"Unfortunately... that's only how things unfolded in the original story."
"Now that I'm here, nothing is destined to remain the same."
A faint smile appeared on Kaito's face.
The era of the protagonist had changed.
Ever since awakening the memories of his previous life, Kaito had never believed fate belonged exclusively to anyone.
Whoever possessed the greatest strength...
Would become the true protagonist of this world.
"Captain..."
After Robin finished translating the Poneglyph, Neferpitou, Law, and Smoker also gathered around.
Law glanced toward the silver-white coffin resting beside the stone tablet.
"Then... what exactly is this?"
Robin and the others turned toward Kaito with equally curious expressions.
Kaito chuckled softly.
"This..."
"...is called the Devil's Coffin."
"It is one of the royal treasures passed down through generations of the Nefertari Family."
Everyone's expressions immediately became serious.
Kaito continued.
"I still don't know what material it's made from."
"But its function is extremely simple."
"If a Devil Fruit user is placed inside this coffin before they die..."
"...and fresh fruit is placed inside with them..."
"...then when that person dies, their Devil Fruit will automatically reincarnate onto one of the fruits inside the coffin."
"What?!"
"Something like that actually exists?"
"The royal family of Alabasta inherited a treasure like this?"
"It can actually control the rebirth of Devil Fruits?!"
Robin, Law, Smoker, and the others stared at the silver-white coffin in complete disbelief.
Such an item completely overturned everything they thought they knew about Devil Fruits.
"It's real."
"I've already confirmed it myself."
Kaito spoke with absolute certainty.
The two Devil Fruits he had locked inside the safe weren't obtained by chance.
They had been created through the Devil's Coffin itself.
After discovering its existence in Cobra's memories, Kaito hadn't simply taken the artifact.
He had immediately tested it.
The test subjects...
Had been Pell and Chaka.
The results proved beyond any doubt that the Devil's Coffin truly possessed the ability to guide the reincarnation of Devil Fruits.
The two fruits now resting safely inside his cabin were none other than the Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Falcon...
...and the Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Jackal.
Pell and Chaka had unintentionally become perfect proof that the artifact worked exactly as Cobra's memories described.
"Robin."
Kaito turned toward her.
"Notify everyone."
"We're leaving for the Drum Kingdom."
"Understood."
Still recovering from the shock, Robin nodded before immediately carrying out his orders.
Within a short time...
The War Pirates ended their brief stay along Alabasta's coast.
The fleet set sail once more.
Their new destination...
The Drum Kingdom.
The Drum Kingdom had once been renowned throughout the entire world as the greatest medical nation.
Doctors trained there were welcomed and respected wherever they traveled.
It was precisely because of that unparalleled medical heritage that the World Government had accepted the country as one of its affiliated nations despite its relatively small size.
Unfortunately...
The Drum Kingdom had already begun its decline.
And the cause of that decline...
Was its new king.
Wapol.
He could only be described as a disaster.
Since ascending the throne, he had carried out one absurd decision after another.
His tyrannical rule was only part of the problem.
The greatest mistake of all...
Was expelling nearly every outstanding doctor from the kingdom.
The nation's greatest strength had always been its medical expertise.
Driving away its doctors was no different from crippling the country with his own hands.
The Drum Kingdom had been slowly marching toward ruin ever since.
Of course...
Whether the kingdom survived or collapsed made little difference to Kaito.
Because of the country's former prestige, Eternal Poses pointing toward the Drum Kingdom were still widely available.
That allowed the War Pirates to sail there directly.
The Drum Kingdom wasn't far from Alabasta.
The two countries could almost be considered neighbors within the Grand Line.
Only a single day later...
The War Pirates arrived at the kingdom's harbor.
"Please..."
"Don't kill me!"
"If you spare my life..."
"I'll give you this entire country!"
Aboard the deck of the No. 1 flagship...
A bruised and swollen Wapol knelt pitifully on the deck, repeatedly banging his forehead against the floor as he begged for mercy.
Beside him...
Another prisoner watched with complete disbelief.
That man was Dalton, captain of the Drum Kingdom's Royal Guard.
Like Wapol, he bore numerous bruises from the earlier battle.
"Wapol!"
"You're the king of this country!"
"How can you beg pirates for your life?"
"And how dare you offer them our kingdom?!"
Dalton shouted furiously.
During the past several years...
He had already witnessed countless examples of Wapol's incompetence and tyranny.
Yet because of his unwavering loyalty to the royal family, he had always hoped that someday Wapol might mature into a worthy ruler like his late father.
Now...
Watching Wapol crawl across the deck like a frightened animal...
Dalton's final illusion completely shattered.
If he hadn't been restrained with Seastone handcuffs while several War Pirate crew members guarded him...
He would already have charged straight at Wapol.
"Shut up!"
"This kingdom belongs to me!"
"I'll give it to whoever I want!"
"A worthless servant like you has no right to interfere!"
Instead of feeling ashamed...
Wapol immediately screamed back.
His eyes burned with resentment toward Dalton.
In his opinion...
If Dalton had protected him properly...
The noble king would never have ended up in such humiliation.
"Quiet."
Law and Smoker, who had been responsible for capturing both prisoners, frowned simultaneously before sharply silencing the argument.
Across from them...
Kaito sat comfortably upon a sofa.
Robin stood quietly on one side.
Neferpitou leaned against the other.
Looking down calmly at Wapol...
Kaito finally spoke.
"Wapol."
"Do you really want to live?"
"Y-Yes!"
"Absolutely!"
"My lord, please spare me!"
"I'll do anything!"
Hearing Kaito address him directly, Wapol hurriedly nodded like an obedient lapdog.
Although he didn't actually know who Kaito was...
It was obvious enough that this man was the leader of the terrifying pirate crew that had conquered the kingdom so effortlessly.
"If you want to survive..."
"You'll obey every order I give."
"No problem!"
"I'll obey!"
"I'll be very obedient!"
Wapol answered immediately, not daring to hesitate for even a second.
Kaito nodded with satisfaction.
"Very good."
"Then answer me."
"Have you already eaten the Munch-Munch Fruit?"
The moment those words left Kaito's mouth...
Wapol's expression instantly stiffened.
"...Y-Yes..."
"I already ate it..."
"B-But I truly didn't do it on purpose!"
Cold sweat poured down his face.
Until now...
He had assumed these pirates wanted treasure or political power.
Now he finally realized...
Their true objective had been his Devil Fruit.
But there was one terrifying problem.
He had already eaten the Munch-Munch Fruit years ago.
If that was what Kaito had come for...
Wouldn't that mean...
He had completely lost his value?
The horrifying thought immediately filled Wapol with panic.
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