Even Drake had never eaten Sea King meat before.
After kicking the Sea King to death with two blows, Bellamy immediately took an interest in the scattered squid tentacles.
"Grilled, this stuff is a delicacy."
It was a pity they didn't have chili powder or cumin. Otherwise, some pan-fried squid would have been excellent.
"Ross, Drake, come help."
The chef's emotions were still a little unstable, so he wouldn't bother her. Besides, squid was incredibly easy to prepare.
The supplies they'd brought with them were almost used up. With such a huge Sea King, they wouldn't bother with any complicated preparations; simple grilling would do.
They built a large bonfire and erected ten thick stakes around it, sticking the tentacles on them to roast over the flames.
Several hours later, a rich, savory aroma wafted through the air. This intense seafood scent made Bellamy's mouth water.
"It's been a long time since I've had a seafood feast. Too bad there's no booze, or I'd get completely wasted today."
He grabbed a tentacle and took a large bite.
A sweet freshness combined with a unique, savory flavor, along with an incredibly chewy texture… even without any seasoning, just the simplest preparation, it was surprisingly delicious. It truly lived up to its Sea King name.
Bellamy's face lit up with a grin, and he started to devour the food.
After a few bites of the Sea King, his stomach acid began to break down this special food. When the first piece of Sea King meat was digested and absorbed by his intestines, Bellamy's body suddenly trembled.
Then, an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.
"How is this possible!"
"It can't be!"
What had he discovered that shocked him so much?
Carefully sensing the surge of power within his body, Bellamy reached up and touched his gums. There were a few broken teeth there that had never grown back.
But just now, as he digested a piece of the Sea King, he felt a sudden twitch in his gums. This twitch was so distinct, it felt like new teeth were about to erupt.
"Life force!"
This power was precisely what Bellamy had been searching for countless times, but had always failed to grasp.
Although it was incredibly weak, the nature of this power meant that even the slightest trace would trigger a natural reaction in his body.
After devouring an entire squid tentacle, Bellamy felt a warm, restless energy surging within him. It was a sign that his vitality was overflowing and needed to be released.
"The effect is this good?"
He'd only eaten one tentacle. There were dozens more on the ground, and the Sea King's body was the real prize.
A large squid over fifty meters tall, even if he'd blown away half of it with his two kicks, there were still over twenty meters left. They could eat their fill for days.
"No, it'll go bad in a few days."
He couldn't waste so much good stuff. The next time he encountered a Sea King, it would probably be in the sea. And hunting a Sea King in the ocean was much more difficult than in a pond.
"Eat, everyone, eat until you're stuffed!" Bellamy suddenly shouted to everyone.
No one understood what he was planning.
But soon, Drake's eyes also lit up. "This feeling!"
After downing a large piece of meat, he also felt that sensation of overflowing energy, almost bursting at the seams.
"That's right, this stuff is incredibly nourishing!"
"Everyone, eat as much as you can! It'd be a waste to let it rot."
Bellamy wasn't so optimistic as to think that eating one Sea King meal would make his teeth grow back. But more than his missing teeth, he was clearly more concerned with the life force contained within the Sea King's flesh, which could be absorbed by the human body.
This was the most important thing to him.
Once he learned Life Return, growing a few teeth would be a piece of cake.
"Whatever, I'll stuff myself with this meat even if I have to force it down."
As for whether he'd throw it up, he couldn't worry about that now.
Bellamy went into glutton mode, grabbing the grilled squid tentacles and devouring them frantically.
Fortunately, it took a long time to cook such large pieces of meat thoroughly. During this time, he could exercise intensely to aid digestion. Otherwise, he'd be overwhelmed by eating continuously for several hours.
This unexpected windfall caused the Bellamy Pirates to stay in the wilderness for three more days.
After three days, the Sea King was completely consumed.
Because Bellamy had eaten so voraciously, he'd gained several pounds of fat around his belly.
But that wasn't the point. The important thing was that Bellamy had finally gained a slight understanding of life force.
This special power was hidden deep within every living creature's body. To unearth it was difficult, incredibly difficult.
With the help of this Sea King's flesh, he'd finally grasped a clue.
His first attempt to use Life Return, even controlling a single hair, was extremely difficult. But compared to before, when he hadn't even had a clue, he was now progressing at lightning speed.
To truly master this technique, Bellamy calculated that he'd need to eat at least fifty Sea Kings of the same size as this one to fully familiarize himself with the flow of life force within his body.
There was no other way; this special power was simply too difficult to control. If it weren't for the fact that a tiny, minuscule amount of life force was absorbed by his body when he digested the Sea King, he wouldn't have been able to detect this power hidden within his body at all.
"Set sail." Bellamy understood that he had to set sail as soon as possible.
Moreover, his plan had changed drastically. He needed to go to sea to hunt Sea Kings.
A fervent light flashed in Bellamy's eyes. Sea King meat wasn't just for comprehending life force; prolonged consumption could also increase the upper limit of one's vitality. He could clearly feel that after eating Sea King meat for three days, his stamina and energy had increased.
And during this time, everyone in the pirate crew had entered a period of explosive energy, as if they had an inexhaustible supply of strength. If they didn't train intensely in the morning, their entire bodies would feel uncomfortable.
They had been training hard for several months, and to say they weren't tired would be a lie. Every night when they rested, their bodies always felt drained.
But after gorging themselves on Sea King meat for a few days, not only did they not feel tired at night, but they woke up the next day bursting with energy.
If Bellamy had known earlier that Sea King meat had such effects, he wouldn't have needed to use various methods to force his crew to train. His actions during this time had already caused considerable dissatisfaction among Mia and the others.
It was good to care for his crew, but he shouldn't alienate them.
"Damn it, I finally understand why those monsters have such terrifying stamina."
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