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Chapter 36:
Vilin looked somewhat puzzled in the direction Annie was pointing.
Soon, a gigantic head emerged right in front of him.
When he saw the thousand-meter-sized head appear before the Flying Bird,
"Island-Eater!"
Vilin quickly recalled the name of this creature.
The Aitrias Pirates also saw the enormous monster.
Fear appeared on their faces.
Seeing the crew beginning to panic, Vilin immediately reassured them.
"Everyone, don't be afraid! Leave this thing to me!"
Just as Vilin spoke,
the Island-Eater opened its black-hole-like massive mouth.
The moment it did, a huge oceanic vortex formed on the sea surface.
All nearby seawater surged toward its maw.
The Flying Bird was caught in the current and dragged rapidly toward the gaping jaws.
Seeing it trying to swallow the ship whole, Vilin could no longer sit still.
Forest Giant Soldier!
While everyone was panicking,
Vilin's body rapidly expanded, growing to over twenty meters tall in an instant.
Elbaf Spear – Weiguo!
Vilin's eyes locked onto the approaching Island-Eater.
He poured all his Haki into the massive blade in his hand.
After concentrating every ounce of power into one point,
he swung the giant blade toward the monster.
The Aitrias crew watched in shock as
a hundred-meter-wide shockwave erupted from Vilin, blasting straight toward the Island-Eater's eye.
The crew stared at the awe-inspiring scene in reverence.
The devastating Weiguo shockwave pierced the sea surface and reached the monster's eye in an instant.
BOOM! BOOM!
The terrifying penetrating power of the spear light punched straight through the eye and brain.
When the crew saw the Island-Eater's eyes turn into X's,
they finally breathed sighs of relief.
"Long live the Captain!"
Immediately after, the entire crew erupted in massive cheers.
Seeing he had taken down the beast, Vilin pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
He took a deep drag.
Only then did some color return to his pale face.
The most shocked person on board was Fiona.
As a newly advanced swordsman,
she could clearly feel just how powerful Vilin's strike had been.
Fiona touched the Green Bamboo sword Vilin had given her and silently vowed in her heart:
"I will definitely reach that level too!"
Standing nearby, Rouge looked at Vilin's solid back with eyes full of pride.
Feeling his stamina recover a little,
Vilin flew directly toward the top of the Island-Eater's head.
Life Drain!
Vilin stepped onto the monster's skull.
Thick tree roots instantly pierced into its body and began疯狂 devouring its life force, storing it inside him.
Feeling endless life energy pouring into him,
Vilin finally showed a satisfied expression.
He estimated that if he drained this beast completely,
the life energy would be enough for several years of cultivation.
The absorption process lasted a full day.
Only then did Vilin jump back onto the Flying Bird's deck with an excited look.
Aelria saw Vilin return and immediately steered the ship toward Drum Island.
Great Route – first half, Drum Island.
Drum Island was an island renowned for advanced medical care.
Every day, patients came from far away, spending huge sums to treat incurable diseases.
This made the island extremely wealthy.
At Drum Island's port,
the Flying Bird quietly docked.
After arranging affairs, Aurora gave the entire crew seven days of vacation.
During these three months,
every crew member had trained extremely hard—Vilin had seen it all.
Seeing Aurora handle everything flawlessly,
Vilin took Annie, the pregnant Rouge, and her caretaker Lilith toward the bustling streets of the port.
After sampling some of Drum Island's specialty foods,
the four found a hotel and checked in.
Once Rouge and the others fell asleep,
Vilin began scouting the entire island.
He used plants to thoroughly explore the wilderness areas.
He found no Devil Fruits there.
Could they be in the royal treasury?
Vilin directed his plants toward the Sakura Kingdom's interior.
Soon his vines infiltrated the royal treasure vault.
Sure enough—there they were!
Inside the vault,
Vilin saw mountains of gold and silver treasures, along with three Devil Fruits.
One of them was exactly the Munch-Munch Fruit he had long desired.
Eagerly, Vilin opened the other two treasure chests.
Inside were two slips of paper.
One read: Paramecia-type – Bacteria-Bacteria Fruit.
The other: Paramecia-type – Medicine-Medicine Fruit.
"Medicine-Medicine Fruit, huh?"
Looking at the pale pink Devil Fruit, a strange glint flashed in Vilin's eyes.
"Jessica would probably like this one."
After storing all three Devil Fruits inside himself,
Vilin looked at the towering piles of treasure in the vault.
Without any guilt, he emptied the entire treasury.
Hope the Sakura Kingdom's king doesn't die of rage!
Imagining the king's furious expression, Vilin couldn't help but smile brightly.
The next day,
while Vilin was shopping with Rouge and the others,
they saw Sakura Kingdom soldiers searching the city frantically.
Vilin only gave a faint smile.
He knew exactly why.
The king must have discovered his entire treasury was gone.
The search continued until Vilin's group left—without finding any clues.
By then,
the Flying Bird was already en route to Alabasta Kingdom.
Just as the Aitrias Pirates departed Drum Island,
news of their appearance reached the Navy through scouts and was relayed to Marineford.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
During training, Garp suddenly received a summons from Fleet Admiral Kong.
Entering the Admiral's office,
Garp was handed a report.
He skimmed it and immediately jumped up, heading straight for the port.
"Vilin's finally shown himself?"
"I've waited long enough."
"This time I'm definitely dragging you into Impel Down!"
Watching Garp leave, Kong continued handling Navy affairs.