Mister Fantastic—Reed Richards—was known as the smartest man in the Marvel Universe.
Genrou had no doubt: if he could inherit that brilliant mind, no one in the world of pirates would be a threat to him.
With a few inventions, he might even be able to conquer the entire Grand Line.
While Genrou was deep in thought, the scene shifted once again. The three of them returned to the dark space.
"Huh? That's it?"
Luffy blinked, looking around as if still wanting more.
Though he had been momentarily captivated by Reed Richards' rubber abilities, most of his attention had been fixed on the lab's advanced equipment.
"Reed Richards' rubber powers aren't much to show off, so the demo was brief,"
"But forget that for now—there's one left: the 'Gourmand' attribute, Toriko. Keep watching, Luffy."
Genrou smiled as he spoke.
Like Luffy, he too felt a little disappointed.
The demonstration hadn't shown any of Reed Richards' inventions, which likely meant that even if one inherited his Heroic Spirit template, they wouldn't gain his scientific knowledge—only his rubber abilities.
"Alright."
Luffy gave a slight nod, then reached out and slapped the name "Toriko" under the last attribute: 'Gourmand.'
The space shifted once again, and the trio arrived in a luxurious restaurant.
At the center of the room sat a round table over five meters in diameter, completely covered with exquisite dishes.
All of that food was being eaten by a single blue-haired man nearly two meters tall.
In the blink of an eye, he had already devoured a meal fit for ten people.
"MEAT!!"
Luffy yelled and lunged toward the table.
"Hey! Luffy, did you forget what I said?"
"That's just a projection—not real."
Genrou grabbed the back of Luffy's collar and stopped him quickly.
But the moment Luffy saw meat, he completely ignored Genrou and started struggling against his grip.
Left with no choice, Genrou let go, allowing Luffy to pounce toward the table—only to go right through it and faceplant on the floor.
"That's so weird… it all looked so real."
"I could even smell it. Why did Luffy pass right through the food?"
Nami twitched her nose, muttering with confusion.
Even if she wasn't drooling like Luffy, the scent of the food definitely awakened her appetite.
"A true illusion deceives more than just the eyes. It fools the sense of smell too."
Genrou explained calmly.
"I see... what a strange power."
Nami gave Genrou a deep look.
She hadn't yet seen Genrou in an actual fight, nor did she know whether Luffy could really inherit a Heroic Spirit template.
But even so, Nami began to understand how powerful Genrou truly was.
Just the ability to create an illusion like this wasn't something an ordinary person could pull off.
"So, a Gourmand, huh? That guy actually finished off the entire table."
"His belly's so round. What's his body made of? Rubber too?"
"Genrou, that's Toriko, right?"
Nami turned her gaze back to Toriko and asked.
"Yup! What do you think? He's a real glutton, right?"
Genrou chuckled and snapped his fingers.
The scene changed, transporting the trio and Toriko to a desolate wasteland.
Before Toriko stood a massive mammoth-like creature towering over ten meters high—like a small mountain.
"Th-That's huge! What kind of monster is that?!"
Nami clutched Genrou's arm in fright.
Even though she knew it was an illusion, the mammoth's realism gave her a serious scare.
"It's so big… its meat must be delicious."
Luffy drooled, staring at the beast in awe.
"Give it a rest, Luffy. You already learned your lesson just now—you can't eat that mammoth."
"This time, you better watch carefully. That was just Toriko's gluttony attribute. What you're about to see is his real strength."
Genrou pressed down on Luffy's shoulder—this time, he wasn't letting go.
Just as he finished speaking, the mammoth let out a thunderous roar.
It raised its massive trunk and swung it down at Toriko's head.
Boom!
Toriko raised his arm and punched upward. Despite the size difference, his fist smashed the mammoth's trunk away.
The massive beast even staggered back a step.
"Such power… It's even stronger than a Fishman's strength!"
Nami's eyes widened in disbelief.
"That wasn't even his full strength. Just keep watching."
Genrou said calmly.
Just then, Toriko let out a monstrous roar.
No, it wasn't just monstrous—it was a demon's roar.
Behind him appeared a giant crimson demon, its form so terrifying that even the mammoth instinctively backed away.
"The Gourmet Cell Demon. It resides inside Toriko's body,"
"And it can lend him power."
"The more high-quality food he eats, the stronger he becomes."
As Genrou explained, Toriko's left hand turned claw-like, and he thrust it toward the mammoth.
"Fork!"
A gigantic silver fork-shaped energy blade shot from Toriko's hand and stabbed deep into the mammoth's side.
But it didn't end there.
Immediately after, Toriko's right hand swung forward in a horizontal slash.
"Knife!"
A wave of powerful energy took the form of a massive silver knife, slicing straight across the mammoth.
Fork and Knife—two brutal attacks launched the mammoth into the air.
Before it could land, Toriko leapt up and punched the mammoth's belly with overwhelming force.
"Tenfold Nail Punch!"
Bang! Bang! Bang…!
The mammoth flew upward, launched by Toriko's punch. Even after breaking contact, the sounds of impact continued, as if an invisible barrage was still hitting it.
In no time, the creature had been launched over 20 meters into the sky.
"Fork, Knife, and Nail Punch are Toriko's signature skills."
"His Fork and Knife techniques can be sharper and harder than steel."
"And his Nail Punch delivers a burst of strikes in one moment, drilling in like nails for massive internal damage."
"Depending on how he uses them, those techniques can take on even more forms."
"So, Luffy… which one will you choose?"
As Genrou's voice fell, both Toriko and the mammoth vanished in a flash of golden light.
Once again, the names of the three Heroic Spirits appeared before Luffy.
(End of Chapter)
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