Chapter 214: Not with the Mouth? But... the Chest?
A sorrowful farewell drifted away with the waves.
A fierce battle approached with the wind.
As Vivi's figure vanished at the horizon, as everyone slowly lowered their arms—
A dark mass appeared on the sea ahead.
Warships.
Over a dozen Navy warships, forming a blockade line, blocked the Going Merry's path.
On the masts, the Navy flags fluttered in the wind.
"It's the Navy!"
Usopp screamed.
Nami's face turned pale:
"Oh no! They must be coming for us!"
Zoro stood up, his hand resting on his sword hilt.
Sanji, cigarette in mouth, stepped to the ship's railing.
Chopper shrank back but still stood among the group.
Robin remained calm, though her eyes flickered slightly.
Lufia stood at the bow, squinting at the warships, then—
"Charge through!"
She shouted.
"Charge straight through!"
Nami nearly fainted.
At that moment, everyone's gaze fell on Ralph.
Ralph nodded, "That's right, charge through."
"Are you insane?!"
Nami rushed up to him, "There are over a dozen warships! Even if you monsters can withstand the cannon fire, the Going Merry can't!"
"I know."
Ralph said.
"Then why—"
"So we strike first."
"Use cannon fire to clear a path, make sure they don't dare approach."
Usopp glanced at the Going Merry's only cannon—small caliber, limited range, firepower... just average.
His lips twitched:
"With that? What kind of firepower suppression can it provide?"
Ralph smiled.
A slightly mischievous smile.
"With that, of course not."
He turned and looked at Munch-Munch, who was crouched on the deck licking its paws.
"But we have Munch-Munch."
Munch-Munch looked up, bewildered.
"Munch-Munch, transform."
Munch-Munch blinked, then—
It moved.
Its body began to swell, its skin began to change, a layer of metallic shell grew from within, covering its entire form.
Its limbs thickened and lengthened, its tail hardened, a row of metal plates rose along its spine, its eyes turned red—
Seconds later, a brand-new Munch-Munch stood before everyone.
Slightly smaller than its previous Tyrannomon form, but with that metallic texture, that mechanical structure, those powerful lines—
It was like a mechanical tyrannosaurus!
"Wow—!"
Lufia was the first to exclaim, "So cool!"
Chopper's eyes sparkled:
"Munch-Munch turned mechanical!"
Usopp leaned in, cautiously poking Munch-Munch's metal shell:
"Is this real metal? Hard? How did it change?"
"Munch-Munch Modification No..."
Ralph thought for a moment,
"Whatever number it is! This time, it's Metal Tyrannomon!"
Munch-Munch let out a roar in response—
The sound carried a metallic tremor, majestic and imposing.
"And then?"
Nami pressed, "Even if Munch-Munch looks cooler, what does that have to do with our current situation?"
"Good question."
Ralph jumped onto Munch-Munch's back, standing on its broad spine.
"Metal Tyrannomon, prepare to fire!"
Munch-Munch opened its massive jaws, extending them forward, aligning its head and tail in a straight line like the barrel of some colossal cannon.
Ralph stood on its back, aiming ahead.
That posture, that presence—
"Giga Destroyer!"
Everyone held their breath, waiting to see the earth-shattering beam erupt from Munch-Munch's mouth.
Then—
Munch-Munch suddenly straightened up.
The metal flap on its chest opened.
A massive torpedo-shaped bomb adorned with an exaggerated smiling face shot out, trailing fiery exhaust.
Everyone fell silent.
Not from the mouth?
But… from… the chest?
Wasn't this method of launching a bit too ridiculous?
The smiling-face torpedo, trailing a long fiery tail, arced through the air and then—
Plop.
It plunged into the sea amidst the Navy fleet.
Nothing happened.
Usopp's mouth twitched.
"Did it miss?"
"Did it not explode?"
Chopper cautiously asked.
"It didn't even make much of a splash when it entered the water…"
Nami covered her face.
Lufia tilted her head, looking at the calm sea surface, then turned to Ralph.
Ralph raised a finger.
"Don't rush."
He snapped his fingers.
"3."
"2."
"1."
BOOM—!!
The sea exploded!
An earth-shattering explosion!
A massive fireball erupted from beneath the sea, illuminating the entire area!
The shockwave sent towering waves dozens of meters high, tossing the warships that had formed a blockade line into the air like toys before crashing them back down!
The blast radius spanned at least five kilometers!
The Going Merry was pushed backward by the shockwave, and everyone on deck stumbled and swayed. Only Ralph stood steadily atop Munch-Munch, his clothes billowing wildly in the fierce wind.
The super bomb Crocodile had prepared was truly formidable.
The Giga Destroyer was the result of Munch-Munch consuming and modifying that bomb.
The Navy fleet ahead—Ralph remembered it was the combined fleet of Smoker and Hina—was overturned by a single blast.
And this was the result of him holding back, choosing to detonate it underwater.
As the wind and waves subsided, everyone got up and looked ahead—
The Navy fleet was in complete disarray.
Some warships were capsized, some were overturned, and some were slowly sinking. The sea was littered with Navy soldiers who had fallen into the water, clinging to wooden planks as they bobbed up and down.
"Uh… uh…"
Nami stammered.
Usopp's mouth hung open wide enough to fit a fist.
Chopper was speechless, staring blankly.
Sanji's cigarette dropped onto the deck.
Zoro's gaze grew sharper than ever before.
Robin narrowed her eyes slightly, a complex glint flashing deep within her pupils.
And Ace—
Even Ace, who had seen the world in the New World, was stunned.
Lufia was the first to react.
"Ralph is so cool—! Ralph is amazing—!"
She jumped up, hugging Ralph tightly, nearly pulling him off Munch-Munch's back.
Ralph steadied himself, smiling as he patted her head.
"What are you waiting for? Let's go!"
He said to everyone, "They definitely won't have the strength to chase us anymore!"
Only then did everyone snap out of their daze.
Zoro remained standing in place, gazing at the devastated sea surface, muttering something under his breath.
His voice was too soft for anyone to hear.
But Robin, standing beside him, caught it.
"Can the pinnacle of swordsmanship… achieve that level of destructive power?"
Robin didn't answer.
She was pondering the same question.
Only, she was thinking about something else.
The legendary Ancient Weapon "Pluton," said to be capable of destroying an island with a single blast, couldn't be much more powerful than this, could it?
...
Was the Ancient Weapon not some specific ship or weapon?
She looked at Ralph's back.
Just how many secrets was this man still hiding?
The Going Merry sailed at full speed, quickly leaving the Navy's battered remnants behind.
On the deck, everyone gradually recovered from their shock.
Chopper enthusiastically chatted with Munch-Munch, expressing his admiration and praising him until Munch-Munch felt embarrassed!
Unfortunately, his little paws couldn't cover his face.
Usopp circled around Munch-Munch, who had returned to his original form, with all sorts of wild ideas popping into his head.
Sanji picked up his relit cigarette and snorted coldly:
"Hmph, he's showing off again."
Though his tone was dismissive, the faint smile at the corner of his mouth betrayed his true feelings.
Nami patted her chest and let out a long sigh of relief.
"What a terrifying man! Good thing he's an ally!"
Hearing this, Robin smiled slightly.
Yes.
Good thing he's an ally.
Ralph leaned against the ship's railing, his gaze slightly unfocused as if he were thinking about something.
Actually—
He was looking at the system panel.
[Lufia's Favorability Toward Host: Best Friend Level 1%]
That earlier cannon shot had increased Lufia's favorability by another one percent.
Though it wasn't much, Ralph was already quite satisfied.
He believed this 1% represented genuine feelings, not some system number game.
And—
[Breakthrough to Best Friend Level reward has been issued. Please choose one of the following three options]
[Option One: Six Powers: Kami-e (Beginner)]
[Option Two: Den Den Mushi Technology (Beginner)]
[Option Three: Fish-man Bloodline]
Ralph stared at these three options, deep in thought.
Fish-man bloodline?
He immediately dismissed it.
Not because he looked down on Fish-men, but because he simply didn't need it.
However, he noticed one thing—
The system really could roll out bloodline-type rewards.
This served as a reminder to him.
What if, in the future, it rolled out some god-tier bloodlines…
Ralph shook his head, pushing that thought aside.
He'd think about it later.
Right now, he was considering the remaining two options.
Den Den Mushi technology.
This was clearly aimed at him.
Ralph had thought before that if he could master the core technology of Den Den Mushi and establish a worldwide communication network, what a huge advantage that would be.
But—
This technology didn't seem too difficult.
In the later parts of the manga, even a certain inhumanly perverted shipwright could handcraft Den Den Mushi.
With his own genius, learning it shouldn't be too hard, right?
If it really came down to it, he could always "farm" it from a tech expert.
Vegapunk had so many clones; just winning over a few would surely yield one skilled in communication technology.
As for Kami-e…
Ralph looked at that option.
Kami-e, one of the Six Powers.
By sensing the opponent's attack intent, one moves like paper drifting with the wind, avoiding all attacks.
It sounded like just a dodging skill.
But for Ralph, it held a more special meaning.
It was like the final piece of a puzzle, the last icon, the final step to achieving a certain milestone…
Six Powers: Soru, Tekkai, Shigan, Rankyaku, Geppo, Kami-e.
He had already mastered the first five.
Only Kami-e was missing.
If he could obtain Kami-e, he could attempt to integrate the Six Powers and break through to Life Return.
He wouldn't need to activate Red Eye Mode to use it.
But
Similar to Den Den Mushi technology, he felt that with some comprehension, he might be able to learn it on his own.
If it really came down to it, he could always "farm" it from CP9.
Ralph was stuck in a dilemma.
One was the communication technology he urgently wanted.
The other was the final piece to complete his Six Powers.
Which should he choose?