Stepping out of the Pluton's cabin again, the dazzling sunlight instantly hit Luffy, immediately dispelling the ancient, decaying aura that had clung to the Starry Sky crew.
The Starry Sky Pirates, now with a renewed sense of direction and purpose, strode forward with the pride and confidence of children heading to their very first day of school.
They leapt effortlessly from hundreds of meters above the ship, landing on the desert scattered with shards of glass-like crystal.
Robin, clutching the parchment book, glanced back at the massive ancient warship with a complex expression, shaking her head in regret.
For centuries, Ohara had produced countless brilliant scholars who devoted their lives and bodies to uncovering the truth of history.
Yet in the end, all their studies and conjectures had turned out to be wrong…
Although Robin hadn't obtained fully accurate historical information from the diary, the fragments she read left no doubt in her mind that the truth was far more complicated than anyone imagined.
Generations of blood and sweat yielded nothing more than a self-righteous "history."
How tragic!
Robin shook her head again, unsure whether the current situation was a blessing or a curse.
At least with silent death, scholars like her mother wouldn't witness the total invalidation of their work.
Zoro, who had landed, paused briefly. He drew his sword from its sheath and tapped lightly on the hull of the Pluton.
The sound, deep and dull like striking volcanic rock, accompanied Zoro's question:
"Luffy, what are we going to do with this big guy?
Are we just leaving it here?"
Hearing Zoro, everyone's gaze turned to the colossal Pluton.
Switching ships was impossible—this ship, the Merry, was their home.
Entering the Merry felt like coming home.
And Merry spoke so nicely, everyone adored her.
Yet leaving the Pluton here felt like a waste.
According to the diary, this warship was a terrifying force capable of standing against unknown monsters.
If only Merry could swallow this ship—wouldn't that instantly upgrade her level?
This warship could sail and fight in the stars. Its hull, made from rare or possibly unique metals on this planet, could withstand Luffy's full force and even block his Observation Haki entirely.
Though Luffy knew there was no absolute shield or spear in the world, currently, the Pluton remained an extraordinary force.
Wait… the power to devour… don't we have that!?
Luffy's gaze shifted to Sanji.
The powers of the Ton-Ton Fruit allowed him to devour anything.
The question was whether this special Pluton could resist Devil Fruit abilities.
For a moment, Luffy considered many things, but to the Starry Sky crew, he simply paused after Zoro's question before turning to Sanji:
"Sanji! Try it! See if you can eat the Pluton!"
"What!?"
The crew froze in shock at Luffy's bizarre suggestion.
After a moment of thought, they stared at Sanji with disbelief, eyes sparkling with expectation.
"Eat… eat it!?"
Even Sanji was startled by Luffy's sudden idea.
Though the Tonton Fruit had given him an insatiable appetite, allowing him to eat giant Sea Beasts daily, the sight of this massive warship—larger than mountains and tougher than steel—suddenly made him feel a strange fullness, killing his appetite instantly.
Glug…
Sanji swallowed nervously, staring at the enormous, iron-hard warship.
Zoro, on the other hand, reacted completely differently.
The Starry Sky vice-captain's grin was wicked, watching sweat bead on Sanji's forehead.
"Oh~ what a great idea!
Sanji, this time you'll really get full!"
Curious about Sanji's hesitation, Luffy asked:
"What's wrong, Sanji? Your fruit can't absorb this metal?"
After all, the warship's composition was unknown.
From the diary, even Devil Fruits might have been artificially created. Metals capable of repelling Haki could logically resist certain Devil Fruit powers.
Sanji shook his head, voice low but confident:
"It should be fine."
As the Tonton Fruit user, Sanji could feel the metal's energy directly.
Though his taste buds resisted, he knew the warship's metal wasn't like Kairoseki or seawater. He had experimented with those and felt poison coursing through every cell.
But the Pluton's hull didn't provoke such a reaction—only mild discomfort.
It was like a child resisting medicine: painful, but beneficial.
Understanding this, Sanji stepped forward and pressed his hand to the hull.
His handsome face suddenly distorted; his mouth stretched wide, growing five times larger!
CRACK!
His enlarged teeth bit into the hull.
Then, the impossible happened!
The Pluton, impervious even to the combined energies of Luffy and his ancestors, now showed tiny cracks under Sanji's teeth!
Though slight, it shocked everyone—each of them knew how tough the hull was.
Devil Fruit powers… are truly incredible!
This was no longer about mere strength.
Perhaps the diary was right: the ancients understood Devil Fruits' power better than people today.
Paramecia might look strong when elemental, but in an era where everyone wields Haki, Zoan and special rule-types dominate the battlefield.
As Sanji bit down, the dark metal began to separate from the hull, squeaking under the friction.
After five minutes, a chunk of metal was finally torn off.
"Ugh…"
The metal, in Sanji's mouth, slid down his Tonton-powered throat, like a black hole, and fell into his stomach.
Hiss…
Inside, his cells erupted with activity, turning a fiery crimson.
Golden flames radiated from within, coating the metal with a dark sheen.
Bubbles formed as if a chemical reaction had taken place.
Five minutes later, Sanji opened his eyes, a flash of joy in them.
Luffy, monitoring Sanji's stats since the devouring began, grinned in astonishment.
In just ten minutes, Sanji's strength, stamina, and agility each increased by 2 points!
Luffy shifted his gaze back to the Pluton.
Sanji… might just defy the heavens!