Gohda stared at the big shadow in the water beneath him for a while. Then he poked it with an oar. The chef quickly moved his boat back a bit, just in time to avoid being hit by the monster.
The sea monster was bigger than the biggest pudding Gohda ever had made, bigger than the biggest piece of meat he had prepared in the oven. And Gohda had made some really big puddings during his career. In short, the monster was enormous!
"Sea monster, stop blocking the way to Rokkenjima!" Gohda shouted.
"Not without a fight," the monster roared.
And so, the epic battle between cook and sea monster began. Though it was not a battle without rules, like simple brutes would have had it. Each of them waited calmly for the other to finish their attack before they attempted one themselves.
The epic battle lasted seven days and five nights - Gohda and the sea monster decided to spend two nights sleeping, so those were not counted. Food was no problem for the sea monster. Gohda caught fish with his frying pan and them fried them using only his intense gaze.
At last, the battle concluded with the defeat of the sea monster. Because Gohda was a merciful and kind individual, he let the sea monster live. It quickly swam away to terrorize an island where a rival cook worked.
Gohda quickly rowed his boat back to the beach of Rokkenjima and reported to Kinzo. That evening, dinner was particularly delicious.
But was Rokkenjima truly safe again? Only time would show...
