Raleigh sat cross-legged at the bow of the battleship, as if listening to the sounds carried by the wind.
After a long while, his ears twitched slightly, and his closed eyes opened.
He pointed toward the distant east.
"Full speed ahead in that direction."
...
Meanwhile, Musshuru, aboard his tattered sailing ship, was advancing toward the Drum Kingdom at full speed.
Lost in his grandiose dreams, he remained unaware that death was about to descend upon him.
"Hahahahaha!"
A series of sharp, piercing laughter erupted from Musshuru, echoing across the deck. But he didn't mind. He swore this was his happiest moment.
Just this morning, that fool Wapol had died in his bed, leaving the Drum Kingdom with no choice but to summon him back to inherit the throne.
This twisted turn of events thrilled Musshuru. Finally, he had the chance to return to the Drum Kingdom as its king!
And at the same time, he would exact his revenge.
The target of his vengeance was none other than the people of the Drum Kingdom!
In his view, when he had released the Spore Bomb, the citizens should have willingly sacrificed their lives for his experiment.
And his father—he must have gone senile.
How else could he have thought of exiling his own son? With so many people in the Drum Kingdom, what did it matter if a few died? More would be born soon enough anyway.
Musshuru felt no remorse.
On the contrary, if he were in the Drum Kingdom now, he would celebrate his ascension to the throne by releasing another Spore Bomb.
But his wish was destined to go unfulfilled.
Because far from the Land of fire, in the open sea, he encountered the merciless Enel.
Those emotionless eyes were the last sight Musshuru would ever see.
Dealing with such a minor character no longer required Raleigh to lift a finger.
Before Musshuru and his crew could even react, Enel had already struck them with his lightning.
Everyone except Musshuru was electrocuted on the spot, leaving only Musshuru severely wounded.
"Who are you people? I'm the king of the Drum Kingdom! If you dare kill me, you'll face the wrath of the World Government and the Marines!"
The injured Musshuru shouted at the empty deck.
He was terrified deep down, yet he clung to the belief that as the king of the Drum Kingdom, no ordinary person would dare harm him.
"I can offer you immense wealth—just spare my life!"
Musshuru spoke of buying his freedom with money, but inwardly he seethed with rage.
'How dare they attack me! Once I return to the Drum Kingdom, I'll uncover their identities and personally hang them from the palace walls.'
Fuming with anger, Musshuru stared at the deck—until a pair of military boots stepped into his line of sight.
Musshuru's pupils dilated at the sight of the boots and the uniform. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
The one who had arrived was Enel.
Though Musshuru didn't recognize Enel himself, he recognized the uniform he wore—that of a Navy officer.
"Wh-why? Why would the Navy attack me? Shouldn't you be protecting me? I'm the king of the Drum Kingdom, a member state of the World Government! You're supposed to protect me!!"
Enel had no habit of answering foolish questions.
Seeing that Musshuru still had the strength to speak, a small bolt of lightning crackled on his fingertip.
With a flick of his finger, Musshuru let out another agonized scream.
Enel, like an emotionless deity, produced a Devil Fruit extractor from behind him and slowly approached Musshuru.
Exhausted and powerless from the lightning torture, Musshuru sensed the threat of death.
Summoning every ounce of his strength, he managed only a slight shift on the deck.
Enel planted a foot on Musshuru's chest, then raised the syringe and drove it straight into his heart.
This was different from the case with Wapol. Wapol had been anesthetized and barely struggled.
Musshuru, however, was merely severely injured by the electricity and still retained his consciousness.
Though he didn't know what Enel was doing, he could feel the strength and vitality draining from his body.
"Spare me... Navy..."
Only when the Devil Fruit extractor had collected about half of the energy did Enel speak up with a mocking tone. "Now you understand the value of life? When you harmed the people of the Drum Kingdom, why didn't you think about how precious life is?"
Musshuru was filled with regret—regret for not bringing more guards, regret for encountering such a ruthless member of the Navy.
The only thing he didn't regret was the crimes he had committed in the Drum Kingdom, for he never believed he had done anything wrong.
As the Devil Fruit extractor completed its collection of the Devil Fruit energy, Musshuru was left with only half a breath of life. Enel delivered a fierce kick to Musshuru's side.
A crisp cracking sound echoed, signifying that Enel had shattered Musshuru's spine with that single blow.
"The power to judge evil—Judgement!"
With a wave of Enel's hand, a small dark cloud appeared in the sky. A bolt of lightning as thick as a barrel struck Musshuru's large ship directly, blasting a massive hole in the hull.
Seawater rushed violently into the cabin, and the keel groaned with creaking sounds.
Amidst these noises, Enel transformed into lightning and vanished into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
...
Several days later, the ministers of the Drum Kingdom, who had been waiting in vain for Musshuru, contacted King Chiravia of the Land of fire and learned that Musshuru had left the Land of fire on the first day after receiving the information.
Burdened by guilt toward his friend, Chiravia dispatched his guard to search the waters near the Land of fire. Until the guard captain rushed in frantically, clutching a piece of weathered ship plank.
"Your Majesty, terrible news! We found a ship plank in the coastal waters. According to confirmation from dockworkers and soldiers at the port, this matches the material of the ship Musshuru departed on. I regret to inform you that Musshuru likely perished in the waters near our kingdom!"
King Chiravia sprang to his feet, unable to believe his guard captain's words.
No matter how much he disliked Musshuru, it didn't change the fact that Musshuru was the only surviving child of his dear friend and the sole legitimate heir to the Drum Kingdom.
The shock, combined with his aged body, caused Chiravia's brain to lack oxygen as he stood up abruptly. He swayed unsteadily and collapsed backward.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! You must hold on!"
"Where are the doctors?! Fetch the doctors at once!"
King Chiravia had fallen unconscious!
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