No matter who it is, no one should go into battle with a heavy heart. As a pirate, it's essential to have a clear reason for action, so you can rob with a clear mind, especially in these magical seas, where the strength of one's heart plays a dominant role.
If you don't untangle your heart's knot, your combat power will surely suffer.
And for those who have regained their freedom, throwing a feast to let everyone vent the frustration from being held in Bridge Kingdom is the best solution.
"Sage, are you alright?"
Lily worriedly watched Sage as he continued to eat non-stop. Although it was a banquet, it was different from before. In the past, Sage would eat a lot but stop when necessary. He would basically let Marika handle more food than anyone else, several times over.
Now, he's like a bottomless pit. Although he still minded his manners, even showing a confident demeanor while drinking, the amount of food he ate was clearly more than what he used to consume.
The bones of the cooked meat and fish were bitten into bits by his teeth and swallowed. Seafood shells were forcibly pried open, and the meat dumped into his mouth. No matter what dish was served, his speed in reaching for it was like a blur, quickly devouring it.
A normal person eats till their belly is full, and even those who eat a lot would only make their belly visibly round, seeming a bit bigger to onlookers.
Lily and everyone else are like this.
Even Renedia, who is eating well now to grow quickly, only ends up with a round little belly.
But Sage is different.
His body visibly fattened. Normally, gaining weight takes time due to inactivity and continuous eating, just lying around every day, and with time, one will certainly become fatter.
Sage didn't even need a night, just in the short span of one or two hours, he crazily ate, causing his body to rapidly become fat.
His belly bloated like a balloon, spreading throughout his body, even his limbs expanded, and his face transformed from its angular shape to becoming completely bloated.
Totally defies logic.
A normal human, eating so much, at most would overfill themselves to death. But how could one quickly become fat?...
Sage is not an Ability User...
"Eh? Are you planning to become a sumo wrestler, Sage?"
Renedia paused and asked, "You're not going to be a pirate? Did Garp traumatize you? But you have a bounty now, you can't be a sumo wrestler."
Marika had just completed a large roast on a rock tray, had Pearl and other pirates carry it away, then approached here with a smile, saying, "Ah, were you injured? Planning to use Life Return?"
At that moment, the fat on his face, which was almost invisible due to bloating, rapidly diminished, and within a moment, Sage's physique returned to normal.
It seemed that the fat and blubber were like a phantom, disappearing without a trace.
He clenched his hand, feeling his body, and looked at Marika, saying, "You know?"
"I can do it too."
Marika smiled, "This trick is quite useful, because chefs need to taste foods from everywhere, regardless of whether they are delicious or not. With this trick, you don't have to worry about gaining weight."
"Is that the origin of your strange strength?" Sage asked in surprise.
Marika smiled without speaking, but her expression said it all.
"Hey, don't be so mysterious, what's Life Return?" Renedia complained.
"Hmm..."
Marika rubbed her chin, thought for a moment, and laughed, saying, "Simply put, it's about consciously controlling every part of your body. No matter how small, you can freely control it. You can also freely choose digestion and absorption, so no matter how much you eat, you can quickly break it down, which is why we saw the captain transform into a fatty."
"Exactly."
Sage slightly moved his head, and his white hair suddenly extended, twisting into several strand-like tentacles, reaching outward.
Renedia reached out to touch the twisting white 'tentacles'. The silky feel of the strands startled her, causing her to step back two steps.
Lily even took a direct step back, sweating.
"What's scary about my hair?"
Sage controlled his white hair to return, reverting to his original hairstyle, glanced at Lily, "It's not real tentacles, you knightesses don't need to be afraid."
"N-no, I'm not!" Lily's cheeks turned red, defiantly said, "I was just surprised... Anyway, that's not important, if you learn Life Return, you won't become fat?"
"In theory, yes."
Sage nodded, glancing at Marika, "The absorbed nutrients would normally be turned into other things since the human body cannot absorb so many nutrients. But if you know this trick, you can use the nutrients for other aspects."
"Healing injuries, replenishing stamina, and even storing this power to unleash it all at once during battles, or to increase their strength like Marika. As for me, I'm injured, so I need a lot of food nutrients to heal my wounds quickly through Life Return."
"Huh? You're injured?" Renedia was stunned.
Sage gave her a sidelong glance and said, "That's Garp we're talking about. I don't have any familial ties with him, so how could I not get injured after such a battle?"
He had taken a direct hit from Garp's so-called Galaxy Impact, but it hadn't reached the level of needing 'Internal Destruction'. Even though it was just pure external force, its power was enough to leave him seriously wounded.
He just didn't show it, but now that it was safe, he naturally relied on food to accelerate his recovery.
He took a sip of wine and said, "If you want to learn Life Return, the easiest way is to first master the Six Styles, which will give you a higher chance of understanding it."
Life Return is not an advanced form of the Six Styles, and the two aren't closely related. Strictly speaking, it's a Meditation Method, as it involves controlling the body with consciousness. However, mastering all Six Styles gives one a greater likelihood of learning Life Return due to the refined control of the body involved.
Being a 'Six Styles' user who has developed his physique to the extreme, he naturally had the qualifications to comprehend Life Return.
Even he, possessing the highest mastery of Body Techniques, only mastered Life Return after mastering the Six Styles.
"Marika, prepare food for a hundred people," Sage said.
"Oh, meat's fine, right? It's the quickest and most convenient," Marika replied.
"Hmm..."
Sage's eyes gleamed red, "Plenty of fierce beasts on the island, get rid of them."
"The chef should of course be responsible for finding ingredients."
Marika smiled and said, "Leave it to me."
An island with fresh water surely has life.
But Sage didn't mind; he was even a bit glad, as it meant there were ingredients to use.
The strength of those creatures was no match for the three women here.
They headed towards the island, and before long, they heard a strange roar and explosions.
Marika dragged a long-necked giant bird to the bonfire, Renedia used her power to move a charred giant boar over, and Lily returned asking for help to carry a clawed deer-like creature.
The size of these three beasts could feed hundreds of people for a long time.
And as for the meat, simple cooking would make it edible. Right now, Sage needed something edible, without deliberately pursuing taste, so it was easy to prepare.
Eating this time, Sage wouldn't let his body swell as before. Though he was unfamiliar then, the second time he was skilled, he could precisely use the nutrients from the food to heal his wounds. After eating, his injuries had completely recovered.
This rapid recovery left no scars; fractured bones, damaged internal organs, all quickly healed with the support of nutrients.
Marika also watched Sage, and seeing nothing unusual about him, she said in surprise, "Can he achieve such a level? He seems as good as new, doesn't he need to rest anymore?"
"You can't do it?" Sage gave her a glance.
"No, eating more can only restore fifty percent, and other times still require rest. After all, injuries heal relatively well, but bodily fatigue doesn't recover easily, and Life Return also consumes energy," Marika smiled.
Sage showed a probing look, looking at his hand, he fell into silence.
Expending energy was normal, but he could fully recover, whereas Marika couldn't...
This woman could develop Life Return to enhance her strength; even if her natural strength wasn't small, the degree she achieved implied significant proficiency.
Not being able to do what he did was a question of level...
Or a matter of limitation?
"Lily, give me the sword."
With those words, he swiftly drew the rapier blade from Lily's side and cut a wound on his fingertip. The energy from the food he had eaten precisely targeted the wound and healed it instantly under the influence of Life Return.
This sudden action left Lily and Renedia oblivious, but Marika, proficient in Life Return, realized something, her smiling face froze, pupils contracted, and sweat inexplicably appeared on her forehead.
"Heh heh, hahaha... Hohohohoho!"
Sage clenched his fist, a ferocious smile appearing on his face, "Truly interesting!"
Regardless of the issue, he had found a new way to enhance himself!