While Luffy, Sanji, Zoro, Franky, and Brook were each displaying their unique abilities, Nami, Robin, Chopper, and Usopp formed a "brain trust and exploration" team. Nami had a keen sense of the market value of prize money and rare ingredients, Robin's insight into history and culture was unparalleled, and Chopper's medical knowledge and Usopp's... well, Usopp's quick wit could sometimes come in handy.
Instead of rushing into challenges that required hard skills or special techniques, they began to linger in the exhibition areas, archives, and seemingly inconspicuous stalls outside the arena.
In a pavilion called " Terra Gazetteer," Robin was drawn to an ancient mural. The mural depicted how the island's early inhabitants lived in harmony with a luminous " Spirit of the Forest " and obtained the first strange Seed from them, thus beginning their culinary culture.
" The Spirit of the Forest?" Robin mused. "According to modern biology, this is more like an anthropomorphic description of a special type of fungus or symbiotic organism." She carefully noted the details of the mural and cross-referenced them with the documents in the exhibition hall.
Meanwhile, Nami was haggling with a merchant selling rare honey.
"This is ' Golden Honey ' collected from the ' Dream Bee ' of the ' Enchanted Forest '! A single drop can make a glass of water incredibly sweet!" the merchant boasted.
Nami picked up a small bottle of golden honey, examined it against the light, and sniffed it. She said shrewdly, "The color is nice, but the consistency seems a bit off, and... it has a very faint fermented wine smell. This is either due to improper storage or it was mixed with pollen from nearby ' Sake Mash Flower ' during harvesting. The price needs to be reduced by 30%!"
The merchant was dumbfounded, never expecting to encounter an expert. He eventually reluctantly agreed to a price that satisfied Nami. Nami proudly put away the honey. "This is excellent for making high-class desserts and replenishing energy; it can fetch a good price!"
Chopper couldn't tear himself away from a herb stall, where many herbs he'd never seen before were displayed. Using his solid medical knowledge, he identified several herbs with potent hemostatic or energizing effects, and successfully traded some samples with the stall owner using gadgets Usopp had made (like glowing marbles), carefully storing them in his backpack.
Usopp, true to his "braggart" nature, mingled in various gossip hubs, hearing from drunken diners and gossiping merchants about the " Glutton Gang's" misdeeds, as well as an interesting rumor—that beneath the Gourmet Arena lay a " Primitive Kitchen " not open to the public, preserving the island's oldest cooking methods and some... dangerous "live ingredients."
When the four reunited and exchanged information, the clues gradually came together.
"Ancient ' Spirit of the Forest '... Golden Honey that Enchanted Forest... Live ingredients from the underground ' Primitive Kitchen '..." Robin tapped her chin with her slender fingers, her eyes gleaming with wisdom. "Perhaps the culinary culture of this island hasn't always been so 'harmonious.' The predatory style of the ' Glutton Gang ' might be closer to some... ancient shadow."
Just then, an exceptionally sweet and enticing aroma wafted over, attracting their attention. A long queue had formed in front of a brightly decorated stall, its sign proclaiming. " Dream Cotton Candy —Taste the Dreams of Childhood!"
Chopper and Usopp were immediately drawn to the fluffy, colorful cotton candy. "It looks delicious!"
Nami was also somewhat tempted, but Robin frowned slightly. She noticed that although the people who had finished eating the cotton candy had extremely satisfied smiles on their faces, their eyes were somewhat vacant, and their steps were unsteady as they left.
"Wait," Robin stopped Chopper and Usopp, who were about to run to the queue, "This scent... something's not right." She looked at Nami, "Miss Nami, do you remember the record we saw before about the ' Sake Mash Flower ' near the ' Enchanted Forest '? Its pollen has mild hallucinogenic and addictive properties."
Nami instantly became alert and sniffed the sweet scent in the air again. Sure enough, beneath the intense sweetness, she detected a faint, almost imperceptible, fermented wine aroma similar to that of the honey from the previous bottle!
"That marshmallow might have had ' Sake Mash Flower ' pollen mixed in!" Nami whispered.
Usopp was startled. "What? Hallucinations? Addiction? Could this be...?"
"It's a trap set by the ' Glutton Gang '!" Chopper immediately realized. "They're using this method to attract customers and get them hooked!"
The four immediately realized the seriousness of the situation. This was not just fraud, but a vicious form of control.
"We can't let them succeed!" Nami's sense of justice erupted, but she also felt sorry for the tourists who might be scammed.
"We need evidence," Robin said calmly.
"Watch this!" Usopp's eyes lit up, and an idea came to him. He took out some materials he carried with him (pepper powder, itching powder, and a plant extract that could produce a large amount of colorless and odorless smoke) and began to quickly make his " Usopp's Special Truth Revealed Smoke Bomb".
The power of knowledge is about to expose this sweet trap. And Nami's group's discovery will add a crucial advantage to the Straw Hat Pirates's fight against the " Glutton Gang."