Chapter 30: When a Ship Becomes a Landlubber...
The port fell into a deathly silence once again.
Those members of the Beast Pirates who were lucky enough to escape the blast felt their knees turn to jelly. Their weapons clattered to the ground one by one, ringing against the coral.
They looked at the old man who was dusting off his hands—as if he had merely swatted away a fly—and couldn't even muster the courage to run.
"Wh... What are you still standing there for?!"
"Run!"
"Monster! That old man is a monster!"
"Lord Page One... Lord Page One was taken out with a single slap..."
"Get back to the ship! Report what happened here to Lord Kaido!"
After a brief moment of stupor, absolute panic took over.
They scrambled up using both hands and feet, tumbling and crawling toward their ship as if countless Sea Kings were snapping at their heels.
Garp didn't stop them.
He simply raised an eyebrow, then walked over to the masked man lying unconscious in the ruins, who had reverted to his human form.
Under the confused gazes of the Straw Hats, he crouched down and began rummaging through the guy's clothes.
"What is Grandpa doing?" Luffy asked curiously.
"No way... does he have a habit of looting corpses?" Usopp muttered in a low voice.
Soon, Garp stood up.
In his hand was a completely different box, made of Seastone.
He casually flipped the lid open.
A genuine Zoan Devil Fruit, emitting a mysterious aura, lay quietly inside.
"Oh? Holding out on me?"
Garp weighed the fruit in his hand, a look of realization dawning on his face.
Kaido's subordinate certainly had ill intentions.
On the surface, he offered a failed product as a test, but he was hiding the real deal in secret.
It's likely Kaido originally intended to send this fruit, but never imagined his subordinate would try to embezzle it, offering the trash to Garp instead.
In this instance, Kaido was actually quite innocent.
"Wow! A Devil Fruit!"
Luffy's eyes instantly turned into two sparkling stars, drool nearly dripping from his mouth.
"It's real! It's a real Devil Fruit!"
Chopper's hooves tapped excitedly on the ground.
"We're rich! How much can we sell this for?!"
Nami's eyes had already transformed into two golden Berry symbols.
Garp glanced at the excited trio, then at the others.
Finally, his gaze landed on the majestic lion figurehead of the Thousand Sunny.
A smile full of whimsical imagination—identical to Luffy's—appeared on his face.
"This is useless to me."
As he spoke, he walked toward the Sunny.
"Oi! Franky!"
Franky, who was admiring the crater he had been smashed into and pondering how to fix it to be more "SUPER," turned around immediately upon hearing his name. He struck a classic pose.
"What is it, Old Man Garp! Do you have some advice for my SUPER treasure ship?"
Garp walked up to him and patted the gunwale of the Sunny.
"Is your ship sturdy?"
Franky's pride was challenged. He puffed out his chest and answered loudly.
"Of course! My Sunny is built from the strongest wood in the world, Treasure Tree Adam! Even if it takes a hit from an Emperor, it can hold up for a few rounds!"
"That's good."
Garp nodded.
Under the bewildered gazes of everyone present, he took the Devil Fruit and walked to the bow of the Sunny.
Luffy watched this scene, tilting his head.
The expression on his face shifted from initial excitement to confusion.
Finally, it turned into a trace of realization and horror.
"Wait! Grandpa!"
"You aren't thinking of..."
Before he could finish his sentence, it was too late.
Garp walked right up to the front of the lion figurehead.
He extended two fingers and, with a brute force attitude, pried open the wooden lion's mouth.
Then, simply and violently, he stuffed the genuine Zoan Devil Fruit inside.
He even used his fist to ram it in further, ensuring it was completely swallowed.
Having done all this, he dusted off his hands, acting as if nothing had happened.
The entire port fell into an eerie silence once again.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
BOOM!
The entire hull of the Sunny shuddered violently!
The vibration was so intense it felt as if the ship had come alive and was taking a deep, long breath.
Immediately after.
Under the horrified gazes of everyone present...
The eyes of the lion figurehead on the Sunny, which were originally just painted on, actually flashed with a spirited, human-like light!
"ROAR!!!"
A low, bizarre roar—a mix of creaking wood and a wild beast's growl—erupted from the mouth of the lion figurehead!
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
Usopp's eyeballs nearly popped out of his head. He pointed at the bow, letting out a scream that didn't sound human.
"The ship! Our ship! It's come alive!"
"H... How is this possible! Can a ship eat a Devil Fruit too?"
Chopper hugged Usopp's leg, shaking like a leaf.
"Oh my god! I'm just dreaming, right?"
Nami pinched her face hard, but only felt pain.
"I see. So this is the result of Dr. Vegapunk's research..."
Robin held her chin, her face showing a mix of shock and academic curiosity. "The technology to let inanimate objects 'eat' Devil Fruits really exists."
"SUPER!"
Franky suddenly spread his arms wide, tears streaming down his face, shouting with a mix of shock and ecstasy.
"My ship! My Sunny!"
"It's become the one and only Devil Fruit ship in the world!"
The Sunny's roar grew louder.
On the surface of the hull, atop the sturdy Adam wood, a layer of fine, strange patterns resembling dragon scales slowly emerged.
The aura of the entire ship became wild and brimming with vitality.
The lion figurehead turned its neck, looking around curiously at everything.
Finally, its gaze landed on Luffy, and it let out an affectionate low growl.
"That's awesome! Sunny has become our partner too!"
Luffy jumped up in excitement, pouncing directly onto the figurehead, nuzzling the giant lion head and laughing.
A sudden crisis had turned into a carnival in a way no one could have expected.
Just as the Straw Hats were still shocked and excited about owning a "living ship," the time to leave Fish-Man Island finally arrived.
"Alright! Everyone! Let's set sail for the New World!"
Luffy stood atop the lion figurehead, raising his arm high to issue the Captain's order.
"OH!"
Everyone cheered in unison.
However.
Amidst this jubilant atmosphere, a weak, trembling voice suddenly cut through.
"Wait... Wait a minute!"
It was Nami.
Everyone's movements stopped, and they all turned to look at her.
Nami's face was deathly pale, her forehead covered in cold sweat.
Slowly, she raised a hand. With a trembling finger, she pointed at the hull of the Sunny.
Then she pointed outside the ship, at the boundless, deep blue ocean.
"Did you guys... forget something very important?"
Her voice became shrill with extreme terror.
"If... If the Sunny ate a Devil Fruit..."
"Then... doesn't that make it a landlubbers?*!"
"We are currently... ten thousand meters under the sea!"
The cheers of the carnival came to a screeching halt.
The smiles froze on everyone's faces.
When a ship becomes a landlubbers...
For the third time, the port fell into a deathly silence.
TN Note:In the One Piece world, those who eat Devil Fruits are cursed by the sea and become "landlubbers", sinking like stones in water.
(To be Continued)