Watching the life paper burn before him, Doflamingo's expression turned completely cold.
Life paper was a special paper that represented its owner's vitality. It shrank when the owner weakened and returned to its original size when the owner recovered.
If life paper was burning, it could only mean that its owner was rapidly growing weaker.
And once the life paper had burned away completely, it meant its owner's life had reached its end.
The life paper in Baby 5's hand was now slowly burning. Its owner was none other than Gladius, the very person Doflamingo and Trebol had just been discussing.
As they spoke, the life paper in Baby 5's hand burned away completely, turning to ash before their eyes.
The laughter and chatter by the pool vanished. The entire Plateau of the King was shrouded in a dreadful atmosphere. A terrifying presence radiated from Doflamingo, leaving everyone uneasy.
"Fuffuffuffuffu!"
Doflamingo's laughter rang out again. Veins bulged on his forehead, revealing his fury.
"Was it you, Luo?"
Luo?
Hearing the name of the young companion from their childhood fall from their young master's lips, Baby 5 felt a flicker of curiosity. But this was hardly the time to dwell on it. The sight of her enraged young master left her trembling.
It had been a long time since she'd seen him this angry.
"Get ready. We're going to the North Blue!"
After giving Baby 5 and Buffalo his instructions, Doflamingo sat back down.
The family's business in the New World depended on its officers, so he had no choice but to take Baby 5 and Buffalo with him.
......
Meanwhile, aboard the Polar Tang.
"Ta-da! Chef Pekoms has prepared another hearty lunch for everyone today!"
In the dining room on the first floor, Pekoms brought dish after dish to the table.
"First, braised fish belly, then steamed sea bass, pan-fried fish steaks, rich fish-head soup, secret-recipe grilled fish, special smoked fish..."
"Give me three bowls of rice, and a serving of the pickles we swiped from the Marine warship."
"Got any rice balls? I'll just have one."
"There should be some canned food, right?"
"Bear wants something else too."
"How much farther to the next island? We should find a chef as soon as possible."
"Don't be so picky! If you want something, make it yourselves!"
Pekoms roared in frustration.
They'd been at sea for two days since leaving Spiders Mill. Without a proper cook, he'd been pulling double duty in the kitchen.
The problem was, he only knew how to cook fish.
He wasn't bad at it, but even Bepo, who loved fish more than anyone, was nearing his limit.
Rod felt like he was about to turn into a fish himself.
"Forget it. I'll make something else."
With a helpless sigh, Rod went into the kitchen and took over the utensils.
Unfortunately, Knights Do Not Die Empty-Handed didn't work on cooking utensils. Otherwise, he could have filled in as a chef.
Half an hour later.
"Golden egg fried rice and a big pot of stew. It'll have to do."
He set a huge basin of fried rice on the table, then carried over a big bucket of stew. After pouring in a jar of secret seasoning they'd stolen from the Donquixote Family and giving it a good stir, the dish was ready.
"It tastes surprisingly good."
After trying a bite, Nerl nodded.
"Finally, something different."
Luo served himself a big bowl of rice and quickly shoveled it down.
"Tell me, you all grew up together, right? Have you really been eating fish all these years?"
Nia, glad to finally have something different, couldn't help asking.
"Wolf's."
"The places we worked at provided meals."
"I can't believe you guys."
Nia covered her forehead, speechless.
"You're not exactly one to talk."
Rod glanced at Nia. At least he could make egg fried rice and iron-pot stew. She couldn't do anything at all—she could barely boil an egg.
"So you've been eating fish every day because you only know how to cook fish!"
Grey suddenly clapped his hands.
After Luo treated him, Grey had finally recovered that morning, and all the poison had been cleared from his body. This was his first time eating with them at the table; for the past two days, they'd brought his meals to his room.
"Otherwise, who'd want to eat fish three times a day? It's a shame we stole all that food and didn't have anyone who knew how to cook it."
"Then I'll make an automatic cooking machine later."
Grey said it as he scooped up some stew.
"An automatic cooking machine?!"
Everyone stopped eating and stared at Grey, who was still scooping food out of the pot.
"What's the matter?"
Grey looked up at everyone staring at him and blinked in confusion.
"Oh, I get it. You prefer to cook everything by hand, right?
"Some people do prefer making food by hand. They think machine-made food has no soul, but I don't see any difference.
"After all, I'm a scientist. I have to spend most of my time on research. Since I'm on my own, I have to use machines to make my food.
"Actually, the machine I built before could only make eighty different dishes. After eating them for years, I did get tired of them, and I never got the chance to improve it..."
An automatic cooking machine! Eighty different dishes!
Rod tuned out Grey's rambling and focused on the key details.
"Stop eating. Go make it right now."
Rod grabbed Grey, who was still scooping from the pot, and headed down to the laboratory.
"Wait! I haven't finished eating!"
An hour later.
This was the automatic cooking machine?
Rod looked doubtfully at the crude machine before him, which looked about the size of a microwave. Everyone else seemed just as skeptical.
"This is the ordering terminal. I also made some minor modifications to the Polar Tang. This connects directly to the storage room, and I put the much larger cooking unit inside. Just choose the food you want on the terminal here."
Ignoring their doubts, Grey stepped forward to demonstrate and selected a thick-cut steak.
"Then you just wait at most a minute, and you'll have a dish ready."
As he finished speaking, a steak appeared before them.
Rod stared at the impossible sight, his mind in disarray.
What kind of black technology was this?!
"Mm! It's delicious!"
Nia took a bite. The steak was cooked just right, its rich flavor filling her taste buds at once.
"That's incredible! I'm impressed, Grey!"
Pekoms rushed over and selected a pork cutlet rice bowl. In less than twenty seconds, a steaming hot meal appeared before him.
"Delicious!"
"I want a rice ball. You have rice balls, right?"
"Bear wants grilled meat!"
"Chicken wings!"
"Fried chicken and fries! And a Coke!"
"..."
"Forget it. I'm no scientist. Who cares if it makes scientific sense?"
Rod bit into a piece of fried chicken. Beneath its crispy coating was tender meat, and as he took a bite, the burst of juices and spices played a wonderful melody on his tongue.
"Now that's delicious!"
Before you continue