The Big Guy

The fishing net slowly rose to the surface. Before long, lively, flapping fish could already be seen inside.

"Ha ha, what a haul!"

Gato stood on the ship's railing and directly hauled the entire net out of the water. After some of the water had drained away, he fiercely flung it toward the prepared tank.

"Off you go!"

Splash! A netful of fish sent water spraying everywhere, soaking the nearby deck. The not-so-large ship even sank a little under the weight.

"Mission accomplished. Call Sanji over to inspect the goods."

Sanji stared dumbfoundedly at the fish tank, which was piled full, with fish constantly leaping out.

This tank was the seafood storage area for their entire restaurant and had been built especially large. Usually, it never seemed to hold much seafood, much less be "piled" full like this.

"This really is a difficult problem you've given us. We can't possibly serve this many customers in the next few days."

"Burp, hahaha. I wonder if this is enough for me to eat."

There was more seafood here than all the prey he had caught on that nameless island combined. But likewise, as his Lightning Body Technique cultivation improved, his appetite had grown as well.

"Huh? Are you a monster?"

Gato patted him on the shoulder. "Cooking for someone like me is training too. I'll leave this place to you. Call me if you need anything else."

Gato secretly laughed. There would be even more terrifying customers waiting for him to serve in the future. If he wasn't left scrambling around like this by then, he had better not thank Gato too much.

What was this compared to Luffy's rapid digestion and rubber stomach that could never burst no matter how much he ate? His own simple rapid digestion was practically nothing by comparison. Once his body's energy was saturated, he couldn't eat any more.

He could activate Lightning Enhancement while eating, but Lightning Enhancement pushed his body beyond its limits, and he couldn't sustain it for long, making it largely pointless. The Lightning Body Technique also emphasized precise chakra control, leaving no room for distraction.

Unless he could turn the Lightning Body Technique into something like a passive skill and raise his rapid digestion ability several more levels, he wouldn't be able to compete with the big-eater Luffy.

It was not yet the peak dining hour for customers, so it was time for the chefs to eat. Only by filling their stomachs could they handle the kitchen's high-intensity work.

Even though these chefs had once been pirates and were strong, sturdy men with hearty appetites, they still could not compare to the mountain of plates beside them in terms of eye-catching spectacle.

Naturally, Gato was inside that pile. Zeff looked at the heap of plates, and his eyes nearly spat fire.

Just as Gato finally finished eating and let out a satisfied burp—

Zeff repeatedly smacked Gato with his long, straight chef's hat. "You brat, you nearly ate half the fish you caught in a single meal! I think I should just throw you off the ship."

"Burp, haha, don't be like that. I admit the value of the work I put in seems a bit unworthy of how much I eat every day, but I can catch more fish. Bigger fish, too."

"If that's the case... don't use fishing nets. Truly big fish can't be caught with those things. You'd better make good on that."

"Don't worry. So, should you prepare the same amount tonight?"

Seeing Zeff seemingly preparing to stretch his legs and do something, Gato could not help giving an awkward laugh.

"Hehe, I'll go catch fish first."

"Tsk, tsk, you actually dared to look down on me. If I catch a Sea King later, don't blame me if it crushes the ship."

Luffy had beaten up the so-called Lord of the Coast the moment he first went out to sea. Though that was a bug, Sea Kings in the Four Seas really were as weak as the pirates here. As long as he found one, Gato refused to believe he couldn't beat it.

He needed to find a suitable weapon. Fighting some huge creature barehanded underwater seemed far too disadvantageous.

"Eh? This will do nicely."

Gato looked at a secured harpoon, his eyes lighting up.

"Lord of the Coast, wait for me."

He picked up the harpoon, took a deep breath, and leaped down from the railing.

Even though it was not Gato's first time beneath the sea, he was once again stunned by the beauty here. However, this was not the time for sightseeing.

"This depth should be about right. If I go any deeper, I'll run out of oxygen."

Gato grabbed a medium-sized fish he had casually caught while diving and crushed it directly.

The scent of blood could spread far through the ocean, attracting some greedy big creatures.

Gato held his breath underwater for another two minutes.

He still could not return to the surface. What if that big creature lost its target? He had to lure it up to the surface.

At that moment, two strange lights lit up in the depths of the sea, drawing Gato's attention.

"Ha ha. Isn't this just perfect?"

Gato could now see the head of the enormous creature. It was a sea monster that looked much like a dragon, clearly one of the Lord of the Coast's kind. It swam toward Gato at incredible speed.

Gato was not stupid enough to fight it here. This was its home turf.

He hurriedly swam toward the surface. The Sea King swallowed the chunks of fish Gato had thrown down in a single bite, then caught the scent of blood staining his body and followed Gato relentlessly.

Splash! The Lord of the Coast shot out of the water, sending a huge spray skyward. It looked around in every direction, trying to find Gato's trace, but failed to do so for a long time.

"Idiot, look over here!"

Gato gripped the harpoon in both hands and descended from above, thrusting it at the giant creature's eye.

If the Lord of the Coast had possessed enough intelligence, it surely would have wondered how this man had leapt from the sea's surface to such a height that it never even thought to look up.

At that moment, instinct saved its life instead. It immediately raised its dorsal fin and lowered its head.

The falling harpoon carried tremendous force, but the Lord of the Coast's dorsal fin was even tougher. Most of the force behind Gato's all-out strike was actually blocked by the fin. After slicing through it, the harpoon lodged in its hard, thick scales.

"Tch, what a useless thing."

This harpoon was just an ordinary iron harpoon. Not only was it dull, but some parts were even rusted. That was secondary, though. If it could conduct chakra, then even if it were broken, Gato could make it incomparably sharp.

Unfortunately, chakra-conducting metal was rare even in the world of Naruto. As long as a blade contained even a trace of conductive metal, it could be considered a highly renowned weapon.

"Roooaaaargh!" The damage to its dorsal fin enraged it. That was one of the weapons it relied on to survive.

Its already crimson eyes seemed to grow even redder, as if blood could drip from them. It swung its tail at Gato.

Like its dorsal fin, its tail was covered in sharp, hard bone spines. The strike displayed explosive power. Gato knew that taking it head-on would not end well, so he flipped backward to evade it.

He landed steadily on the water's surface without sinking, as though he were standing on solid ground.

"Not bad. Let's see what you've got. Again!"