Under the cover of night, Jake carried Monet on his back as they advanced deeper into the fiery abyss.
Thick smoke billowed around them while blistering heat threatened to roast Jake alive.
Then a chilling aura spread from his back across his entire body.
Delicate snowflakes swirled around Jake, forming a barrier that blocked all scorching air.
Not a single wisp of smoke-laden air entered his lungs.
"Jake, are you okay? You didn't inhale any smoke?"
"I'm fine. Monet, how long can you maintain this snow barrier?"
"No problem for thirty minutes!"
"Good! We leave imdiately after finding the truffles."
Hearing this, Monet bit her lip slightly before asking.
"Shouldn't we... help clear the obstacles for the villagers after finding the truffles?"
Jake sighed at her question.
"Monet, I understand how you feel, but we truly can't assist them much right now. We need to deliver this evidence to the two Vice Admirals first—they'll decide the next steps. Our priority is securing the truffles and evacuating quickly.
As for the villagers' food supply... trust , Monet. Once we drive Big Mom's pirates away, everything will be resolved."
Though his response sounded sowhat heartless, it was the most pragmatic choice under the current circumstances.
Monet recognized Jake's dilemma and nodded, continuing to maintain her snow barrier.
Protected by Monet's powers, Jake rushed into the burning warehouse.
An indescribable aroma perated the scorched storage facility.
It felt inappropriate to describe it this way, but Gourt Town's burning warehouse now overflowed with the fragrant scent of cooking food.
Observation Haki is quite useful, but it can't be used to find objects.
When it cos to inanimate things, Observation Haki can only detect their general aura and shape.
But if you were to train your Observation Haki to the point of seeing the future, perhaps that level could be used to locate things.
Fortunately, the granary wasn't large.
In a relatively hidden corner, Jake managed to find two crates of black truffles that hadn't been completely burned.
Carrying the two relatively intact crates of black truffles, Jake and Monet imdiately sprinted away into the distance.
Their chosen direction of escape was deliberate.
First, Pica and Machvise's escape route was most likely the opposite of Katakuri's.
To avoid running into those two, Jake absolutely couldn't choose the sa path.
Second, their escape route couldn't be within Katakuri's Observation Haki range.
If they were caught by Katakuri now, it would be like having mud on their pants—impossible to explain away.
Therefore, after careful consideration, the two chose the most difficult and remote cliff path.
Luckily, thanks to Monet's Devil Fruit abilities, they could still construct a relatively sturdy ice path along the steep cliffs.
This ice path would soon lt, ensuring no trace of their passage remained.
At that very mont, Katakuri's towering three-ter-tall figure appeared among the villagers.
His re presence froze everyone in place, not daring to make a sound.
The chilling tip of his trident pressed against the old village chief's throat as his deep, hellish voice rumbled.
"Will the black truffle cake be delivered on ti in three days?"
The old chief's legs trembled uncontrollably, his aged face streaked with tears.
The next mont, he collapsed to his knees, sobbing to Katakuri.
"I'm terribly sorry! With the granary fire, I can't guarantee how many black truffles remain. If there aren't enough... the black truffle cake... won't be ready in three days!"
A flash of cold crossed Katakuri's face.
An instant later, a deafening explosion echoed as he obliterated a massive boulder with a single strike.
The villagers' faces twisted with terror.
With a few leaps, Katakuri vanished from sight.
In under thirty seconds, he stood before the blazing warehouse ruins.
Surveying the devastation, irritation flickered across his features.
Extending his arms, viscous white semi-solids oozed from his body, smothering all flas within seconds.
Katakuri entered the warehouse and unleashed his full Observation Haki.
But lacking his future-sight ability from the original story, the chaotic scene yielded no useful clues.
He walked into the warehouse specifically used to store black truffles, only to find it completely reduced to ashes, with nothing left.
Staring at the scene before him, Katakuri sighed and sat down on the ruins.
His expression was calm as he looked at the villagers who had just arrived, speaking in a flat tone.
"In three days, I don't care what thod you use, I need to see the black truffle cake. Otherwise, Gourt Town will no longer have a reason to exist in this world."
Hearing Katakuri's words, the old village chief turned deathly pale and imdiately fell to his knees.
He pleaded with Katakuri, explaining.
"Katakuri-sama, if we order black truffles now, even from the closest source in the West Blue, it would take at least ten days to arrive by sea. Factoring in production ti, we'd need a minimum of twenty days. Three days is simply impossible!"
In response, Katakuri rely gave the old village chief a cold glance, his tone still indifferent.
"That's your problem to solve. Mine is simply ensuring the cake is delivered in three days. Besides, this incident wasn't accidental.
The warehouse keeper was killed—his body was burned to ashes, but his lungs had no trace of soot, proving he was already dead before the fire started. And the boulder blocking your path was deliberately placed there."
"I examined the area around that boulder—there were no signs of it being rolled into place. Is that explanation clear enough? Your town was deliberately targeted. The black truffles are likely in the hands of that person. If you can find them, you'll live. If not, you'll die."
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