Chapter 372: Fruit of Vitality
Chapter 372: Fruit of Vitality
"You..."
The burly man was about to finish his sentence when he suddenly paused, taking a closer look at the white-haired man before him. His expression changed drastically, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he stumbled backward.
"Natural Disaster!"
Anyone who had access to information would recognize the infamous figure before them.
Unlike those desperately poor souls who couldn't even afford a proper meal, let alone a newspaper, he was well aware of current affairs and the notorious figure standing before him—a notorious pirate known across the world.
"How did you end up here in the West Blue?" the burly man exclaimed.
"Do pirates need permission to go wherever they please?" Sag replied as he stepped off his motorcycle and waved dismissively at the man. "Move aside. Scram."
He had little interest in wasting time with such weaklings.
The man instinctively wanted to back away, but then he glanced at the people beside him, cloaked in black, and his courage returned. A sinister smile spread across his face as he said, "If I can take down a great pirate like you here, I'll become famous worldwide too!"
Sag sighed. "The sea never runs out of fools like you."
"Charge!"
As the burly man raised his axe, the crowd nearby immediately scattered, rushing to the sides to clear a path.
From within this opening, the black-cloaked figures moved like ghosts, rushing through the passage and sprinting towards Sag with incredible speed.
Sag remained still, watching quietly.
Whoosh!
Just as the black-cloaked figures were about to reach him, a residual image flashed past Sag, moving from behind him to the front, colliding with the onrushing figures.
"Leave it to me, Captain Sag!"
It was Paru, clad in an iron shield, who charged forward while turning back to flash a toothy grin at the others, his white teeth shining between his lips.
Boom! Clang!
The black-cloaked humanoid figures crashed into Paru's iron shield, their weapons creating a chorus of clanging and chopping sounds. The tremendous force even caused deep fissures to appear in the shield.
"That flimsy iron shield is useless!" the burly man shouted as he charged forward like a bear. His axes were raised high, and he brought them down with full force on Paru's iron shield.
"Sending such lackeys is a recipe for failure!"
The sharp axes bit deep into the iron shield, and the burly man grinned ferociously. He was about to exert more force and split both the shield and Paru in two when his expression changed again. Despite his efforts, the shorter figure before him remained unmoved, as if he were rooted to the spot.
"Breaking the iron shield is pointless because I also have Iron Mass!"
Paru extended his thumb and pointed it at himself. With a toothy grin, he boasted, "I am Shield Man, also known as the handsome and absolutely defensive Paru. I'm a real pro at this!"
"You..."
"Iron Mass: Heavy Bite!"
Before the burly man could finish his sentence, Paru's hand shot out like lightning and grabbed his head with incredible force.
Boom!
With just one squeeze, the man's skull was deformed, and with a dull thud, his entire head was crushed to a pulp, and he fell to the ground.
"I'm not just skilled; I'm also powerful!" Paru laughed triumphantly.
After obtaining the fruit, Paru had, as Sag predicted, initially given up on using the iron shield.
It wasn't entirely useless, but in the New World, anyone with even a little reputation wouldn't bother with such a shield.
However, Paru had started using it again after a while.
In his own words, it gave him a sense of security.
The Iron Mass technique and his own animal-type defense weren't enough for him.
With the iron shield, he had an additional layer of protection, making him feel safer.
Whoosh!
Even after the burly man's death, the black-cloaked figures continued their assault. After their initial attack failed, one of them approached from the side, intending to strike again. Paru grabbed the opportunity, tearing off the figure's cloak and revealing—
"An apple?" Paru froze.
Beneath the black cloak was an apple that had taken on a humanoid form. It didn't quite look human, lacking distinct limbs and facial features, yet it resembled a human silhouette.
What looked like an extension of its arm held two hammer-like objects shaped like apples, poised to strike.
The iron shield, already weakened by the previous attacks and cleaved by the axe, shattered completely. Before Paru could counter, a strand of hair suddenly appeared and pierced through the apple-like body.
The humanoid figure trembled, its body disintegrating into ash. From the remains, a large apple, noticeably bigger than a fist, appeared, impaled by the strand of hair.
"Hmm?"
Beside Sag, Marika's hair danced in the air as she let out a soft exclamation. The strands of hair coalesced and surged towards the remaining black-cloaked figures, instantly tearing away their cloaks and revealing their true forms.
A banana-like humanoid wielding a knife.
A coconut and a durian, clad in armor.
A T-bone steak, holding a white bone sword and a meat sword.
A robust-looking chunk of chicken breast.
Beneath the black cloaks were nothing but food items!
As Marika's hair attacked, the humanoid figures exploded into ash, reverting to their original food forms.
"A Devil Fruit user?" Marika murmured softly, her heightened sensitivity to food allowing her to sense something amiss and prompting her to take action.
Akin, standing behind her, pondered for a moment before speaking. "If it's a Devil Fruit user, perhaps they're similar to Cracker, creating things with their ability."
"How intriguing," Sag smiled. He stepped over the food items that had fallen to the ground as Marika's hair retracted and looked towards the iron door at the heart of the mountain, which now had a gaping hole in it.
Chapter 372: Fruit of Vitality
"Reine, let's give it another shot."
"Sure thing!"
Renitia twisted the hammer's handle once more, blasting another cannonball at the massive iron door, blowing it wide open.
Beyond the door lay a brilliant white light, stark against the darkening sky as night approached.
It was an intensely bright light.
Clank!
As the light appeared, a piercing sound rang out. The rope hanging in front of the iron door snapped, and a tremor could be felt below, where the sentry post was located.
Apparently, some sort of elevator mechanism had been severed as well.
"What's the deal with hiding in the mountains?"
Sag chuckled, "Never mind, I'll go myself. The rest of you distribute the Energy Pills and let them know they're coming with me."
Boom!
With that, he took a step forward, leaving a trail of smoke rings in his wake as he soared into the air and landed gracefully on the steps leading to the iron door.
While the door was quite wide, Sag still felt a sense of initial constriction upon entering, followed by a sudden sense of openness.
The mountain's interior had been hollowed out, revealing a massive white hall that emanated a soft glow.
If Sag's palace, artistically redesigned by Hawkins at Sag's request, blended 'new money' flamboyance with artistic flair, resulting in a gaudy, golden spectacle.
Then this hall, with its air of sanctity and opulence, truly impressed Sag.
"These stones..."
Sag strode inside, tapping each glowing block with his finger. He clicked his tongue, "Nice. Where did they get these? A West Blue specialty? Lily, Lily!"
Swish!
At his call, Lily and Marika swiftly entered using Moon Walk.
"Go, give Moria a call and ask if there are any luminous white stones in the West Blue. I can't quite tell."
Sag said, glancing at Marika.
"I'm curious about this food issue." Marika smiled faintly, "So I came to take a look. Hmm...seems like we're getting somewhere."
Stomp, stomp, stomp.
The sound of numerous footsteps echoed through the hall as a group of white-cloaked figures, distinct from the black-cloaked ones outside, filed in from both sides and lined up in front of Sag.
These cloaks also concealed their wearers' bodies, leaving only their legs visible.
One of the white-cloaked figures stepped forward, revealing their face.
"Who dares intrude here? Are you tired of living?"
The man glared at Sag, "This is the royal palace. Intrusion is punishable by death!"
But as soon as he finished speaking, his expression froze, and cold sweat trickled down his forehead. "Oh god...Natural Disaster?!"
Like the burly man before, he recognized Sag.
Sag glanced at him indifferently, equally uninterested, "Lily, Marika, take care of the people in this palace. Loot whatever you can. I'll take a stroll. This place is well-made, embedded right into the mountain."
Without another word, he strode toward an entrance on the right side of the hall.
The white-cloaked man opened his mouth to speak, but Sag suddenly waved his hand, summoning a gust of wind blades that sliced through the group of white-cloaked figures. The cloaks shredded into pieces, revealing piles of food—fruits, vegetables, and meat—that fell to the ground in disarray.
The white-cloaked man pursed his lips and discreetly retreated to the back of the group, attempting to hide himself from Sag's notice.
It wasn't until Sag had entered the passageway that the man wiped the sweat from his brow, his face twisting with anger. He pointed at the two women in the hall and declared:
"Intruding on the royal palace is punishable by death! As the head guard of the Yunshan Kingdom, Gionel, it is my duty to punish you!"
"Moria, it's Lily. We're currently in the West Blue. Sag wants me to ask if there's a type of luminous white stone here."
Lily paid him no heed as she took out a small Den Den Mushi and started making a call.
"Hey!!!" Gionel's eyes bulged, his sharp teeth bared in a shout, "Pay attention to me! Even if you're part of that damn Natural Disaster Pirates, you can't treat people like this! Do you think your crew is so great?!"
"Did you make these foods?" Marika asked.
"Of course!"
Gionel boasted, lifting his head proudly, "I ate the Vita Vita Fruit and became a Vita Man. I can bring vitality to ingredients, preserving them from rotting while also animating them. Any kind of food can be brought to life and controlled by me!"
"The Yunshan Kingdom needs no extra guards. As long as I, Gionel, am here, I am the kingdom's strongest defense. No one shall enter the royal palace and lay eyes on the king!"
"Mmm, okay, I'll check inside."
Lily walked past Gionel, heading into the same passage Sag had taken, only responding as she disappeared from the hall, "Moria says it's not the stones that are luminous, but there's a type of luminous conduit stone that can make adjacent stones glow. I'll go look for it."
"Fair winds."
Marika smiled and replied, then turned to Gionel, "Then, I have a question. If you possess the technique to preserve food and even bring it to life, why are the people of this kingdom starving?"
"Do the lowborn deserve to eat?!"
Gionel scoffed, "It doesn't matter anyway. They'll be back soon enough. These people are as resilient as cockroaches; there's no need to worry about them."
(End of Chapter)
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