“Thump, thump, thump….”
Just then, a rapid series of footsteps approached.
Moke’s expression shifted slightly, as the newcomers were likely Alvida and her subordinates. After all, one of them had already gone to report.
Plus, the gunshot he had just fired.
It must have made Alvida realize something was wrong, so she quickened her pace to get here.
Moke touched the ground with his hand, and his body rapidly transformed, his skin turning the same earthy yellow as the ground. Indeed, Moke’s body had assimilated into the mud.
And at the moment the assimilation finished, Moke couldn't help but smile slightly.
If eating a Devil Fruit only provided a preliminary understanding of its abilities, then experiencing it firsthand made him truly grasp its terrifying nature.
He merely raised a hand.
The ground immediately changed, surging like water. The few corpses were submerged, disappearing without a trace. Not even a speck of blood remained.
“Tsk tsk… This really is a good ability for murder and plunder! It even saves the step of digging a pit to bury people!”
When everything returned to calm, Alvida rushed in with a group of people.
Alvida was stunned the moment she entered, because only Moke was there. This was strange, as each wave of people should have seven or eight. Though she was a volatile person, she wasn't stupid.
Feeling wary, she looked at Moke and said sharply, “Moke, why are you the only one here? Where are the others?”
Moke's lips curved slightly upward, revealing a hint of smugness. Just as he was about to speak, his peripheral vision caught sight of a box, and he froze. It was only then that he noticed.
The people who followed Alvida in were all carrying many treasures. Clearly, there was more than one fork in the path that contained treasure.
And this box was one of them.
The most crucial thing was that he had seen this box before. There was one right by the feet of the squad leader whose Devil Fruit he had just stolen. It was very likely used to hold the Paramecia-Type - Absorption Fruit.
If that were true, then… what was inside this box?
“Paramecia-type - Smooth-Smooth Fruit?”
But if that were the case, the Paramecia - Smooth-Smooth Fruit was still there. So, what about the Paramecia-Type - Absorption Fruit he had eaten?
Could it be a “benefit” arranged for him by his chuunibyou roommate?
Seeing Moke not answer, Alvida’s face immediately darkened. She absolutely could not tolerate a mere subordinate ignoring her. Angrily, she roared, “Moke… I’m asking you a question! Speak, where did the others go, or I’ll let you taste the power of this iron club!”
As she spoke, Alvida stepped towards Moke, swinging the iron club in her hand.
Moke’s gaze finally returned to Alvida. Seeing her still-obese body, the smile on his face deepened.
He stomped his foot!
“Ah…”
Immediately, a surprised cry came from behind Alvida, and she instinctively turned to look. With just one glance, Alvida’s pupils constricted to pinpricks… because she saw a very bizarre scene.
Below the feet of the subordinate holding the treasure box, two hands emerged from the ground. One directly slammed into the subordinate’s chin, knocking him to the ground.
The other hand snatched the treasure box from the subordinate’s grasp.
Finally, it retracted underground, disappearing from everyone’s sight along with the treasure box.
“Hiss….”
The subordinates all gasped in unison. They instinctively took a few steps back, as if being further away from Moke would make them feel safer.
“Devil Fruit user!”
At this moment, Alvida was incredibly shocked. Why was Buggy’s bounty over ten million? Why could he dominate a region? Why did even the Marine of East Blue not dare to provoke him easily?
Wasn't it because he was a Devil Fruit user?
When she looked at Moke again, her eyes had completely changed. Her previous disdain had long since turned into solemnity and vigilance.
But she quickly lost her composure.
Because she immediately saw a hand, holding the recently stolen treasure box, emerge from the ground beside Moke’s feet. It presented the treasure box to Moke, and after Moke took it,
He opened it directly.
Sure enough, there was also a Devil Fruit inside.
Alvida’s pupils were shaking at the sight. She had never imagined being so close to becoming a strong individual.
Damn it!
She regretted it.
At the same time, she glared hatefully at a subordinate nearby. It was all this guy's fault; if he hadn't come over and said there was treasure here too, she would have carefully checked the treasures obtained from the other side one by one.
How could she have missed this Devil Fruit?
Because of this, she completely lost her mind. She roared, “Bastard… that’s mine!”
She then charged at Moke, raising the iron club in her hand and swinging it towards Moke. She looked as if she was going to smash Moke into a meat patty…
“Rumble….”
But just as she was about to strike Moke, a wall of earth, hard as iron, surged from the ground, successfully blocking the attack.
“Not good…”
Alvida, being a pirate with a bounty of several million, naturally had considerable combat experience, and immediately sensed trouble.
But it was too late.
Moke merely uttered, “Thrust!”
The next moment, a spear pierced out from the center of the earth wall.
This attack was too unexpected, and they were too close to each other. Furthermore, she was the type who was relatively heavy and strength-based. Even if she wanted to dodge, she couldn't!
“Pfft…”
The spear directly pierced through Alvida’s body. One must know, this was only East Blue. Alvida was merely a pirate with a bounty of a few million. People who could survive a large hole blown through their body, like in the New World, would not appear here.
“Cap… Captain… The Captain was… Ah!”
The subordinates were all stunned. In their minds, Alvida was an invincible existence. Anyway, they had never seen anyone defeat Alvida before.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have submitted to Alvida’s command.
“Run….”
The subordinates finally reacted, and they didn’t even care about the treasures in their hands. They threw them away directly, turned around, and ran.
But how could Moke let these guys go?
“Earth Release: Mudslide Waterfall!”
The earth beneath Moke’s feet seemed to come alive, rolling up like waves towards the subordinates, finally engulfing them.
When everything returned to calm, the figures of the subordinates were revealed. However, at this moment, they were all encased in mud, maintaining their previous fleeing postures.
They were like mud statues.
If no one broke the mud covering their entire bodies and rescued them, they would be corroded by the mud, eventually turning into true mud statues.