The frustrated Celestial Dragon!
Vidal built them a few small wooden houses, then wandered alone deeper into the island.
Along the way, he saw many ants, earthworms, wasps, and mantises moving back and forth, and each of them was three or four meters tall and five or six meters long!
However, these insects ignored him completely and showed no interest in him whatsoever.
This led Vidal to speculate on two possibilities: either the will of the Boin Archipelago forbade them from attacking him, or it was because of the plant scent emanating from his body.
His main concerns regarding these large insects were why they were so large and why they were controlled by the 'islands'.
A short while later, following the aroma of food, he arrived at a waterfall—a waterfall that wasn't a stream of water, but rather a waterfall of ramen noodles.
The pool under the waterfall looks exactly like a bowl of char siu ramen, with several large slices of char siu and a few round 'Naruto' figures floating on top of the broth.
Beside the ramen pool, there were more than a dozen tall grasses holding various kinds of pasta, and most amazingly, a silver fork was even hanging on them!
Dozens of bright red hams hung from the trees on both sides, while normal-looking green apples dotted the surrounding area.
Chocolate rocks, roasted corn on the cob, hot dog grass, candy watermelon, and all sorts of human food blend perfectly with the local plants, and even the rocks and mountains!
To be honest, even Vidal Devil Fruit User, had his mouth agape the whole way.
The scene here was truly unbelievable. What shocked him most was that the Woods-Woods Fruit's sensory abilities constantly reminded him that this ham and roasted meat were all plants.
This was a direct challenge to his values, which he had previously believed to be strong enough.
But it's still somewhat vulnerable in the face of the Boin Archipelago. What's even more impressive is that there are three more 'islands' like this nearby!
"My God, this is simply paradise!" Vidal exclaimed sincerely as he stood in front of the ramen waterfall.
Plants with a certain level of intelligence, plants that can produce hot food, and plants with all sorts of magical abilities—this place is simply amazing!
It's a pity that the ground here isn't covered in wood like in Sabaody, but rather just normal soil.
"Could I have somehow ended up on the Gourmet Continent after traveling from the Grand Line?" Vidal looked around, somewhat doubtful.
With that thought in mind, he bent down and picked up a plate of spaghetti, intending to try the food here first.
Woonan previously mentioned that the things on the island were addictive. Since this thing, which clearly looks like noodles, is also a plant, I'll probably understand why after eating it, given my Devil Fruit ability.
[Slurp slurp]
As he twirled the noodles with his fork and put them in his mouth, Vidal's pupils contracted instantly the moment the sauce touched his tongue.
The rich flavor is incredible, and paired with the extremely chewy noodles, it makes you want to keep eating it.
Delicious! It's so delicious!
It wasn't that he hadn't tasted good food before; after all, there were many excellent chefs in the navy. But to be honest, the taste of this plate of spaghetti was like an explosion in his mouth, making you focus all your attention on your mouth and hands.
Vidal felt like he hadn't even taken a few bites when the crisp sound of his silver fork echoed on the empty plate, causing his hand to instinctively reach for the next plate.
"Wrong!"
He stopped abruptly when his fingers were only one centimeter away from the pasta greens.
His strong willpower quickly brought him back to his senses, and his brain returned to normal thinking. But this also made Vidal realize that these foods really could be addictive.
Using the power of the Woods-Woods Fruit, he carefully examined the pasta he had just eaten and discovered that it didn't contain any addictive ingredients; it was just that its exquisite taste and rich nutrition created an irresistible urge in the body.
Deliciousness is just the external attraction; nutrition is the key!
Vidal had eaten the flesh of Sea Kings, and its nutritional value was indeed several times higher than that of ordinary animals.
These plant-based foods are comparable to Sea Kings, and they're even prepared by a highly skilled chef!
And this 'chef' is clearly the 'will' of the Boin Archipelago, which Vidal believes is the most valuable aspect.
"It's decided. Next, we'll analyze all the secrets of this island and then take control!"
Vidal had great confidence in the power of his Woods-Woods Fruit, as it was the top-tier plant-type Devil Fruit, possessing the powerful ability to accelerate, manipulate, sense, modify, and enhance all plants.
I believe that once he fully understands the wonders of the Boin Archipelago, he will be able to do everything they can, and even do it better!
"Rogers, we'll be staying here for a while. Contact the base." Vidal immediately took out Den Den Mushi and notified the warship.
"Yes," Rogers replied without asking why.
Vidal is currently only an adjutant. There is an experienced commander in the base, and the local bullies have become much more subdued. Therefore, he plans to make good use of this time before taking over as base commander.
The Boin Archipelago were simply too tempting for him!
However, it seems one thing has been overlooked: the Celestial Dragons were the ones who suffered the most from Vidal's temporary departure.
"What did you say? There's no Imperial Way for me to walk on?" Raymond de Saint glared angrily at Colonel Noel.
"You think I'm short of 300 million Beli?" He had long heard about the wonders of the Imperial Way, and now he finally couldn't resist coming down to experience it for himself, and they actually told him there wasn't any?
"I'm very sorry, but Lieutenant Vidal is away on important business, so the Imperial Way service will have to be temporarily unavailable," Colonel Noel quickly explained.
"However, our road clearing and Road Sealing services are still quite good!"
Although he is already Paramecia Wood-Wood Fruit user, and theoretically could create a wooden path, the intricate and exquisite reliefs on it are still too difficult for him, and the length of the wooden path certainly wouldn't be enough to make it invisible.
After all, he's only been eating the fruit for a few days.
Standing on the deck, Raymond de Saint looked down at the unremarkable grass below and curled his lip in disdain. "Without the Imperial Way, I have no interest in going down!"
He had been to the Sabaody Archipelago several times, seen and done everything he wanted to see and do, so it held little appeal for him.
"Then tell me, when is Vidal coming back?"
"Uh, I'm not entirely sure about that either." Colonel Noel's eyes darted around as he spoke, and he quickly added, "But Lieutenant Vidal is quite fond of collecting Devil Fruits. He probably heard about where there were Devil Fruits, so he went to look for them!"
Noel had previously participated in Vidal's online meeting with eleven local tyrants.
Therefore, knowing that Vidal allowed the latter to use Devil Fruit to replace the 100 million Beli protection fee, he guessed that his superior might be very interested in Devil Fruits.
Devil Fruit?
Raymond de Saint quite surprised. "He would go out of his way to find such a common toy?" He remembered that every household had about ten of these.
He then raised his haughty chin and looked down at Colonel Noel below the ship.
"Tell that Brigadier General Vidal that if he comes back within ten days to get me the Imperial Road, I'll send him two!"