93: Chapter 93 Gourmet Cells, Encountering LolaThrough the woods, Sanji, his face bruised and swollen, walked at the back of the group.Ahead of him were Zoro and his two companions, looking relieved after venting their anger.Sanji, still seething with resentment, secretly vowed to tell everyone about Zoro and his friends' embarrassing moment when he found the others."What are you doing here?By the way, have you seen Brook?" Just then, Luffy and his four companions descended from the sky, glancing curiously at the bruised and swollen Sanji and asking.The others shook their heads, indicating they had only recently arrived on the island.Luffy then began to recount their experiences.When he mentioned Absalom's Clear-Clear Fruit, a glint of light ignited in Sanji's eyes.A glimmer of hope shone through him.Ever since he was a child, after seeing the Devil Fruit encyclopedia, he'd always wanted the one that granted invisibility.Now that the fruit was in Luffy's hands, Sanji was naturally tempted.Sanji approached Luffy with a grin and said in the gentlest of voices, "Luffy, no, Captain, the Invisibility Fruit seems useless to you.Why don't you give it to me?I promise I'll make you lots of meat every day." Looking at Sanji's pleading face, Luffy knew exactly what he was thinking.However, right now, besides Robin, only Sanji in the Straw Hat crew hadn't received a power-up.Of course, Luffy wouldn't give the Clear-Clear Fruit to Sanji.Long after the Enies Lobby incident, Luffy had been browsing the system shop for items suitable for strengthening Sanji and Robin.And wouldn't you know it, there was one that seemed perfect for Sanji: Gourmet Cells from Toriko.Moreover, these cells had been modified by the system.Not only could they fuse and upgrade with Sanji's own bloodline factors, becoming entirely new Gourmet Cells, they wouldn't require him to eat food to level up, nor would he be affected by the self-eating effect from the original story.Furthermore, Sanji could awaken his own Devil Fruit.Luffy redeemed a Gourmet Fruit from the system shop.The cells and a fake Devil Fruit that looked exactly like the Clear-Clear Fruit were fused together and handed to Sanji.Sanji held the fake Clear-Clear Fruit as if it were a treasure, and after expressing his gratitude, he solemnly ate it.In order to recreate the taste of a Devil Fruit without making Sanji actually eat shit, Luffy specially asked the system to coat the inside of the fruit with a thick layer of herring juice."Ugh, ugh, ugh, what an indescribable taste!" Sanji lay on the ground gagging.The others who had eaten Devil Fruits covered their mouths and noses and stared at Luffy with suspicious eyes.They remembered that they didn't have such a strong taste when they ate them before.Could it have gone bad?Sanji, oblivious to everything else, closed his eyes, preparing to activate his Devil Fruit power.Seeing that everyone seemed truly invisible to him, Sanji smugly walked up to Zoro, making several funny faces at him.Zoro initially tolerated it, but when Sanji mimicked his negative expression, Zoro couldn't take it anymore and charged at Sanji, ready for a final battle.Only then did Sanji realize he wasn't invisible.Seeing Luffy trying to suppress his laughter, Sanji immediately tried to clear his throat, but the Gourmet Cells were already merging with him.Instantly, Sanji felt a limp, incredibly comfortable feeling all over his body.As this comfortable sensation subsided, Sanji noticed a significant increase in both his speed and strength.Seeing Luffy's smug smile, Sanji completely lost his composure, collapsing to his knees in despair.Luffy, who seemed to have gone too far, came over to apologize, explaining that Sanji hadn't eaten a Devil Fruit, but rather something else that made him stronger.After listening to Luffy's detailed explanation of the astonishing power of the Gourmet Cells, Sanji's displeasure finally eased somewhat.He rolled his eyes at Luffy, seemingly speechless at the somewhat cunning captain, but at the same time, he stopped pestering Luffy like before, insisting on getting the coveted Clear-Clear Fruit.Sanji ran to the side, beginning to experience his newfound power.Meanwhile, the little girl who had rushed to the scene after seeing Hogwarts' mansion on fire finally arrived, panting heavily.Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the charred ruins before her, her heart filled with fear and shock.The cute little girl was clearly terrified by the scene, her body trembling uncontrollably.She bit her lip tightly, trying hard to suppress the urge to cry.Then, she took a deep breath, turned, and quickly flew off towards Moria's location.
When she returned to Moria, she was breathless, but she still eagerly told him everything she had seen.After hearing the girl's report, Moria's face darkened.Losing two of his most capable lieutenants was undoubtedly a heavy blow, and he secretly resolved to personally deal with Luffy, this troublesome individual.
Thus, Moria began plotting a revenge attack against Luffy.He planned to use his powerful shadow manipulation abilities to steal Luffy's shadow and give it to Oars, making Oars an even more powerful fighting tool for him.Sanji felt the new power surging within him, a slight smile playing on his lips.He and his companions continued deeper into the forest, their steps firm and powerful.After a while, they arrived at a huge castle, ancient and solemn.Suddenly, Luffy stopped, his eyes fixed on the depths of the jungle.A rather plump woman with thick lipstick emerged, followed by a group of elderly, weak, and disabled people."Please marry me, Mr.Straw Hat," the woman confessed to Luffy.Silence fell over the scene.Luffy's eye twitched, and he immediately rejected her.The woman didn't seem to mind.After a long introduction, everyone learned about the island."So, Miss Lola.""The owner of this island is Moria, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.And the monsters we've encountered are those that transplant other people's shadows onto it, right?No wonder we didn't see Brook's shadow on the Sunny.No wonder Brook rushed here as soon as he saw this island; the zombie containing his shadow must be here," Usopp said with sudden realization.At that moment, Lola's heart was filled with joy and excitement.Just a short while ago, while strolling in the forest, she had accidentally seen her own shadow reappear through the dim light!She could hardly believe her eyes.Overjoyed, Lola immediately ran to the water's edge, gazing at her clearly visible reflection on the surface.Her eyes widened, tears welling in them, her heart surging with endless emotion and joy.This unexpected discovery rekindled her hope for the future.
Lola, who had originally planned to find a ship to leave this eerie place, fatefully encountered Luffy and his crew.This coincidence seemed to be orchestrated by destiny.Thinking Luffy and his friends were also searching for her shadow, Lola kindly stepped forward to remind them.Luffy guessed that the fire at Hogback's mansion had killed the hippopotamus zombie that bore Lola's shadow.