With Burgess officially joining, the search for Devil Fruits had to accelerate once again. They were all still young; if they wanted to grow stronger quickly, Devil Fruits were indispensable.
"Drum Kingdom… I hope you won't disappoint me."
At the very least, Drum Kingdom should have one Devil Fruit or a Devil Fruit user—that would be the Ox-Ox Fruit, Bison Model. That one was definitely there.
The Munch-Munch Fruit was very likely there as well.
As for the Human-Human Fruit… Chopper had only just been born this year—maybe he hadn't even been born yet—so that fruit might not even be on this island.
Then there was the Shroom-Shroom Fruit, Wapol's elder brother's Devil Fruit. Because he was too cruel, he had been exiled. It was unclear whether he had already been driven out. If he had, then there was nothing they could do.
The Thunder Fortress continued sailing toward Drum Kingdom. With Burgess now on board, Vane didn't bother with the others. The bottom of the ship had already been thoroughly wrecked by Fish-Man. Whether those old drunk pirate veterans survived or not would depend on their luck.
...
"Drum Kingdom is here!"
"It already feels freezing just getting close. As expected of the Grand Line. The Twin Kingdom isn't that far away and it's spring all year round, yet Drum Kingdom is covered in snow year-round."
Magnificent scenery and bizarre island settings had always been one of the most fascinating aspects of the pirate world.
The "mountain peaks" of Drum Kingdom stood upright like massive long drums, which was how the kingdom got its name.
And the royal palace of Drum Kingdom sat atop the tallest of those peaks.
"Everyone, put your coats on."
"Though even if you get sick, it doesn't matter. This island is full of doctors."
"Famous doctors, at that."
Vane and the others arrived at the port of Drum Kingdom. Before they had even fully docked, they heard the sound of explosions.
"A pirate invasion?"
"Aren't we pirates? We didn't invade anyone."
"Let's go see what's going on."
They didn't even need to leave the docks. Just as they disembarked, they saw a large group of people escorting a figure who looked like an oversized winter melon.
"It's not sturdy at all. Just a little blast and it collapses. How boring."
The one being escorted was Wapol. That guy had such distinctive features that it was impossible not to recognize him.
At present, the old king of Drum Kingdom was still considered a benevolent ruler. But he had a flaw—
He wasn't a "qualified" father.
He had two sons in total. The elder was so cruel that he had personally exiled him, yet he learned nothing from it. Instead, he continued to dote on and indulge Wapol blindly.
And so Wapol grew into a similarly tyrannical and cruel king.
After all, once he ate the Munch-Munch Fruit, Wapol's favorite food was roasted houses—specifically, the homes of his own citizens.
"Wow, what a big ship. That's rare."
Wapol led a large group of guards to the dock.
"Tell these outsiders their ship now belongs to the great Prince Wapol!"
The Rocket Team pirates were dumbfounded. As wanted pirates arriving at a kingdom, they hadn't even looted the place—yet the people of this kingdom were trying to loot them???
What kind of upside-down world was this!
"What 'great Wapol'!"
"No, Perona, he looks more like a hippo!"
"He's a melon!"
"No, he's a hippo!"
The two little girls launched into a heated debate over whether Wapol resembled a plant—specifically a winter melon—or an animal—a hippo.
"How dare you insult the great Prince Wapol! Men, kill them all!"
Huh? Kill the Rocket Team pirates?
If they actually understood who the Rocket Team were, they'd probably look like a catfish spirit staring at a nine-headed monster—utterly confused.
But they didn't know the Rocket Team's identity. They didn't even think the Rocket Team were pirates, since their flag bore Meowth's face instead of the traditional skull-and-crossbones.
"What are you supposed to be?!"
"Let me test your strength!"
Burgess, who had just joined, was eager to prove himself. He hadn't expected someone to deliver themselves to his doorstep the moment they set foot in Drum Kingdom. He was thrilled.
With a battleship-style charge, he barreled straight into Wapol's guard squad, slamming into them and sending over a dozen flying with a single impact.
"Ahhh!"
"Battleship Sweep!"
Burgess tore through them. In just moments, Wapol's entire guard squad lay sprawled on the ground.
"Useless trash! I am Wapol, Prince of Drum Kingdom! Your strength is impressive. Become my—"
Before Wapol could finish, Burgess grabbed him and hurled him straight in front of Vane.
"Ptooey! Ptooey! How dare you disrespect Prince Wapol—"
Vane was delighted. He hadn't seen the Paramecia Devil Fruit user marker above Wapol's head, which meant the Munch-Munch Fruit hadn't been eaten yet.
And this idiot Wapol had even delivered himself to their door, giving him the perfect excuse.
"Foolish Wapol. How dare you try to rob us? You are now our spoils of war."
"You lot guard the ship. Meowth, Charizard, Lena—we're going to pay a visit to the King of Drum."
Ignoring Wapol's loud protests, the Rocket Team members tied him up like a wild boar, then had Charizard carry him off.
Lena hid inside Meowth's castle space. Vane flew toward Drum Castle with Meowth and Charizard.
Back then, Luffy had struggled quite a bit climbing up to Drum Castle.
The brutal snowstorm, the attacking snow rabbits—anyone climbing barehanded would have found it extremely difficult…
At a time like this, the advantage of being able to fly became clear.
One man and one dragon easily reached the Drum Castle atop the highest Drum Rockies.
"Charizard, let's say hello."
"Roaaar!"
Charizard unleashed a Flamethrower straight onto the ground in front of Drum Castle. The flames carried explosive force, blasting a massive crater into the floor.
The tremendous noise quickly drew the attention of those inside the palace.
"What's going on?!"
"There's someone… and Prince Wapol!"
With Wapol's massive frame, it was impossible not to notice him.
"Who are you? Release Prince Wapol at once!"
The captain of the royal guard, the Ox-Ox Fruit user, Bison Model—Dalton—stepped forward to take charge.
Dalton deeply disliked this destructive prince as well, but out of loyalty as a guard, he still stepped forward.
He immediately transformed into his human-beast "minotaur" form. His weapon was unusual—a blade shaped somewhat like a biwa, only larger, almost like a giant fan.
"Save me, Dalton!"
Dalton charged forward—brave and fierce!!
Boom!
Dalton flew backward—utterly miserable.
With just a single Rankyaku shockwave kick, Vane embedded Dalton into the ground, knocking him unconscious on the spot.
An average fruit, average development—one move was enough. What more was there to say?