Mobius was certainly powerful.
But when it came to combat, better to leave it to the experts.
Sakura happened to be in a nearby island nation.
It would be best to call her in.
There was no issue with that.
Upon hearing Mobius' request, Prometheus immediately initiated contact.
"Miss Sakura will arrive in approximately five minutes!" "I've already established communication."
Mobius' voice rang out shortly afterward.
She had successfully contacted Sakura, who was now en route.
Thanks to the spaceship, it wouldn't take long for her to arrive.
"Then let's head over." "Klein, return to the ship." "We'll go investigate first."
Mobius figured, if someone was the protagonist of their world, they had to be strong.
But she would need to see for herself.
Klein didn't say a word in response,
simply turning and re-entering the ship,
taking control of the cockpit.
Velvie, on the other hand, stepped out.
The ship slowly moved toward the mysterious island.
Of course, Toriko and Komatsu had already noticed the high-tech vessel hovering above the sea.
Seeing it, the two were utterly confused.
They had been hunting a Galarodon when the island shook.
Fog rolled in from the outside.
Soon they realized—this wasn't the sea they knew.
It didn't take long for them to spot the ship.
And aboard it, Toriko sensed two immensely dangerous presences.
His hair stood on end.
As the ship neared, the danger felt more suffocating,
as though they were being targeted by venomous serpents.
Once the ship drew close,
Toriko saw two women standing on deck.
One, with green hair and a white lab coat,
was staring at him with an amused, analytical gaze.
No matter how you looked at her—she did not seem like a good person.
Beside her, another woman also eyed him with curiosity,
as though fascinated by something within him.
Despite the proximity, neither Mobius nor Velvie disembarked.
Velvie, observing Toriko, noted how much weaker he seemed.
Mobius, a researcher, was confident she could take on ten of him.
"And you two are...?"
Toriko asked warily, eyes fixed on the two women,
especially Mobius—
who radiated danger like a coiled viper.
From the moment they met, Toriko mentally labeled her a villain.
"I'm Mobius." "This is Velvie~!" "We're both researchers." "You two are Toriko and Komatsu, right?"
Mobius spoke while carefully studying Toriko.
That power—was it really from Gourmet Cells?
To grow that strong just from eating?
Her curiosity about Gourmet Cells now bordered on obsession.
Takumi had said they could be extracted from Gourmet Jellyfish,
but if she had a live sample, that would be even better.
And weren't these two standing before her the perfect test subjects?
"You know me?"
Toriko frowned deeply when Mobius called him by name.
He prided himself on a sharp memory,
but he had no recollection of these two.
Especially such dangerous individuals.
If he'd seen her before, he'd remember.
Mobius wasn't someone one could forget.
If they weren't acquaintances,
and if she was this dangerous,
and knew his name—
she must be an enemy.
A member of the Gourmet Corp, perhaps?
The idea made Toriko tense.
"Are you with the Gourmet Corp?"
He was already on alert, his voice low and cautious.
"Don't misunderstand." "We're not with the Gourmet Corp~!" "And, Toriko-san, perhaps you've misunderstood something." "You're not in your original world anymore."
Mobius smiled brightly.
Toriko thought she was with the Gourmet Corp?
He didn't seem to realize he'd been transported.
Hearing her, both Toriko and Komatsu froze.
Not in their world?
"Huh?"
Toriko was dumbfounded.
Was this woman joking?
"Take a good look around." "Are you sure this is the island you boarded earlier?"
Mobius gestured toward the sea.
Toriko and Komatsu quickly scanned their surroundings.
They had noticed some oddities before,
but now, observing closely,
they realized—this wasn't their world.
The ocean was filled with unfamiliar sights.
Toriko activated his super-sensitive sense of smell.
He sniffed the air.
And was further bewildered.
"It really is..."
The scent of this ocean was completely different
from the one they had set out on earlier.
He should've noticed earlier.
But Mobius' intense aura had thrown him off.
Now that she pointed it out,
Toriko finally understood.
But a new question immediately arose:
If this wasn't their world,
why did this woman know him?
Had his reputation really spread to another world?
He couldn't make sense of it.
The only sound was the ocean breeze and waves.
After a long pause, Toriko was about to ask something else—
when a small aircraft suddenly appeared overhead.
A figure dropped from the sky,
landing gracefully beside Mobius.
It was Sakura!
She said nothing,
simply tightened her grip on the Sevenfold Thunder of Atonement.
The atmosphere instantly turned tense.
Toriko stared at the newcomer,
sweat beading on his forehead.
His instincts screamed—
if he made a move,
he would die.
Instantly.
"Toriko-san." "Would you and your friend kindly come with us?" "I'll properly explain what's happening now."
Mobius smiled sweetly at Toriko.
But his face stiffened.
Go with them?
That sounded like a death trap.
They didn't seem like good people at all.
"Shall we just take them by force?"
Sakura tilted her head,
tightening her grip on the Sevenfold Thunder,
and asked Mobius in a calm, deadly voice.