Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

After stocking up on Water 7’s sea salt, Haruto spent a little more time wandering around and bought another large supply of Water Meat before preparing to leave the city.

As far as food was concerned, Water Meat had been the one local specialty that truly impressed him. Most of the other dishes he had tried were fairly ordinary, so there was little reason to stay much longer.

Originally, Haruto had planned to release Charizard and fly directly to his next destination.

Then he remembered Water 7’s famous Sea Train.

A train capable of traveling across the ocean was interesting enough on its own, and Haruto had never ridden one before.

Since he was in no hurry and the Sea Train happened to pass through the place he wanted to visit, he decided he might as well enjoy the ride and take in the scenery along the way.

However, just as Haruto was heading toward the station, a flock of News Coo suddenly swept across the sky.

Newspapers rained down over the city.

Something like this usually meant major news, and the people of Water 7 immediately began grabbing copies and opening them.

It took only seconds before startled cries broke out all around Haruto.

"Fire Fist Ace escaped! That means the Marines lost!"

"No way! The Whitebeard Pirates actually won the Summit War?!"

"The whole world’s about to change!"

Haruto casually caught a newspaper drifting past him and unfolded it.

The front page was devoted entirely to the Summit War.

A photograph of Whitebeard dominated the page beneath an enormous headline.

According to the article, the Whitebeard Pirates had been sighted near the Sabaody Archipelago after escaping Marineford, and multiple witnesses had personally seen Fire Fist Ace among them.

That had finally confirmed beyond doubt that the Marines had failed to execute him and had lost the war.

Haruto only skimmed the report.

He had personally been at Marineford, so naturally he knew far more about what happened than anything printed in a newspaper.

What interested him more was the stack of new bounty posters tucked inside.

The first belonged to Fire Fist Ace.

His bounty had risen all the way to 800,000,000 Berries, a clear indication of just how seriously the World Government now regarded him.

The next poster was Luffy’s.

400,000,000 Berries.

Then Haruto found his own.

The photograph had not been taken during the Summit War.

It was the picture snapped back in Loguetown.

In the image, Haruto stood beside Charizard with one hand resting casually against its head, his face turned slightly away from the camera.

"Dragon Tamer" Suzuki Haruto

Chef

300,000,000 Berries

ONLY ALIVE

Charges: Assisting the Whitebeard Pirates, deliberately interfering with the Summit War, and posing a severe threat to global stability.

"Three hundred million?"

Haruto raised an eyebrow.

"The Marines really think highly of me. That’s a pretty generous first bounty."

He looked over the poster again.

"Though the charges are awfully vague."

"And ONLY ALIVE? That’s interesting."

Haruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Maybe the World Government wanted to capture him alive because of his cooking.

That actually seemed plausible.

After all, his food had directly altered the outcome of the Summit War.

Anyone who understood what had happened would immediately recognize the strategic value of a chef capable of producing dishes that restored stamina and eased serious injuries.

Still, Haruto did not dwell on it.

A bounty of three hundred million Berries was certainly high for the first half of the Grand Line, but it meant very little to him personally.

If anything, it would probably just attract annoying people.

He flipped to the next poster.

Then he paused.

It was Charizard.

The photograph had been taken at Marineford, capturing the enormous black Charizard with its wings spread wide across the sky, looking every bit as imposing as possible.

Charizard

Pet

100,000,000 Berries

ONLY ALIVE

Haruto could not help laughing.

"Not bad. Even Charizard’s worth a hundred million now."

For something the World Government had classified as a pet, Charizard certainly had a lot more prestige than Chopper or Bepo.

Haruto tucked both bounty posters away and continued toward the Sea Train station.

Once there, he bought a ticket and boarded.

The next stop was St. Poplar, the City of the Spring Queen.

Before long, the Sea Train sounded its whistle and slowly pulled away from Water 7.

Its wheels clattered rhythmically against rails suspended across the ocean while endless blue sea stretched beyond the windows.

Salty wind flowed into the carriage, carrying the refreshing scent of the water.

Haruto settled comfortably beside a window, watching the scenery pass.

The carriage was crowded with merchants, tourists, and quite a few passengers who looked suspiciously like pirates, but everyone remained surprisingly well behaved.

No one seemed interested in causing trouble aboard the train.

Haruto spent most of the journey leaning against the window and eating Water Meat.

A few hours passed almost without notice before the Sea Train arrived at St. Poplar.

The island was famous for its prosperous shopping districts and beautiful scenery, so although it was not Haruto’s actual destination, he decided to take a look around while he was there.

He spent most of the day exploring the city, visiting restaurants and ingredient markets along the way.

Unfortunately, nothing particularly memorable turned up.

Most of the ingredients were common, and the local cooking offered little he had not seen before.

So Haruto did not stay long.

He bought another ticket and boarded the Sea Train again.

This time, the next stop was the destination he had actually been waiting for.

Gourmet City.

Every passenger in the carriage seemed to be heading there.

An elderly merchant sitting beside Haruto struck up a conversation, and the moment he learned this was Haruto’s first visit, he enthusiastically began explaining the place.

"You picked the right destination!"

"Gourmet City is the culinary paradise of the first half of the Grand Line!"

"Specialties from all four Blues, rare ingredients found only on the Grand Line—you can find practically anything there!"

"People travel from all over just to spend a few days eating their way through the city."

That immediately caught Haruto’s interest.

"Oh? It’s really that famous?"

"Of course!"

The merchant puffed up proudly, as though he personally owned the city.

"Gourmet City has some of the most famous chefs in the world and ingredients you’d struggle to find anywhere else."

"There are more than a thousand places to eat in the city alone. Street stalls, little family restaurants, luxury dining establishments—you name it, they’ve got it."

"You could stay there for an entire year and still eat something different every day!"

A smile spread across Haruto’s face.

The name Gourmet City alone had been enough to make him curious.

Now he was genuinely looking forward to it.

The merchant kept talking, and the rest of the journey passed quickly.

Before long, an announcement sounded through the carriage.

They had arrived.

The Sea Train doors slid open.

Almost the instant they did, an extraordinarily rich wave of food aromas rushed inside on the ocean breeze.

It was not the scent of any single dish.

Countless fragrances overlapped and blended together—the charred richness of grilled meat, the sweetness of fresh seafood, the deep aroma of simmering stock, the warm fragrance of freshly baked pastries, and dozens upon dozens of others layered beneath them.

Merely breathing it in was enough to make mouths water and stomachs suddenly remember they were hungry.

Haruto drew in a deep breath.

Excitement lit up his eyes.

"Looks like I can really cut loose today."

"I wonder how many good things this city has hiding in it."

He could hardly wait to find out.

The moment Haruto left the station, the scene before him made his eyes brighten even further.

A broad avenue stretched straight through the city.

Both sides were completely packed with restaurants, one after another for as far as he could see.

Every establishment seemed determined to make its storefront stand out.

One had a crab model larger than a person hanging above the entrance.

Another proudly displayed an enormous Sea King fang as its sign.

A bakery arranged exquisite cakes in its window that looked more like works of art than food.

Elsewhere, huge roasting ovens burned openly beside the street, turning racks of meat over blazing charcoal as golden fat dripped and hissed against the flames.

The streets themselves were just as lively.

Merchants in suits, travelers carrying backpacks, armed pirates, and chefs in white uniforms crowded together, many of them walking around with food in their hands and satisfied smiles on their faces.

Vendors shouted over one another.

Restaurant staff called out to potential customers.

Diners laughed and chatted as they ate.

The whole district pulsed with the unmistakable warmth and energy of a city built around food.

Haruto immediately plunged into the crowd, his eyes constantly moving between the restaurants on either side of the street.

It did not take long before one particular establishment caught his attention.

Sea King Barbecue.

An enormous grill stood outside the entrance.

Huge cuts of Sea King meat and racks of ribs sizzled over charcoal, their surfaces beautifully browned as golden fat ran along the grain of the meat and dripped onto the coals below.

Each drop sent up another cloud of fragrant white smoke.

Haruto’s appetite immediately surged.

The owner was a muscular man more than three meters tall, shirtless and built like a professional fighter. He held a basting brush longer than an ordinary person and was expertly coating the roasting Sea King meat with a dark house-made sauce.

The moment he noticed Haruto approaching, he boomed out a greeting.

"Customer! How about trying our signature grilled Sea King ribs?"

"Caught fresh from the ocean and butchered this morning! You won’t find anything fresher!"

Haruto smiled and walked inside.

Then he pointed toward the Sea King meat and ribs covering the grill.

"I’ll take all of those."

The owner stared at him.

For a moment, he seemed convinced he had misheard.

"All of them?"

"That’s right."

Haruto nodded.

"All of them."

The owner’s face immediately split into an enormous grin.

"You got it! Just give me a moment!"

"I’ll get everything ready for you!"

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!