"For other chefs, the meat from Cliff Snake really is impossible to cook—but for me, that's not an issue at all. How about tasting the Jewel Meat right here as well?"
Kael asked the question calmly.
In the original story, Toriko and the others had taken the Jewel Meat out to cook it elsewhere. That made sense—after all, out in the wild, they didn't have proper kitchen equipment. But things were different now. Kael had everything he needed on hand, so there was no reason not to cook it on the spot.
"Of course! We just didn't have the right tools before. Now that we do, let's eat it here!"
Toriko's eyes lit up instantly, and the others were just as tempted.
"Since everyone agrees, we'll eat it here. But we'll leave some for Director Mansam."
Kael wasn't like Toriko—once Toriko got carried away eating something delicious, he'd often finish everything without a second thought. In the original story, Komatsu had gone to find Toriko to request help capturing the Garara Crocodile. After they succeeded, Toriko ate all the ingredients clean, not leaving Komatsu even a bite.
Back then, Toriko hadn't really considered Komatsu's feelings at all. Once he decided something tasted good, he'd eat until nothing was left.
But this time, the Jewel Meat was in Kael's hands. He planned to leave some for Mansam, and also save a portion to take back to the World of Food Wars for everyone there to taste. Naturally, he wasn't about to put all of it on the table.
No one objected. After all, being able to capture the Jewel Meat at all was entirely thanks to Kael. Without him, forget about Jewel Meat—they'd be lucky just to survive.
Even if Kael decided to keep all of it for himself, they wouldn't have complained. He'd already saved their lives. To covet his ingredients after that would've been shameless. And now that he was even willing to share? Only an idiot would object.
Seeing that everyone agreed, Kael took out the Jewel Meat he'd stored earlier and split it cleanly in half. One half was for everyone to eat. The other half—part of it would go to Mansam, and the rest would be taken back to the World of Food Wars.
Kael knew he could capture Jewel Meat again in the future, but he planned to return to the World of Food Wars soon anyway. It had been a while since he'd seen everyone there, and he honestly missed them.
From the half he set aside, Kael only planned to cook part of it. The rest, he handed over to Komatsu.
Kael's impression of Komatsu was quite good—at the very least, Komatsu wasn't the kind of person who rubbed others the wrong way. Since that was the case, Kael was happy to look after him a bit.
As for cooking tools, Kael also took out several items for Komatsu to use. Komatsu usually only carried seasonings, his knife, and the seasoning shaker Toriko had given him. He didn't have much else on hand.
When it came to how to cook Jewel Meat, Kael had no particular attachment to any "proper" method. The idea that high-grade meat must be cooked as a steak? He couldn't care less.
No matter how precious an ingredient was, it was still meant to be eaten. How it was cooked depended entirely on what the cook enjoyed. Kael never let an ingredient's rarity restrict him. Even something like Jewel Meat—if he felt like mincing it into dumpling filling, he absolutely would.
That said, he didn't waste any of its juices.
The moment he smelled the ingredient, Kael already understood it thoroughly. His knife movements were precise, his speed controlled, ensuring that not a single drop of juice escaped.
Jewel Meat was incredibly rich in juices.
What was even more incredible was that ordinary people could eat these ingredients without any issues. The energy contained in even mid-tier ingredients far surpassed that of century-old or millennium-old ginseng(medicinal root) back on Earth.
Yet none of that excess energy lingered in the body. Instead, it simply vanished. Perhaps that was just how the rules of this world worked. Every world had its own unique logic.
Before long, Kael prepared a full table of dishes. The amount of Jewel Meat wasn't large, so naturally, he couldn't let everyone eat without restraint. Instead, he made a wide variety of dishes, using supplementary ingredients he'd obtained from Setsuno.
If he hadn't apprenticed under Setsuno, Kael wouldn't have dared to use such complex techniques on Jewel Meat.
How you eat something is a matter of preference—but if the supporting ingredients can't keep up with the main ingredient, the final dish will suffer.
The simplest example was stir-frying. Use modern refined salt, and the dish tastes great. But take the same ingredients, no matter how skilled the cook is, and use ancient coarse salt full of bitterness—the flavor will inevitably be affected.
That was the importance of pairing. Even the finest main ingredient needed equally good supporting ingredients. Otherwise, the result would only be worse.
Kael had those supporting ingredients, so the quality of his dishes spoke for itself.
Compared to Kael's spread, Komatsu's side was clearly more modest. He didn't yet have the ability to handle Jewel Meat with finesse. Once his knife cut in, it was very easy to rupture the juices inside.
To preserve them, Komatsu could only resort to the simplest method—pan-frying it into steaks.
In the end, he produced a whole pile of steaks.
Kael understood this, which was why all of his own dishes deliberately avoided the steak approach. It was, in a way, saving Komatsu some face.
Though honestly, Komatsu didn't need it. He never compared himself to others—he only thought about how to make his cooking better. Kael knew that. But other people might not see it that way, so he still chose to be considerate.
"This is incredible—absolutely incredible. When I watched Chef Kael cutting it, it didn't seem like much, but the juices are insane. The moment it hits your mouth, it's like a bomb—juice everywhere."
As everyone tasted the Jewel Meat, their faces filled with satisfaction. Then, their bodies began to change.
Rin, being a woman, didn't undergo any major physical changes. Jewel Meat affected women differently than men.
For men, the transformation was mainly muscular. Of course, Gourmet Cells also adapted to the host's personal preferences. Kael didn't like the bulky muscleman look, so even though his Gourmet Cells were the same type as Toriko's, his muscles only expanded briefly before compressing back down.
Toriko's were different—once his muscles expanded, they stayed that way. He didn't care about looking like a muscle monster, so that was exactly what he became.
By comparison, Coco and Sunny also possessed Gourmet Cells, but they had their own preferences when it came to physique. Neither of them wanted to become walking slabs of muscle. Their muscles, like Kael's, were tightly compacted—wear loose clothing, and you wouldn't even notice them.
The Jewel Meat activated everyone's Gourmet Cells, and golden light radiated from their bodies.
Sunny's glow was the brightest, followed by Toriko and Kael, and then the others.
Kael's Gourmet Cells activated as well, but because his cell level was already high, the changes were far less dramatic.
At this point, Kael wasn't worried about muscle expansion at all. His clothes were made from special materials—even if he expanded to dozens of meters in size, they wouldn't tear.
The material had come from Setsuno as well. Not only was it extremely durable, it also had incredible elasticity.
Toriko and the others were the same. Their clothes were made from special materials too—otherwise, they would've burst apart long ago.
"I never thought Jewel Meat would taste this good. I've decided—I'm adding Jewel Meat to my full course menu—"
Toriko was in the middle of declaring it when another voice interrupted him.
"Toriko, what do you think you're saying? Jewel Meat is what I plan to add to my full course menu!"
Sunny spoke up, even presenting evidence—his glow had been the brightest, which meant Jewel Meat was the most compatible ingredient for him. Naturally, he wasn't about to let Toriko claim it.
The two immediately started arguing.
Kael couldn't be bothered to get involved. He simply continued enjoying the food. Full course menus meant nothing to him anyway. He had already confirmed that he could devour Gourmet Demons directly.
As long as he consumed eight ingredients, he could immediately fuse with the Red Demon. When that happened, his strength would surpass even Acacia's.
In the original story, Toriko still lost to Acacia even after fusing with the Red Demon because of the NEO inside Acacia—that absurdly broken devouring ability.
Even with the Blue Demon's help, Toriko couldn't win. Only the White Demon could match it, but the White Demon had its own consciousness and initially refused to help, largely out of concern for Toriko's body.
Kael was different. The Blue and White Demons inside him were both under perfect control. His strength was on an entirely different level from Acacia's.
Even Toriko wouldn't be his match by then. Kael knew Toriko's growth path inside out, and the gap between their physical abilities would only widen.
After all, Kael had been taught combat techniques by Midora and had inherited all of Toriko's abilities on top of that. That combination alone made him incomparable.
And once Toriko's inheritance was fully completed, Kael would gain access to new inheritances. He would only continue to grow stronger.
Once everyone's Gourmet Cell activation settled down, they prepared to head back. Kael, however, planned to part ways with them here—his goals went far beyond just Jewel Meat.
"There are plenty of ingredients in the 1st Biotope. With Chef Kael's mysterious storage space, he can capture quite a lot."
Hearing Kael's plans, no one objected. The 1st Biotope was rich in ingredients. While they couldn't compare to Jewel Meat, they were still excellent for everyday meals.
"Chef Kael, ingredients in the Ancient Swamp can be harvested, but it's best not to take too many. Those ingredients have survived since prehistoric times."
Coco hesitated, but still voiced his concern. The Ancient Swamp was a very precious place.
"Don't worry. I know exactly what kind of place it is. I won't drain it dry. There are plenty of ingredients in this world that are far better—there's no need to fixate on one swamp."
Kael understood what Coco meant. He wouldn't do something like that either—unless he knew the ingredient couldn't be preserved at all. Like the Rainbow Fruit in the 8th Biotope.
After saying their goodbyes, Kael began wandering the 1st Biotope alone, searching for ingredients.
This world's ingredients were truly bizarre. During his exploration, Kael even found a tree called the Million Sweets Tree. It bore all kinds of desserts—supposedly over a million varieties.
Kael remembered it well. Before he'd transmigrated, people jokingly called it the "Auntie Happiness Tree"—the "auntie," of course, referring to Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin, from the neighboring pirate world.
Unfortunately, Kael couldn't take the tree with him. This plant had extremely strict environmental requirements. Transplanting it casually would almost certainly kill it.
So Kael only collected some of the sweets.
Their capture levels weren't high, and they offered almost no help to Gourmet Cells. But they made up for it with sheer variety and flavor. As treats to satisfy cravings, they were perfect.
So Kael gathered some—and left the tree right where it was.