"Huh?! Shirogai, why are you turning purple?!"
Chopper suddenly noticed that Shirogai's skin was rapidly shifting shades, and within seconds, he'd turned into a small purple figure.
"I told you not to eat random stuff! Quick, spit it out!"
Chopper's eyes bulged as he frantically yelled, "Doctor! Where's the doctor? We need a doctor!"
"Hey, hey, hey…"
Usopp stared at Chopper like he'd lost his mind. "Aren't you the doctor?!"
Chopper slapped both paws to his cheeks in horror. "Oh right… I'm the doctor!"
"Shirogai, let me check you right away!"
He rushed forward to examine him, but Shirogai casually stepped aside.
"Don't touch me, Chopper."
At that moment, Shirogai's face was unsettling. His entire body had turned a deep shade of purple, like a misshapen sweet potato.
"I'm fine. It just hurts a little," Shirogai muttered through gritted teeth, his expression twisting from the intense pain surging through his body.
"That bastard actually swallowed all the poisonous spores himself!"
Watching the agony on Shirogai's face, Wapol clenched his teeth, then laughed gleefully under his breath. "I might not have been able to kill everyone, but watching this smug pretty boy die in agony makes up for it! Struggle and suffer, you fool!"
The more Shirogai's expression contorted, the more delighted Wapol became.
"Hehehe… ah hahahaha…"
He laughed wildly, mocking, "Only idiots would throw their lives away for others! Good-hearted fools like you will always be the easiest to deal with!"
"Shirogai, are you okay?!"
Chopper transformed into his hybrid form, anxiously circling Shirogai. Though he knew the poison could be contagious, as a doctor, he couldn't just stand by.
"Please, let me check you!"
Just as Chopper braced himself to risk his life to save him, the pain vanished from Shirogai's face. In its place appeared a faint, casual smile.
"Heh… it hurts, it really hurts."
Completely purple, Shirogai lowered his head and gave Chopper a soft smile. "Relax, Chopper. I'm fine. I just wanted to know what it felt like to be poisoned this badly."
The moment he finished speaking, the poison on his body visibly receded. Large patches of purple faded, the toxins gathering and condensing into his chest before vanishing altogether.
Chopper's jaw dropped so hard his tongue curled up. "EHHHHH!?!"
Meanwhile, Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp wore entirely calm, unfazed expressions.
Luffy laughed. "Told you, Reindeer. Shirogai'd be fine."
Sanji coughed dryly. "I'll never understand his weird hobbies."
Usopp sighed. "Yep. That's Shirogai — messing with the enemy again."
Shirogai turned toward the wide-eyed, naked Wapol and strolled over with a grin. "Ta-da, I'm fine. Surprised? Didn't expect that, huh?"
The sight of the small, smiling Shirogai approaching made Wapol, despite being five meters tall, quake in fear. He lost his balance and collapsed onto the snow.
"Y-You… what are you going to do?! Don't come any closer!"
The naked Wapol squeezed his legs together, scrambling backward. "We… we are the rightful king of this land, recognized by the World Government! If you lay a hand on us, the Marines won't forgive you! We've dealt with Admirals before! If you kill me, one of them will definitely come for you!"
Shirogai kept walking, his calm smile unwavering. "If I kill you, they'll send an Admiral?"
Wapol's eyes gleamed, thinking he'd regained the upper hand.
"Of course! We never lie!"
He straightened up and smirked. "If we're killed, two Admirals will descend upon Drum Island and hunt you to the ends of the Grand Line!"
Shirogai clapped his hands lightly. "Now that's excellent news! Originally, I wasn't going to kill you. But if killing you brings an Admiral here… I guess I'll have to reconsider."
Wapol's expression froze, disbelief washing over him. "Wait… you… do you understand what you're saying?"
He was baffled. To pirates, Admirals were natural disasters — unbeatable forces. Why would anyone invite one?
"You… you lunatic!"
Wapol trembled violently, inching backward until he reached the edge of a towering cliff. Snow crumbled beneath him, and the icy wind howled from the abyss.
"There's no retreat…!"
His breath caught in his throat. If he fell from here, he'd be nothing but a bloodstain in the snow.
Wapol turned, desperate. "W-Wait! This is all a misunderstanding! We didn't want to kill anyone — we're good people!"
Shirogai kept approaching, smiling. "Is that so?"
"Respected pirate-sama, we can negotiate this!"
Wapol dropped to all fours, humbling himself. His face contorted into a pitiful smile, desperate to win his life back. "We can give you anything you want! Treasure, jewels, beautiful women, servants — we'll even name you Vice King, Prince Protector! You'll sit by our side!"
To everyone's shock, Shirogai stopped just two meters from Wapol. He stroked his chin, pretending to consider it.
"You mean, you'll give me anything I want?"
Wapol's eyes sparkled. He thought his offer was working and patted his chest confidently. "Absolutely! Just agree to be our subordinate, and you'll get the same privileges as us — a life of luxury above all others!"
In his heart, Wapol was ecstatic. If he could recruit this monster, he'd rule the entire region! What a stroke of luck!
Shirogai grinned. "In that case… I want you."
Crack. The entire area went silent.
Even Luffy scratched his head. "Huh? Is Shirogai asking him to join the crew?"
Sanji's eye twitched. "Please tell me he doesn't mean like… that."
Usopp gulped. "Maybe he wants to turn him into a cyborg?"
Chopper shivered. "Is he going to… eat him…?"
Wapol's face went pale as snow. "Y-You want us? What… what does that mean?!"
Shirogai kept walking, his pressure suffocating. "Do you agree?"
Unable to withstand the oppressive aura surrounding him, Wapol frantically nodded. "D-Don't come any closer — w-we agree!"
Shirogai chuckled. "Congratulations. You just saved your miserable life."
Standing directly in front of him, Shirogai slammed his foot down onto Wapol's head, grinding his face into the snow.
"You didn't seriously think you and your brother could wreak havoc on this country and just apologize, did you? Since both of your Devil Fruit powers are somewhat useful… you'll spend the rest of your lives atoning for what you've done."
---
Apologies for not uploading the chapters earlier today
I've been sick (still am, actually, lol).
That said, I'll be switching the update time back to the original schedule: 6 PM to 7 PM (WAT).