Chapter 170: You Won't Die, But You'll Wish You Had!
"Usopp!!"
Nami cried out in alarm.
"Don't get distracted!"
Dalton stepped in front of her, slicing an incoming arrow in half with his blade.
He turned his gaze toward Wapol.
"We have to deal with him first..."
He took a deep breath, and his body began to transform.
Muscles bulged, his skin hardened, and curved horns sprouted from his head—Zoan Type: Ushi Ushi no Mi, Model: Bison!
"Fiddle Banff!"
Dalton turned into a blur, charging toward Wapol at an astonishing speed.
His round greatsword cut through the air with a chilling gleam, aimed straight at Wapol's neck!
This strike carried all his rage, all his strength.
Thud!
The blade bit into flesh.
A deep gash opened on Wapol's neck, blood gushing out.
"Did... did we succeed?!"
Nami exclaimed with joy.
The residents of Bighorn Town peeked out from behind their windows, hope lighting up their faces.
But the next moment, that hope shattered.
"Doctor 20!"
Wapol clutched his neck and shouted.
Twenty doctors in white coats rushed out from behind the army, moving with a chilling efficiency.
They opened the medical kits they carried, pulling out sheets of iron, nails, large hammers, small hammers...
Amidst the clanging sounds, Wapol's wound was swiftly "repaired."
It didn't look like healing—more like... brutally patching it together with iron sheets and nails.
Like fixing a cold, lifeless machine.
Ten seconds later, Wapol stood up.
An ugly iron patch now circled his neck, but he himself appeared completely unharmed.
"A m-monster..."
Usopp, who had just regained consciousness, lay sprawled on the ground, muttering.
Nami's worldview was shattered once again.
The "monsters" of the Grand Line truly seemed endless.
"Damn you, Dalton!"
Wapol touched the iron patch on his neck, his eyes blazing with furious flames.
"How dare you attack me! I'll make you realize how foolish your actions were!"
He spun around abruptly—but not toward Dalton.
He opened his mouth, and a cannon barrel extended from within, aiming at a nearby house.
Inside that house, a family of three huddled behind a window, trembling.
The mother held her child, while the father shielded them both.
They never imagined that hiding in their own home would bring such undeserved disaster.
The cannon's muzzle glowed with fire.
"No!!"
Dalton's eyes widened in horror.
Mustering his last ounce of strength, he lunged toward the window.
Boom—!!
The cannonball struck its target.
But not the house—it was Dalton's broad back.
Dalton spat out a mouthful of blood, crashing like a broken kite in front of the house's window, his blood staining the white snow crimson.
"Mr. Dalton!!"
Having witnessed Wapol treating his own people as worthless grass, Vivi could no longer contain her fury.
Spinning her Peacock Slashers, Vivi charged toward Wapol.
Wapol licked his lips, revealing a twisted smile:
"So it's you? The naive princess?"
He recognized Vivi—the princess of Alabasta, whom he had seen at the World Conference.
Without the support of the high-speed duck Karoo, the power of Vivi's Peacock Slashers was greatly diminished.
They struck Wapol with a sharp clang, not even leaving a scratch.
"Hehe, tickling me?"
Wapol opened his mouth wide and took a bite toward Vivi.
"Vivi! Dodge!"
Nami rushed in from the side, shoving Vivi away with all her might.
And then—
She took Vivi's place, swallowed whole by that gaping maw.
"Nami!!"
Vivi's scream was heart-wrenching.
Wapol chewed twice, revealing a satisfied expression:
"Mmm~ tastes good. Next, it's your turn."
Vivi had already lost her senses.
She raised her Peacock Slashers again, recklessly slashing at Wapol:
"Give her back to me! Give her back!!"
"As you wish."
The large mouth opened once more.
Bit down.
Darkness.
On the other side, Zoro's battlefield.
His gaze turned toward Wapol.
Just in time to see Vivi being swallowed.
Zoro's rage erupted.
"Three Sword Style: Tora Gari!"
He took an arrow from Chess head-on—the arrow grazed his shoulder, sending a spray of blood—and charged toward Kuromarimo, crossing his three swords for a slash!
"Waaah!"
After a few exchanges, Chess and Kuromarimo were already slashed to the ground.
In his furious state, Zoro traded injuries for injuries, severely wounding both at once.
He himself had taken a few punches and an arrow, but he didn't care.
Just as he was about to slash that big-mouthed monster to force him to spit out his comrade, Zoro realized Wapol was gone.
Right then—
"Snow Country Specialty: Snow Makeup!"
Wapol's voice came from behind Zoro.
Zoro whipped his head around, only to see Wapol's enormous mouth already right before him.
The obese king had somehow circled behind him, his mouth stretched to a terrifying width, revealing rows of pale white teeth inside.
Zoro's reaction was astonishingly fast.
He instantly turned, crossing his three swords in front of him, the blades firmly pressing against the teeth of Wapol's upper and lower jaws.
Creak!
A teeth-grating friction sound.
Wapol's teeth were actually harder than steel, sparks flying as the blades scraped against them.
"Holding... holding on..."
Veins bulged on Zoro's forehead.
But Wapol's strength far exceeded expectations.
The Baku Baku no Mi not only allowed him to eat anything but also convert what he ate into physical power.
All the steel, weapons, and even houses he had consumed over the years had become part of his strength.
Just as Zoro was locked in a struggle with Wapol's massive jaws, Kuromarimo regained his fighting ability under the treatment of the Doctor 20 team.
"Got him!"
Kuromarimo punched Zoro in the back.
Thud!
Zoro spat out a mouthful of blood, staggering forward.
And ahead was Wapol's gaping mouth once again.
"It's over."
Wapol sneered.
Bit down.
Chew chew!
Darkness.
On the snowy ground of Bighorn Town, only the sound of Wapol chewing and the cheers of his soldiers remained.
The royal guards regrouped, and Doctor 20 continued treating Chess and Kuromarimo.
Wapol patted his swollen belly.
He let out a burp and loudly proclaimed to the silent town:
"The sky of the Drum Kingdom will not change! I, King Wapol, have returned!!"
Cheers erupted.
From his army, from the doctors forced into submission, from... a few villagers kneeling on the ground, trembling as they shouted, "Long live the king!"
Wapol nodded in satisfaction, then remembered something:
"Ah, right, my castle... I heard that old hag Dr. Kureha has taken it over?"
"Y-yes, Your Majesty."
A soldier replied.
Wapol's face darkened.
That was his castle!
A symbol of royal authority!
"Move out!"
He waved his hand, "To the Drum Rockies! Take back my castle! I'm going to swallow that old hag... and her blue-nosed monster pet, all in one gulp!"
The army began to turn.
Wapol mounted his long-haired hippopotamus and headed toward the snowy mountains.
He didn't notice that beneath a pile of snow at the edge of the battlefield, a pair of eyes was watching everything through a crack.
Usopp.
He huddled in the snow pit, trembling all over.
Not from the cold—though it was indeed freezing.
Not from fear—though fear nearly suffocated him.
More because of...
Guilt.
He saw Nami being swallowed.
He saw Vivi charging forward.
He saw Zoro fighting to the last drop of blood.
And he, Long-Nose Usopp, Sea Warrior Usopp, Sniper of the Straw Hat Pirates...
Lacked the courage to stand up.
Watching his comrades be eaten was just too cruel!
"I'm sorry..."
He buried his face in the snow, his voice choked, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
Tears flowed out, freezing into ice crystals on his face.
Just then, a voice spoke, "Your companions are still alive. Wapol may be cruel, but he wouldn't eat people!"
Usopp jerked his head up, looking at the severely wounded Dalton who had just regained consciousness, hope kindling in his eyes.
But immediately afterward, the other's words plunged Usopp into an icy abyss, his heart feeling as if cut by a knife.
"Those swallowed by Wapol won't die, but... they might wish they were dead!"