Issho Makes His Move!

"White Mouse, what are you doing? Hurry up and get up there!"

The black rat's complaints came from the burrow beneath the white rat, causing the former, who was being stared at by Yixiao and Brook, to swallow hard in silence. He wanted to say something, but his muscles were so tense that he couldn't utter a single word.

"White rat?"

At this moment, the one they called 'Shishe' spoke again, and a deep-seated fear instantly activated the white rat's frozen body. Seeing that the two people in front of it had no intention of making a move, it gritted its teeth and jumped out of the hole, then obediently stood aside, its two rat paws unconsciously folded over its chest.

"Well"

When the black rat's head popped out of the hole, it naturally saw the smile above it and the terrifying skeleton man. Then it looked at the white rat standing by the hole, and suddenly it understood something. It also quietly jumped out and stood on the other side.

The two mice, one white and one black, stood silently and motionless on either side of the hole, like guards welcoming the Rat King.

"Um?!"

When the 'Shishe,' which looked somewhat different from an ordinary Nezumi, emerged from its burrow, both his and Yixiao's expressions changed. The former was greatly surprised, while the latter merely frowned slightly.

"Haki aura," he thought to himself. "Luckily, I ran into him. Otherwise, Forest Palace would not have been able to stop this yellow-haired rat."

While it's not necessarily true that someone who possesses Haki is stronger than someone Haki doesn't, since both Devil Fruit abilities and swordsmanship can rival Haki.

However, mastering Armament Haki requires a certain level of physical fitness. If the strength of Observation Haki depends on individual talent and spirit, then the strength of Armament Haki is related to the body and willpower.

"I didn't expect to be discovered. It seems you either need to Awakening Observation Haki or possess a special sensory ability."

This 'Shishe' was much tougher than the white rat and the black rat. Even with Yixiao and Brook staring at him like that, he showed no weakness. Instead, he glared fiercely at his two subordinates who had just been assigned to his command and whose Devil Fruit forms were the same as his.

"You two cowards, can't you even utter a sound!" As he cursed, his body rapidly transformed from a strange, large yellow rat into a burly man with a buzz cut and some rat-like features. In particular, the long, sharp fingernails on his hands gleamed with a chilling light in the moonlight.

"Well, I was just afraid I'd lose my life if I opened my mouth, hehehe." The white rat also transformed back into its Human-Beast Form, forcing a smile with an embarrassed expression.

"Ahem, me too." The black rat lowered its head and whispered in agreement, but the 'Shishe' ignored them, glanced at Brook not far away, and then looked up at the sky and threatened with a smile.

"We didn't intend to hurt anyone; we'd leave once the mission was complete. But if you insist on stopping us, don't blame me for being ruthless and forcing you to complete it!"

"I see, so you're from there?" But Yixiao's answer was irrelevant; she lowered her head thoughtfully and muttered to herself.

What are you saying?!

This caused the 'Shishe's' expression to change drastically. He wasn't like the two fools beside him. If what the other party said wasn't a bluff, then had their identities truly been exposed?

But how was it exposed?

"Whether you're bluffing or not, you'll pay for what you just said. It'll be too late to regret it now." 'Shishe' sneered, then ordered the black and white rats beside him, "You two deal with that skeleton man!"

"Yes, yes!"

The two rats breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly. Although Brook looked terrifying, the aura he exuded was far less powerful than that of Yi Xiao in the air.

This is a sense of danger that all Zoan users possess. Although it's not as obvious as Observation Haki, the deep-seated sense of crisis it evokes is genuine.

"Everyone is asleep by now, and I don't want to make too much noise," Ichisho said softly, gently pulling a piece of wooden blade from the hilt of his sword.

"I didn't want to either, but since you've chosen your own path to death, don't blame me for interfering!"

[Bang!]

As soon as he finished speaking, 'Shishe' stomped on the hole in the ground and shot up into the air in a blur. At the same time, the rat opened its mouth to reveal two sharp and thick fangs. The next second, the fangs were stained with a layer of black, making them look extremely dangerous.

"It's here!" the white rat exclaimed excitedly at the opportune moment, "'Shishe Devourer's' ultimate move!"

The black rat stopped in its tracks, watching expectantly as the cruel scene was about to unfold. "Lord 'Shishe' holds the title of the strongest rat-type ability user!"

"Zoan Rat-Rat Fruit, Model: Snake-Eating Rat!!"

They were completely willing to do such minor roles, as if shouting a few times could excite their tense feelings.

"Hmph, Swordsman, huh? Watch me bite that broken Bokken in half!" 'Shishe' was pleased with his subordinates' flattery, and secretly sneered as he looked at the Bokken slung across Yixiao's waist.

"Shishe Fangs!!"

"But I am not a snake," he said with a smile, his eyes narrowed. He drew his Bokken with a whoosh, but instead of swinging it downwards, he slammed it down on the template beneath his feet.

Suddenly, a faint purple light appeared around them, and the cool night breeze that was blowing suddenly stopped. At the same time, the air in the area was strongly distorted!

"Ugh--"

Less than a second after leaping up, 'Shishe' was crushed as if by an invisible mountain, collapsing onto the hole he had just stepped into with a muffled thud. The ground within several meters of him sank by several centimeters, forming a strange circle.

"What, what's going on?"

'Shishe' bulged his muscles and veins on his neck, clearly struggling with all his might. He wanted to stand up, but the air around him was too heavy, so heavy that he began to have trouble breathing. Even when he started to cover his whole body with Armament Haki, it had no effect!

At this moment, the white rat and the black rat couldn't say anything, because they had already been knocked unconscious by gravity.

"Hehehe, as expected, I didn't need to do anything." It turned out that Bruce, who was standing at a distance, had never intended to take action from the beginning; he was just there to watch the show.

Just kidding, he's already decided to take action after a laugh, so why would he be needed?

"Since I promised my friend I'd look after this place for a few days, I should do my best." Yixiao looked down at 'Shishe Eater,' who was still trying to stand up, and said in a deep voice, "However, I also have my own things to do. After I tell Vidal about this, let's leave."

"Hehehe, I'm really looking forward to it. Laboon has been in the Sandora River long enough."

Brook looked up at the bright moon and chuckled. These days, whenever he had time, he would go to the river to keep Laboon, since the Forest Palace and Erumalu areas had been handed over to Brian for management.

"You, you have some nerve!" At this moment, the 'rat-devouring creature' completely gave up struggling, it was utterly exhausted, but it still spoke aggressively.

"Now that you know who we are, you still dare to attack us. Aren't you afraid of bringing disaster upon yourselves and that 'Ryokugyu'?"

"Or perhaps you don't actually know who we are, and you were just saying it casually before? If that's the case, then I'll tell you, we are... Ahh!"

Before he could finish speaking, the purple light in the air suddenly intensified, and the weight pressing down on him increased dramatically. Blood gushed from his skin, his bones shattered, and he fell into a bottomless pit with his eyes rolled back in his head, accompanied by the two white and black rats.

"You have already said so, but I do not wish to hear those repulsive words with my own ears."

I just found out that Issho's Observation Haki has more than just the ability to sense emotions. But thankfully, it's not too late to learn it now.