Although the farce on deck had subsided, the atmosphere had become somewhat delicate. Gatz, still shaken, stayed a good eight hundred feet away from Linlin. He swore that even if he starved to death in the future, he would never go near that woman's food again. Linlin, on the other hand, sat at the stern, holding her precious cake, taking small bites, and occasionally glancing in the direction of the kitchen with a look of reverence. Dolum, with a special small hammer, was inspecting the scratch on the deck with a pained expression, muttering, "Prodigals... a bunch of prodigals... this is the latest memory alloy..."
Rocks and Newgate stood side by side, their gazes both fixed on the small, thin figure silently cleaning the kitchen. "Gurararara, Rocks," Newgate chuckled in a low voice. "Where did you find such a monster? I feel like he's more dangerous than the two of us combined."
"I have the same feeling," Rocks's eyes shone with a mixture of excitement and caution. "A chef who can control people's hearts with his cooking is already terrifying enough. Now, he also possesses the strength to subdue us in an instant."
"But, that's what makes it interesting, isn't it?" Rocks grinned. "I don't need weaklings on my ship."
Just then, Ren walked out of the kitchen, holding the kitchen knife named "Butcher" that he had just exchanged for. The knife had a simple, ancient design, its blade having a gentle, jade-like luster. It looked plain, but it exuded a sharpness that could cut through anything. He walked over to Silver, who was wiping his spear in a corner.
"Silver."
"Hm?" Silver looked up, a hint of inquiry in his eyes.
"Spar with me," Ren's tone was flat, as if he were inviting someone to help him prepare vegetables.
Silver was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood Ren's meaning. He stood up, tightened his grip on his spear, and a sharp aura soared into the sky. "Alright."
Everyone's attention on the deck was once again captured. One was the ship's most mysterious and deadly assassin. The other was the unfathomable Head Chef who had just shown a glimpse of his true strength. The thought of this duel was enough to make one excited.
The two stood opposite each other. There were no more idle words. Silver moved first. His figure was like a phantom, his spear became a silver dragon, and with a scream that tore through the air, he stabbed at Ren's throat. This thrust was the pinnacle of all his life's learning, a fusion of speed, precision, and ruthlessness, leaving no room for error.
However, faced with this deadly blow, Ren's expression remained unchanged. The moment Silver's spear was about to reach him, he moved. Ren didn't retreat. Instead, he took a step forward, and the kitchen knife "Butcher" in his hand flicked upward at an incredible angle. His movements were not fast, even a bit leisurely, as if he were not parrying, but slicing a top-tier piece of beef.
CLANG!
The knife and the spear collided precisely in mid-air. There was no loud roar, only a crisp, pleasant sound, like jade striking jade. Silver felt a strange, spiraling force coming from the tip of his spear, which easily neutralized the blow that contained all his strength, and even made his body stumble to the side. Then, Ren's kitchen knife followed like a shadow, its blade sliding along the shaft of his spear, heading straight for his wrist.
Silver was horrified and immediately pulled back his spear and retreated. The two figures quickly crossed and collided on the deck, leaving a series of afterimages. Silver's spear technique was fierce and domineering, wide and open, each move powerful and heavy. But Ren's blade style was the complete opposite. He had no fixed forms, just followed the trajectory of Silver's attacks, looking for the smallest flaws. His every strike was perfectly timed, like a master butcher dissecting an ox, always using the minimum amount of force to neutralize the opponent's most ferocious attack.
Silver felt like a bull being toyed with. No matter how much force he used, it was like hitting cotton; he couldn't exert his strength. But the other's knife was like a shadow, always threatening him from the most tricky angles.
Gatz watched the sparring match, completely baffled. He scratched his head and asked Dolum in confusion, "How... how are they even fighting? It feels like Silver is constantly on the attack, but the Head Chef doesn't seem to be moving much."
"What do you know!" Dolum said with a "you're too young" expression, giving his expert commentary. "This is a matter of level! Silver is using force, while the Head Chef is using skill! Haven't you noticed? The Head Chef is predicting every one of Silver's attacks. He's using Silver's own strength against him!"
Gatz was completely lost, but watching Ren's leisurely stroll-like movements, his reverence for the Head Chef deepened to a new level. He felt that all his previous perceptions of the Head Chef had been overturned, as if he had just seen a gentle sheep suddenly pull out a Gatling gun.
In the end, the sparring match ended with Ren's kitchen knife lightly resting on Silver's neck. A fine sweat beaded on Silver's forehead. He looked at Ren's calm, emotionless eyes and said sincerely, "I lost."
"Your spear is fast, but your killing intent is too strong. It affects your accuracy," Ren said, retracting his knife, giving his professional assessment.
This sparring match made the atmosphere on the ship even more harmonious. The monsters had finally found a third common hobby besides eating and fighting—watching the Head Chef school Silver.
In these noisy, chaotic, yet vibrant days, the Azure Dragon sailed for another half a month. This super-warship, the pinnacle of Marine technology, had now completely become a moving nest of monsters, or rather, a maritime amusement park.
On the deck, Gatz was engaged in his daily training with Newgate. To call it training was a stretch; it was more like a one-sided beating. Newgate didn't even bother to use his Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability. With just one hand and pure Haki, he completely suppressed the wildly swinging Gatz, who was wielding his giant anchor. Every collision made Gatz's blood boil and his hands go numb, but the expression on his face was not pain, but exhilarating excitement.
"Gurararara, kid, you've gotten a lot stronger, but your brain still can't keep up," Newgate said, chopping Gatz on the back of the neck with his hand. Gatz's eyes rolled back, and his massive body crashed to the deck with a dull thud.
In a corner, Linlin was taking small bites of an energy cake specially made by Ren from Sea King fat and sky-island honey. Zeus and Prometheus above her head were like two docile pets, one fanning her, the other providing light. The atmosphere was so peaceful it seemed completely out of place with the violence on the rest of the deck.
Silver was practicing his spear skills by the ship's rail. His movements became more and more concise. Every thrust had no extra flourish, but it always accurately left a tiny, slowly healing puncture point in the air. He was no longer pursuing speed, but honing a deeper level of intent, a state of "certainty of hitting."
The shipwright Dolum was wandering around the ship like a ghost. He held a small notebook and a special tuning fork. He would occasionally tap on the ship's alloy armor, then listen intently, scribbling furiously in his notebook.
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