Delicious Roasted Meat, A Locked-Down Dream

In the depths of the primeval jungle, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy, casting mottled patches of light upon the ground.

Leona lay in the shallow crater she had been smashed into, her wild, untamable slit pupils staring at Ace for a long while.

"Send every unknown monster on this vast sea to my cutting board?"

She panted heavily, suddenly throwing her head back and laughing. Her laughter carried the boiling blood of a chef hearing such a grand, maniacal declaration.

On this ancient island that worshipped the law of the jungle, a loss was a loss. The impossibly tall, black-haired man before her had not only crushed her with absolute physical superiority, but his bottomless composure made her concede the defeat wholeheartedly.

"Since your body withstood my blade, the ownership of this Tyrannosaurus is yours."

Leona stood up, using her heavy blade to prop herself up, and skillfully rolled up her sleeves before sliding her two bone-cleaving knives back into the leather holsters at her waist. "However, if I let a brute like you build a fire to roast it, it would be a desecration of this prime cut of loin."

"My name is Leona. Go pick up some dry wood; I'll show you what true ancient cuisine is."

Ace stood to the side, watching this clean, straightforward, and unpretentious red-haired woman, a casual smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

This was the kind of chef a pirate ship deserved.

"Portgas D. Ace." Ace stated his name and turned to collect firewood in the surrounding area.

Half an hour later.

A massive, roaring bonfire was lit in the jungle clearing.

Leona displayed a level of professional expertise that left Ace in awe. The silver boning knife in her hand moved like a butterfly dancing through flowers, precisely stripping away the fattest, most energy-dense cuts of meat along the muscle fibers of the Tyrannosaurus.

Afterward, she pulled out several ancient spices of peculiar colors, applying them evenly and using her tools to beat the meat until the flavors were fully absorbed.

The Tyrannosaurus meat roasting over the fire soon began to sizzle, golden grease dripping into the flames and erupting with a rich, savory aroma that stirred one's appetite.

"Eat. The muscles of ancient species usually carry an unbearable, astringent bitterness, but I neutralized it with special herbs from the island. Furthermore, through the beating technique, the violent calories and vital essence of this beast have been locked into the meat fibers one hundred percent."

Leona used the tip of her knife to flick a massive chunk of roasted meat, weighing several dozen pounds, directly to Ace.

Ace reached out to catch it and, without standing on ceremony, tore into it with large bites.

The moment the meat hit his tongue, Ace's eyes lit up slightly.

This rugged, delicious flavor that struck the taste buds directly was countless times better than the half-baked barbecue of someone like Buggy. More importantly, Ace's terrifying digestive system, modified by the Zhuque Fruit, immediately sensed the difference in this meat.

With Ace's current constitution, he could perfectly absorb the heat even from eating Sea Kings raw. But Leona's cooking had pre-emptively removed all impurities from the violent beast meat. This allowed the extremely pure, high-efficiency calories to melt into his limbs and bones the moment he swallowed, requiring almost no extra conversion from his stomach or intestines.

The efficiency of eating and absorption had been greatly improved.

"This is the chef I need."

Ace swallowed the giant piece of roasted meat in a few bites and did not hold back his praise. "Perfect heat. Your culinary techniques can make my energy absorption extremely efficient."

"That goes without saying; I was born to cook monsters."

Leona sat across from the bonfire, taking large gulps of the strong liquor she carried, a pride belonging to a chef flashing in the depths of her eyes.

Once full, Ace leaned against a thick, dead log and looked at Leona across from him.

"Since your skills are so good, why stay on this island as a savage?"

Ace extended the olive branch once more. "My previous proposal still stands. Join my ship and become the head chef of the Eclipse. The sea outside has countless unknown monsters waiting for your blade."

Leona used a soft cloth to carefully wipe the blade of her black steel cleaver. The leaping firelight reflected off her exquisite yet wild face.

"Hunting super-large Sea Kings in the Calm Belt, searching for those legendary monster beasts in the New World."

Leona's movements slowed, and a look of undisguised longing appeared in her eyes. "This is indeed a dream invitation that no chef pursuing the ultimate could refuse."

But soon, the fanaticism in her eyes dimmed.

With a "click," she returned the cleaver to its sheath, looked up at Ace, and shook her head.

"I cannot go. I appreciate your kindness, Ace."

Leona's voice turned heavy. "After you finish this meal, you had best leave Bacchus Island immediately. The water here is too deep; it is not a place for newcomers like you who have just entered the Grand Line to wade into."

Ace did not speak, his black eyes watching her quietly, waiting for her to continue.

"The outer rim of this island is a prosperous gourmet paradise, but this primeval hunting ground in the interior is a slaughterhouse through and through."

Leona clenched her fists, her knuckles turning slightly white.

"The one who controls this island is an underground tycoon with a bounty of 85 million Beli, Gluttony Baron Truff. He is a complete lunatic. He treats the island's natives as slaves and wantonly destroys the ecology of the interior. He has people capture these ancient giants, not out of any respect for the ingredients, but to satisfy the simple, sadistic pleasure of those perverted nobles!"

Leona gritted her teeth, flames of anger burning in her eyes.

"They use poison gas and heavy firepower to torture those wild giants until they are on the verge of death, then serve them alive onto the tables of the nobles. I can never forgive such scum who trample on life and food!"

Ace listened quietly, his expression showing little ripple.

On this sea, the strong preying on the weak was the iron law. He was long accustomed to the cruelty of nobles and the greed of underground forces.

"Since he has a bounty of 85 million, you cannot kill him with your blade alone." Ace pointed out the cruel reality with surgical precision.

"I know I can't kill him."

Leona stood up, her tall figure casting a long shadow by the bonfire. She grabbed the two heavy blades beside her, her eyes resolute.

"But in the deepest part of this island sleeps the guardian deity that our tribe has worshipped for generations—an Ancient Kong that has lived for hundreds of years. It is the final dignity of this forest."

Leona took a deep breath and turned to look toward the deeper reaches of the forest.

"Truv and his band of bastards have had their eyes on that Ancient Kong for a long time. As the guardian of this tribe, I must patrol this forest day and night. As long as I draw breath, I will never allow them to set foot in these deep mountains."

She turned her head, looked at Ace sitting where he was, and gave a free-spirited smile.

"Thanks for the recruitment, Captain Ace. If I'm not dead and we happen to meet in the New World, I'll cook you another barbecue."

With that, Leona didn't look back; like an agile lioness, she plunged back into the dense, gloomy primeval jungle to continue her seemingly hopeless patrol.

The campfire crackled in the wind.

Ace sat on a dead log, watching Leona's disappearing back, and did not immediately get up to stop her.

He picked up the remaining piece of bone-in meat at his side, took a slow, deliberate bite, and savored the ultimate deliciousness.

"The 85 million Beli Gluttony Baron, Truv."

Ace muttered the name to himself.

If this were just a common gang vendetta, he wouldn't bother getting involved.

But that red-haired woman was the first person Ace had personally declared he would recruit as his exclusive chef on this Grand Line. Seeing her trapped on this island forever by a group of poachers just to protect an ape was not a result he wanted to see.

"An Ancient Kong that has lived for hundreds of years, and those noble hunting parties who kill just for the thrill of the slaughter."

Ace stood up, his frame blocking most of the campfire's light. He tossed the clean bone into the fire, his dark red coat fluttering slightly in the chilling jungle breeze.

He certainly wouldn't treat someone else's faith as an ingredient, but he was indeed becoming interested in what was about to unfold on this island.

Ace lifted his foot, stomped out the campfire, and began to walk with steady strides in the direction Leona had departed.

"Since she's a chef I've set my sights on."

A smile of natural, overbearing confidence curled at the corners of Ace's mouth, his voice slowly dissipating into the silent woods.

"Cutting through such boring shackles is part of a captain's job, too."