The next day, the Going Merry finally arrived near Drum Island.
Unexpectedly, the Merry was surrounded by a fleet of ships.
Thanks to Sandy's sharp observation, everyone quickly noticed the tense situation.
On one of the ships nearby stood a man whose height and width were nearly the same — Wapol, the self-proclaimed king of Drum Island.
He held a sword with a piece of grilled meat skewered on it. As he ate, he swallowed the sword right along with the food.
Sandy turned to Luffy. "Luffy, that guy's even more gluttonous than you."
Luffy's eyes widened. "Is that guy a monster? He eats swords?!"
Wapol bellowed from his ship, "Moo ha ha ha! Are those pirates up ahead? I am King Wapol of Drum Island — and now this ship of yours belongs to me! Ahh… I'm starving…"
Luffy shouted back immediately, "No way—"
But before he could do anything, Sandy raised a hand. "Wait."
He shot the crew a subtle wink, then turned to Wapol with a respectful smile.
"Honored King Wapol," Sandy said smoothly, "I am your most loyal follower. You're hungry, aren't you? How about I treat you to something delicious?"
Luffy gawked. "What's Sandy doing? Since when is he that idiot's follower?!"
Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke. "Calm down. Let's see what he's planning."
Wapol, who had been ready to leap aboard and devour their ship, paused in confusion.
Someone was calling him 'Your Majesty' and even offering him food?
Intrigued, he grinned. "Treat me to food?"
Sandy nodded seriously. "Yes, Your Majesty. I've heard tales of your greatness — how you can swallow the sun and the moon, devouring anything in your path."
"Nani?!" The Straw Hats collectively gasped.
Luffy's eyes sparkled. "Really?! Swallow the sun and the moon? Show us, show us!"
Zoro dragged Luffy back by the vest. "That's enough, idiot. You think that's actually possible?"
But Wapol was flattered. His face lit up as he laughed. "Moo ha ha ha! Swallow the sun and moon, swallow everything? You describe me perfectly! Fine, I'll let you become my follower. Now then, what's this food you promised me?"
Sandy gestured grandly toward the sky. "It's simple, Your Majesty. Just look up, open your mouth, and your meal will come right to you."
"Moo ha ha ha… really?" Wapol chuckled, but still looked up and opened his enormous mouth.
Sandy quietly snapped his fingers. "Room."
A wooden barrel appeared high above Wapol's head — and dropped straight down into his open mouth.
It looked oddly familiar.
Usopp squinted. "Why does that barrel look… familiar?"
Zoro frowned. "Yeah… I've seen it before somewhere."
Sanji suddenly froze, his cigarette falling from his mouth. "Wait! Isn't that— our toilet!?"
Everyone's expressions went pale at once. They shivered in unison.
But before anyone could stop him, Wapol had already swallowed it whole.
A few seconds later, his face twisted in horror.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host — you've completed a flashy move. You are rewarded with a chance to disgust your opponent.]
The reward didn't matter — Sandy's satisfaction was reward enough.
"Clap, clap, clap!" He started applauding with mock admiration. "Incredible! Truly amazing! King Wapol, you really can swallow anything! Unprecedented and unmatched!"
Luffy's face turned green. "That guy… he ate our nighttime stuff! That's… amazing and disgusting… ugh…"
"Ugh…" everyone groaned in agreement, clutching their stomachs.
Wapol glared darkly at Sandy. "You little brat… you're finished—"
Before he could finish, Sandy appeared before him in a flash and kicked him straight off his ship.
As Wapol flew backward, his voice echoed across the sea: "I'll be back! You hear me? Back…"
Sandy dusted his hands and returned to the deck. Everyone stared at him like he'd lost his mind.
He sighed. "What's with those looks? My temper's gotten way better. I didn't even cut him down."
Sanji shouted, "That's not the point! What you did was way worse than cutting him!"
Usopp nodded quickly. "Sandy, you really gotta control your temper. We didn't even have a grudge with them."
Luffy added, "Yeah! You can't just mess around like that!"
Sandy rolled his eyes. "What's wrong with you guys? We're pirates! Do I need to check his moral record before hitting him? Don't be ridiculous, tsk…"
Vivi stepped forward, hands raised. "Everyone, calm down. If Sandy hadn't driven him away, Wapol might've eaten our entire ship!"
"Eaten… our ship?!" the crew shouted in unison.
Vivi nodded gravely. "He's a Munch-Munch Fruit user. I heard that not long ago, he and his army were defeated by a band of pirates, and he fled Drum Island. He must've been trying to return just now."
Luffy burst into laughter. "So that's it! Sandy, you're actually a good guy!"
Sanji groaned. "Speaking of which… what do we do about our toilet tonight?"
Sandy raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you go find Wapol and ask for it back?"
Zoro chuckled. "Maybe Sandy should've kicked you over to Wapol too."
Sanji's eyes flared. "What was that, you moss-headed bastard?!"
Zoro smirked. "You wanna fight?"
Sandy rubbed his temples. "Enough already! Finding a doctor for Nami is the priority. Can you guys act a little more mature?"
Everyone yelled in unison, "You're the last one who should say that!"
Soon after, the Going Merry reached the icy coast of Drum Island.
On both sides of the cliffs, people peered down at them with clear disgust.
"Pirates! Were you sent back by that trash, Wapol?"
"Get out of here! Pirates aren't welcome!"
"You pirates are the worst scum in the world! Leave immediately!"
Luffy frowned. "Why do they hate us so much?"
It made sense — Blackbeard had attacked this island once, and after that, Wapol's reign of terror and cowardly flight had ruined the kingdom's trust in outsiders.
But what did that have to do with Sandy and the others? Still, with Nami lying sick on the ship, they couldn't afford to fight.
Sandy clenched his fists. He really wanted to shut those villagers up with a single slash — but if they scared off the locals, who would help them find a doctor? Even if they found one, would that doctor still be willing to save Nami?
No. He couldn't risk it.
Luffy called out, "We might be pirates, but we don't mean any harm! One of our crewmates is sick!"
Bang!
"Get out! There are no doctors here!"
"Yeah! All the doctors were taken away by Wapol!"
There was no way to reason with them.