Three days later, morning.
*Rumble—!*
The island trembled violently. The Stomach Baron was feeding once again, its massive petal-like sections beginning to close upward.
"Quick, jump into the trees!"
"Grab onto something, anything!"
"Watch your heads!"
Inside the dense forest, the light gradually dimmed. Dozens of pirates quickly scattered, leaping into the surrounding trees to find their footing.
The ground gradually tilted until it became completely vertical. Countless animals plummeted from above into the abyssal maw below, while the pirates nimbly navigated through the trees that were now flipped at a ninety-degree angle.
As the thirty handpicked elites of the crew, these squad leaders were more than capable of handling this situation with ease.
However, at this moment, whether they were hanging or standing on the trees using their various skills, every single one of them wore a solemn expression. They kept a wary eye on their surroundings, as if a powerful enemy lurked within the gloomy forest.
Suddenly!
*Bang!*
"Gah—!"
A black shadow darted out at breakneck speed! One pirate whipped his head around, but before he could even get a clear look, he was sent flying by a head-on collision!
Snatching the foraged food from the pirate's hands, the shadow's wings vibrated at a high frequency as it abruptly accelerated, flying deep into the forest.
"On the left!"
"After it!"
The surrounding crew members reacted instantly, stomping hard on the branches and launching themselves in pursuit of the bizarre creature.
"Moonwalk!!"
*Poof! Poof! Poof!*
Allen violently kicked off the air beneath his feet, taking the lead in the chase. His eyes darkened as he locked onto the creature's back!
The target had a massive, pitch-black horn on its head. Its body was humanoid, yet covered in an insect-like exoskeleton. Two pairs of translucent membranous wings flapped at a high frequency on its back, emitting a loud buzzing sound.
Allen pursued it relentlessly. The two of them darted through the forest at breakneck speeds, displaying terrifying maneuverability.
His feet moved so fast they were nearly a blur, yet the distance between him and the creature continued to widen. He gradually felt his strength falling short.
*Rumble—*
The surrounding terrain rapidly shifted. Having finished its meal, the island's sky-obscuring "petals" slowly bloomed open, and the brightening light from above filtered down into the forest.
"This bastard is way too fast."
Allen cursed under his breath through gritted teeth. Seeing the creature's silhouette about to vanish into the depths of the forest, he ultimately chose to give up, landing on a tree to halt his momentum.
A moment later, the island's movements ceased, and the ground stopped trembling, returning to a peaceful state.
"Allen."
Behind him, Sanji and Gin arrived with the rest of the subordinates.
"To think even you couldn't catch up to it. Did you get a clear look at what it was?"
"It's hard to describe. It looked like a cross between a human and a Hercules beetle," Allen replied, jumping down from the tree to the ground.
Hearing this, Sanji frowned slightly and guessed, "Could it be a human who ate a Hercules Beetle fruit?"
"No, its behavioral patterns didn't resemble a human's at all. It felt more like a Hercules beetle that ate a Human-Human Fruit," Allen said, his gaze fixed on the depths of the forest.
Two days ago, right after they landed on the Boin Archipelago, Sanji had been attacked in the forest without even catching a glimpse of his assailant.
At first, Allen hadn't thought much of it, assuming Sanji had just been careless and failed to dodge.
Over the past two days, he had wandered into the forest out of curiosity, but unfortunately, he never encountered the creature. Instead, the crew members foraging for fruits and vegetables in the forest were constantly being attacked.
Sanji had guessed that the creature was attracted by the gathered food, so they had specifically set up an ambush today.
Obviously, they had failed completely.
Allen hadn't anticipated this outcome either. The creature's flying ability was absurdly strong, far surpassing what Moonwalk could achieve.
Moreover, it wasn't just fast. Through Allen's Observation Haki, he sensed that the creature's life force was actually stronger than his own.
This couldn't help but surprise him.
After all, since setting sail, this was the first time he had encountered an entity with a stronger life force than his.
"Captain, Bellamy and his crew are here!"
Suddenly, a subordinate's shout echoed from the distance.
Allen looked toward the sound, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Finally..."
...
Exiting the forest, the group returned to the coastal camp just as a pirate ship slowly approached.
"Hahahaha! I haven't seen you in a few days, and to think you've actually become a Warlord of the Sea! That's unbelievable, hey!"
Bellamy leaped down from the ship with a wide grin, followed by a few of his officers.
Allen chuckled lightly. "Word travels fast for you."
"What do you mean 'word travels fast'? Don't tell me you haven't read the morning paper. The whole world knows about it now."
Bellamy walked forward, tossing a rolled-up newspaper over.
With a strange expression, Allen caught the newspaper and unrolled it.
From behind his shoulder, Nami popped her head out, her eyes also falling on the paper.
The enlarged, bold headline was extremely eye-catching. Below it was a massive photograph featuring a close-up of Allen's upper body draped in his pitch-black pirate coat.
Judging by the background, it must have been taken at the resort in Alabasta.
The accompanying text described some of Allen's exploits, embellishing them significantly. Finally, it mentioned his new status as a legal pirate and the revocation of his bounty.
"Hehe, the bounty is revoked! From now on, we won't have to walk on eggshells everywhere we go, worrying about bounty hunters targeting us."
Seeing this, Nami couldn't help but laugh, her expression filled with joy.
"Plus, we've become legal pirates. We won't be hunted by the Marines, and we can freely enter and exit World Government affiliated nations. This status is absolutely fantastic!"
"About that, I'm afraid you're celebrating a bit too early, beautiful. Becoming a Warlord of the Sea won't make your lives any quieter."
Bellamy shot down her optimism with a grinning chuckle.
"It's true that the Marines and bounty hunters won't target you anymore, but don't forget, the most dangerous group on these seas are pirates."
"Do you know how many people want to step on a Warlord of the Sea to make a name for themselves? Taking this seat means you'll face countless challengers knocking on your door, especially as a newly appointed Warlord."
"I'm afraid quite a few pirates already have their eyes on your heads, eager to test if you're truly qualified to sit in that position. You'll see once you reach the next island."
Hearing this, Nami's expression froze, her entire being left reeling in the wind.
*How could this be?*
*Am I destined to never live a peaceful life...?*
Nami's heart turned to ash as she wept silently inside.
"I'm actually looking forward to it. Anyway, enough about these trivial matters. Where are the fruits?"
Allen steered the conversation back on track.
Bellamy waved his hand, and Sarkies stepped forward from behind him, carrying two wooden chests.
"Your luck is seriously unbelievable, managing to find a seller for an Ancient Zoan. Good thing this is the first half of the Grand Line. If we were in the New World, this fruit probably wouldn't have even made it into your hands."
Bellamy said as he picked up one of the wooden chests. Opening it, a purple-green fruit shaped somewhat like a water caltrop lay quietly inside.
The fruit's surface was covered in spiral patterns, and a pair of curved horns featured serrated edges, resembling the terrifying, unfurled scythes of a praying mantis.
Allen looked at the fruit with satisfaction and ordered the Nyaban Brothers to fetch the money. He then turned his attention to the other fruit.
It was a pure white wax apple. When turned upside down, the fruit instantly resembled a ghost doll, its patterns forming a smiling face.
Bellamy and Sarkies closed the wooden chests.
Having confirmed the fruits, Allen was just about to have the Nyaban Brothers hand over the money and take the goods.
But right at that moment.
*Bzzzt—!*
Accompanied by an ear-piercing buzz, a black shadow suddenly darted out from the forest behind Allen. Its body shot toward Bellamy like an arrow, fast as lightning!
"What the hell is that?!"
Faced with the bizarre creature hurtling toward him, Bellamy looked startled. He instinctively clutched the wooden chest containing the Devil Fruit tightly and leaped backward.
Sarkies, who was still standing in place, just managed to react and hastily drew the kukri from his waist.
In the next instant, the pitch-black humanoid Hercules beetle was already right in front of him. Its hideous insectoid head and pair of ferocious mandibles were utterly terrifying.
"Die, you freak!"
In his panic, Sarkies furiously raised his blade and slashed down!
*Clang!*
The kukri struck the forked end of the massive horn, sending sparks flying as the blade snapped clean off!
Sarkies's pupils dilated in shock. Before his mind could even process what happened, the humanoid Hercules beetle rapidly swung its long arm!
*Slash!*
"Gah—!"
Sharp barbs tore through flesh and blood. Sarkies let out an agonizing wail as blood sprayed wildly from his chest, a gruesome gash ripped open on the spot!
The wooden chest containing the Devil Fruit flew out of his grasp.
The humanoid Hercules beetle looked up and flapped its wings, preparing to fly up and snatch it.
But right then, a tremendous force came from behind. It quickly turned its head, only to see its feet, which had just left the ground, being firmly gripped by a man.
Allen gritted his teeth, grabbing one of the creature's legs. He twisted his waist, spun around, and yanked downward with explosive force, slamming it viciously into the ground with a shoulder throw!
*Crash!!*
Dust and debris kicked up into the air. The ground caved in, exploding with countless cracks that spread outward like a spiderweb.
From within the billowing dust, two arms suddenly lashed out—though calling them arms was inaccurate; they were more like forelegs. The sharp barbs viciously tore into Allen's chest!
*Slash!*
A mist of blood sprayed out. Under the terrifying force, the sharp barbs actually managed to tear through Allen's incredibly tough, high-density muscles, leaving two shocking bloody gashes across his chest!
Allen clenched his jaw. Enduring the two hideous forelimbs hooked into his body, he raised his arm, coated his fist in Armament Haki, and threw a brutal punch just as the creature struggled to stand up!
*Bang!!*
The heavy, powerful punch blasted the beetle flying backward, sending it crashing into the forest like a fired cannonball.
A sharp pain shot up Allen's arm from his fist. Punching the chitinous shell on the creature's abdomen felt exactly like hitting a thick steel plate, jarring his bones with a stinging ache.
Looking up at the wooden chest falling from the sky, Allen ignored everything else and quickly leaped up to catch it.
He opened it for a quick glance; the white Teru Teru Bozu fruit lay quietly inside.
At the same time, above the forest, the bizarre Hercules beetle flew out once more. It cast a glance at Allen, seemingly a bit wary, before changing direction and flying toward Bellamy like a streak of black lightning.
Allen furrowed his brows. He dropped into a half-crouch and kicked off the ground with explosive force, shooting forward like an arrow released from a bowstring!
However, he was a step too late.
The humanoid Hercules beetle arrived in front of Bellamy. Its massive horn took a heavy Spring-Spring punch head-on, before ramming into Bellamy and sending him flying, crashing heavily into the sea.
By the time Allen caught up, the humanoid Hercules beetle had already snatched the chest containing the fruit. With a flap of its wings, it rapidly ascended into the sky.
Staring at the silhouette quickly disappearing over the horizon, Allen hesitated for half a second before abandoning the idea of pursuit.
The opponent was incredibly strong, and he was currently carrying the Teru Teru Bozu fruit. Chasing after it alone was a bit too risky; it wasn't worth it for a single Ancient Zoan fruit.
Power Stones, reviews, and comments— really helps a lot
Want to read ahead? Get access to 50+ extra chapters on my Patreon:
👉 patreon.com/Aragai_Sama