Looking at the burning Vivre Card before him, Doflamingo's face turned utterly cold.
A Vivre Card was a special kind of paper that represented its owner's vitality. It would shrink when the owner was weak and return to its original size upon recovery.
A burning Vivre Card signified that its owner's life force was rapidly diminishing.
Once a Vivre Card completely burned out, it meant that its owner's life had also ended.
At this moment, the Life Card in Baby-5's hand was slowly burning, and the owner of this Vivre Card was Gladius, the very person Doflamingo and Trebol had just been discussing.
While they were talking, the Life Card in Baby-5's hand completely disintegrated, turning into ashes and dissipating before their eyes.
The laughter from the swimming pool abruptly ceased, and the entire King's Highland was enveloped in a terrifying atmosphere. A formidable pressure emanated from Doflamingo, centered on him, making everyone uneasy.
"Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
Doflamingo's bellowing laughter echoed once more, veins bulging on his forehead, betraying his furious state.
"Did you do this, Law!"
Law?
When Baby-5 heard the name of her childhood friend from the Young Master, a flicker of curiosity crossed her mind, but now was not the time for such thoughts. The enraged Young Master before her made her tremble.
It had been a long time since she had seen the Young Master this angry.
"Get ready, we're heading to the North Blue!"
Doflamingo sat down again after issuing the order to Baby-5 and Buffalo.
The family's business in the New World relied heavily on its executives, so he could only take Baby-5 and Buffalo with him.
······
Meanwhile, on the Polaris
"Ta-da! Today, Chef Penguin will bring you a sumptuous lunch!"
In the first-floor dining area, Penguin placed dishes on the table.
"First, there's braised fish belly, then steamed sea bass, pan-fried fish fillet, fragrant fish head soup, secret grilled fish, special smoked fish…"
"Give me three bowls of rice and a portion of the pickles from the navy warship."
"Are there rice balls? I'll just have one."
"There should be canned food."
"Bepo wants to eat something else, too."
"How far is the next island? Let's find a chef as soon as possible."
"Don't be so picky! Just cook whatever you want!"
Penguin yelled, losing his composure.
Since leaving Speda Myers, they had been sailing for two days. Due to the absence of a professional chef, he had been working part-time in the kitchen these days.
However, all he knew how to cook was fish.
Although his skills weren't bad, even Bepo, who loved fish the most, couldn't endure it any longer.
Rhode felt like he was about to transform into a fish himself.
"Forget it, I'll make something else."
With a helpless sigh, Rhode walked into the kitchen and grabbed the utensils.
Unfortunately, [Knights Don't Die with Bare Hands] didn't seem to work on kitchenware; otherwise, he could have stepped into the role of a chef.
Half an hour later…
"Golden egg fried rice and a big pot stew, just eat it."
He placed a full pot of fried rice on the table, followed by a large pot of stew, into which he poured a can of secret seasoning snatched from the Donquixote Family, stirred it vigorously, and the dish was ready.
"It tastes surprisingly good."
After tasting it, Neru nodded.
"Finally, a change of pace."
Law also filled a large bowl with rice and began to eat quickly.
"I say, you've lived together since childhood, have you been eating fish all these years?"
Nia, finally satisfied with the change in menu, couldn't help but ask.
"Ate Wolfe's."
"The place where I worked provided food."
"I really admire you."
Nia held her forehead, speechless.
"You're not exactly qualified to criticize others."
Rhode glanced at Nia. He could at least make fried rice and stew in an iron pot, but she was utterly useless in the kitchen, barely capable of boiling an egg.
"So you eat fish every day because you only know how to cook fish!"
Gray suddenly clapped his hands.
After Law's treatment, Gray had finally recovered that morning, all the toxins in his body neutralized. This was the first time he had joined them for a meal at the table. For the past two days, food had been delivered to his room.
"Who else do you think wants to eat fish three times a day? It's a pity we plundered so much food, but no one can cook it properly."
"Then I'll make an automatic food processor later."
Gray said while stirring the stew in the big pot.
"Automatic food processor!?"
Several people stopped eating and stared at Gray, who continued stirring the pot.
"Any questions?"
Looking up at everyone who was fixated on him, Gray was slightly taken aback.
"Oh, I see. You prefer to do it yourself, right?
Some people do prefer to cook by hand and believe that food made by machines is soulless, but I don't think there's any difference.
After all, I'm a scientist, and I spend all my time on research. Since I'm alone, I have to use machines to cook my own food.
By the way, the machine I made before could only make 80 kinds of food. After eating it for a few years, I really got tired of it, and I never had the opportunity to improve it again…"
Automatic cooking machine! 80 different kinds of food!
Ignoring Gray's mumbling, Rhode accurately extracted the key information.
"Stop eating, let's do it now."
Rhode grabbed Gray, who was still picking at his food, and headed towards the laboratory below.
"Wait, I haven't finished eating yet!"
···
One hour later…
Is this an automatic food processor?
Looking at the simple machine that resembled a microwave oven, doubt filled Rhode's face, and the others shared his skepticism.
"This is the terminal for ordering food. I modified the Polaris a little bit. This is directly connected to the warehouse. The larger production unit was placed in the warehouse. Just choose the food you want on the terminal here."
Unaware of the crowd's doubts, Gray stepped forward to demonstrate and selected a thick-cut steak.
"Then you only need to wait for one minute at most to get a dish."
As the words left his mouth, a steak appeared before everyone.
Rhode's eyes widened as he stared at the unscientific scene before him, utterly bewildered.
What kind of black technology is this!
"Wow! It tastes really good!"
Nia took a bite. The steak was cooked perfectly, and the rich flavor instantly filled her taste buds.
"Awesome! I'm impressed, Gray!"
Penguin rushed up and chose a pork chop rice. In just a dozen seconds, a steaming pork chop rice appeared in front of him.
"Delicious!"
"I want a rice ball. Do you have rice balls?"
"Bepo wants to eat barbecue!"
"Grilled chicken wings!"
"Fried chicken and French fries! Plus a Coke!"
"…"
"Forget it, I'm not a scientist. I don't care whether it's scientific or not."
Rhode took a bite of the fried chicken. The crispy skin gave way to tender chicken, and the savory juices and spices burst forth, creating a delightful melody of flavors.
"It smells so good!"