People like Toriko never learn their lesson unless they suffer a loss. The persuasion of Yosaku and Teppei was, once again, destined to be ignored—after all, they weren't the first to warn him.
Meanwhile, Zed and the others had arrived at the Harbour of Evil Spirits aboard the camping monster. Technically speaking, this location wasn't the true Harbour of Evil Spirits. It was still within the boundaries of the Human World. However, due to its close proximity to the Gourmet World—specifically its coastal entrance—it had long been considered the most dangerous seafront. Many sea beasts from the Gourmet World often crossed over into the Human World through here.
So, despite still being within human territory, countless creatures from the Gourmet World could be found here. The area had long been abandoned. No one dared to live near it, lest they be attacked at any moment.
Decisively, Zed hadn't brought Tatsu along this time. Tatsu's body was simply too large to stay hidden with the camping monster, and it would've become the beasts' first target. There was no helping it—Tatsu would remain in the Human World until it became strong enough to accompany them safely into the Gourmet World.
"What a depressing atmosphere—the color of the sea, the dark clouds in the sky, and that thick fog up ahead—it's like the entrance to hell is right in front of us," Erina muttered uneasily. Even though their Gourmet Cell levels were close to 100, they were heading into the Gourmet World, a realm where their strength meant almost nothing.
In other words, stepping into the Gourmet World would be like returning to the time they first arrived in this universe—helpless and powerless.
"I've actually seen the entrance to hell before," Rukia spoke up, "and while it certainly feels ominous, this place is far more dangerous."
"From where I come from," Rukia continued, "there's a special space beyond the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the World of the Living. It's called Hell—a place that absorbs the most wicked of souls, binding them in chains and forcing them to reincarnate and die over and over again until their souls collapse."
"What does the gate of Hell actually look like?" asked one of the girls, curious—everyone except Zed was unfamiliar with it.
"It's a massive door," Rukia replied, "with two enormous skeletons carved into it. Whenever a guilty soul is taken, a hand reaches out from the door, pierces the soul with a blade, and drags it inside."
"And what's it like inside the gate of Hell?" Mirajane asked.
"I don't know," Rukia shook her head. "It only appears at the moment of death, and only in the World of the Living. Captain Ukitake once told me that a Shinigami once entered Hell out of curiosity, but... they never came back."
Zed's expression shifted in surprise. Even someone from the Gotei 13 dared to enter that place? That was practically suicide.
Having seen the Bleach: Hell Verse movie, Zed understood the mechanics of Hell all too well. Once drawn in, the soul is reshaped, bound by chains, and subjected to endless torment. Only soul collapse would bring release. Even innocent souls couldn't leave once trapped—unless they possessed a level of destructive force on par with Ichigo's complete Hollow form.
In short, stepping through the gate of Hell without the power to destroy it was no different from accepting a death sentence.
As they conversed, the whale drew closer to the entrance of the Gourmet World. No one stayed inside its belly now—the surrounding area was far too dangerous. If the whale were discovered, they'd have to act immediately.
But being outside had its perks. The view of the Gourmet World's entrance was much clearer.
"Sea beasts are starting to appear," someone observed, "but none of them have noticed the camping monster. Its concealment ability is seriously impressive."
"Well, of course," Zed said proudly. "Camping monsters have some of the best survival instincts in the Gourmet World."
"That said…" Mirajane added, her senses sharp, "the aura of these sea beasts is terrifying. If any of them wandered into the Human World, the damage would be unimaginable."
Each of these creatures radiated a presence far beyond theirs. Without Zed, they wouldn't stand a chance.
"Generally, these beasts don't enter the Human World," Zed explained. "To them, it's a barren land."
Despite its rich resources compared to other universes, the Human World lacked what the Gourmet World offered. Even the Sand Garden—a treasure trove of unique biomes—had food, oil, and mineral deserts. Still, it was insignificant compared to what the beasts from Gourmet world required.
To them, hunting in the Human World was like humans eating stale, tasteless leftovers. Plants couldn't even absorb enough nutrients to grow properly—just like the malnourished BB corn found in Wul Jungle.
So Gourmet World's beasts rarely crossed over. And if plants did, it was usually by accident.
As they neared the entrance, even stronger creatures began appearing—many with a capture level above 200. Although they lacked proper equipment to gauge exact levels, the oppressive auras were enough to make rough estimates.
"The Sea of Thorns should be around here," Zed recalled. "Its capture level should be close to 400."
He remembered this strange, elemental lifeform from the original series. By all logic, his immense food luck should prevent such encounters. But if Toriko and Komatsu had encountered it despite their own food luck, then perhaps this was more of an opportunity than a crisis.
In Zed's view, there were two possibilities:
The Sea of Thorns would appear and eliminate all nearby sea beasts, allowing Toriko and co. to simply bypass it.
Or the Sea of Thorns was actually a special ingredient.
The first scenario seemed less likely. Creatures like the Watermelon Octopus could conceal themselves incredibly well—very few beasts could detect them. That made Zed lean toward the second option. If so, he wanted to see it for himself.
Sure enough, he soon sensed seawater moving in an unnatural way. Something was approaching.
Suddenly, thorn-like waves erupted from the ocean, piercing the unsuspecting sea beasts. Despite the whale's stealth, the thorny waves turned toward them next.
"Grand Knocking!"
Zed swiftly activated his large-scale Knocking technique, freezing the thorny waves mid-attack. It was an eerie sight—waves standing motionless in the sea, like frozen spikes made of water.
"What a bizarre creature," one of the girls whispered, reaching out to touch it. "It feels like normal seawater... but it hunts."
Without the Knocking, touching it would've cost them a hand.
Zed estimated its level at over 400. Though not exact, his battle experience allowed him to sense and classify auras with relative accuracy.
Rukia sliced off a piece. Once cut, it simply turned back into seawater. "How does something like this even work?"
"No idea," Zed replied. "The Gourmet World is full of mysteries. Erina, Hisako, can you hear anything?"
He was referring to the sound of ingredients—something only those blessed with food luck could hear.
"Not clearly," Erina replied. "After the Food Shrine, we can sometimes hear the voice of ingredients, but it's still vague."
It was clear their food luck wasn't strong enough yet.
"I'll need to find a way to improve our food luck skill," Zed muttered. "Even though I have plenty of food luck, I can't control it."
He recalled how Starjun had shared all his food luck with Toriko after learning they were brothers—an act that allowed Toriko to eat the final ingredient.
Zed's level wasn't high enough to do that yet. Still, the fact that he could even sense the presence of food luck at level 200+ was already remarkable.
With no other options, he tried storing the Sea of Thorns in his inventory space.
To his surprise, it vanished instantly.
That confirmed it—this was no ordinary seawater. It was an ingredient. A unique form of elemental life that straddled the line between nature and organism.
It had no detectable soul and seemed like part of the sea itself, yet it hunted independently.
Regardless, it was now safely stored.
But the moment it vanished, a massive whirlpool formed beneath the whale. The displaced seawater rushed inward to fill the void.
Before Zed could act, Mirajane stepped up and punched the water. With a deafening blast, she parted the sea and carved a channel for the whale to swim through.