No matter who it is, one cannot enter a battle with unresolved emotions. When it comes to being a Pirate, it is essential to be clear-minded; only then can one rob without distractions, especially in this magical Sea, where the power of the heart dominates.
If one does not untie their emotional knots, their combat effectiveness will be significantly reduced.
For those who have regained their freedom, holding a banquet to allow everyone to vent their frustrations from being held captive to the Bridge Kingdom is the best remedy.
"Sage, are you okay?"
Lily looked at Sage with concern as he continued to eat. Although it was a banquet, it was different from before. In the past, Sage would eat a lot but would know when to stop, usually allowing Marika to take two or three times more food than others.
Now, he was like a bottomless pit. While he still paid attention to his manners and even appeared confident while drinking, the amount of food he consumed was clearly beyond his usual intake.
The bones of the cooked meat and fish were crushed and swallowed, seafood shells were brutally pried open, and the meat was shoved into his mouth. No matter what dish was served, his hands moved with such speed that they seemed like a blur, quickly devouring everything.
A normal person would feel full after eating enough to stretch their stomach, and even those who were particularly gluttonous would only have a noticeably bulging belly.
This was true for both Lily and the others.
Even Renetia, who was trying to eat well to grow quickly, only had a small round belly.
But Sage was different.
His body was visibly gaining weight. Normally, to gain weight, one would need time to accumulate it—by not exercising and eating every day while lying around, one would inevitably gain weight over time.
Sage didn't even need a night; in just a short hour or two, he was eating like crazy, causing his body to swell rapidly.
His belly had ballooned to the size of a beach ball, and the swelling spread throughout his body, even making his limbs puff up, while his face transformed from its sharp features to a round, chubby visage.
It was completely illogical.
No matter how much a normal human eats, they would at most eat themselves to death; how could one gain weight so quickly? Sage wasn't even a superhuman. "Hey? Are you planning to become a sumo wrestler, Sage?"
Renetia was taken aback and said, "Aren't you going to be a Pirate anymore? Did Garp leave you traumatized? But you have a bounty now; you can't become a sumo wrestler."
Marika had just finished preparing a large barbecue and had Paru take it away with other Pirates. She approached with a smile and said, "Oh dear, are you injured? Planning to use life restoration?"
At that moment, Sage's face, which had become so chubby that his features were almost unrecognizable, quickly slimmed down. In just an instant, his physique returned to its original form.
It was as if the fat and excess flesh had vanished like an illusion.
He clenched his fist, feeling his body, and looked at Marika, saying, "You know?"
"I can do it too."
Marika smiled and said, "This technique is wonderful because chefs must taste food from all over, whether it's delicious or not. With this technique, you don't have to worry about gaining weight."
"Is that where your incredible strength comes from?" Sage asked in surprise.
Marika smiled without answering, but her expression implied everything.
"Hey, don't be cryptic. What is life restoration?" Renetia complained.
"Well..."
Marika tapped her chin, looked up thoughtfully, and smiled, "In simple terms, it's about controlling every part of your body through your consciousness, no matter how small, allowing for free control and the ability to choose how to digest and absorb. No matter how much you eat, you can quickly break it down, which is why the captain turned into a fat guy."
"Exactly."
Sage's head moved slightly, and his white hair suddenly elongated, twisting into tendrils resembling white tentacles that extended outward.
Renetia reached out to touch the writhing white "tentacles," and the silky sensation made her shiver, stepping back two paces.
Lily retreated even further, cold sweat breaking out on her face.
"What's there to be afraid of about my hair?"
Sage controlled his white hair to return to its original style and glanced at Lily, "It's not real tentacles; you, as a knight, don't need to be scared."
"That's not it!" Lily's cheeks flushed, and she stubbornly said, "I was just surprised! And that doesn't matter; if I learn life restoration, can I avoid gaining weight?"
"Theoretically, yes."
Sage nodded, glancing at Marika, "The nutrients absorbed normally turn into other things because the human body can't absorb that much. But with this technique, you can use the nutrients for other purposes."
"Healing injuries, replenishing stamina, or even storing this power to unleash in battle, or like Marika, increasing your strength. I'm injured, so I need a lot of food nutrients to recover my injuries quickly through life restoration."
"Eh? Are you injured?" Renetia was taken aback.
Sage rolled his eyes at her, "That was Garp; I'm not related to him. After such a battle, how could I not be injured?"
He had taken a direct hit from Garp's so-called Galactic Impact, but it hadn't reached the level of 'internal damage'; it was purely external. Even so, the power was enough to seriously injure him.
He just didn't want others to see it. Now that he was safe, he naturally needed to rely on food to speed up his recovery.
He took a sip of wine and said, "If you want to learn life restoration, the easiest way is to first learn the Six Styles; that gives you a higher chance of comprehending it."
Life restoration is not an advancement of the Six Styles; the two are not closely related. Strictly speaking, it is a form of meditation, as it involves controlling the body with consciousness. However, mastering all Six Styles increases the likelihood of learning life restoration compared to an average person.
After all, it ultimately comes down to fine control of the body, and as the Six Styles push the human body to its limits, they naturally qualify one to comprehend life restoration.
Even he, with the highest mastery of physical techniques, only grasped life restoration after mastering the Six Styles.
"Marika, prepare a hundred servings of food for me," Sage said.
"Can it be meat? It's the fastest and most convenient," Marika replied.
"Sure."
Sage's eyes flashed with a red gleam, "There are plenty of fierce beasts on the island; take them down."
"Of course, the chef is responsible for finding ingredients."
Marika smiled and said, "Leave it to me."
An island with fresh water could hardly lack life.
But Sage didn't care; he was even somewhat relieved. Wouldn't that mean there would be ingredients to replenish him?
Those beasts were no match for the three women here.
The group headed towards the island, and before long, they heard strange roars and explosions.
Marika dragged a long-necked giant bird to the campfire, Renetia used her powers to bring over a giant wild boar that was completely charred, while Lily returned to find help, bringing back a deer-like giant creature with claws.
The size of these three beasts could feed hundreds of people for a long time.
As for the meat, simple cooking would suffice. Sage was looking for something edible, not necessarily gourmet, so it was easy to prepare.
This time, Sage would not let his body swell up again. He had been unskilled the first time, but he could do it proficiently the second time. He could precisely utilize the nutrients from the food he consumed to heal his injuries, and by the time he finished eating, all his injuries were completely healed.
This rapid recovery left no damage behind; broken bones and damaged organs healed swiftly with the support of nutrients.
Marika was also observing Sage and, seeing that he seemed perfectly fine, exclaimed, "Can it really be done to this extent? It seems like you're as good as new; you don't need to recuperate anymore?"
"Can't you do that?" Sage glanced at her.
"No, no matter how much I eat, I can only recover to fifty percent; I still need time to rest. After all, injuries heal quickly, but the fatigue of the body takes longer to recover. Life restoration also consumes energy," Marika replied with a smile.
Sage showed a look of curiosity as he looked at his hand, falling into silence.
It was normal to expend energy, but he could fully recover, while Marika could not. This woman could develop life restoration to the extent of increasing her strength; even though her inherent power was considerable, perhaps there was a natural enhancement, but to reach this level, her proficiency must be high.
Was it a matter of realm or limitation that prevented her from doing what he could? "Lily, give me your sword."
After saying this, he turned around and drew the Fine Sword from Lily's waist, quickly cutting a wound on his finger. The energy accumulated from the food he had just eaten, under the use of life restoration, intricately healed the wound, and the small cut vanished in an instant.
This sudden action went unnoticed by Lily and Renetia, but Marika, who was proficient in life restoration, realized something. Her smiling face froze, her pupils constricted, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
"Haha, ha ha ha! Ho ho ho ho!"
Sage clenched his fist, a sinister smile appearing on his face: "This is interesting!"
No matter what the issue was, he had found a new way to strengthen himself!