The innkeeper's shock did nothing to faze Takumi. The expressions on the faces of the Drum Kingdom's Royal Guard, however, grew more exaggerated by the second.
"What the hell is he doing?" Law suddenly noticed that Wapol, who had been sliced into pieces just moments ago, was now eating his own dismembered body parts. A wave of disgust washed over him. "So, this guy's a Devil Fruit user too… gross."
Takumi wasn't surprised at all. He had known about Wapol's abilities for a while now, so watching the tyrant devour himself didn't even raise an eyebrow.
"Wapol's a Munch-Munch Fruit user," the innkeeper said with concern. "Anything he eats becomes a part of him. If he eats all the weapons around here, you guys are in real trouble. Takumi, Law, you need to get out of here while you still can!"
"Hah! None of you are going anywhere!" Wapol, now slimmed down after consuming all his severed body parts, emerged from a large tin barrel. He quickly started snatching up the rifles scattered on the ground by his soldiers and began devouring them.
Law frowned. His ROOM was still active. In an instant, he reappeared right in front of Wapol, his blade poised to strike.
But just as Law's sword was about to slice down, Wapol, who had just swallowed a few guns, morphed them into a rocket launcher-like barrel protruding from his chest. At the last second, he fired a powerful shot, the bullet grazing Law's cheek as it zipped by.
That shot could've taken Law out if his reflexes hadn't been so sharp.
"Damn it!" Law cursed under his breath, tightening his grip on his sword as he continued to press the attack on Wapol.
Wapol kept shoveling weapons into his mouth, and more gun barrels began sprouting from his body, spitting out an endless stream of bullets in every direction toward Law.
Inside his ROOM, Law had the advantage of near-instantaneous movement, but even then, getting close to Wapol was proving to be a challenge.
Just then, several of Wapol's men rolled out a set of cannons from inside the castle.
Wapol wasted no time jumping over to the cannons and started eating them one by one.
"Heh, those two freaks are done for," one of the soldiers sneered.
"Yeah, when King Wapol gets serious, he's unstoppable."
"Hahaha, I almost feel bad for those brats. Should've run when they had the chance. Now it's too late. Serves 'em right."
The guards pushing the cannons taunted.
Law had hoped to take Wapol down before he finished eating the cannons. But before he could close the distance, more gun barrels sprouted from Wapol's body, sending a barrage of bullets flying at him.
Even with his ROOM allowing for near-instant movement, the sheer number of bullets was overwhelming for Law, who still had limited experience in using his Devil Fruit powers in real combat. After all, he was only fourteen.
Seeing that he couldn't dodge in time, Law quickly teleported to the edge of his ROOM, narrowly avoiding the barrage.
Meanwhile, Wapol finished devouring the cannons his men had brought out. Wiping his mouth, he shifted his gaze to Takumi, who stood just five meters away.
"You little brat," Wapol snarled. "I'll deal with you first, then I'll finish off that hat-wearing punk. Ahahaha!" Wapol laughed maniacally, his soldiers joining in.
Takumi stood there, expressionless, watching Wapol's body morph as he transformed his hands and head into rocket launchers, all aimed directly at him.
"Die, you little pest! Ahahaha!" Wapol cackled as he fired a volley of rockets at Takumi.
The innkeeper, overwhelmed with fear, felt his legs give out beneath him as he collapsed to the ground, trembling. The only thought running through his mind was, "We're done for."
Takumi, on the other hand, remained calm, watching the incoming barrage of missiles without a trace of concern.
As the soldiers around them laughed hysterically, the missiles hit their target with a series of thunderous explosions, filling the air with thick smoke.
Everyone, except Law, assumed Takumi and the innkeeper had been obliterated.
From the distance, Dalton, who had just dragged himself out of the snow where Takumi had knocked him, turned to see the explosions. His face fell with a mix of sorrow and guilt.
"Hahaha, that brat must be dead now! What a fool, just standing there as the missiles came flying at him."
"I bet he was too scared to move! Serves him right, the idiot."
"King Wapol, go ahead and take out that hat-wearing kid next! Maybe if you do, we'll get put back together."
The soldiers began clamoring.
Wapol grinned wickedly as he turned to face Law. "Alright, kid, you're next! Ahahaha! Prepare to die!"
"Heh," Law suddenly chuckled.
Wapol paused, frowning. "What are you laughing at?"
Law's grin widened. "Did you really think that pathetic excuse for an attack could kill Takumi?"
"What?" Wapol quickly looked back to where Takumi had been standing.
The smoke from the explosion began to clear, revealing a glowing golden sphere in the midst of the destruction.
"What the hell is that?" Wapol asked, bewildered.
Takumi dismissed the Fairy Sphere, and as it vanished, he and the innkeeper were revealed to be completely unharmed.
Everyone's jaws dropped.
"What? They're okay?"
"How's that possible? How did they survive King Wapol's attack?"
"What was that golden sphere?"
The soldiers' disbelief echoed through the air.
Wapol, however, was seething with rage, his teeth grinding together as he stared down Takumi. "You little punk! Let's see how many more of my attacks you can dodge!"
Takumi rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed.
Before Wapol could fire off another volley, Takumi vanished, reappearing in front of the tyrant in a blink.
Wapol barely had time to register what was happening before Takumi's foot slammed into his gut, shattering the gun barrels protruding from his stomach. With a single kick, Takumi sent Wapol soaring through the air in a perfect arc.
"King Wapol!" the soldiers cried out in panic.
"Your Majesty, we're coming!" The few guards who hadn't been dismembered by Law sprinted off in the direction Wapol had flown.
Takumi turned away without a second glance, heading back toward the cable car.
As he passed the innkeeper, he said calmly, "Let's go."
The innkeeper, still in a daze, scrambled to his feet and hurried after Takumi.
Just as Law was about to leave, Dalton stepped in front of him, back in his human form.
"I know this is asking a lot," Dalton began, his voice steady but pleading. "But my men were only following orders when they fought you. They didn't deserve this. Please, help restore them to their original state."
Law glanced down at the scattered body parts of Dalton's soldiers, all still alive but in pieces. He smirked coldly. "Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?"
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