Chapter 187: A Test From the Future Brother-in-Law...
Ace felt a surge of astonishment at the thought that his sister had such a companion.
That Navy officer just now was clearly a Logia-type Devil Fruit user.
Although the Moku Moku no Mi wasn't among the top-tier Logia fruits, it was more than enough to dominate the first half of the Grand Line.
Yet such a formidable opponent had been effortlessly defeated by this black-haired boy named Ralph.
Ace was about to formally greet his sister's companion and thank him for taking care of her all this time.
With a strong ally like this by his sister's side, he, as her older brother, could feel a bit more at ease.
But surprises always come when least expected.
Thump!
Ace noticed the small lizard on Ralph's shoulder suddenly inflate like a balloon.
In the blink of an eye, a black dinosaur over a meter tall appeared on the restaurant floor.
Munch-Munch had revealed its true form.
But that wasn't the main issue.
The problem was that Munch-Munch seemed to be in pain after transforming.
It opened its mouth wide, making a rasping sound in its throat, and frantically clawed at its neck with its front paws, unable to produce a proper cry.
"Munch-Munch?"
Ralph's expression changed.
He immediately crouched down, placing both hands on Munch-Munch's body.
Observation Haki spread out, quickly sensing the condition inside Munch-Munch.
"Did it choke?"
Ralph frowned.
In the restaurant, the tense atmosphere from the recent battle hadn't fully dissipated, and now an emergency rescue scene was unfolding.
Ralph acted swiftly.
One hand pressed against Munch-Munch's chest while the other patted its back rapidly.
His intermediate medical skills ensured his movements were precise and his force just right.
"Cough—!"
Munch-Munch gave a violent cough, and a grayish-white object flew out of its mouth.
Ralph reacted quickly, catching it in one swift motion.
It felt cold and hard to the touch.
It was the tip of a Jitte—
the pointed part of Smoker's weapon, the section embedded with Seastone.
After coughing it out, Munch-Munch's breathing immediately eased.
It lay on the floor, panting heavily, tears still glistening in its eyes.
Ralph let out a long sigh, looking at the Seastone in his hand with a sense of reflection:
He had still been too careless.
Smoker's Jitte was embedded with Seastone.
The Baku Baku no Mi could digest most materials—metal, stone, wood—all were no problem. But Seastone, the crystallization of the sea and the bane of Devil Fruits, was something it couldn't digest.
"It seems the Baku Baku no Mi can't swallow everything after all," Ralph murmured to himself.
Seastone couldn't be swallowed.
What about seawater?
Devil Fruit users become weak when they touch seawater, so what would happen if Munch-Munch swallowed a large amount of it?
And, as the legend goes, a person cannot eat two Devil Fruits. So, perhaps Devil Fruits themselves, or Devil Fruit users, should also avoid direct contact…
These questions would need to be tested later.
"Munch-Munch is so lame!"
Lufia stuffed fried rice into her mouth while mumbling her complaint.
"As the second biggest glutton on the Going Merry, how could you choke while eating!"
Discussing the topic of gluttons so seriously in such a situation was already absurd enough, but what was even more absurd was—
Munch-Munch understood.
And it seemed to take the title of "second biggest glutton" very seriously.
Munch-Munch suddenly raised its head, glaring at Lufia, and let out a dissatisfied growl from its throat.
Then it did something no one expected—
It lunged forward and bit toward the plate in Lufia's hand!
"Ah! My plate!"
Lufia reacted swiftly, pulling her hand back as the plate dodged away.
But Munch-Munch was relentless, lunging for the rice on her spoon.
"This is mine!"
"Grrr!"
Human and dragon tussled over a plate of fried rice in the restaurant that had just witnessed a battle.
Lufia was agile, her Rubber Arm stretching and retracting with ease, always managing to snatch the food and pop it into her mouth before Munch-Munch could.
Unable to get any rice, Munch-Munch grew furious and, with a gulp, swallowed the empty plate.
Then a nearby bowl.
Then a chair.
Finally, under the horrified gaze of the restaurant owner, Munch-Munch took a bite out of half the counter.
Crunch!
Wood splinters flew everywhere.
The owner trembled from head to toe, his lips pale, but he dared not utter a word.
What could he say?
"Pay for this?"
Even that Navy captain had been driven off earlier—how could a small restaurant owner like him reason with this group?
Amid the chaotic scene of Lufia and Munch-Munch fighting over food, Ace and Ralph finally had a chance to speak properly.
Ace wore a warm smile as he extended his hand toward Ralph:
"Hello, I'm Ace, Lufia's brother. My sister has been in your care!"
Ralph had rehearsed this scenario many times in his mind.
"Brother Ace, you're too kind. As our captain, Lufia has helped us a great deal too."
The first half was perfectly normal.
Ace's hand was already halfway extended.
But Ralph followed up with the second half:
"And, as Lufia's suitor, all my care for her comes from the heart."
The air froze.
Ace's hand hung in mid-air.
The smile on his face stiffened.
Suitor?
As a crewmate, Ace was glad to see such a strong fighter by Lufia's side.
But a suitor?
No wonder he'd felt something off about the way this guy looked at Lufia from the moment he walked in.
While Ace was still stunned, Ralph "considerately" took the initiative and shook his still-outstretched hand.
Then, Ralph felt the immense strength transmitted through Ace's grip.
Here it comes.
The test from the big brother.
Ralph wore a smile, accepting it gladly.
He didn't even use Armament Haki.
Why?
Of course, because this was a test born of familial affection.
If the other side didn't use Elementalization, he wouldn't be the first to use Armament Haki.
The two hands clasped tightly together.
On the surface, all was calm, but beneath it, undercurrents surged.
Ace's hand was like an iron clamp, Ralph's like solid rock.
Strength clashed in their palms, bones emitting faint creaks.
Lufia and Munch-Munch were fighting over the last scraps of food.
Ralph and Ace, holding hands, engaged in a battle on another level.
Both wore smiles, but their eyes were locked in a contest of wills.
At this delicate moment, a cautious voice came from behind the counter:
"Um... aren't you all leaving yet? The Navy is about to surround this place."
The owner said this not out of concern for these young people.
Mainly because they were too fierce, their combat power terrifyingly strong.
If the Navy arrived and a fight broke out here, it wouldn't just be a meal or two, a table, or half a counter on the line—
The entire restaurant could be flattened!
Please, sirs, just leave already!
I'm begging you!
At the owner's reminder, everyone looked toward the door.
Sure enough, at the end of the street, the silhouettes of Navy uniforms were already visible.
There were quite a few of them, moving quickly, clearly forming an encirclement.
Lufia suddenly remembered that Nami and Vivi had told her to keep her identity hidden.
"Oh no!"
She stuffed the last bite of food into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's.
"Run!"
With that, she bolted out the door.
Munch-Munch, having ultimately lost the food-grabbing battle to Lufia, swallowed itself in disappointment.
Literally.
It opened its mouth, swallowed itself whole, then rapidly shrank back into a small black lizard, swiftly crawling back into Ralph's arms.
Ralph and Ace exchanged a glance.
No words were needed.
They both let go at the same time and dashed out after Lufia.
Of course, Ace was polite.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to turn back and bow toward the counter:
"Sorry for the trouble!"
And Ralph was reasonable.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to pull a gold coin from his pocket, flick his wrist, and send it spinning through the air to land precisely on the damaged counter.
The coin spun twice before coming to a steady stop.
Then the three of them disappeared down the street.
The owner stared at the gold coin, then at the half-destroyed counter, feeling utterly helpless.