Toriko: Gourmet Chat Group

After eating the Medicinal Mochi, the group could feel the toxins being purged from their bodies.

"Mr. Kenji, aren't you going to have one?" Komatsu asked.

"No need. I used my energy to create a force field, so the rain didn't touch me," Kenji said, shaking his head.

"Good heavens, Kenji! How much food have you eaten? The amount of energy in your body is just ridiculous!" Toriko exclaimed, looking at the immense power radiating from Kenji. After learning Food Immersion, his own energy reserves could now exceed ten million kilocalories. But Kenji's energy felt like it was approaching one hundred million kilocalories.

"Most of what I eat now are ingredients from the Gourmet World. The energy they contain is several times that of Human World ingredients. Once you all enter the Gourmet World, your energy reserves will naturally increase," Kenji explained.

"The Gourmet World, huh? I'm really looking forward to it," Toriko said with a smile.

"I've been to the Yōshoku Realm. They said that you captured AIR?" Zebra suddenly asked.

Toriko and the others' eyes widened. While they were still messing around in the Human World, Kenji had already captured an ingredient from Acacia's Full Course Menu. It felt as if they were grinding in a newbie village while Kenji was raiding boss dungeons.

"I'll let you all try some later. Otherwise, you'd have to wait several hundred years," Kenji said, admitting it.

The corners of their mouths twitched. Although they could live that long, waiting for several hundred years was a little too long.

"You're the one behind all this, aren't you?"

When Teppei saw the masked person, he chased after them anyway. After all, the mastermind was flaunting themselves right in front of him. How could he not investigate?

"Teppei. It's better if you don't pry. Curiosity will kill the Teppei."

Joie turned around, holding a black kitchen knife. Cinderella had been taken by Kenji, so this one had to be used as a substitute. His eyes, which radiated a terrifying pressure, made Teppei break out in a cold sweat. His senses were screaming alarms at him.

I'm going to die.

CLANG!

Just as the kitchen knife was about to strike Teppei, Midora suddenly appeared. He grabbed the blade with his large hand. Though it was flesh and blood, it collided with the knife with the sound of metal.

"I've finally found you," Midora said flatly. He had been observing the city since the Four-Beast appeared.

"Jiro's kid, right? Stand aside," Midora said without even glancing at Teppei. His only target now was the Joie standing before him. He had to see what that face truly looked like.

"Okay." Teppei, stunned, nodded and retreated a great distance. He was saved.

"Oh my, the boss of the Gourmet Corp., Midora. The third disciple of the Gourmet God Acacia." Joie was already thinking about how to run.

SWISH!

Midora's hand moved first. It was as fast as lightning, tearing away the covering on Joie's face. Teppei could barely see an afterimage before Joie's true face was exposed.

"!"

Seeing the familiar yet strange face, Midora's expression wavered for a moment. Although he had been mentally prepared, he was still moved by the sight of this face.

The opening was fleeting. Joie seized the opportunity. His blade thrust forward, striking Midora square in the chest. A spray of blood flew out.

CRACK, CRACK—

Before Joie could celebrate, several of the Life Orbs hanging in his hair shattered.

"You are not her," Midora said, his face devoid of emotion. It was the calm before the storm. He wiped his hand over the wound, and a surge of energy instantly healed it.

"Did Acacia allow you to do this?" Midora asked coolly.

"Heh. Compared to that stupid woman Froese, Acacia has more need of a chef like me who won't hold him back," Joie said with contempt, his face twisting into a demonic visage.

"Stupid woman...?"

"What did you just say?!"

Midora's eyes instantly became fierce. A savage grin spread across his face, and a monstrous killing intent erupted.

If Kenji had been here, he would have said, Joie, you've chosen a narrow path. Midora had only one trigger, and Joie had just stomped on it with precision. You could have insulted Midora by calling him a sickly cat, and he wouldn't have been this angry. Froese was Midora's reverse scale; saying that was like stroking a tiger's tail.

"What is this aura?" Teppei was the closest, and he felt like he couldn't breathe.

"It's Midora's aura. Who made him so angry?"

At Biotope 0, Ichiryu's expression suddenly changed. He looked in the direction of the Human World. This killing intent was incredibly pure. Without a second thought, Ichiryu instantly flew towards the Human World. If Midora unleashed his power there, the Human World would be destroyed.

"What happened to that little cat?"

At Setsuno's Diner, Jiro sobered up from his drunken state in an instant, looking in surprise at the source of the killing intent.

"Oh well, I'll go take a look." Jiro vanished.

"Did he run into Joie?" Kenji said with a strange smile. This is so true to life.

If Joie had just used that face, combined with the Permeating Shadow, he would have had a chance to escape.

Joie's face changed. If it were just Midora, there might have been a slim chance of escape. But if he were cornered by the three brothers, there would be no escape, neither to the heavens nor into the earth.

"Die!"

Midora's Gourmet Demon manifested behind him, opened its mouth, and fired a blast of Meteor Spice, rocketing toward Joie without mercy.

"God Cooking—Sky Slice!"

SHING!

Joie swung the black kitchen knife in his hand, and a peerlessly sharp slash flew out, cutting Midora's Meteor Spice in two.

Midora frowned. It was Froese's technique.

"Midora..." The next second, not daring to waste time, the lines on Joie's face vanished, and it changed into a face that Midora could not resist.

"..."

Midora froze, stunned by the sight of that face.

"Now's my chance." Joie had absolutely no intention of sneak-attacking Midora. He directly used the Permeating Shadow to flee. In a one-on-one fight, he might have tried a sneak attack, but Ichiryu and Jiro were on their way.

"Joie... you deserve to die," Midora's expression was incomparably ferocious. This was a desecration of Froese.

"Midora, what happened?" Ichiryu and Jiro arrived. This was the first time they had seen Midora this enraged.

"It's nothing. I will handle the matter of that guy Joie personally," Midora said, nodding to the two of them before vanishing.

Ichiryu and Jiro looked at each other. They both understood. The body Joie was using was Froese's.

"Teppei, what is a kid like you doing here?" Jiro turned his head and saw his grandson, slightly taken aback.

"Uh, Grandpa, I was chasing that robed person," Teppei said, scratching his head. Both of his elders were here now.

"You really aren't afraid of death, are you?" Jiro was speechless. Although Joie was not as strong as them, he was not someone Teppei could handle.

"I almost died. If it wasn't for Midora, I don't know what would have happened to me now," Teppei said with a bitter smile. No wonder Kenji had warned him not to chase after anyone he encountered. Who would have thought he would be that strong?

"Consider your Food Luck good this time."

"Ichi-kun, this enhanced Four-Beast... it was because of that Joie, right?" Jiro asked.

Ichiryu nodded. "Moh Yangshushu is in the NEO organization. It would be a simple matter for him to modify the Four-Beast. Joie himself could also achieve an enhancing effect through Dark Techniques."

"Toriko-kun and the others really had a rough time." Ichiryu laughed, not without a hint of schadenfreude. The level of this Four-Beast was already beyond the scope of a test. But suffering a little loss here was fine. It could be considered a vaccination before they entered the Gourmet World.

~~~

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