"Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh!"
Even in the middle of a sneak attack, only that blockhead Luffy could be screaming so loudly.
With his arm snapping back, mouth wide open, Luffy catapulted himself straight toward the massive tent.
The commotion immediately caught the attention of the Blood Pirates standing guard outside.
"What… what's with that guy?!"
"H-he just flew inside!"
"No! This is bad… the boss is in there!"
"We can't let him see!!"
The Blood crew's eyes bulged in panic as Luffy sailed right into the restricted tent.
Their captain's Devil Fruit ability was a tightly kept secret. If this brat saw the brewing process, not only would their entire business be ruined, but their captain's wrath would fall on them as well.
The thought alone made their scalps tingle. Faces pale with terror, they rushed frantically into the tent after him.
"Eh? What's that old man doing?"
Still in midair, Luffy blinked at the sight before him—a huge, rotund man with his back turned.
"Eh?!"
"Eh?!"
The fat man, sensing something behind him, turned around instinctively.
Their eyes met. Both Luffy and the man froze with matching expressions of shock—bordering on horror.
From Luffy's perspective, the big man looked like a giant hippopotamus, with an enormous mouth chewing on green plants. His round belly sported a massive spigot, and his whole body resembled a giant beer barrel.
But none of that was what struck Luffy. What struck him was… the bizarre way the man was peeing.
And the liquid—the color, the fragrance… it almost seemed like the stuff he had just…
"Bwaaaagh!!"
Realization slammed into him. Luffy's tongue flopped limply out of his mouth, his body went slack, and he crashed onto a thick vine with a thud.
"It's over… I'm dead!"
Sprawled on the vine, Luffy lay limp and lifeless, as though the will to live had abandoned him.
"You little brat! How did you get in here?!"
The fat man—Lachiru—snapped out of his shock. Fear turned instantly into fury.
"Uh… I flew in."
"Bwaaagh!!"
Still nauseous, Luffy barely managed to answer, only for his eyes to drift again toward the man's belly spigot. Another wave of disgust hit him.
"Could it really be…?"
Lachiru replayed the moment in his head, when the boy suddenly appeared behind him. His expression darkened.
With a wet tui~, he spat out the vine he'd been chewing, then retracted the spigot on his belly with his Devil Fruit power. His broad face sank into an ominous scowl.
"Brat. Since you've seen this… don't even think about leaving alive. I won't let my ability be exposed."
"Ability?"
Luffy tilted his head curiously. "What ability? You mean… that peeing thing?"
This damn kid…!
Veins bulged across Lachiru's forehead.
"Idiot! It's the Brew-Brew Fruit! Don't twist it into something disgusting!"
"The Brew-Brew Fruit?"
Luffy's eyes sparkled with stars. "Shishishi! So that whole 'peeing out water' thing was really your power? That's amazing!"
The more fascinated Luffy looked, the darker Lachiru's expression grew. His thick veins pulsed as he roared:
"Brat—die!!!"
With shocking speed for a man his size, Lachiru launched his massive body straight at Luffy, smashing down like a boulder.
"Whoa-whoa!"
Luffy scrambled off the vine, dashing away.
"Hey, what're you attacking me for all of a sudden? I just wanted to ask if you could give me one of those special drinks for my friend!"
"Bwaaagh!!"
But the moment the words left his mouth, Luffy gagged again, images of what he'd seen flashing across his mind.
To Lachiru, that look of disgust was like the cruelest mockery imaginable. His face darkened, as black as ink.
"Brat… are you mocking me?!"
"No! I'm telling the truth!" Luffy yelled over his shoulder as he ran. "I accidentally drank my friend's… ughhh… his share of it… urghhh…"
The nausea made it impossible to finish.
Even Luffy's rubber stomach, able to handle just about anything, had never endured something like this. Just the thought of it was unbearable.
Lachiru's fury boiled over like a volcano.
This boy's filthy mouth couldn't be allowed to live. If word of his Brew-Brew Fruit spread, his reputation—and his entire business—would be ruined. His customers would abandon him.
The thought of losing everything snapped the last thread of restraint. With a violent surge of energy, his pale white bulk flushed crimson.
His feet blasted jets of thick, alcohol-scented steam, propelling him straight off the ground.
"No matter what, I'll kill you, monkey brat!"
"Ehh?!"
Seeing him rocket upward like a booze-fueled jet, Luffy's eyes bulged in awe. "Whoa! You can even fly? That's so cool!"
BOOM!
The two collided, shaking the entire tent, a cloud of dust exploding around them.
Luffy barely dodged, staring wide-eyed at the fat man with his head jammed deep into a massive vine.
"Want me to help you out?" Luffy tilted his head, genuinely curious.
"Idiot! What do you think?! Hurry up and pull me out!!" Lachiru's muffled voice roared from within the vine.
"Well… if I help, will you give me a bottle of that water—urk—?"
Luffy held back a gag as he asked, but his eyes were serious.
"Damn brat!!! When I get out of here, I'll wring your neck!!"
His voice was low and muffled from inside the vine, but the rage was unmistakable.
"Aw, then forget it. Guess I'll just go tell my friend." Luffy shrugged and turned to leave.
"Boss! Boss!!"
"Captain!!"
Just then, the Blood crew rushed inside.
They had heard the commotion and assumed their captain had already crushed the intruder.
But instead, the sight that greeted them was their massive leader stuck head-first in a vine, wriggling helplessly.
"Wha—?!"
Horrified, they ran to him and began yanking desperately at his huge body.
"Ahhh! Idiots! You trying to kill me?!"
Lachiru screamed in pain as his men fumbled, making it even worse.
Meanwhile, Luffy, seeing the chaos, decided there was no point sticking around. He started toward the tent exit.
"Huh…?"
His eyes drifted casually toward the spot where Lachiru had been sitting earlier. Something there made him pause in puzzlement.
"Brat!!"
Suddenly, Lachiru's voice erupted from the vine. "Let me out, and I'll give you a bottle of—"
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