Chapter 162: I Want to Eat Your Cooking Right Now!
Ralph turned to look at the corner of the deck.
There, the sea otter Mr. 13 and the vulture Miss Friday were tightly bound, watching him with wary and somewhat fearful eyes.
Perfect test subjects.
Ralph personally took to the kitchen, utilizing his intermediate cooking skills.
Ten minutes later, two plates of fragrant seafood paella were placed before the two animals.
Mr. 13 sniffed the air, his eyes beginning to waver.
Miss Friday even drooled directly.
Ralph crouched down, using intermediate beast-taming techniques to gently undo their restraints and push the food toward them.
The two animals exchanged a glance, ultimately unable to resist the temptation of the delicious meal, and buried their heads in eating.
Just then, Ralph began to activate his advanced hypnosis skill.
His voice was soft and gentle, as if chatting with his closest friends:
"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you... Speaking of which, life in Baroque Works isn't easy for you, is it? Flying around every day, supervising this and that..."
"And if a mission fails, you get punished..."
Mr. 13 slowed his eating.
"Crocodile doesn't care about your lives at all. To him, you're just tools—replaceable when broken."
Miss Friday looked up, her eyes complex.
"But I'm different..."
Not forcibly controlling them, but subtly reinforcing a certain idea:
Ralph is a boss worth following.
And Crocodile is a cold-hearted tyrant.
After a moment of silence.
Mr. 13 put down his empty plate and patted Ralph's hand with his paw.
Miss Friday lowered her head and gently nuzzled Ralph's arm.
[Ding! Established a "Friend" relationship with Mr. 13! Acquired skill: Painting (Beginner)]
[Ding! Established a "Friend" relationship with Miss Friday! Acquired skill: Flight (Beginner) [Note: Requires wing-type organs]]
Ralph looked at the note for the second skill, his mouth twitching.
"Under the premise of having wings... So, I have to grow wings first, and then I can use them skillfully to fly?"
He couldn't help but complain, "What a scam!"
Still, the beginner painting skill was somewhat useful—at least Ralph could finally have a bit of artistic talent in drawing.
"Awoo~"
A cry came from beside his feet.
Ralph looked down to see the little black dinosaur had somehow crept over, staring at him with big, pleading eyes, then at the empty plates, its tail wagging like a propeller.
"You want some too?"
Ralph laughed, preparing another serving of food.
The little dinosaur swallowed a steak larger than its head in one bite, then continued staring at Ralph, its eyes clearly saying, "More."
"You can eat that much?"
Ralph was surprised.
[Ding! Established a "Friend" relationship with an unknown dinosaur individual! Acquired skill: Big Stomach (Beginner)]
[Description: Increases digestive ability and food intake limit. Can quickly digest food to convert it into stamina.]
Damn, that's useful!
It perfectly compensates for his stamina shortcomings!
But with this, doesn't the ship now have two big eaters?
Add Lufia, and that makes three!
A family of three, all foodies—looks heartwarming, but it's a bit... costly on provisions!
Ralph watched the little dinosaur's "I can still eat" expression, even eyeing the sea otter and vulture with drool in its eyes.
Mr. 13 and Miss Friday trembled in fear, clearly worried they might become the next dish.
"Forget it, you two can head back first."
Ralph said to the two animal agents:
"Return to Baroque Works and report as you normally would. Just don't expose your connection to me."
He untied their restraints.
Mr. 13 climbed onto Miss Friday, nodded, and flapped its wings, flying off into the night sky.
The little black dinosaur watched regretfully as the "food" flew away, letting out a burp.
Ralph crouched down and stroked its smooth black scales:
"You eat so much and you're all black... How about I call you Munch-Munch?"
"Roar!"
The little dinosaur—now to be called Munch-Munch—happily rubbed against Ralph's hand.
Ralph smiled, a gleam in his eyes, already planning out Munch-Munch's future development path.
Between this mysterious little black dinosaur and a terrifying monster that could shake the world, there was only one fruit missing.
And that fruit...
Ralph touched a small box.
Inside lay another Devil Fruit—the Toro Toro no Mi.
It wasn't suitable for Munch-Munch, and Ralph had other plans for it.
But if he could get his hands on that "Baku Baku no Mi"...
"Then, it'll be a leap in combat power."
Ralph murmured.
"Awoo~"
Hearing the sound, Ralph looked at Munch-Munch in surprise—it wasn't the one who made the noise.
Ralph looked up and saw Lufia imitating the little dinosaur.
"If you're hungry, just say so! Why imitate this little guy?"
Ralph couldn't help but laugh, speaking to Lufia with affection.
He then prepared a meal for Lufia as well.
"If the captain is hungry, why didn't you tell Sanji? He's slacking as a chef!!"
Ralph teased casually, while Lufia blinked her innocent big eyes,
"I want to eat your cooking right now! Don't think I didn't notice you sneaking a bite!"
[Ding! Lufia feels both dissatisfaction and moved by your solo battle. Affection increased by 3%. Current stage: "Close Friend Level" 90%.]
A warmth spread in Ralph's heart—the feeling of being understood by someone dear without having to say a word... truly wonderful!
Watching Lufia pout as she ate lifted his spirits a little, slightly easing the shock brought by another "reward."
[Ding! Established "Friend" relationship with Dorry and Brogy! Acquired skill: Longleg Tribe (Legendary).]
[Note: The strongest skill passed down through generations of the Giant Tribe. Host's current physical strength is insufficient to use it.]
Looking at the system notification, if Ralph weren't so well-mannered, he'd have cursed out loud.
Dorry and Brogy, you two share the same wanted poster photo, and you only give one reward too?!
It's strong enough, but if I can't use it, doesn't that mean it's useless?
To make matters worse, the system thoughtfully stuffed the usage techniques for "Longleg Tribe" into his mind: how to mobilize the body's full strength, how to concentrate power into a single point for release...
It felt like being given a peerless martial arts manual, only to be told, "Your internal energy isn't enough; practicing it will kill you."
Absolutely maddening!
"Darn it..."
Ralph looked at Lufia, clenching his fist tightly,
"How could I give up just when a warrior's spirit stirred within me?"
Who was he?
A swordsmanship genius acknowledged by Hawk Eye himself, with countless martial arts concepts and power systems from another world stored in his mind.
There had to be a way!
Thus, the crew aboard the Going Merry witnessed a bizarre scene—
Their vice-captain suddenly sat cross-legged in the center of the deck, eyes closed in deep concentration, motionless.
His expression was so serious that even Lufia dared not disturb him.
Zoro, who had been dozing off, cracked open one eye slightly:
"What's that guy doing?"
Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke, equally puzzled,
"Meditating?"
Nami watched Ralph with concern:
"His face seems to be turning redder and redder…"
Indeed.
Ralph's complexion shifted from normal to slightly flushed, from flushed to bright red, and finally turned as crimson as a boiled crab.
Then…
Smoke began to rise from the top of his head.
Not as a metaphor—actual white smoke wafted up from his hair, curling into the air.
Sweat continuously beaded on his forehead, only to evaporate into white steam under the intense heat.
"Whoa!"
Usopp jumped back three steps in fright, "R-Ralph's head is smoking!"
"Doctor! Ship's doctor!"
Vivi cried out in panic, only to remember that the only doctor on board was Ralph himself, who was currently emitting smoke.
"Let me check!"
Nami rushed over, but before she could get close, she felt a wave of scorching heat hit her face.
Ralph's body temperature was alarmingly high.
"Thud!"
Finally, Ralph stiffly fell backward onto the deck, unconscious.
The smoke gradually dissipated, revealing his flushed face and tightly furrowed brow.
He mumbled unconsciously:
"..."
Silence fell over the deck.
Lufia crouched beside Ralph, poking his cheek with a finger, and said worriedly:
"Ralph... looks like he's been boiled?"
Zoro walked over and examined him:
"He's not dead. But this isn't just exhaustion—he must be… sick?"
"I'll handle the sickbed meals, but treating the illness… Can you manage, Miss Nami?"
Sanji's expression was grave.
Nami sighed:
"My skills are nowhere near enough. It looks like we need to find a doctor as soon as possible."
The crew exchanged uneasy glances.
Earlier, Ralph had been worrying about how to "reasonably" steer the ship toward Drum Island.
After all, in the original story, they went there because Nami fell ill.
He had even considered fabricating an excuse to order a detour if necessary.
Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine…
That the fated patient would be himself.