Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

Haruto’s movements were unhurried, yet every strike was precise to an almost absurd degree. Each slap drove the seasoning deeper into the meat without damaging the structure of the muscle fibers themselves.

A cut that would normally have required several hours of marinating became fully seasoned in only a few minutes beneath his hands. By the time he finished, the entire piece of Sea King meat had taken on a faint, translucent green sheen.

The clean sweetness of the Berries, the layered fragrance of the seasonings, and the natural savoriness of the Sea King had completely merged together until there was no longer any clear boundary between them.

With the marinating finished, Haruto glanced toward the nearby battlefield.

Akainu’s earlier magma attack had scattered chunks of cooled volcanic rock throughout the area, and one piece happened to be almost perfect in both size and texture.

Haruto retrieved it and drew the Melk Knife. Several cold flashes swept across the irregular stone, and within moments he had carved it into a perfectly flat slab of uniform thickness, its freshly cut surface smooth enough to resemble a mirror.

He set the stone plate over the cooking station and gave Charizard a look.

Charizard immediately understood.

Opening its mouth, it used Ember.

A controlled stream of orange-red flame poured out and wrapped evenly around the entire slab. Charizard maintained the temperature with remarkable precision, keeping the flames hot enough to bring the stone to searing temperature without overheating it to the point of cracking.

The dark gray stone gradually began to glow a deep red.

Heat distorted the air around it, and even from several meters away, waves of scorching air rolled across the ground.

Haruto held a hand above the slab for a moment, gauging the temperature.

Perfect.

He picked up the marinated Sea King meat and drove a specially made thick skewer through it. With a light flick of his wrist, he lowered the entire cut onto the blazing-hot stone.

Sssssss—!

A rich, violent hiss immediately erupted.

The fat and collagen inside the meat began melting the instant they met the stone, sending countless tiny bubbles of oil dancing around the edges.

Then the aroma exploded.

It was overwhelmingly rich and almost impossible to ignore.

The extraordinary natural sweetness of the Sea King blended with the clean fragrance of the Berries, the complexity of Haruto’s seasonings, and the deep roasted aroma produced by the high-temperature sear.

Together, they completely overwhelmed the surrounding smells of gunpowder, blood, smoke, and scorched earth.

The fragrance spread rapidly across the battlefield.

Marines and pirates who had been fighting for their lives instinctively faltered.

Soldiers in the middle of swinging swords paused for a fraction of a second. Devil Fruit users preparing attacks unconsciously twitched their noses, their eyes drifting toward the source of the aroma before they could stop themselves.

They had been engaged in continuous life-or-death combat since the war began, and the physical toll was enormous.

Now, after all that exhaustion, the sudden arrival of such an intense and irresistible smell of grilled meat was like showing a crystal-clear spring to someone who had wandered through a desert for three days without water.

Saliva immediately flooded their mouths.

More than a few stomachs began growling.

"What the hell smells that good...?"

"It’s coming from over there, isn’t it? That guy who set up the kitchen?"

"He’s seriously grilling meat in the middle of the Summit War?!"

Confused voices rose from all across the battlefield, and more and more Marines and pirates found themselves stealing glances in Haruto’s direction even while fighting.

Haruto noticed none of it.

His attention was completely focused on the meat.

He watched as the side touching the stone transformed from soft pink into a beautiful golden brown, the edges of the fat curling slightly as tiny bubbles of oil continued to crackle across the surface.

Once the first side had developed a perfect crust, Haruto grasped the skewer and smoothly turned the meat over.

Another sharp hiss erupted as the uncooked side met the blazing stone, releasing yet another wave of irresistible fragrance and rendered fat.

Haruto patiently rotated the cut again and again until all four sides had taken on a deep caramel color, the exterior forming a thin, crisp crust.

By then, the aroma had reached its peak.

Once he confirmed that the outside was beautifully browned while the interior remained tender and medium, Haruto removed the meat from the stone and placed it onto a clean serving plate.

He pulled out the skewer and allowed the meat to rest for several seconds so the juices could redistribute.

Then he picked up the Melk Knife.

The blade passed first through the crisp exterior before sliding almost effortlessly through the tender flesh underneath, dividing the enormous cut into two equal portions.

The instant the meat opened, clear juices welled from the surface and slowly ran down the sides.

Inside, the flesh was a delicate pale pink, almost the color of cherry blossoms. The rendered fat and collagen had partially melted into a soft, jelly-like texture that contrasted beautifully with the crisp, seared crust outside.

Haruto picked up one half and handed it to Charizard, who had been watching the entire process with increasingly obvious impatience.

Charizard immediately lowered its head and carefully accepted the meat between its claws before taking an enormous bite.

Crunch.

The crisp exterior broke apart beneath its teeth, followed by steaming, impossibly tender meat.

A flood of juices burst across Charizard’s mouth.

Its eyes instantly lit up.

A deep, satisfied rumble rolled from its throat, and the flame on its tail flared with a sudden whoosh, burning brighter and stronger than before.

Charizard devoured the entire portion in only a few bites, then licked its claws and stared longingly at the remaining half on the counter.

Haruto laughed.

"That one’s mine."

He picked up the other portion and eagerly took a bite.

The first thing his teeth met was the beautifully seared crust.

It broke with a delicate crunch, releasing just the right amount of saltiness and roasted flavor. The different seasonings unfolded layer by layer across his tongue, each one enhancing rather than overwhelming the Sea King’s natural savoriness.

The meat underneath was unbelievably tender.

It required almost no chewing before beginning to melt in his mouth.

Hot juices flooded across his tongue, carrying the unique sweetness of the manta ray Sea King through every corner of his palate.

There was not even the slightest trace of fishiness.

Only pure, concentrated umami, intertwined with the clean sweetness of the Berries to create layer after layer of flavor.

The softened collagen slowly melted as he chewed, leaving behind a pleasantly rich, almost sticky texture that made each bite more satisfying than the last.

Then Haruto swallowed.

A warm current immediately rose from his stomach and spread through his entire body.

Although he had looked relaxed while observing the war from Charizard’s back, Haruto had been maintaining his En the entire time while constantly tracking the movements of the battlefield below.

That had consumed far more stamina than it appeared.

But as the warmth spread through him, all of that fatigue disappeared almost instantly.

The soreness in his muscles faded.

His entire body relaxed as though he had been soaking in a hot spring.

Within moments, Haruto felt completely refreshed, overflowing with energy and strength.

"Not bad at all."

He swallowed the last bite and nodded in satisfaction.

This dish had actually been an experiment he came up with on the spot.

Haruto had previously spent considerable time modifying Poffin recipes so that their effects could work properly on ordinary humans rather than only Pokémon.

He had made good progress there.

Pokéblocks, however, were something he had not yet studied nearly as deeply. Humans could eat them directly, but their bodies absorbed the energy inefficiently, causing most of the intended effect to be wasted.

Then Haruto had suddenly wondered whether he could treat Pokéblocks as a seasoning instead.

If he integrated them into an ingredient and then used cooking techniques to transform that energy into a form the human body could absorb more easily, perhaps he could fully unlock their restorative properties.

Judging from the result, the idea had worked even better than expected.

The stamina restored by this single piece of meat surpassed what he would have gained from eating ten Pokéblocks directly.

And unlike raw Pokéblocks, it was also exceptionally delicious.

Encouraged by the success, Haruto immediately brought out several more prepared cuts of manta ray Sea King meat along with the remaining green stamina-restoring Pokéblocks.

He repeated the same process without hesitation—grinding the Pokéblocks, mixing the seasoning, using Nen to drive it deep into the meat, then searing each piece on the blazing stone.

One fragrant cut after another soon filled the serving trays beside him.

The smell of grilled meat grew steadily richer, spreading farther and farther toward the heart of the battlefield.

Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku, standing on the execution platform, eventually frowned and looked in Haruto’s direction.

He still had no idea what this mysterious young man intended to accomplish by cooking in the middle of the Summit War.

If Sengoku had known what those pieces of meat could actually do, however, he would not have been content to simply watch.

Food capable of rapidly restoring a fighter’s stamina could have an enormous impact on a battle of this scale.

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