Although the Sea King had been slain, a new problem quickly arose—
How were they supposed to bring it back?
Even though the beast floated after death, a single medium-sized battleship was nowhere near powerful enough to tow something that massive.
To make matters worse, they were in the Calm Belt. Without wind, the warship could only rely on its auxiliary paddle-wheels for movement—far weaker than sails.
Faced with this headache, Luo Lan had no choice but to grit his teeth and make a painful decision—
Abandon most of the Sea King's meat.
He ordered the marines to butcher it on the spot and only bring back the best cuts. He'd send another ship later to retrieve the rest—if it was still there.
If not… well, that would be that.
Right then and there, Luo Lan swore:
Once the shipyard was up and running, he'd build a super-sized vessel specifically designed for hunting Sea Kings in the Calm Belt.
Soon after, the entire deck of the warship had turned into a large-scale butchering ground.
Huge, pre-cut chunks of Sea King meat were constantly being hauled into the cargo hold.
Eventually, when even the hold couldn't fit any more, the crew started stacking it on the deck.
By the time they were ready to head back, the waterline of the entire ship had dropped visibly.
Even with the paddle-wheels at full output, the warship could only crawl along at a speed of 1 knot.
Three hours later, they finally made it back to Rhodes Island.
---
Inside a private room of the Marine mess hall,
a group of high-ranking officers were gathered around a large round table.
"Luo Lan," said Hina, frowning, "I don't get it. It's just Sea King meat. Was it really necessary to call all of us here for dinner?"
Yeah… it was just Sea King meat.
While it was rare for ordinary people to get a taste, Hina had eaten it many times. It wasn't anything special to her.
But Luo Lan simply laughed it off, offering no explanation.
Soon, four enormous serving basins and an even larger soup bowl were brought in—
a complete set of four dishes and one soup.
Even though this wasn't a tradition in the pirate world, Luo Lan had made it a rule.
Every meal, even for the average marine, would follow the standard of four dishes and one soup.
The only difference was the size—individual portions had smaller bowls.
"Hm?"
Hina's eyes widened in surprise.
"Why does it smell this good?"
Each of the four dishes, as well as the soup, had been made using Sea King meat.
Hina wasn't impressed at first—she'd eaten plenty of Sea Kings before and admitted the meat was top-grade compared to other creatures.
But this smell—this heavenly aroma—was on a whole different level.
What the hell was going on?
She shot a suspicious glance at Luo Lan.
Did this brat drug the food or something?
"This can't be right," said Nami, narrowing her eyes.
"Even that Sea Cow King we ate last time smelled good—but not this good!"
Ian and Ace nodded furiously beside her.
Back at Cocoyasi Village, they'd carved off a hefty chunk of Sea King meat. It tasted amazing at the time…
But compared to what was on the table now?
That was garbage in comparison!
While the others were still in shock, the smart ones had already dug in.
Look at Seras and Barton—
Even though they were cyborgs, they were total foodies.
Without hesitation, each grabbed a massive slab of meat and tore into it like wild beasts.
"Hey! You two!!" Ace and Nami protested.
"We're still reacting to the aroma, and you're already eating? Ever heard of manners?!"
But Seras and Barton didn't even reply.
Who has time to talk when there's meat like this on the table?
In fact, their chewing only got faster.
Seeing this, Ace and Nami stopped complaining and grabbed their chopsticks too.
Luo Lan chuckled bitterly.
No need to fight over it… The kitchen can just make more later.
He got up, forked a big chunk of meat, and placed it in Hina's bowl.
"Sister Hina, give it a try. I promise—it's nothing like the Sea King meat you've had before."
Hina stared at the rich, red-braised Sea King meat, taking in the mouth-watering aroma…
and couldn't help but swallow hard.
She picked up a knife, cut off a small piece, and elegantly brought it to her mouth with a fork.
And then—
She froze.
What was this divine flavor!?
In the next moment, she threw her knife onto the table, speared the rest of the meat with her fork, and unceremoniously stuffed it into her mouth.
Luo Lan was dumbfounded.
He'd known Hina for years, but he'd never seen her eat like this before.
Wait, was it really that good?
He cut a piece and popped it into his mouth.
Seconds later, his eyes lit up, and his hands started moving faster and faster.
Thirty minutes later…
All six of them were slumped in their chairs, hands on their bulging stomachs.
"Do you guys feel it? Like your body's… heating up?"
"Yeah… totally," someone replied.
"Don't worry," Hina explained, drawing on her experience.
"That's just the energy from the Sea King meat kicking in. It'll pass soon."
It was true—those with weaker constitutions often felt this way the first time they ate it.
But Hina wasn't weak. She'd had plenty of Sea King meat before.
So why… did she feel it too?
And even more intensely than the first time?
She narrowed her eyes at Luo Lan.
You really didn't add anything strange to the food… right?
"I can't take it anymore!!"
Suddenly, Ace shouted, leapt to his feet, and bolted out the room.
Hina's stare at Luo Lan grew more suspicious.
Moments later, Nami and Ian also sprinted out.
Then Seras and Barton followed suit.
And then…
Only Hina and Luo Lan were left in the room.
"Luo Lan," she asked quietly, "what exactly did you put in this food?"
Truth be told, she also felt a rush of strength coursing through her.
Her face was flushed, and she really wanted to go out and let off steam—preferably in a fight.
"It wasn't anything I added," Luo Lan said earnestly.
"This particular Sea King just had a much higher energy density."
"Sister Tina, you should get some movement too. Holding it in isn't good for you."
Hina remained silent for a while.
Then she stood up, shot Luo Lan a fierce glare—
And walked out.
She didn't run like the others, but her steps were clearly much faster than usual.
At last, only Luo Lan remained.
"…Why don't I feel anything?" he muttered.
"Could it be… this energy-enhanced Sea King meat has no effect on me?"
"…That can't be, right?"
---
The next morning.
With a loud boom, a wave of realization hit Luo Lan.
After a full night, as the energy from the Sea King meat fully digested—
He'd gained 50 points of Dao Power.
Absolutely insane.
As for why he hadn't felt anything when eating?
Maybe it was because, after unlocking his gene lock, his physique had already surpassed the average person in this world?
Or maybe…
This was just a first-time effect?
Seems like…
He'd need to run more tests.