Mm~, That's Delicious!

Geppo!

Will stepped into the air and rose again.

Then he decisively drew back his leg and slowly gathered strength before unleashing another swift, powerful kick. The arc of his leg was far wider than before!

Rankyaku: Sea Split!

A massive vacuum slash shot toward the Golden Armor Man at high speed, compressing the air on either side into a powerful gust!

Krieg's eyes bulged at the horrifying sight.

His mind even instinctively recalled the enormous Flying Slash unleashed by the powerful man they had encountered on the Grand Line.

But that man had at least wielded a massive Black Blade.

This man in front of him could do it with just his leg!

"Damn it—! I refuse to accept this—!!"

Filled with grief and fury, Krieg roared at the sky and swung the long weapon in his hands with all his strength at the oncoming vacuum slash.

Crack—!

The moment they made contact, Krieg's weapon shattered.

Boom—!

The vacuum slash slammed into the gold armor on Krieg's chest, shattering it and sending him crashing straight into the ship.

The pirates on board who were unfortunate enough to be grazed by the slash were either cut in half or left with severed limbs.

Boom—!

Immediately afterward, the entire ship let out a thunderous crash and split cleanly in two!

Even the sea beneath the ship had been cleaved open, leaving a massive gap that took several seconds to fill with the surrounding water.

It also indirectly sped up the ship's descent beneath the waves.

Tap.

Will landed steadily at the bow and gazed calmly at the ship and pirates sinking into the sea in the distance.

It was as if he had done no more than brush the dust off himself.

Seeing how easily he had dealt with the pirates, Carina's face filled with surprise.

She couldn't help thinking to herself, He's so efficient.

Just then, Nami, who had been resting in the cabin, hurried outside at the sound. Looking at the two people at the bow, she asked curiously:

"What happened?!"

Carina came back to herself and pointed at the shipwreck in the distance, smiling faintly.

"We ran into a bunch of pirates who tried to hijack the ship. Will took care of them."

"Huh?" Nami turned to look, surprised. A hint of confusion showed in her gaze. "There are pirates even in a place like this?"

There wasn't even an island nearby. This was a fairly empty stretch of sea.

Pirates usually had no reason to come around here.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have deliberately chosen this route. Her goal was to get to Arlong Park as quickly as possible.

"It's all over. Keep the ship moving."

Will didn't pay any attention to the pirates still struggling in the sea nearby. He spoke calmly.

"Yes, Captain."

Nami nodded slightly. She had no intention of rescuing the pirates either, and turned toward the helm.

As Will and the others sailed farther away,

the pirates still clinging to broken pieces of wood began to tire and let go, slowly sinking beneath the waves.

After several days,

Will and his companions finally reached the waters near the Konomi Islands.

"Are we almost there at last..."

Nami stood on deck, gazing at the calm sea in the distance, her expression complicated.

Unlike Will and Carina, who seemed quite relaxed, she still felt worried.

But since there was no avoiding what lay ahead,

all she could do was find a way to help Will defeat Arlong and protect the people in her village.

"Nami~, the steaks are ready! Come over and eat!"

Carina was barbecuing with Will in the middle of the deck. Seeing Nami standing alone by the railing, she quickly got up and called to her.

"Coming!"

Nami turned and replied with a smile, pushing down her worries as she walked over and sat in one of the chairs set out in the middle.

"Go ahead. They're fresh off the grill."

Will didn't say much. He simply picked up the huge steak in front of him, sizzling with oil and smelling delicious, and held it out to her.

"Mmm~, that smells amazing!"

Nami took it and sniffed. Her eyes lit up, and she began eating in big bites.

Carina watched her, a faint smile on her lips.

Sure enough, a good meal could go a long way toward easing someone's worries.

Will had a huge steak in his hands too. He polished it off in just a few bites.

As he ate more and more, his stomach quickly swelled, then shrank back down just as fast.

Carina and Nami beside him didn't notice a thing.

Will kept devouring all kinds of meat, a look of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

He had to admit that, whatever else the pirate world had to offer, it certainly had excellent meat.

He had always loved meat, and since arriving in this world, he had eaten lavish meals of meat and seafood almost every day. It was pure bliss.

Besides the steaks grilling on the rack,

there were piles of all kinds of meat and drinks beside the three of them.

Will had decided to use up all the food supplies aboard the ship

partly because they were about to reach Arlong Park, where he could replenish their supplies with fresh ingredients,

and partly because he had tried drawing a talent again last night and gained a new one.

[Iron Bones: You are born with bones far stronger than steel.]

After acquiring this talent,

Will felt his strength increase tremendously once again.

It seemed Innate Divine Strength had drawn out even greater potential with the boost from Iron Bones.

Fortunately, he had fine control over his body by now, so he didn't accidentally damage the ship.

After spending 10,000 Purity Points last night, he had 7,000 left.

Will hadn't expected the ship of pirates he'd casually wiped out earlier to give him 1,800 Purity Points.

He had no idea who those pirates had been.

They had given him about as many Purity Points as Treasure's and Clown Buggy's crews.

He thought about it for a while without reaching any conclusions, then decided not to dwell on it and went back to quickly polishing off the grilled meat in front of him.

The three of them were eating and drinking merrily.

Suddenly,

Will paused, looked toward the distant sea, and frowned slightly. "Something's coming."

"What?" Carina and Nami both froze.

"There's something in the water."

Will set down his steak and rose, walking slowly to the railing.

Just then,

the water beside the ship suddenly bulged, and a huge figure emerged from beneath the surface.

"A Sea Beast?!"

Carina and Nami stared at the enormous bull's head that had suddenly shot out of the water, both looking startled.

"No, it's Moo Moo!"

Nami recognized the Sea Cow, and her expression changed sharply.

"Moo Moo?" Carina looked puzzled and turned to Nami.

Nami seemed to remember something. Her face darkened at once as she explained:

"Sea Cow Moomoo, one of the three officers under the fish-man Arlong. Hachi's pet."

"On Hachi's orders, it once used its enormous size and strength to flatten several towns that couldn't pay their 'Tribute'..."

"Huh?!"

Carina was astonished. She couldn't help looking up at Sea Cow Moomoo, who appeared completely harmless.