Just as Ronan was thinking about how to squeeze the remaining value out of this "Munch-Munch man," Wapol let out a satisfied burp and looked at everyone arrogantly.
"Whatever. That kind of detail isn't important."
Wapol waved his hand dismissively.
"Anyway, listen up! We're heading to the Drum Kingdom. Do you have an Eternal Pose or a Log Pose? Hand it over right now!"
"Drum Kingdom?"
Sanji flicked away the cigarette in his mouth and spoke coldly with both hands in his pockets.
"Sorry, we don't have anything like that, and we've never even heard of a country by that name. If you're asking for directions, you've got the wrong people."
"You don't?" Wapol's face darkened.
At this moment, Luffy had no patience to deal with these people.
He waved his hand as if shooing away flies.
"If that's all, then hurry up and leave!"
"We're busy rushing to find a doctor. We don't have time to deal with a bunch of weirdos like you!"
"Leave? Mahapopopopo!"
Wapol laughed loudly, as if he had just heard a joke.
He spread his arms wide, his greedy nature fully exposed.
"Why rush through life like that? If you don't have a Log Pose, then forget it!"
"Anyway, that little ship of yours might be small, but it has a pretty nice design. And the treasure on board… I'll be taking all of it!"
Wapol walked to the railing and looked at the finely crafted wooden rails of the Going Merry. Drool began forming at the corner of his mouth.
"But before that…"
A vicious glint flashed in his eyes.
"My stomach is starving!!"
"CRUNCH—!!!"
Before Usopp's horrified eyes, Wapol's mouth suddenly stretched open to an exaggerated size.
He bit down fiercely on the solid oak railing of the Going Merry.
Wood splinters flew everywhere.
The once-perfect railing—and even part of the deck beneath it—vanished instantly into his giant mouth.
"Chomp chomp… Hmm. The wood's a bit old, but it still has a unique flavor."
He chewed while casually commenting on the taste.
That bite wasn't just taken out of the ship—it bit straight into the nerves of the Straw Hat crew.
"AHHH!! The Merry!!"
Usopp screamed in agony.
"That guy is eating our ship!! He's destroying the Going Merry!!"
"Bastard!!"
Luffy's expression instantly darkened. The carefree look vanished from his eyes, replaced by rising fury.
"You're not allowed to eat our ship!"
"Shut up!"
The surrounding Bliking soldiers raised their musket stocks and sabers, shouting viciously.
"Don't interrupt Lord Wapol while he's eating! You lowly pirates should feel honored to offer your ship!"
One of the soldiers glared at Usopp, who had been yelling the loudest.
With a cruel grin, he raised the butt of his rifle and swung it hard toward Usopp's head.
"And you, long-nose! You're the loudest! Shut your mouth!"
If this had been the old Usopp, he would have already fled in panic or dropped to his knees begging for mercy.
But today was different.
At the moment the rifle butt came down, Usopp's body reacted instinctively.
"I'm… a warrior of the sea too!!"
Usopp didn't dodge.
A fierce glint flashed in his eyes.
It was the result of hellish physical training and countless brutal "lessons" from Sanji's kicks.
CLANG!
A dull metallic sound echoed.
The soldier felt as if he had smashed the rifle into solid granite.
The powerful rebound numbed his hands and sent the rifle flying out of his grip.
"W-what?!"
The soldier stared in horror at the long-nosed man before him.
Usopp stood there completely unharmed.
There wasn't even a red mark on his forehead.
He slowly raised his head.
Though his legs still trembled slightly out of habit, his fists were tightly clenched.
"Don't underestimate me!!"
With a roar, Usopp swung his right fist.
There was no technique behind it.
But it carried the power of the second stage of the Thirteen Guardians Training.
BAM!
The punch landed squarely on the soldier's face.
With a scream, the soldier was launched backward like a broken kite, crashing into several companions behind him.
The entire deck fell silent for a second.
"T-that guy actually attacked!"
"He's got guts! Shoot him! Kill him!!"
The surrounding soldiers snapped out of their shock.
More than a dozen muskets were aimed at Usopp simultaneously.
They pulled the triggers.
"BANG BANG BANG BANG—!!"
Gunfire roared as smoke filled the air.
"USOPP!!"
Nami screamed in terror from the upper deck.
But when the smoke cleared, an unbelievable sight appeared.
Usopp wasn't riddled with bullets.
He had instinctively raised his arms to shield his face.
The lead bullets struck his body and arms, producing sharp ding ding clang sounds before falling uselessly onto the deck.
Aside from a few holes in his clothes and faint white marks on his skin—
Usopp was completely unharmed.
"Huh?"
Even Usopp himself froze.
He touched his chest, then burst into ecstatic laughter.
"It… it doesn't hurt?! It really doesn't hurt!"
"Hahahaha! I'm Captain Usopp with bronze skin and iron bones now!!"
Seeing this, Ronan shook his head with a faint smile.
"Just as expected. Power is like a weapon—it changes a person's character."
"Since Usopp already made the first move, what are we waiting for?"
He glanced toward his captain.
"Luffy?"
"Yeah."
Luffy's voice lowered, like the calm before a storm.
"You're not allowed… to hurt my ship or my friends!!"
"Gomu Gomu no—Whip!!"
His leg stretched instantly like a long whip and swept across the deck.
Several soldiers who were trying to reload their muskets didn't even have time to scream before being kicked straight into the freezing ocean.
"I've had enough too."
Ronan slammed the butt of his ebony staff against the deck and stepped into the crowd like a ghost.
"Wouldn't it have been easier to wipe them out from the start? Instead of waiting until they bit the railing."
His tone was calm—but his strikes were ruthless.
The ebony staff danced in his hands like a black dragon.
Each thrust dropped a soldier clutching his throat or chest.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In the blink of an eye, a large empty space appeared around Ronan.
"Hey, hey… leave a few for me."
Zoro's lazy voice came from above.
He jumped down from the lookout tower, his swords still sheathed.
Instead of drawing them, he smashed the scabbard downward like a hammer.
"Tornado!"
The moment he landed, Zoro spun his body.
The powerful wind generated by the spin lifted four or five soldiers into the air and slammed them back onto the deck unconscious.
"Yeah, we could've ended this earlier."
Zoro straightened his clothes calmly.
"At least that way we wouldn't have to listen to that big-mouthed idiot talk so much."
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