Drum Kingdom.
The entire nation's soldiers were suddenly thrown into a frenzy, knocking on doors one after another.
At first, the villagers were terrified when they saw the fierce soldiers appear at their doors. But once they learned the soldiers' purpose—simply asking if anyone in the household possessed books or documents related to medicine—they relaxed.
As one of the most medically advanced nations on the Grand Line, most Drum Kingdom families knew a bit about medicine and naturally kept a few medical texts at home. Those books, however, held little value to them.
So, to avoid any unnecessary trouble, everyone obediently handed their books over.
From noon until the sun began to set, the port of Drum Kingdom filled up with piles of books—enough to fill an entire warehouse.
Yet compared to the small mountain of gold sitting beside them, the collection of medical texts looked pitifully modest.
Following the pirates' orders, the villagers were summoned to the port to help sort and categorize the books, removing duplicates as they went.
It was no simple task, but the villagers approached it eagerly.
For one, this was far easier than physical labor. And second, they were being paid for their help—so there was no reason to refuse.
Everyone worked with enthusiasm... except for one person, who was growing increasingly anxious.
Young Prince Wapol watched in distress as the number of books in the warehouse dwindled with every round of sorting. Sweat poured down his face as panic set in.
"This can't go on… My gold… Chess! Kuromarimo! Think of something, quickly!"
The man called Chess looked like a circus clown, with thick, wavy lips and long arms, a bow slung across his back. He was Wapol's chief advisor.
The other, Kuromarimo, sported a wild afro and wore boxing gloves—he was Wapol's administrative officer.
For the two of them, today had been nothing short of a windfall.
As Wapol's personal attendants, their fortunes were tied to his own—his rise or fall directly determined theirs.
Originally, because of Crown Prince Musshuru's existence, neither of them had held much hope for their future.
After all, a kingdom could have only one king. As long as Musshuru lived, Wapol would never inherit the throne, and they would remain minor officials with no real power.
But today, the good news had arrived—Crown Prince Musshuru had been killed by pirates. Second Prince Wapol was now the king's only surviving heir.
That meant their master, Wapol, was destined to become the future king of Drum Kingdom.
And when that happened, they would rise alongside him, gaining wealth and power beyond imagination.
Overjoyed by the news, the two had rushed from the palace to Wapol's side, eager to serve and flatter him.
Hearing his master's worried outburst, Chess hurried to reassure him.
"Please don't worry, Prince Wapol. I'll order the soldiers to do everything they can to gather what those pirates want."
Kuromarimo, his tone more dismissive, scoffed.
"How much could those useless books even be worth? Even stacked to the ceiling, they wouldn't fetch two billion Belly"
"But what about the Devil Fruits—and that Meito?!" Chess shot back.
Kuromarimo's lips curled into a sly grin as he turned to Wapol.
"Your Highness, are you truly planning to hand those Devil Fruits over to the pirates?"
Wapol blinked in confusion. "Kuromarimo, what are you getting at?"
Kuromarimo leaned forward meaningfully.
"Those are Devil Fruits, Prince Wapol. Each one is worth at least 100 million Berries. Three of them together—no less than 300 million. If sold at an auction, they'd fetch at least 800 million Belly."
Wapol's eyes went wide. He hadn't even considered that. The Devil Fruits were treasures just as valuable as gold.
Seeing his reaction, Kuromarimo pressed on.
"Even if we don't sell them, we could eat them ourselves, Prince Wapol. Have you forgotten? His Majesty's Captain of the Guard, Dalton, is a Devil Fruit user. You've seen his power for yourself, haven't you?"
Wapol, however, remained indifferent.
As a pampered prince who'd always lived in comfort, the idea of gaining power didn't excite him much.
But beside him, Chess's eyes gleamed. He exchanged a quick glance with Kuromarimo.
In that instant, the two silently reached an understanding.
"Indeed, Your Highness. Dalton has always opposed you. For now, with His Majesty still alive, he might still obey your orders. But if His Majesty were to pass away and Dalton decided to rebel, we wouldn't be able to stop him..."
As Chess spoke, Wapol felt a chill run through him. Ever since childhood, Dalton had constantly spoken ill of him in front of the King, and the two had been at odds for years.
"Then what should we do?"
Seeing Wapol's panic, Kuromarimo finally revealed his true intention.
"We can take the Devil Fruits ourselves, Prince. There are three of them—the strongest one should naturally go to you. The other two can be ours. Once we master the powers of the Devil Fruits, no one in Drum Kingdom will dare defy you."
Wapol immediately jumped with excitement at Kuromarimo's words.
"Right... Kuromarimo, that makes sense..."
But soon his expression darkened again.
"But then... what about the gold..."
At that moment, Chess's eyes lit up.
"Prince Wapol, I have a plan. You can have both the gold and keep everything from that pirate—maybe even earn over a billion Belly in the process..."
Wapol's eyes widened in excitement.
"What plan? Tell me, quickly!"
"It's simple, Prince Wapol. They're pirates—criminals wanted by the World Government and the Navy. If we report their whereabouts to the Navy, once they're captured, all that gold will be yours. And since their bounty is 1.42 billion Belly, if we help the World Government and Navy catch them, we'll surely receive part of the reward."
Wapol's face broke into a delighted grin, deep wrinkles creasing around his mouth.
"Brilliant, Chess! That's an excellent idea! But... the Den Den Mushi for contacting the World Government is with Father. He'll never agree to let me use it..."
"No worries, Prince Wapol. Don't forget, there's a Marine branch right next to Drum Kingdom. If we can find a way to contact them, it'll work just the same."
"Right... right... But do you have a Den Den Mushi for the Marine branch?"
"Well... I do... but for some reason, no matter how many times I call, it doesn't respond..."
At that moment, Kuromarimo, who had been silent until now, stepped forward.
"Prince Wapol, allow me to set sail and deliver the message to the nearby Marines."
Chess quickly added, anxious not to be left out.
"I can go too, Your Highness!"
"Excellent! Then go at once! Inform the nearby Marines to capture them... And don't forget—negotiate the bounty first!"
"Rest assured, Prince Wapol. We won't let you down."
Both men smiled greedily. How could they resist such a fortune?
A pirate crew worth 1.42 billion Belly—even if the Marines only offered half, that was still 710 million. Each of them could easily pocket 100 million for themselves. Perfectly reasonable!
So the three of them snuck to the port's military station. Using his royal authority, Wapol forced the soldiers to dispatch a warship.
As the sun sank beyond the horizon, Wapol watched the ship disappear into the distance, his heart swelling with joy at the thought of both gold and bounty. His face wrinkled once again with a giddy smile.
But just as he turned to head back...
A deafening explosion thundered across the sea, its roar echoing through the entire Drum Kingdom...