator."
Toriko stared down his opponent, the phantom of the Red Demon appearing behind him, radiating an Intimidation even greater than the gator's. He began to rub his hands together, producing the sharp, metallic sound of a knife and fork scraping against each other.