Ch 7: Alternative

Chapter 7: Alternative

However, although the permanent population wasn't very large, the capital still seemed quite lively.

This was because the Drum Kingdom was a well-known medical power. While it wasn't large in area and had a small population, its medical technology was famous throughout the surrounding seas. As a result, many sick and wealthy dignitaries traveled from afar to seek treatment on this island.

This greatly boosted the island's economy. The reason people here lived relatively affluent lives was largely thanks to these foreign visitors.

After all, in the world of One Piece—especially on the Grand Line—those who could afford to sail weren't ordinary folk. Apart from pirates, most were at least moderately wealthy. Naturally, these visitors spent large amounts of money when they came to the Drum Kingdom. Even if the locals were just "drinking the soup" of these riches, they still enjoyed sufficient food and clothing.

As the capital of the Drum Kingdom, the city also had the most advanced medical technology. It was a gathering place for wealthy outsiders, which explained its relative prosperity.

However, Ayaan hadn't come here to study medicine. His gaze fell on the tall castle at the center of the city, and he calculated silently in his heart:

"A medieval-style castle like this might deter ordinary civilians, but for a ninja like me, with so many blind spots and dark corners, it's essentially undefended."

Ninjas had always been masters of stealth. While the ninjas in the Naruto world were trained primarily for combat, ninja schools still included detailed instruction on lurking, eavesdropping, intelligence gathering, theft, espionage, and other stealth-based techniques.

In the One Piece world, such skills were like dimensionality reduction attacks. Unless someone had awakened Observation Haki, Ayaan was confident that he could infiltrate most places with ease.

And this palace in the Drum Kingdom was clearly no exception.

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That night, Ayaan quietly approached the rear of the castle.

A high wall might have been effective against an invading army, but for someone like Ayaan—who could walk on trees and water with chakra—no wall was high enough to be a problem.

He effortlessly scaled the wall and slipped through a square window. Then, relying on the knowledge from the ninja academy, Ayaan identified the likely location of the master bedroom and began to sneak through the castle.

Whenever he saw a guard or a maid, he either clung to the ceiling, ducked outside the walls, or hid in blind spots beyond their line of sight. If he heard footsteps approaching from a corner, he either concealed himself or used the Transformation Jutsu to blend in as an object.

Along the way, Ayaan displayed stealth skills that would leave even a 007 agent speechless. Before long, he arrived at the large bedroom door.

Two armored guards stood on either side of the door. Ayaan frowned slightly. While he had strong stealth abilities, they were only in the "ordinary sense"—not true invisibility. With two people actively watching the door, he wouldn't be able to enter undetected.

Still frowning, he reached into his ninja tool pouch, pulled out two senbon, and flicked his wrist. The needles flew forward and struck the guards in the neck.

The guards' eyes widened briefly before they collapsed without a sound. Although Ayaan didn't possess Haku's acupuncture precision, he had coated the senbon with a strong nerve anesthetic. These guards were, at most, slightly stronger than average men—no match for ninja tools.

As the guards were about to fall, Ayaan darted forward and caught them, propping them against the wall. Their heavy armor would've made a loud noise if they'd hit the ground, and Ayaan didn't want to alert anyone else.

He then pushed open the door and entered. In the center of the bedroom lay a luxurious bed. An old man rested on it, clearly very sick. A crown sat beside his pillow.

The old man was fast asleep. Ayaan examined him carefully, then pulled out a small vial of medicine from his pocket and gently poured it into the man's mouth.

The king stirred momentarily but soon slipped into a dazed state as the drug took effect.

"Tch. What a pity I never learned proper Genjutsu. I only know some basic theory—if I could actually hypnotize, this would've been so much easier," Ayaan muttered.

Still, although he hadn't learned actual illusion techniques, he could still create minor hypnotic effects by manipulating chakra.

After all, even if ninja schools didn't teach full illusions, they still covered how to resist them—meaning Ayaan could reverse-engineer some basic techniques with enough study.

Furthermore, the medicine he prepared had mild hypnotic properties. Between the two methods, it was easy enough to handle a sick old man.

The king's eyes became dull. Ayaan nodded in satisfaction. A gentle wave of chakra flowed from his palm and enveloped the old man's head.

He asked, "Where is the Drum Kingdom's treasury? Is there a Devil Fruit hidden inside?"

The old man trembled and, under the effect of the drugs and chakra, revealed the location. Fortunately, the Devil Fruit was indeed in the treasury.

However, just after he finished speaking, the king's eyes rolled back. Foam gathered at the corners of his mouth, and he passed away coldly and silently.

Ayaan was slightly startled. He hadn't expected his drug to be fatal. But after a quick examination, he discovered that the old king was already at death's door. Even though Ayaan's concoction was mild, it had used up the last of the man's vitality.

Scratching his head, Ayaan sighed.

"Wasn't trying to do that."

That said, even without Ayaan's interference, the old man likely would've died within a day or two.

He was just an ordinary king, and Ayaan felt no guilt. In fact, the king's death made things easier.

Ayaan checked the body one last time, then stored it in a sealing scroll. Afterward, he performed the Transformation Jutsu and took on the king's appearance.

He cleared his throat a few times, testing the voice. With a touch of chakra to his vocal cords, he mimicked the old man's voice perfectly. While this "voice change" trick wasn't a real ninjutsu—just a chakra technique taught in school—it was extremely convenient.

He opened the bedroom door and detoxified the two unconscious guards. After they awoke, he scolded them for "falling asleep" while on duty.

Though the guards found it strange, nothing seemed out of place, so they didn't question it further.

Then, accompanied by the two guards, the "old king" walked confidently toward the royal treasury.

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