Chapter 51: Wapol's Brother.

Quietly listening to Kureha recount the tragic past, Iggy's grip slowly loosened.

Each word sank deep into his mind. The clues, like scattered pearls, were finally strung together—forming a flawless, complete necklace of truth.

His thoughts raced. Based on the information so far, everything finally aligned, and the truth burst forth.

"I will… unconditionally help you drive out Wapol."

The decision was made. Iggy's face tightened with anger, as though he could fully understand the suffering brought by that brutal royal family.

The tragedies of the past—and the one unfolding now—seemed to pierce the young man's heart, evoking a deep, unshakable empathy.

At the same time, the tension in his locked arm fully released, as if the steel-bound reindeer had finally been set free.

Iggy opened his palm. Wisps of void-like energy drifted from his hand, flowing quietly back into the reindeer's body.

After taking a few steps toward Doctor Kureha, the reindeer began to shrink, returning to its smaller, child-like form.

"Let's go, Iggy!"

Seeing the boy finally stand with them, Dalton's stern face softened into a rare, spring-like smile.

Rejecting the captain's plan to infiltrate the castle through a roundabout route, Iggy chose to face the heart of the problem head-on—the tyrant, Wapol.

Together, they carved a bloody path forward, charging straight into the royal castle and into the King's Hall.

"Mshuru!"

There on the throne sat Wapol. Beside him stood not only his two loyal officers—but also a grotesque man with a pink, mushroom-shaped head.

Dalton's eyes narrowed. After years as the Captain of the Drum Kingdom's Guard, he could never forget this notorious fungus-type Devil Fruit user—Wapol's own brother.

At just 13, Mshuru had been exiled by the previous king after he fired spore shells from the royal city's cannons just for fun—killing half the population.

"Moo hahaha! Didn't expect this, traitor? I've got a brother. Let's see how arrogant you are now!"

It turned out that days earlier, after Wapol had a run-in with Iggy, his paranoia flared—and he immediately summoned his powerful brother back from exile.

Mshuru was no slouch. His physical prowess was considerable, and his Fungus-Fungus Fruit ability was deadly—he'd crafted spore shells packed with ten years' worth of lethal bacteria.

The two brothers had already moved the germ bombs to the fortress atop the castle, ready to annihilate both the rebels and the people in one fell swoop.

"Good. Let me handle this."

For half a month, just to survive, Iggy had slaughtered dozens of Labans. He'd long been itching to unleash the full power of his Devil Fruit.

His eyes locked onto Mshuru like a predator eyeing prey. With slow steps at first, he broke into a run, wind trailing behind him.

"Snow Spores!"

Mshuru held his right wrist with his left hand, then pointed his open right palm at Iggy. His ability charged in an instant.

Bang bang bang—several smoke-like spore bombs launched and exploded along Iggy's path. The moment they hit the ground, toxic purple gas billowed upward.

Iggy executed Soru, dodging left and right with precision. His lightning-fast movements avoided the gas clouds as he surged forward.

"Poison Umbrella Dance!"

Seeing Iggy closing in fast, Mshuru leapt backward. In midair, mushrooms sprouted from his head, and he lowered it to face the enemy.

A mechanism triggered—countless purple spore projectiles sprayed in a dense barrage from the umbrella-shaped mushroom cap.

The assault was overwhelming, but Iggy didn't slow down. He dashed straight through the bullet rain, a blur wrapped in Armament Haki.

Before Mshuru could even land, Iggy had already closed the distance, fists wrapped in black, striking with explosive force.

"Damn it! Eat this—Spinning Drill!"

Reacting fast, a huge mushroom sprouted from Mshuru's right arm. Its umbrella-like cap expanded and encased his fist.

It spun rapidly, like a high-speed drill, roaring as it clashed with Iggy's punch.

Fists met, sparks flying. Mshuru tried to compensate for his lack of raw power with speed. The clash was fierce.

"RAAAAGHH!"

Mshuru's face contorted, veins bulging. Sparks sprayed from the collision point as the drill bit screeched and pushed against Iggy's arm.

As his Armament Haki began to wane, Iggy quickly withdrew his fist and leapt back.

"Trying to run? Big Reproduction!"

A pink aura erupted behind Mshuru, and multiple toxic clones of gas and spores burst into being, darting in all directions.

Knowing how deadly they were, Iggy relied on his Observation Haki, weaving through the poisonous doppelgängers like a leaf drifting through wind—never touched.

"There's a gap—now, GO, FUNGUS!"

Catching Iggy mid-air during his evasion, Mshuru quickly fired threads of mycelium like whips, lashing out from his palms.

Just inches from the ground, the mycelium latched onto Iggy and rapidly grew—morphing into a thick, fleshy stalk that wrapped him tight.

"Time to feel the true power of poison!"

Mshuru clenched both fists, and a terrifying toxic gas—purple mixed with sickly pink—rose like a storm.

Dalton's heart sank as he saw black splotches begin to bloom across Iggy's skin.

"Damn! If I'd known Mshuru was here, I would've had Doctor 20 prepare an antidote in advance!"

"You're overthinking it, Dalton."

The black patches spreading across Iggy's body suddenly stopped—then rapidly receded. The giant mushroom stalk shriveled up and collapsed.

Within seconds, the danger was gone.

Iggy stood there, calm and unharmed, his eyes cold and fixed on Mshuru, who now looked utterly horrified.

His fear was genuine. Mshuru had unleashed a relentless assault—and yet Iggy hadn't taken a scratch. It was like punching steel… or worse, a bottomless swamp.

He felt as if he'd been dragged into a pool of black water—sinking fast, like a mushroom tossed into boiling soup. There was no escape.

"In the face of darkness… all Devil Fruits are meaningless."

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