“It’s time to prepare dinner!”
Gazing at the setting sun.
Al stopped his training, and spread his wings.
“Wooosh…” With a gust of wind, the towering figure took flight, soaring towards the distance.
Soon, Al arrived at the coast of Elbaf’s giant village.
The colossal figure moved with incredible speed.
Skimming over the sea.
“Roar!” A fearsome Sea King, no smaller than a hundred meters, emerged from the depths, its ferocious presence filling the air.
It lunged forward, its gaping maw wide open.
It savagely bit at Al.
“I’ve been waiting for you!” Al chuckled, his voice light.
His reaction was lightning-fast.
He spun around in mid-air.
Veins bulged on his right arm as he unleashed a powerful fist strike.
“Whoooosh!”
The force was overwhelming.
It even distorted the air.
“Boom!” A thunderous sound reverberated, followed by a spray of blood.
That fearsome punch.
Connected squarely with the ferocious Sea King.
It shattered the enormous head of the creature in a single blow.
A gaping hole, clear from front to back, appeared on the Sea King’s skull, a horrifying sight.
“Sizzle… sizzle…” Flames surged from the back of Al’s head, engulfing him in a fiery aura. The blood splattered on his skin, instantly vaporized by the heat.
The Sea King's massive body, over a hundred meters long, seemed to lose its support, about to crash into the ocean.
But Al, with a swift motion, gripped the bloody skull with his large hand.
He dragged the heavy carcass.
And flew towards the coast.
“Splash!”
A large spray of water splashed.
The massive Sea King’s corpse.
Was lifted entirely from the sea, its weight defying gravity.
“Bang!!” Rocks flew, kicking up dust.
The Sea King crashed onto the long coastline.
“Swish…”
Back on the shore.
Al slashed his right hand through the air.
“Whizz… whizz…”
Instantly, several sharp blades of wind sliced through the air.
This Sea King, over a hundred meters long, which was only considered a "small fry" in the waters around Elbaf, was quickly dismembered.
Through continuous training, even in his human form, he could now use his Devil Fruit abilities to a certain degree.
He no longer needed to transform immediately.
“Whew…”
Next.
Al gently stomped his right foot.
“Swish… swish…”
The ground trembled.
Green shoots erupted from the earth.
They grew at an astonishing pace, transforming into giant vines, piercing the dismembered Sea King, and strung them up in the air.
Even the entrails were extracted by the vines, the carcass cleaned.
This was the power of the Snake Snake Fruit, Model: Feather Snake God.
Legend has it that the Feather Snake God is a deity who brings the rainy season and is associated with planting, harvesting, abundance, as well as death and rebirth.
He is the god of agriculture, the sky, and also the sun.
Al was immune to all poisons, could unleash powerful toxins, possessed unparalleled offensive power, defensive strength, and recovery ability.
He could manipulate storms, thunder, flames, and various other elements, controlling the wind and rain at will.
Even more astonishing, he could control plants, manipulating their growth and form.
More ridiculously, he could shed his skin to heal his wounds, and his size would grow even larger.
Based on Al's observations, the Feather Snake God form likely possessed the power of resurrection from death.
But he had yet to confirm this.
He wouldn’t be foolish enough to test it.
“Swish…”
Looking at the mountain-sized pieces of Sea King flesh strung up on the vines, Al didn’t feel like bothering with preparing them.
He grabbed a piece of Sea King meat, even bigger than a giant’s body, with his right hand.
A burst of flames surged from his hand, completely engulfing the meat.
“Crackle… crackle…”
“Sizzle… sizzle…”
The terrifyingly high temperature flames.
In a blink of an eye, the meat was thoroughly cooked. The aroma of roasted meat filled the air.
He grabbed the roasted Sea King meat and tore off a huge chunk.
He devoured it with gusto.
In just a few bites, he finished it off.
Then, he repeated the process, cooking another piece of meat.
Within just half an hour, before the sun had even completely set.
This Sea King, whose size would be considered quite large even in the Four Blues, was completely devoured by him.
A truly astonishing feat.
“Burp~ It wasn’t that bad, but at least I’m full!”
Al rubbed his somewhat distended stomach, lazily sitting down, a “fish bone” dangling from his mouth.
Gazing at the undulating sea, his mind drifted, lost in memories.
Since birth, he was hunted by the World Government and the Marines.
Not only did he face countless near-death experiences, but it was only at the age of three that he awakened his previous life’s memories.
His parents, who repeatedly risked their lives to protect him, had already earned his recognition. He considered them his true family.
In fact, their untimely deaths at such a young age were all thanks to the World Government.
How could he remain indifferent?
This debt would be settled with the World Government sooner or later.
Thinking about this, Al’s gaze flashed with a cold glint: “Red Line, Mariejois, one day, I’ll go there…”
As a descendant of the Lunarian race.
He was destined to be an enemy of the World Government from the beginning.
Perhaps they were overly cautious about the Lunarian race’s incredible innate talents.
Or maybe they coveted the Lunarians’ innate ability to survive in any harsh environment.
Or perhaps both.
Hundreds of years ago, the World Government had already issued a related bounty.
Anyone, under any circumstances, who discovered the whereabouts of the Lunarian race and reported them to the World Government would be rewarded with a bounty of 100 million Berries.
And if they managed to capture a member of the Lunarian race and hand them over to the World Government, they would receive an enormous reward.
This bounty had no time limit and remains active to this day.
From the very beginning, the two sides were destined to be sworn enemies.
Black wings on his back, greyish-white hair, brown skin, flames at the back of his head…
These were the main physical characteristics of the legendary god race, the Lunarians, making them easily recognizable.
Over countless years, countless Lunarians have been persecuted and hunted.
The race was on the brink of extinction. Only a handful of survivors remained.
A mere handful.
“Since there’s no way out, then let’s cause chaos!”
Gazing in the direction of the Red Line.
His outstretched right hand clenched into a fist.
Al’s gaze was fierce, his eyes resolute, filled with ambition: “Marines, Celestial Dragons, World Government, you are all damned… That empty throne, I’ll take it!”
King of the World?
If the Celestial Dragons can sit on it, why can’t Al?
He would not only sit on it, he would sit on it legitimately and with honor.
Not like the sham Celestial Dragon King, Im, who hid like a sewer rat, only daring to sneak onto the throne.
As a born monster, with the bloodlines of both the Lunarian and Giant races, and also a Feather Snake God Devil Fruit user, Al had that confidence.
One day, he would stand on the pinnacle of the Red Line, the ancestral land of the Lunarians!
With the world as his witness, he would wear the crown of "King of the World."
Ascend the highest throne in the void.
And crush the world beneath his feet.
【PS: To clarify, the Zoan Devil Fruit is quite special. As shown in the manga, the ability user can still use their Devil Fruit powers to a certain degree in their human form.
For example, Marco, after his two-year training, was able to heal Sphinx with his Revive Flame, without transforming, in Whitebeard’s hometown. It’s not just the author making stuff up.】