Chapter 37: Coating and Consequences
The air on Sabaody Archipelago felt heavy. It was more than just the wet, sticky heat. It was a feeling of trouble waiting to happen. There were pirates full of big dreams, greedy people who wanted to make money from them, and the World Nobles who ruled over everyone.
Satoru walked away from the fun park area. The scene changed to busy ports. Every dock was full of ships. He saw trade ships, pirate ships, and nasty-looking ships with bars on the windows—slave ships. Almost every ship was getting coated. Workers were putting a special bubble around each ship so it could sail deep under the sea.
"That's a really strange and cool piece of work," Satoru said to himself, watching the shiny bubbles. It was amazing that a simple bubble could let a ship survive the crazy deep sea. It showed how powerful nature was.
"That's the kid right there."
A rough voice spoke from behind him. The people on the dock, who were always ready to run from a fight, quickly moved away. They left an empty circle. Satoru did not turn around. With his Six Eyes, he could see everything without looking. He was surrounded by a group of tough-looking men in seconds. He saw three faces he knew—the three slave traders he had beaten up earlier. So they brought friends, he thought.
"So it's you three again," Satoru said. He tilted his head. He sounded bored. "Didn't you learn your lesson the first time?"
People in this world were tough. These three had been slammed into a wall hard. They should have been knocked out for a long time. But here they were, back on their feet.
"Hey! Watch your mouth, brat! Who do you think you're talking to? You think you're strong?"
It was the same loud man from before. He tried to look scary, but his words were messy—Satoru had knocked out some of his teeth.
A second later, the man was not so loud anymore.
CRUNCH. CRUNCH. CRUNCH.
The sound of breaking bones was ugly. The man's arms and legs twisted in horrible, wrong directions. Blood shot out from his joints. He fell to the ground like a broken toy.
"Huh?" the man grunted. He was confused. Why was he on the ground? Then the terrible pain hit him. "AAAAH! MY ARMS! MY LEGS! IT HURTS! HELP ME!"
His screams did not last long. They turned into gurgles and then stopped. He died right there on the dock, bleeding out. His face was stuck in a look of shock and pain.
People started screaming and running away. Only a few brave or strong people stayed to watch from a distance.
"That is an interesting power."
On a nearby trade ship, a middle-aged man watched. His hair was yellow and white. He drank from a small bottle. He looked like he was watching a show. But his sharp eyes were fixed on Satoru. He had not seen a kid so powerful in a long time.
The other slave traders looked scared. They had not seen Satoru move. One of their men was just suddenly broken and dead. The white-haired boy was not even bothered. His calm face was the scariest part.
"It's... it must be his Devil Fruit power!" one man yelled. He had a scar on his nose and seemed like the leader. "Don't run! Do the plan! Get the seawater! Throw it on him! He can't use his powers if he's weak!"
The men listened. They moved to make paths. New men ran forward. They were not holding weapons. They carried big wooden buckets full of seawater. They threw the water right at Satoru.
SPLASH!
"It's really... so boring," Satoru sighed.
They were smart. They knew seawater was bad for Devil Fruit users. Against most users, this would work.
But the seawater hit the air around Satoru and fell to the ground. Not one drop touched his clothes or his skin. It was like an invisible wall was around him.
"It worked!" one man started to cheer, but he stopped. He saw that Satoru was completely dry. All the slave traders felt a cold fear.
"Fascinating," the man on the ship whispered. "The water could not touch him. A defensive power. Not like any Devil Fruit I know."
"If you have no other tricks," Satoru said, putting his bag of snacks on a clean spot, "then it's my turn now."
He stretched his arms. The men with weapons flinched. They were afraid now. This was not a normal kid.
"I hope you can last a bit longer," Satoru said with a small smile. "Don't be too boring."
He knew the fight would be quick. These were slavers—bullies. They were not trained fighters like Marines or strong pirates. Even without his special power, the basic fighting moves Zephyr taught him would be enough to win.
But why not use his power? It was faster.
"Hey," Satoru said, his bright blue eyes seeming to glow. "Have you ever wanted to fly?"
The men were confused. But they understood a second later.
Their bodies lifted off the ground. It was not a jump. It was like a giant invisible hand picked them up. They floated, their arms and legs kicking. Then, the force holding them started to move them.
THUD. CRACK. SMASH.
They were thrown through the air into each other. The hits were hard and broke bones. One man crashed into another's back. A third was pulled into them. It was a messy, flying crash of bodies. There were screams, then the sound of breaking bones.
Then the invisible force let go.
The broken bodies of the men fell to the dock. They landed in a messy pile. Most did not move.
Satoru looked at them. "Just trash," he said, his voice flat. The Blue power he used was not even strong. A decent fighter could have resisted it. None of these men could.
From the pile, one man lifted his head. It was the leader with the scar. Blood was on his mouth. His eyes were full of hate.
"You... you will pay for this," he whispered, fighting to speak. "Lord Dralion... will not let this go... He will catch you... and chain you up..."
After his last threat, his head fell. He was dead.
Satoru blinked. Lord Dralion? He remembered the name. It sounded like the boss of these slave traders. More trouble is coming, he thought. But he did not feel worried. He felt a small thrill. He picked up his snacks.
High up on the ship, the man with yellow-white hair finished his drink. He turned away. "A name to remember," he said to himself, smiling. "Monkey D. Satoru. He could be very valuable... or very dangerous." The hunt was now truly starting. And Satoru, walking calmly back to meet his friends, did not know that a bigger trap was being set for him.
(End of Chapter)
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