"It's really Wapol. He doesn't want to be a king and has become a pirate. What a disgrace to the World Government-affiliated nations."
Igaram stared at the tyrannical figure of the fleeing king, who was laughing maniacally from atop his ship, the Bliking. There was no pity in Igaram's heart for Wapol, only a profound sense of worry for the future of the Arabasta Kingdom.
The Sky Screen had been frustratingly vague about his country's fate. It had shown both the king and the rebellion, but had not revealed who would ultimately be victorious. The loyal captain of the Arabasta royal guard was desperate for the answer. If he only knew what was to come, he could prepare, he could make amends, he could prevent his people from becoming the enslaved subjects of a conquered nation.
"That arrogant jerk! He almost crashed into the Going Merry!" Luffy's scowl deepened. He didn't know Wapol, but their first meeting had already cemented the fat king as a guy he hated. Now, all Luffy wanted was to leap onto that ship and deliver a swift, justice-filled beating.
As the massive hull of the Blikingturned to face their ship, Zoro's hand tightened on the hilt of his sword. "Looks like they're looking for a fight," he muttered, his eyes narrowed, always ready for a new challenge. "We'll have to deal with them."
Wapol glanced at the small, unassuming pirate ship before him, then back at his own gargantuan ship. A sneer of disdain twisted his features. The Straw Hats were nothing but a group of kids who had just entered the Grand Line. He was confident he could wipe them all out here and now. "The reindeer monster has no future with you! Are you going to be buried with him today? Fire!"
At the king's command, the gunners on Blikingscrambled to load their cannons. Under the guidance of Wapol's subordinates, more than a dozen heavy iron cannons swiveled to point directly at the Going Merry. A barrage of shells erupted, their targets not just the Straw Hat Pirates, but the fleeing citizens on the coast as well. Explosions tore across the shoreline of Drum Kingdom, sending geysers of seawater and plumes of smoke into the sky.
"What a heartless king!"
Zoro leaped onto the railing of the Going Merry, his swords a blur of motion. In a single, fluid attack, he deflected the incoming cannonballs, slicing them into harmless fragments. His focus was singular: protect his captain's ship.
The unexpected bombardment caught the people on the coast completely off guard. Shrapnel rained down on the crowd, and in an instant, dozens of people fell, their bodies torn and bleeding. The lucky ones died instantly. Those who survived were peppered with shards of iron, their bodies a bloody mess. They were just ordinary citizens, with no Devil Fruit powers or special abilities. They could only lie on the ground, wailing in pain and terror.
Dalton, the former captain of the Drum Island guard, transformed into his Zoan form: the black bull. He shielded the people around him with his massive body, taking the brunt of a shrapnel blast. The force of the explosion was immense, and the former captain's spine felt as if it would shatter. Spitting a mouthful of blood, he glared with burning hatred at the man who had caused all this. "Wapol... you are not worthy of being a king! A king who can't even protect his own people and chooses to harm them... you deserve to die!"
"Well, well, if it isn't the former guard captain!" Wapol's right-hand man, Chess, sneered. "He's turned into a cow, and he's surprisingly durable! Gunners! Aim the cannon at him and fire again!" He couldn't stand people who only cared about the country and its people. So what if a few civilians died? They could always make more.
A new round of bombardment began.
"Gomu Gomu no Balloon!"
Without anyone noticing, Luffy had already sprung to the shore. He inhaled deeply, filling his rubber body with a massive amount of air until he became a giant, round balloon. He was determined to block the incoming shells and protect the innocent people. The shells struck his swollen body, but instead of exploding, they simply bounced off, flying back towards the Bliking and giving its crew a taste of their own medicine.
Luffy was still too green to know how to use Gear Third, so his destructive power against a ship like this was limited. He couldn't destroy The Bliking instantly and would have to board it to fight. Right now, he could only watch as the gunners loaded another round of shells.
Eren's internal monologue raged. Wapol's ship, The Bliking, is made of a unique metal that makes it incredibly strong. Normal attacks from the Straw Hats won't scratch it. This is where I come in.
"My turn," Eren shouted. "Zoro, give me a hand!"
Zoro, who had been busy defending the Merry, immediately understood the plan. He took a position beside the young man, his hands gripping the hilts of his swords.
"Mutoryu: Tatsumaki!" (Swordless Style: Tornado)
With a powerful swing of his arms, Zoro created a vacuum that launched a massive updraft of wind. Eren, thin and light, was lifted into the air, soaring over the Going Merry towards The Bliking.
The crew of Wapol's ship burst into laughter. What could this scrawny kid do? Even if he was a Devil Fruit user, he was flying over the ocean. If he fell in, his abilities would be useless. He was committing suicide.
"What do you think you're...?" Wapol's words died in his throat.
A golden flash of lightning erupted in the air. Within that shimmering light, a colossal body began to take shape, its flesh, bone, and sinew assembling at a terrifyingly rapid pace. In seconds, a twenty-meter-tall giant stood before them, its eyes glowing with an eerie light.
"What... what is that?!" Wapol's jaw dropped, his whole body trembling.
Eren, now transformed into the Attack Titan, was not affected by the sea below. He simply planted his legs on the seabed and began to stride towards The Bliking, his movements heavy and deliberate.
"Fire! Fire at it quickly!" Chess screamed, snapping his stunned gunners out of their stupor. A dozen cannons aimed at the towering figure and fired, the shells exploding against the giant's armored skin.
"Did we get it?!" one gunner asked hopefully.
But the enormous figure simply continued its advance. The explosions left only superficial wounds on the Attack Titan's body. Hot steam billowed from its wounds, and the injured parts began to regenerate at a visible rate, the muscle and bone knitting back together in seconds.
Amidst the collective gasps of the pirates, the giant raised a fist. A strange hardening ability covered its knuckles in a razor-sharp, crystalline substance. Eren swung his fist towards The Bliking.
"Don't you dare underestimate me, you upstart!" Wapol bellowed, opening his cavernous mouth to an impossible size. He intended to use his Baku Baku no Mi (Munch Munch Fruit) to swallow the giant's fist. He didn't believe the giant could regenerate after losing its hand.
As the giant's hardened fist neared, Wapol's mouth engulfed it, and he began to swallow the giant's arm. The ability of the Munch Munch Fruit was terrifying; given enough time, he could devour an entire giant whole.
A geyser of hardened Titan flesh erupted beside the giant. From it, a gleaming white, crystalline longsword took shape—an ability inherited from the War Hammer Titan. By forming weapons from his own hardened body, Eren could create armaments without expending the vast energy it would take to forge them out of nothing.
In Wapol's horrified eyes, he saw the Attack Titan lift the massive, gleaming blade. With a single, fluid motion, it swung the sword and sliced its own arm off just above the wrist, freeing it from Wapol's grasp.
A huge cloud of steam erupted from the stump of the severed arm. As the crew of The Bliking stared in shock, the missing limb began to regenerate. In less than a few seconds, new bone, muscle, and nerves were forming, a new arm growing out of the wound until it was whole once more.
Then, with a desperate, guttural wail, the ten-meter-long white blade swung down. It sliced through The Bliking, cutting the ship in two. The two halves of the ship sank into the frigid sea, taking the terrified crew along with it. The first wave was over.