Chapter 9 - The Battle Between the Chef and the Big Eater
"I'm sorry for causing you trouble," Rosha said with an apologetic smile as he walked toward the two.
"Are you the doctor? You're the one who treated my injuries, right? Thank you so much."
Rosha approached with a smile and instinctively extended his right hand.
Desmond paused for a moment before extending his own hand to shake.
"It's nothing, just my duty as a Navy doctor. By the way, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Desmond Doss, the ship's doctor. You can call me Doss. And this is Hibari."
"Hello, my name is Rosha," he said, scratching his head shyly.
Interacting formally with people outside Red Leaf Village was a first for Rosha, making him a bit nervous.
After all, combining his two lifetimes, he was only twenty-seven years old.
In his previous life, he had severe depression, isolating himself and having few friends.
In this life, he didn't have depression, but he suffered from an even worse condition—hyperphagia.
His frightening appearance made the children in Red Leaf Village avoid him, and even the adults kept their distance, fearing his condition was contagious.
As a result, parents would warn their children not to play with Rosha.
So, his name is Rosha, Hibari thought, noticing his nervousness, which oddly made her feel less anxious.
She brought her hands from behind her, revealing a three-tiered food box. Despite being covered, the rich aroma of food wafted from it, making Rosha's stomach growl loudly again.
Feeling embarrassed, Rosha saw Hibari offering the food box, "You haven't eaten for seven days. Here, this is freshly made food."
"Thank you," Rosha said hurriedly, accepting the box.
Seeing Rosha's gratitude, Hibari blushed slightly.
The box was heavy, indicating a substantial amount of food inside.
Rosha took out one portion, and then offered the box back to Doss and Hibari.
"Let's eat together."
"No need, we've already eaten," Doss shook his head.
Hibari nodded, "Yes, we've eaten."
"Alright, then. I'll start," Rosha said, licking his lips as he opened the food box.
The rich aroma of meat hit his nose, making his stomach growl even more, saliva pooling in his mouth.
It smelled amazing.
Rosha had never smelled such delicious meat before.
Seeing Rosha swallowing his saliva, Doss chuckled, "Smells good, right? Tonight's dinner is a specialty from the North Blue—steamed kingfish with pepper salt. It's Chef Denno's best dish. The tender fish meat melts in your mouth, complemented by the savory pepper salt. You could eat a lot without feeling cloyed."
While Doss was still talking, Rosha had already carefully opened all three tiers of the food box and poured them directly into his mouth.
"Delicious!" Rosha exclaimed, licking his lips, then sighed, rubbing his still-flat stomach. "But I feel even hungrier."
"So fast! Are you doing magic?" Doss nearly choked on his saliva, his eyes widening.
Hibari's eyes also widened, "That was food for five people."
"Sorry, I'm just too hungry," Rosha said, embarrassed.
Gurgle, gurgle…
His stomach growled again, and he blushed.
In the dim light, Doss and Hibari didn't notice his embarrassment.
"In that case, let's hurry back to the ship. The kitchen still has a lot of food. We'll make sure you're full," Doss said.
Ten minutes later, on the warship's deck.
Doss and Hibari stood with their mouths agape, watching Rosha sit on the ground and devour large plates of food.
Massive bones were crushed in his teeth like sugarcane, and before he swallowed, he would grab another large plate of noodles and inhale them.
With a clang, the plate hit the ground, and Rosha, looking like a starved ghost, reached for another plate of garlic fish fillets.
Chomping through the fish fillets, his cheeks puffed up like a squirrel stuffing its mouth.
Despite consuming food for dozens of people, Rosha's stomach remained flat, showing no signs of fullness.
More astonishingly, as he gorged, his stomach growled even louder, like rolling thunder.
"So hungry…"
The food laid out before him was now gone. Rosha sat with his mouth half-open, saliva still pouring out.
His eyes had a faint red tinge spreading through them.
The more he ate, the hungrier he became!
At that moment, Rosha was like an insatiable beast, his gluttonous desire growing uncontrollably.
He needed more food.
Chef Denno was stunned.
He hadn't expected the food meant for fifty people to be wiped out in mere seconds.
Moreover, it seemed Rosha still wasn't full.
After a brief moment of shock, Denno's small eyes lit up with excitement.
He clenched his fists, pointed at Rosha, and shouted, "Excellent! I, Denno, love a big eater! Rosha, right? I accept your challenge! Just wait, I'll show you my secret technique, supersonic cooking!"
"Bring the ingredients and my pots!"
"Why does eating feel so exhilarating?" Doss muttered, twitching.
"That's not the point! The point is, how did he eat so much, and his stomach didn't change at all!" Hibari exclaimed in disbelief.
"Could this be the hyperphagia Rosha mentioned?" Doss pondered.
"Unbelievable! He ate all the food meant for fifty people! This guy can really eat!"
The sailors on the warship were all astounded, watching as Chef Denno prepared for battle, rolling up his sleeves and getting ready to go all out. Excited, they gathered around.
Meanwhile, the battle between the chef and the big eater began with the first dish of octopus balls.
"Take this! A ten-person serving of octopus balls! Next is a twenty-person serving of salted snails!"
Denno's fat wobbled as he worked, his hands a blur as he washed, chopped, fried, and steamed the ingredients brought by the soldiers.
His speed was astonishing, truly living up to his claim of supersonic cooking.
This was his proud cooking secret, allowing him to single-handedly manage the meals for two hundred soldiers on this large warship.
However!
"He finished it! In an instant, it's gone!"
"Too fast! Supersonic cooking can't keep up!"
"If Chef Denno's cooking is supersonic, then this guy eats at the speed of light!"
Listening to the soldiers' loud discussions, Denno's chubby face turned red, almost steaming.
Hibari, her face flushed with excitement, jumped up and shouted, "Go, Uncle Denno! Don't lose to Rosha!"
"Of course not! I am…Denno, the supersonic chef! Take this! Twenty-person serving of emerald seaweed soup!"
"Cooking should be simple yet delicious. Even when chasing speed, taste should never be compromised. That's my life motto!"
Walking out of the cabin, Akainu had a vein throbbing on his forehead, black lines marring his face.
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