The Impoverished King

The day after leaving Little Garden, the sky was overcast, and a light drizzle gradually turned into a torrential downpour.

"Vivi, get inside! Reiner, furl the sails!"

"Right, got it."

At the stern of the Going Merry, Reiner stood shirtless in the rain, unfazed, continuing his squats with a barbell on his shoulders.

He simply sent out a few Undead to help pull and furl the sails.

"3045, 3046."

"Your progress is a bit exaggerated, Reiner."

Zoro, swinging his weighted training equipment, turned his head and sighed, "Your 1200-pound load suddenly jumped to 1600. It's only been a few days, hasn't it?"

"Ah, it's mainly thanks to what I gained from Little Garden."

Reiner explained simply. Since the first day he ate the Devil Fruit, this was his fastest improvement. And in the past few days, he had a subtle feeling of an inexplicable power raging within him.

"What's your current max lift?"

"I tried last night, it's close to 4000 kilograms." Reiner squatted down and stood up, his sculpted muscles looking aesthetically pleasing, with rain flowing down their smooth contours.

Zoro held an iron bar in each hand, with several large iron plates hanging from the ends. He swung them like swords, chopping, thrusting, and parrying.

"Mine's 5000 kilograms. Your strength is almost catching up to mine, that's crazy."

"It's not as exaggerated as you think."

Reiner chuckled, letting the raindrops hit his face and drip from his chin. "After this, I probably won't get any more Devil Fruit enhancements for a long time."

The Giant's physical talent was an overwhelming advantage. Unless he entered the New World, it would likely be difficult to encounter a stronger physical template in the first half of the Grand Line.

He also didn't know if Old Sand was in his full strength or weakened state right now. He hoped he wouldn't be backstabbed.

Dark clouds covered the sky, and the ocean was a hazy gray. Rain pattered against the Going Merry.

"3999, 4000!"

Thud!

After setting down the barbell, Reiner pulled off the towel from his neck and sat down on a lounge chair under a parasol to shelter from the rain.

Squeeze—

The towel was twisted into a tight rope, and water instantly squeezed out. After Reiner dried himself, he leaned back in the lounge chair.

He checked the Log Pose on the table for a moment to confirm their course. Just as he lit a cigarette, ready to relax, he noticed something standing on the sea surface in the distant rain.

"Zoro, am I seeing things?"

Reiner wiped his glasses and looked again. "That's a person, right?"

"Seems like it?"

Zoro also put down his iron bars and took a few steps forward, leaning on the railing, squinting as if that would help him see further.

Splash—!

No sooner had he spoken than a colossal object seemed to rise from beneath the humanoid figure. A huge hemisphere slowly ascended, with seawater cascading down its curved surface like a waterfall. Only then did the two clearly see the 'beast.' "A ship emerging from the sea!?"

"No, it must be a submarine."

Reiner refuted, his expression serious. "That person must have been standing on the submarine. But it's huge, isn't it?"

Before he finished speaking, the previously hemispherical submarine bloomed like an opening flower bud, transforming into a ship in no time. Its design was extremely exaggerated, resembling a castle.

"It can transform!?"

"Too bad Luffy didn't see it, haha."

Reiner laughed. As the other vessel slowly approached, he subtly began summoning Undead, one by one. Fish-man Undead quietly slipped into the water, and the Saw Devil stood ready.

Sanji, who was tidying up the kitchen in the second-floor living room, couldn't help but step out and look when he heard the commotion from the stern.

"What's going on?"

"It's Sanji. Looks like we have visitors," Reiner said, glancing at him.

After the giant ship drew closer, dozens of figures emerged onto its deck. The leader was a corpulent middle-aged man, accompanied by two bodyguard-like individuals, and behind them was a group of soldiers in identical uniforms, carrying guns. The bodyguards consisted of a man with an afro and another wearing a cute blue sleep robe but with a blank expression, which looked somewhat incongruous.

"Wahaha~."

The leading man cackled strangely, and together with his two bodyguards, the three of them jumped onto the Going Merry's stern railing. Their massive weight made the wooden railing creak.

"I am King Wapol."

The man with a fleshy face grinned menacingly. The soldiers on his ship aimed their guns at them. "We're heading back to Drum Island. Do you have a Log Pose or an Eternal Pose?"

"Doesn't look like a friendly visit." Zoro's hands rested on his sword hilts, his eyes cold, ready to strike at any moment.

Before the other person could even speak, Reiner remembered. The man before him was the former King Wapol of Drum Island, who hadn't done a single good thing during his reign.

"Zzzzzzz!"

The Chainsaw Devil pulled its chainsaw, and the sharp, grating sound scraped against everyone's nerves.

"Hey! You trying to move—"

Bang!

Before the explosion-haired bodyguard could finish his sentence, a dark kick landed on his face, digging deeply into his flesh.

Splat! Splat!

Before the other party could react, two deep gashes appeared out of nowhere on the man in the bathrobe, blood spurting out.

The moment the chainsaw sound started, Sanji and Zoro instantly sprang into action. Since the opponents pulled guns the moment they met, there was no need to ask questions.

It was time to fight!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Dozens of gunshots rang out. The Sword Devil charged forward without dodging, directly enduring the hail of bullets as it leaped onto the enemy ship. Its three swords whirled wildly, creating a flurry of flashing blades.

"Shoot! Keep shooting!"

"It's no use, the guns don't affect him!"

"It's a monster! A monster!"

King Wapol's face was grim. He heard the wails and screams coming from behind him, but he didn't dare to move.

Because three menacing chainsaws had already reached him. He opened his mouth wide and bit down on an incoming chainsaw.

Amazingly, his teeth actually shattered the chainsaw.

"What the hell?!"

Sanji was utterly stunned, watching as the opponent chewed and then swallowed. "I've been a chef for so many years, but I've never seen anyone eat like this."

"Hahaha, I'm a Munch-Munch Human who ate the Munch-Munch Fruit! I can eat anything!" King Wapol cackled, patting his belly and opening his mouth wide, as if still unsatisfied.

Bang—!

A gunshot rang out.

Blood splattered from his mouth. King Wapol's face was filled with shock. Feeling the sharp pain in his mouth, his gaze involuntarily fell on Reiner:

"W-why? Anything that enters my mouth... should be unable to cause harm."

"Looks like you can't eat Seastone."

Reiner gently blew a wisp of smoke from the gun barrel. "How's the taste of this bullet?"

"You... you..." King Wapol's expression was unwilling, but he could only slump weakly as a wave of fatigue washed over him.

Rumble!!!

As King Wapol lost consciousness, the enemy ship also began to disintegrate. It turned out that the ship was assembled from parts created by his Devil Fruit ability.

"Didn't even get a chance to loot anything."

Reiner sat back in his reclining chair under the umbrella and put away the Saw Devil. He watched the massive ship slowly sink and sighed, "Guess we'll just see how much the Fish-man Undead can salvage."

This small skirmish had only lasted a moment from start to finish. Seeing the farce conclude, Sanji turned to go back and prepare food.

As soon as he opened the back door of the cabin, he bumped head-on into Nami, who was walking out.

"What happened?" Nami asked, confused. She had heard a considerable commotion and came out, but as soon as she spoke, she saw a huge ship disintegrating.

Nami was instantly bewildered: "What the heck?! In the blink of an eye, you guys seem to have done something incredible!"

"Oh, nothing, just some uninvited guests."

Reiner's cigarette had just gone out. Without realizing it, their strength had grown to the point where they could wipe out a pirate crew in the blink of an eye.

The rain gradually lessened, and the Undead returned to the ship after finishing their salvage.

"Is this all?"

Reiner looked at the meager treasures they had salvaged and then remembered that the other party was just a down-on-his-luck king, so he understood.

Reiner didn't even bother to glance at it. "Just give it to Nami."