Before long, under Luffy's observation, the strange object emerging from the depths of the sea slowly approached the shore.
Using his Observation Haki, Luffy had already guessed what it was.
It was the enormous submarine once used by Wapol, the former king of Drum Kingdom, during his escape.
But really… they just casually surfaced from under the sea without Laboon noticing? Talk about extraordinary luck.
Soon, the water along the coast began bubbling violently, as if it were boiling.
A massive steel submarine slowly rose with the churning waves.
"This… this is!"
Dalton, who had been checking on the soldiers, suddenly ran over, stunned, staring at the enormous familiar object emerging from the water.
It seemed he had recognized it immediately.
Creak… crack…
A sound like rusted metal tearing filled the air.
A huge hatch, fitting the submarine's size, swung open from within.
A short, stout man clad in iron, with a full white bear fur coat draped on his back, stepped out first.
"Finally, I'm back, my kingdom! Hahahaha…"
Wapol, the former king of Drum Kingdom, held a long knife spearing roasted meat, biting it down one piece at a time.
Crunch… crunch…
With teeth like that, any toothpaste company in the world would pay a fortune for an ad!
"Hm?"
While gnawing on his knife-meat combo, Wapol looked down and exclaimed in surprise:
"Dalton, didn't expect to see you here!"
"Wapol! Didn't expect you to even have the face to come back!"
Dalton grit his teeth, glaring at the former tyrant king who had abandoned the country and its people, taking the entire army with him.
No one hated this man more than Dalton.
"How dare you!!"
Two more men stepped out of the submarine, shouting at Dalton.
They had been high-ranking officials of the former Drum Kingdom, colleagues of Dalton's who once helped Wapol govern.
Yet… when Blackbeard attacked the kingdom, they had fled immediately with Wapol.
To Dalton, they were now criminals of the Drum Kingdom.
He felt they had no right to set foot on the land he protected.
…
…
Of course… none of this concerned Luffy and the others.
Luffy lifted his hand, and the radiant crystal embedded in his [x-glove] glimmered faintly.
He had no time to waste on these small fry.
He needed to board the Going Merry quickly to draw a new special item for Chopper!
Suddenly, a vast wave of energy erupted from Luffy's gauntlet.
Supreme power concentrated in his palm, a blazing light ready to explode.
Luffy regarded Wapol and his submarine like an ant beneath him.
The energy in his hand was fully gathered; with a mere thought, these insignificant nuisances would turn to ash.
However!
Just as Luffy was about to release the attack, a voice interrupted him.
"Wait, Luffy!!!"
"Hm?"
Curious, Luffy glanced back at Sanji, who had suddenly called out. The energy in Luffy's hand gradually dissipated.
"What's up, Sanji!?"
Luffy asked.
Even stranger, Sanji replied with hesitation:
"Wait… let me think…"
Sanji then stepped forward to the edge of the coastal slope.
His eyes glimmered with a strange intensity, hotter than when seeing a beautiful woman, locked onto Wapol, especially the long knife he was halfway eating.
"Hm?"
Wapol, eyes wide in surprise, continued gnawing on steel, oblivious to Sanji or Dalton's strange expressions.
If Sanji hadn't stopped me just now… he might already be meeting his end.
With a crunch, Wapol swallowed the last piece of knife handle.
Meanwhile, Sanji watched like a captivated audience, eyes sparkling with excitement.
Once Wapol finished, rubbing his overstuffed belly, Sanji spoke, his voice trembling with excitement:
"You… you must be a Munch-Munch Fruit user!?"
"Hm?"
Wapol glanced at Sanji with mild disdain but, bored, replied:
"That's right. I ate the Munch-Munch Fruit, I'm a Ton-Ton Human. I can eat everything in the world."
He proudly demonstrated his huge mouth, casting a mocking gaze at Sanji.
Sanji's eyes suddenly blazed, as if the fire of desire itself had ignited within them.
He tossed his half-smoked cigarette aside, too excited to hold it any longer.
His gaze, burning with hunger, locked onto Wapol.
The sensation of being scrutinized completely, like a slab of meat on a cutting board, made Wapol instinctively step back.
Then, feeling his kingly authority challenged, one eye widened, the other squinted, as he shouted:
"Boy! What kind of look is that!?
Do you know you're facing the ruler of a government-affiliated nation!?"
"No!!! You haven't been one for a long time!!!!"
Before Sanji could respond, Dalton exploded in anger, fire spewing from his head like a volcano, glaring furiously at Wapol:
"Wapol! For the safety of Drum Kingdom, you will not step onto this island!"
BANG!!!
Dalton, transformed into his Bull Zoan form, launched forward, leaving a clear boot imprint on his beastly face.
"Don't steal my prey!!!"
Sanji lit another cigarette, his greedy gaze fixed entirely on Wapol.
Having studied Devil Fruits since childhood, Sanji couldn't remember all their names but never forgot the powerful ones.
The Munch-Munch Fruit wasn't his original target, but he had a rough impression of it.
After gaining his Gourmet Cells, which extract energy from food, the Munch-Munch Fruit repeatedly came to mind.
The Munch-Munch Fruit could devour and refine everything, even store it in a dimensional stomach, including Devil Fruits and their users!
Combined with my Gourmet Cells, it's the perfect match!
With this fruit, Sanji could soon reach, or even surpass, Zoro's level.
If this fruit appeared, he would stop at nothing.
The Munch-Munch Fruit… will be mine!
Sanji shouted to the sky, pushing off with his legs.
BOOM!
The soft, snow-soaked shore crumbled beneath him.
He shot into the air, aiming his powerful foot at Wapol, speeding toward him.
…
…
Wapol, faced with the sudden Sanji, remained calm and simply opened his enormous mouth.
"Awuu~"
A sound of teeth closing echoed.
Sanji instantly felt darkness engulf him.
The world suddenly fell silent…