"Gurgle—"
Ryan's eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Just as he was about to retreat, his stomach chose that exact moment to rumble loudly, the sound echoing through the silent forest like rolling thunder. Even the birds perched on branches were startled into flight with frantic flapping.
Golden Lion cast a sidelong glance at Ryan, a flicker of impatience in his pupils. His withered fingers waved dismissively. "Indigo, go get some food."
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled patterns on his golden kimono. The hidden patterns embroidered along the hem shifted with his movements, faintly revealing interlaced swords and anchors.
"Kuleh kuleh... understood." Indigo responded with a strange laugh before turning toward the ancient castle, his footsteps making peculiar squelching sounds all the way.
Scarlet scratched his furry chin and followed Indigo toward the castle.
Before leaving, he deliberately glanced back at Ryan, his gaze resembling someone examining a perfectly marinated steak. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl upward, revealing two rows of yellowish fangs.
Before long, Indigo returned carrying an enormous wooden platter.
The platter was carved from a single piece of ebony, its edges engraved with coiling sea serpent patterns. The plate was piled high with steaming roasted meat, glistening grilled fish, and some unknown wild fruits adorned with crystalline dewdrops.
Grease dripped slowly from the roasted meat, releasing a rich, savory aroma. The grilled fish had a crispy golden skin sprinkled with fine seaweed flakes, through which one could glimpse the snow-white flesh inside.
Ryan hadn't touched food for three days and nights. Now, smelling the aroma, his stomach growled even more enthusiastically.
He was already starving to the point of seeing stars, his vision beginning to blur. How could he possibly care about maintaining appearances?
He plunged headfirst into the pile of food. Although his dragon-shaped mouth wasn't particularly large, he chewed with astonishing speed. His cheeks bulged with stuffed roasted meat as he crunched bones with audible cracks and swallowed them directly, consuming even the savory marrow along with them.
He didn't even spit out the pits of the wild fruits, allowing the sweet and sour juice to trickle down the corners of his mouth and drip onto his peach-colored scales.
In mere moments, he had devoured over half the platter of food.
Indigo watched until his glasses nearly slid off his nose. Pushing them back up, his mustache twitched. "Kuleh kuleh... Is this little guy's stomach a bottomless pit? When I was in the kitchen earlier, I saw the Head Chef slaughtering a three-hundred-pound wild boar. Seems he made the right call."
Kneeling on the ground, he counted the bones Ryan had swallowed with keen interest, as if studying some fascinating experimental subject.
Scarlet crouched nearby, gnawing on a piece of roasted meat as long as his forearm. Grease dripped down his furry chin, accumulating as dark stains on the animal-skin apron covering his chest.
When Ryan snatched the largest grilled fish from his plate, Scarlet let out a dissatisfied snort. His thick arm slammed against the ground, making nearby pebbles jump.
But Golden Lion merely glanced at him indifferently, and Scarlet immediately drooped his head, obediently withdrawing his hand, though he continued muttering under his breath as if complaining about his food being stolen.
Golden Lion leaned against an ancient tree, smoking a cigar. The sizzling sound of burning tobacco intertwined with the forest's insect chorus.
He watched Ryan's ravenous, wolf-like demeanor, the corner of his mouth curling into an almost imperceptible smile, as if he had discovered some novel plaything.
Though this little worm was currently as weak as a maggot, unable to even control his own abilities, his appetite was rather interesting—perhaps he could truly be nurtured into something worthwhile.
He flicked the ash from his cigar, a complex glint flashing in his dark golden pupils—scrutiny, anticipation, and a trace of barely noticeable ruthlessness.
Ryan paid no mind to their gazes. At this moment, only one thought occupied his mind: eat, eat like there was no tomorrow. On this floating island surrounded by the strong, in this perilous world of pirates, filling his stomach was the first step to survival.
His mouth never stopped moving. Grease from the roasted meat dripped down the corners of his lips. Indigo replaced the wooden plates one after another, the empty plates piling up beside him into a small hill, nearly half his height. The Sea Serpent patterns along the rims of the plates shimmered brightly under the sunlight, silently documenting this gluttonous feast.
Yet Ryan seemed completely unaware, burying his head in his meal, not even bothering to lick the bits of meat stuck to his claws.
Only when his dragon belly was stretched taut like a large balloon, making it difficult to even breathe, did he let out a long, satisfied belch.
The belch was loud and drawn-out, shaking the leaves off the nearby trees.
Ryan sprawled out on the soft grass, leisurely rubbing his belly with his claws.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, warm and fragrant with the scent of plants. A gentle breeze swept by, lifting a few fallen leaves that drifted lightly onto his round, bulging belly, only to be unconsciously brushed away by his tail.
Ryan glanced at the towering stack of empty plates beside him and a thought suddenly crossed his mind: No wonder the strong in this pirate world had such enormous appetites—Luffy could devour dozens of plates of meat in one sitting, Kaido drank alcohol as if it were water.
It seemed his own appetite was a sign of potential strength!
He wobbled his round body, the tip of his tail sweeping the ground triumphantly, sending a few leaves spiraling into the air.
At this moment, all the vigilance and fear he had felt upon arrival had vanished, replaced only by the laziness and contentment of a full stomach. His Peach-colored Scales shimmered softly under the sunlight.
"Enough eating, go rest." Golden Lion's voice interrupted his thoughts. The old man still leaned against the tree, his cigar burned down to the end, with only a small stub of ash clinging to the tip.
He flicked the cigar butt away, the ash tracing an arc through the air before landing silently in the grass and extinguishing. "Scarlet, take him to the guest room."
Huff. Scarlet responded, standing up and brushing the grass off his rear before nodding toward the direction of the ancient castle.
His furry face showed little expression, but the dissatisfaction in his eyes seemed to have faded, likely because he felt that although this little dragon was a glutton, at least he was well-behaved.
Ryan hurriedly pushed up his bloated body, his belly feeling as heavy as a stone, wobbling unsteadily with every step as if he might tumble over at any moment.
But he obediently followed, quickening his pace instinctively as he passed by Golden Lion.
This legendary pirate always carried an oppressive aura that made it hard to meet his gaze—a presence forged through countless life-and-death battles, standing at the pinnacle of the seas, like an invisible mountain that made it difficult to breathe.
Watching Ryan stagger away after Scarlet, Golden Lion extinguished his cigar, a cold smirk curling at the corner of his lips. "Interesting."
The wind swept through his golden hair, strands dancing wildly like blazing flames, reflecting the sharp glint that flashed in his eyes.
Indigo shuffled closer, his pink curls tousled by the wind. Twirling his mustache with a finger, he cackled strangely, "Kare kare... Shiki, what are you planning to do with the little guy? You're not really keeping him as a pet, are you?"
"Pet?" Golden Lion scoffed, his gaze sharp as a blade, as if piercing through the layers of forest to glimpse a distant past. "Have you ever seen a pet that can turn into a dragon like Kaido?"
He paused, lightly tapping the hem of his kimono, his knuckles whitening from the pressure. "Such a promising seedling naturally deserves proper nurturing."
"Nurturing?" Indigo adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold gleam. "Kare kare... How do you plan to nurture him? Teach him swordsmanship? I've never seen a dragon wield a sword."
"Bring out those beasts from the warehouse that were fed the 'IQ' serum." Golden Lion's voice was devoid of warmth, casual as if discussing the weather. "Tomorrow morning, let them have a good 'play' with this little bug."
Indigo froze for a moment, then broke into a knowing, eerie grin, the corners of his mustache twitching upward. "Kare kare... You want him to fight those monsters? Those things can tear apart pirates with bounties over a hundred million..."
"Survival of the fittest, that's all." Golden Lion lifted his head to gaze at the sky, his golden hair flowing in the wind. "Beasts survive through battle. Those who can't survive don't deserve to stay here."
His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable cruelty—on this floating island, in this merciless sea, only the strong had the right to breathe this air. The weak would only become stepping stones for others.
Meanwhile, Ryan, completely unaware, followed Scarlet into a spacious guest room.
The room was simply furnished, with only a large bed covered in snow-white animal fur. The fur was soft and smooth to the touch, like silk. Beside the bed stood a rustic wooden table carved with strange patterns resembling ancient totems.
Though simple, the room was impeccably clean, not a speck of dust even in the corners.
Scarlet let out a "huff," as if saying "stay put," then turned and left, closing the heavy wooden door behind him. The door creaked shut, followed by the click of the lock, isolating Ryan from the outside world.
Ryan hopped onto the bed, the soft fur sinking slightly under his weight. The food in his stomach made him drowsy, his eyelids growing heavy as if glued shut.
He curled up, wrapping his tail around himself like a warm blanket, thinking cheerfully to himself: Staying with Golden Lion can't be a bad thing, right? This is a legendary figure who rivaled Roger and Whitebeard, the man who once stormed Marine Headquarters single-handedly.
Following him, I could surely learn real skills, and perhaps even master controlling this dragon form... Once I grow stronger, I won't have to fear the Marines anymore, nor Blackbeard, nor any threat on this vast sea...
He imagined himself transforming into a peach dragon, soaring across the boundless clear sky, capable of stirring colossal waves with a single breath.
Lost in these thoughts, exhaustion completely overwhelmed him. The little dragon's breathing gradually steadied, his chest rising and falling gently with each breath, like a small pink hill.
Soon, he drifted into slumber, a faint, content smile lingering at the corner of his mouth, completely unaware that the next day would bring a life-or-death battle—a brutal trial determining whether he could survive on this floating island.