Someone once said that there are beasts covered all over their body with juicy meat that melts as soon as it reaches your tongue…that there are Omar Lobsters full of meat and King Crab packed with flesh growing out of a tree…That there are amber colored high-quality and mellow brandy flowing eternally out of a spring-Men are fascinated by the yet unknown appetizing taste…
The time is the Era of Gourmet, the era of the discovery of the unknown taste…
"Hmm, I think you know it already Mr. Chef," A middle aged man with sunglasses and tan skin. He has a bowl-shaped haircut and a distinctive 5 o'clock shadow. His name is Uumen Umdeda, the Business Bureau Director.
"The main dish is the steak of white-haired Cinderella cattle…You…This is not the common folk's party at some Gourmet Garden, you know…I want something like, more impact! Impact, got it?" He continues to spoke, flip his hair out to stare at the small chef who stare back at him unsure.
"Hmmm..t-that's the highest quality of meat we can acquire here…" Komatsu give a skeptical look at Umdeda once again.
"Can't you give me some Galala Alligator meat?" Umdeda asks.
"GALALA ALLIGATOR?!" Komatsu exclaimed, "The top ranked alligator meat?!"
"D-director….Lets me say this…But it's a impossible request…not that it's possible to cook it but impossible to obtain the meat." Another staff from Hotel Gourmet said.
"Hmmm, you are right. Galala Alligator is Level five capture difficulty. Even if we called a tank in we may not be able to finish it off…" Umdeda hummed before sigh softly, "Looks like there's no other way…Even though it will cost quite a lot" He gives Komatsu and one staff a look, "We will make a request to Bishoku-ya."
"Y-you mean the…" one staff stammered in shock.
"If it comes down to the Bishoku-ya that can slay a Galala Wani level beast, Its Toriko!" Umdeda said, ignored the staff's shock expression.
Komatsu sighed heavily as he start to walking back into the back of the room with concern expression on his face by the request Umdeda gave to him.
"Oiiii, what did the Director say, Matsu-chan?"
Komatsu blinks and look up at his truly best friend who smiles back at him as he watch the female start to cut up some vegetable in quick and pour them into the bowl for salad menu as she shout at one staff to take it to the person who order it before turn back at him in concern.
She has a medium length crimson hair that was tied up into high ponytail to get some hair out of her face while she's working. She has a bright icy blue eyes that almost make you think she's blind but she's not really that blind. She wore a normal uniform like any chef would wears.
"O-oh Kai-chan, It was terrible!" Komatsu wailed, start to expression his concern on this situation cause Kai to look startled by this. "The Director told me to ask one of the Bishoku-ya named Toriko-san to get him a Galala Alligator! I-I can't go there alone! Can you come with me! Please! Please!" Komatsu start to freak out cause Kai to use her leg to knock some sense back into Komatsu but not that hard but enough to snap him out of it.
"Matsu-chan! Calm down already! Alright, alright…geez, I guess I can come with you if you like me to." She sighed but smiles down at her childhood friend who hugs her side, cried in relief.
Komatsu and Kai stood behind the giant man with bright messy blue neck-length hair whom seem to be fishing with a giant dead grasshopper in the lake, Kai was listen to Komatsu try to explains the situation to Toriko about last night.
"The reward is for every kilogram 200 grand yen and if it weighs 500 kilograms, the deal is 100 millions for all."
'Geez, that's quiet a lots of money, even I can do that but..' Kai stood there ponders on that money while study Toriko as she continues watching him pluck up the lobster and start to eating it raw, shell and all cause her to twitch slightly at the scene before her. Toriko hummed happily as he searching something through his cooler to pull out a alcohol to cut the bottom of the bottle to drank the wholesome.
'He just drank 50 percent of alcohol bourbon in one drink?' She raise a eyebrow as Toriko snap the stem of a cigarette tree to put in his mouth cause her to tilt head in curious while Komatsu stared in awe as Toriko lighten the stem on fire with his hand.
"WOAH!" Komatsu exclaimed.
Well that's the way to get Toriko's attention as he turn his head around to stare at them in surprise. "Oh? What…? Who the heck are you two?"
"Ah! Oh, um…" Komatsu stammered as his partner, Kai's left eye twitch and shout out.
"ARE YOU EVEN LISTEN TO HIM EXPLAIN THAT TO YOU!? Are you deaf or just blind!?" Kai snapped ,shark teeth and all at Toriko, plan to go hurt him cause Komatsu to know what she plan to do and try to hold the crimson-red haired female back with his tiny body as best he can do.
"Kai!"
Once again with his partner calm down but glares darkly at Toriko's back as Komatsu explain the situation to him once again.
"Woah, Galala Crocodile, huh? Depends on the parts, you can sell one kilogram at five hundred grand at a store…your customers are the general population, are they?"
"Hmm, yes, well, there's this party thing.." Komatsu blinks at Toriko cause Toriko to smirks.
"Whatever, It's probably the idiots at IGO."
'You got that right…' Kai thinks, comments on that with a blank look on her face.
"I'm concluding that capturing it alive is not possible. It will be quite a hard job." Toriko sighed to glance at his fishing pole that seem to twitch slightly cause Kai to look at it also while Komatsu didn't notice it exclaimed happily, "Eh? You mean you are okay with that proposal?"
"OH! HERE IT IS!" Toriko grinned cause Komatsu to blink in confuse watching Toriko grab the fishing pole to yank out a Pincer Fish and man..that was-
"A PINCER FISH! IT'S ENORMOUS!" Komatsu shrilled.
SCREECH!
Kai and Komatsu looks up to see a Five tailed Great Hawk flew downward to grab the pincer fish cause Toriko to snarled, glares at the bird.
"Bastard!" He start to yank the fishing pole to the other side with all of his strength to pull the hawk down with his pincer fish as Kai's eye widen, pull Komatsu and flee from the spot before they land on them. "Dahahahaha! I got the Five tailed Great Hawk too. Two birds with one stone, isn't it?" Toriko grins.
"Un…Unbelievable…" Komatsu muttered, eyes the creatures before him as he clings under Kai's arms where she still carried him walking up to Toriko.
"This is such a good fishing rod, isn't it?" Toriko smirks at them.
"Whoa..is that seventy-six millimeter steel rod with wires used for elevators wrapped around it…The maximums weight supportable is forty ton would it?" Kai said, study the fishing rod cause giant man stares at her in surprise cause Komatsu sighed and looks down at the ground limpness in her arm as Kai study it with great interests.
'Of course she would be after all she's the daughter of a fisherman…anyhow, I'm more astonished that Toriko have the power to swing that thing around…But..I'm kinda moved by seeing his hunt directly with my eyes…sure…Kai used to but not that strong enough to take down the highest level..' He remember his childhood friend used her own style to knock down the monster that was low level.
"By the way," Toriko cut Komatsu's thought off as he looks up once again with his head up high enough to blink at Toriko in preoccupied, "Galala Crocodile will break this in half like a pair of disposable wooden chopsticks, do you get the reality that to capture it is not a easier thing?"
"Y..yes…we do, sir." Komatsu laugh nervously.
"If you got it, then tell your boss I want it doubled and I'll capture it alive."
"Doubled?!"
"And I will capture it alive!" Toriko repeated it again.
"Alive…? I'm sure you did said it's impossible to capture it alive." Kai asked, raise a eyebrow inquisitively.
"I meant that two hundred grand for kilogram is not worth it! If I don't feel like doing so then there's no reason I would go." Toriko shrugged.
"Ah..I understand…I'll talk about it with my superior…" Komatsu chuckled nervously then glanced at Kai, 'So its was all about whether he felt like it or not…just like Kai…'
"Alright! Now I'm gonna fish for another one!" The Glutton said as he start to steady his fishing rod to get ready to flip it back into the water.
"Oi! Oi! What about those two!? The Pincer fish and the Five Tailed Great Hawk!" Kai shouted, hold Komatsu in another arm while Komatsu give Toriko another bug-eyed as she point at the creatures that was knock out cold on the ground.
"Those were the deserts! Now I will fish for the main, Swamp Shark!" The Bishoku-ya explains.
"Wao…what a appetite…So this is Toriko.." Komatsu muttered to himself as he was set down to stare at Toriko in admire again.
"You wanna try?" Toriko said, hold the fishing rod toward Kai who exclaimed, "Would I ever!"
"But, what's ya names anyway?" Toriko asks, adjust the rod a bit.
"Oh..Everyone calls me Komatsu. it's a pleasure to meet you." Komatsu laughed nervously, scratching behind his head.
"The name is Kai." The female smiles, gladly accept the fishing rod.
"We will depart…Tomorrow." Toriko smiles at them.
"Whoa Matsu-chan! Listen to this! Bishoku-ya, they are hunters who prey upon unknown ingredients in search of undiscovered taste. Now there are about three hundred thousand kind of food ingredient existing, by people said two percent of these are discovered by Toriko." Kai said, reading a magazine near the small magazine shop.
"Whoa really?!" Komatsu exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah, See." Kai said, flip the book toward Komatsu's eye level to point that out for him to read it himself to clarify it himself.
"Amazing…" the Chef sigh in awe before blinks to see the familiar Bishoku-ya walking down the port cause him to tap Kai's arm and points him out, "There he is! Lets go!" He start to jog toward the blue-haired giant.
"W-wait for me Matsu-chan!" Kai looks at Komatsu run away from her cause her to put the magazine back into the place, then ran into someone that she didn't notice in front of her cause them to fell down. "S-sorry…" Kai's icy blue open to notice that she did land on a bald man with many scars on his face and he does looks angry…Well he have the right to be angry since he has dropped his ice cream on his shirt.
"Y-you…You will pay for that!" The bald guy roar, pick Kai up by the shirt.
Meanwhile Komatsu caught up to Toriko to explains that he was coming with him.
"What? You are coming too, Komatsu?"
"Y-yes, sorry..I was ordered by my boss…to investigate the biological behavior of Galala Crocodile…" Komatsu chuckled nervously, scratching his head.
"Don't tell me you don't know where we are going?" The giant stares down at him skeptical while put his giant sack down he was carried with.
"Yes..well..B-baron marsh..It's one of these specified dangerous zones.."
"Ho…impressive, wait a second…Where is Kai?" Toriko narrow his eyes, remember that red-haired female that was with Komatsu.
"Huh? She was with me…" Komatsu blinks to notice Kai was not with him cause him to turn his head back and forth to look for her.
CRASH!
A loud noise cause Toriko and Komatsu to turn their head around in startled to see Kai stood there looks fine as she pats her hand together, hums happily walking up to them to held one hand up in greeting.
"Yo Toriko~ Hope ya don't mind if we are coming with you." She smiles happily.
"Yeah….I hope you guys have written your last will, huh?" Toriko smirks.
"W-what wills! I haven't written any!" Komatsu starts to freak out cause Kai to sigh, pull out the notepad and pen to handle it to him.
"Wassup Tom, Sorry for troubling ya as always." Toriko walk up to one boat cause Kai and Komatsu to looks up to see who the Glutton talks to.
"You are exactly right…I'm not that free as to pull up my ship any minutes." The ship captain, Tom sighed and scowls at Toriko dumped his brown sack on his ship as he adjust the rope.
"Well, don't say that. How was your wife?" Toriko ask innocently.
"Oh, Quit it. She is a fume since the Gourmet tax was raised once again." Tom shaked his head, put the rope on the side.
"That's kinda scary." Toriko muttered as he step into the boat cause the boat to shift slightly upward as Tom chuckled, "You've gotten thinner, Toriko!"
"Hmmm? No? I just pooped earlier."
'Too much information there…' Kai rubs her forehead at the man's talking about the bathroom issue. 'Men…'
"I can go as far as south shore of the Baron Islets, cool?" Tom smirks.
"That's good enough, Oh yeah, also, we've got a customers up there." Toriko reminds before turn up to look at Komatsu and Kai stood there stares back. "Hey Komatsu! Kai! If ya are gonna come then getting your butts in here!"
"Ah…yes…is it better if I wrote my will here?" Komatsu stammers faintly, show him the notepad and pen as he squeaked in startle as Kai pick Komatsu in her arm again.
"Write it in the boat Matsu-chan, I think Toriko want us to hurry up." Kai said, step into the boat and set Komatsu down in the boat.
"By the way, what was that loud noise I heard back then?" The Bishkou-ya asked, look at the red-haired female who smiles innocently back.
"Oh~ Just deal with a angry person that's all~"
The males in the boat stares at Kai in silence, wonder what really just happen as Komatsu slowly start to understood what just happen but decided not to think about it as he focus on the notepad and start to scribble down to make his own will. As the boat start to slowly steer off the port to make a run toward Baron Islets.
Back on the port where the bald man who used to pick a fight with Kai to demand for her to pay…was in the garbage can upside, knocked out cold. Some people have witness this was thinking to themselves, 'A demon!'
Komatsu just finished his will after listen to Tom and Toriko talking about the death percent that will be happens as he listen to Toriko ask Kai if she already write a will.
"Oh, I just don't need a will since I don't have anyone but Komatsu to lived with since we're roommate." She explains the background of who she is. "My parents died when I was a kid due childbirth from my mother to lets me live in this world and my father died from a incurable disease."
As they were in silence then start to watch Toriko pull out the fish that was cooked to start to eat it happily cause Komatsu to stare at him in dumbfounded yet in wondering. Toriko start to talk to make the silence leave again after the explain of the family from Kai who seem to hums, enjoy the sea breeze.
"By the way, Which restaurant are you two working at? In a deluxe hotel? A Exclusive restaurant?"
"Hmmm" Komatsu stared once again, "Eh, yes…wait a minutes..how did you know that? I am a cook? I didn't tell you did I?" He glanced at Kai to see if she did told him but she shook her head, bit startle by that also.
"The scent of various ingredients is coming from your hands. it's a odor that doesn't stay unless you touch raw materials every day. Beside I can smells oil and spices too. You two have to be a cook."
"The smells huh…" Kai muttered to herself, look at her hand and try to sniff them.
"But…how do you know it was a deluxe hotel..?" Komatsu asked.
"As I said, it's the odor!" Toriko smiles as he pull out the giant rice ball that he made himself, "Toro Eel, The fruit of shellfish, Red-haired pig. The oil is also the high-standard mellow oil. The odors on your hands smells of food not found at normal restaurants."
"Wow…" Komatsu mutters, eye widen.
Tom laughs as he steer the boat, "Toriko's sense of smell is better than a police dog!"
"Mmm~ So where?" Toriko smiles at Komatsu then at Kai as he chews on a rice ball.
"I'm still not experienced but..I'm the chief cook at Hotel Gourment…" Komatsu looks down bashful.
"Matsu-chan is the best cook there is" Kai points out with a bright smiles on her face, "Even though I'm not a cook but I am trying to help Komatsu out no matter what."
"Ohhhh, you not a cook are you Kai?" Toriko glance at Kai who nods in confirms.
"Yep, I just got part-time job there and sometime went there to help Komatsu with a giant order no matter what. That's what a best friend are for." Kai shrugs.
"That's awesome! Hey! Treat me a full course meal sometime! Alright? Come on, say something!" Toriko laughs, cover the small chef with his giant arm around.
"Y-yes, yes, if I can come back safely.." Komatsu smiles then looks happily slightly at Kai's warmth reaction before look back at Toriko, "A…Actually to go with you was not an order from my boss…but its pretty much my idea…and Kai agreed to come with me.."
"Oh?"
"Yes…As the chief cook at the hotel, to be one of the best cooks in the world is my dream…Without being a shame in this Era, I want to make best dishes made of best ingredients. After seeing your hunt yesterday, I was…quite moved, so…I decided to come with you, even though Kai told me this is dangerous but..If the level capture difficulty of the food is high, they are already divided in to clumps of meat where they reach the market.." Komatsu rambled.
"OH! THIS IS GOOD TOO! ALMOND CABBAGE!" Toriko said, eating a almond cabbage as he pluck some piece off toward Kai, "Here! Try it Kai!"
"Hey…are you still listen to me?" Komatsu look skeptical as he try to get the Bishkou-ya's attention away from Kai who seem to accept the almond cabbage to take a small bite out of it.
"Hmmm…isn't it good enough? The day you though of it you were the luckiest…for the rest you have the worst luck, if you got a dream then you should act upon it now. We are putting away whether you met me was unlucky or not."
"Toriko-san…." Komatsu's eye widen and shine in awe.
"Hey Toriko…Can I ask you a question, what is your dream if Komatsu's dream is spoken of." Kai asks, eyes the giant blue-haired.
"I'm making a menu."
"A Menu?" Komatsu and Kai blinks.
"Yeah, a menu for a full course meal. The spring of melting cheese, flowers made of chocolate, a plain of sand made of rice, a waterfall of wine…There are much more delicious stuff out there in the world. The full course menu of my life is still mostly blanks." Toriko smiled, "I will complete it someday, the full course meal of my life. I've already decided on one, though."
"Whoa…That's a nice dream.." Kai muttered.
"Hey guys! The island is right before your eyes." Tom exclaimed as we turn around to eyes the Island of Baron Islets. Barabia Island.
"Uwa…it looks disgusting…" Kai stats as she took her first sights of the island.
"But, that's a lot of rocks there, how are we supposed to get close at all?" Komatsu glance at many small rocks in the sea.
"This rock bed is called the Baron fence, as if to prevent any intruders, they surround all the Baron Islets. No matter whether it's high or low tide. There's only one way to pass through these rocks, the person who happens to know is our captain." Toriko jab a thumb at Tom who grins.
"Hold on tight!" Tom warned out as he start to serve the boat without not slowing down around the rock cause Komatsu to stumble back ward cause Kai to grab him to ensure he won't fall out while she hold tightly onto Toriko's arm to make sure she won't slide backward like Komatsu does.
Kai start to notice a Friday Monkey stands on the rocks cause her to frown slightly at their action, 'That's weird…why are they all in that-'
"WHOA!" Komatsu jerk forward to crash onto Kai's leg as the boat stop all of the suddenly.
"Here we are!" Tom smirks as if he enjoys this or not, "This is the only entry into the Baron Islets, So called 'The gate of the demons,' it's a mangrove channel. Alright, we'll storm through here!" Tom was prepared to steer the boat there.
"Tom! I'm good here, Can you give us a raft!" Toriko asked.
"What's up? All of sudden?" Tom looks puzzled, frowns.
"The air of the island is a bit strange..I smell scents…The scents of trouble." Toriko said with serious expression on his face.
'He's right..the air is pretty odd…as if they're afraid of something in there.' Kai ponders to herself, crosses her arms, scanned the land before her as Tom lead Toriko the raft. Once the Raft is all aired up and big enough for Toriko to get in along with Komatsu who seem to be skeptical to join but with Kai's help to pick him up again and join Toriko in the raft
Toriko starts to row the raft up ahead as Kai start to notice Komatsu wore a hard head helmet and a gun but that's not what she focused on. She frown at her childhood friend who seem to be trembling with fear. She sighed and shook her head.
"Hey, is Komatsu alright?" Toriko ask Kai with a bit concern in his eyes as Kai shake her head.
"No, right now he's not. I think he's in his flashback moments about why he's here for." She explain before start to wave her hand in front of Komatsu's face.
"Matsu-chan?"
Kai start to call the small chef's name over again and again till Toriko decided to help out by shout out his name that seem to pull him back to reality.
"No..No I am not!" Komatsu shriek as Toriko grins at him.
"Are you regretting coming here now?"
Komatsu just stare in shock as Kai look at him in concerns once again. "Matsu-chan…are you alright?"
"O-oh..Yes…yes…Sorry to worry you Kai-chan." Komatsu smiles weakly at her.
"We are here. Get off, Lets go." The Bishkou-ya said as he step off the raft that seem to reach up the ground as Komatsu notice that they are there already cause him to adjust his helmet and carry his gun off the raft with Kai follow behind with a backpack with her.
Komatsu jumped slightly as he heard the animal's noises that was pretty loud as we continues to walking through the forest, "Hiiii! U-Unbelievable…what is this noise..?" he asked, glance around nervously with his gun out front warily.
"Hmmm~? The beasts are making these noises, even though this island has a short dry season, it technically a tropical place with many species of living things. There's two hundred thousands species existing here on Baron Islets-" Komatsu make a startled noise by this discovery as Toriko continues to talk, "The one that holds superiority over all is no other than the Galala Croc!"
Kai blinks as she notice a Baron Tiger who stood in front of Toriko out of nowhere, drooling and growling toward the giant as Komatsu start to notice it cause him to start to taut out as he start to fumbling the rifle gun. While Komatsu start to working on his rifle gun out of his fear as Kai wide eyed as she witness Toriko's feral face that say:
'You wanna see who bite is stronger!? Little cat?'
As the Baron Tiger ran away in vanish as Komatsu held up the rifle gun as if he was prepare to aim but to notice the Tiger is gone and glance over to Kai, "What happened…?"
"Something is wrong after all…" Kai muttered, ignore Komatsu who blinks in quizzical as Kai start to explains, "Baron Tigers are beasts that live deep in the Marshland…Friday monkeys that were at the rock bed were the same…Why would they, known for their cowardice of hiding in caves all their life, go that sort of place?"
"Ah, you noticed that too Kai?" Toriko glance over to the female of the group who nod in confirm back at the blue-haired Giant who frowns. "It's plausible only if they were driven out of their habitat by an overwhelmingly strong predator!"
Kai frowns, try to figure this out to wonder who has cause the animals to ran away or move to new habits as Komatsu squeak, start to talk.
"U-um…I think that predator is…the Galala Crocodile…probably…"
"What do you mean?" Kai glance down at the small Chef in confuse, its impossible for Galala crocodile to do that to them even if it was level five capture. Toriko give Komatsu a look, "Tell me more." He requested.
Komatsu is eagerly to tell Toriko and Kai about the new they've not heard about the Galala Crocodile that probably lived for three hundred years cause Kai to jaw-dropping at that thought of that Crocodile that huge and yet dangerous enough.
"Wao~ that's pretty interesting piece of information…" Toriko looks amazed cause the chef to reject that idea.
"It's not interesting! Not at all!"
"How does it taste like?" Toriko muttered, start to drooling by the thought as Kai inquisitive the idea in by said.
"Well a Galala Croc that have lived for three hundred years, the taste of the ripe meats should be excellent…"
"I wanna devour it…" Toriko looks determinate cause Kai to sighs, knew this would be their loss to get a piece of Croc meat for the party.
And so the luxurious journey of Toriko, Komatsu and Kai, in search of the best food ingredients has began. First of all to slay the Galala Crocodile…
"By the way Komatsu, From this here on there won't be anything you can kill with a shot gun." Toriko remind Komatsu who stares back at Toriko in disbelief, shout at him.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?"
"I think he's right, the rifle gun won't work on any beast.." Kai points out, follow Toriko in search for that Galala Crocodile.
What will happen beyond? With the unstoppable craving for food, the great adventure rolls on!
"Funny…I swear I heard something…" Kai muttered to herself, swore that she did hear someone talking cause Toriko to stare down at her in confuse as they keep strolling through the forest. Kai decided to hold that off after the hunting for Galala Crocodile is over, she will check in to see who just talk out loud…
