Chapter 169: The King Beyond Cure

Half an hour later.

Dalton climbed the Shanfeng where Wang Cheng was located.

Yet compared to the bright lights that once illuminated this place, the Wang Cheng at this moment had not even a single patrol guard; only a few burning torches swayed constantly, blown by the wind and snow.

Dalton forcibly suppressed the unease in his heart, walked straight into the Wang Cheng, passed through the narrow corridor, and arrived at the center of the palace.

At this moment.

Wapol stood on the Wang Zuo, directing a group of guards to pack up things in the Wang Cheng.

Dalton had no time to attend to these matters and urgently said:

"My lord, that fellow Moshuru has been spreading spores around Winter Island; many people have already been infected. Now, only the doctors under your command can save them."

"Please... do not be willful anymore."

Saying this.

Dalton knelt half before Wapol.

For him now, as long as he could make the doctors act and save the common people of the Drum Kingdom, he could do anything.

Including kneeling before this man he despised to the utmost.

"It's you?"

Wapol turned back, picking his nose with his little finger, adopting an utterly unseemly posture, and said:

"This country is going to perish!"

"You have come at just the right time. As this king's guard, you shall sail out with me to become a pirate!"

"A Zoan-type ability user is also a combat force that cannot be ignored."

Dalton was stunned, then immediately realized what he had heard and said in disbelief:

"You intend to abandon this country?! You intend to take the kingdom's remaining doctors away while so many common people are suffering from the plague?!"

A few traces of anger appeared on Wapol's face:

"You seem to have misunderstood something."

"I am the king here; those people are merely my property."

"When facing disaster, isn't it perfectly normal to abandon some property and flee?!"

"Or perhaps, Dalton... you intend to defy me?!"

"What a joke!"

Dalton's eyes bulged with rage.

Regarding Wapol's past actions, he could still deceive himself with the excuse that Wapol was too childish and had not yet become a qualified king.

After all, which mature king would bully a little girl out of jealousy?!

But Wapol's actions now had already exceeded his limit of tolerance.

"Wapol!"

"You are indeed the worst! The worst! The worst! king!"

"No, you are simply shaming those two words; I cannot accept such a you!"

Hiss!

Accompanied by a piercing sound, Dalton drew from his back that peculiarly shaped weapon resembling a violin.

His body also swelled, transforming into a human-beast form; two ox horns extended from both sides of his forehead, brimming with wildness and a sense of power.

"I don't care where you intend to go; leave those doctors behind."

"Otherwise, even if I must kill you, I will not let you continue your antics."

Hearing this, a burst of anger rose in Wapol's eyes, and he said:

"Do you intend to draw your sword against your master?!"

"Jazz! Cromarl!"

"Kill this fellow who dares to defy me!"

As the words fell.

Two strangely shaped figures, one after the other, charged toward Dalton.

Jazz drew his bow and shot; several arrows flew toward Dalton, stirring up a sound of breaking the air.

Swish!

Dalton swung his blade to block the arrows, then turned back to see Cromarl's fist already striking toward him.

He retreated in panic but was ultimately a step too slow, struck in the chest by a single punch.

Boom!

After the dull impact sound, the expected pain did not arrive; while puzzled, Dalton discovered that several black static furballs had already settled on his body.

"Oh no!"

The next instant.

Sparks flickered on the static furballs surrounding Dalton, instantly igniting all the hair on his body.

Boom!

The great fire instantly engulfed Dalton completely.

Yet only in his eyes did that uncontrollable hatred remain, keeping him in his final clarity even amidst the excruciating pain.

Only you! Only you!

Wapol, I absolutely cannot forgive someone who treats a country as a playground!

Thinking this.

Dalton swung his blade to blow out the flames surrounding him, stomped heavily on the floor, cracking it, and transformed his entire body into a phantom, charging toward Wapol.

"The violin—!"

Halfway through speaking.

The world before Dalton was instantly consumed by a massive maw, an alloy jaw, and front teeth like those of a hippo.

Wapol has made his move!

As the user of the Munch-Munch Fruit, Wapol can swallow anything and reassemble it according to his own will.

Even humans can be pieced together.

In the original story, after being defeated by the Straw Hat crew, he once fell to begging by the roadside, yet inadvertently created Wapol Metal by virtue of his ability, thereby rising again, and even founded the Black Drum Kingdom, which was recognized by the World Government.

This ability can synthesize swallowed items, but equally, it can simply be used for eating!

Just like now.

Swallowing Dalton, who had defied him, in one bite!

"No one in this country can defy me!"

"I am the king here; everything here is my property!"

"Since you won't obey, then become a snack!"

Dalton's eyes bulged with rage, yet there was no space left to dodge; at this moment, only unspeakable unwillingness filled his heart:

"What exactly do you consider human lives to be!"

Just as Dalton reached despair.

A gunshot rang out from afar.

A bullet shot forth from outside the castle, plunging straight into Wapol's arm.

"Ah!"

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts—!"

Wapol, struck by pain, instantly closed his massive maw; a jet of blood shot forth from his arm, and he toppled backward, his face turning somewhat pale.

All trace of the arrogant expression from moments before was gone.

"Save me!"

Jaws and Kromalimon, seeing Wapol severely wounded, hurried forward to rescue him; before they could even act, two bullets flew past their ears.

The whistling noise caused both of them a bout of tinnitus; the fear in their hearts instantly reached its peak, and they dared not move a single inch.

Everyone turned their heads to look at the source of the gunshot.

Only then did they realize that at some unknown time, two equally slender figures, one tall and one short, had already stood upon the windowsill.

Whoosh~!

The wind howled, sweeping up vast sheets of snowflakes that fell into the hall.

Everyone, looking at Van Augur holding the gun, felt a chill sweep through their hearts.

If this person truly had the intent to kill, those three shots just now could have directly ended the lives of Wapol and the others.

Van Augur, with his eyebrows drooping, said:

"Is today the day to decide your fates?! Truly, I've watched a fine show~"

"Stop talking nonsense."

Xiang Keluo pushed his glasses up with his palm; the killing intent all over his body was completely unmasked, and the chill he brought to everyone was even more bone-piercing than the wind and snow blowing into the castle at this moment.

Dalton's pupils contracted:

"Are you the pirates from Drum Village? Didn't you go to Kestda? What is your purpose here?!"

"Ah."

Xiang Keluo nodded, speaking in a cold voice:

"Our purpose should be much the same as yours; Dr. Kureha has also been infected by that fungal spore. Now, the only ones who can save people are that reindeer and the doctors here."

Having spoken, Xiang Keluo slightly flexed his fingertips; his claw knives danced, flashing with cold light, making the killing intent all over his body appear even more ferocious.

He looked down at the struggling Wapol:

"You have only one chance. Where is Dr. 20?!"

(End of this chapter)