"Your Grace! The defenses are about to crumble!"
A Musketeer Squad leader, his face covered in blood, shouted.
Inuarashi cleaved back two charging ability users with a single sword strike, then looked around.
The Musketeer Squad ' lines had been breached in several places, and the ability users were pouring in through the gaps, approaching the civilian area behind them.
He gritted his teeth, pulled a conch shell from his waist, and blew the emergency signal.
The deep sound of horns echoed over Zou.
This is the highest level of alert for the Mink Tribe —it means the kingdom faces annihilation, and all Mink Tribe capable of fighting must immediately arm themselves.
Before the bugle call had even faded, Jack's patience had already run out.
"A waste of time."
Jack strode towards Inuarashi.
His steps were slow, but each step he took made the surrounding pebbles bounce.
Several Musketeer Squad who tried to stop him were slapped away by him and crashed into a tree without moving.
"Let me personally teach you what a difference in skill truly means."
Jack walked up to Inuarashi and looked down at the Mink Tribe King, who was half his height.
Then he made his move.
He didn't use any weapons; it was just a simple, direct punch.
The fist tore through the air with a deafening roar, like a muffled thunderclap.
Inuarashi raised his sword to parry.
The moment his fist slammed into the sword, Inuarashi was sent flying.
He tumbled several times in the air, crashing into and breaking several large trees before finally coming to a stop.
The web between the thumb and forefinger of his right hand, which was gripping the sword, was split open, and blood was flowing down the hilt.
"Is that all the strength you have?"
Jack flexed his wrists.
"I heard you were a retainer of Kozuki Oden back in the day?"
That Kozuki Oden was the man who could leave a scar on Kaido's body.
You're nowhere near as good as him.
Inuarashi stood up from the pile of rubble, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and showed no fear in his eyes.
" Oden is our Mink Tribe's eternal benefactor."
His voice was hoarse but firm.
Even if it costs me my life—I will never let you tarnish his last wishes.
Jack chuckled and walked towards Inuarashi again.
"Then let me see how long you can keep up your stubbornness."
Jack's fists pounded down like hammers.
Duke Inuarashi tried his best to block and dodge, but each collision only worsened his injuries.
His longsword, which he had carried for decades, was covered in cracks and could break at any moment.
The elite Musketeer Squad were in no better shape.
These skilled Mink Tribe warriors fell one after another as they faced the frenzied onslaught of the Artificial Devil Fruit army.
It's not that they aren't strong enough, it's that these enemies' strength is too bizarre.
Doflamingo has provided Kaido with so many Artificial Devil Fruit over the years that even Jack himself can't count them all.
More than 300 people were brought to Zou this time alone.
Three hundred Zoan users.
Even if they were all defective, this force was still too much for the hundred or so men in the Musketeer Squad to withstand.
The sky gradually darkened.
The day and night cycle on Zou is much faster than on ordinary islands. The sun has just sunk below the horizon, and darkness spreads across the entire forest like ink.
Jack looked up at the sky, a look of impatience creeping onto his lips.
"It's getting dark, it's time to end this."
He drew the two curved swords, each worth nine hundred million in the sky, from his waist.
The blades gleamed coldly in the twilight, each one adorned with intricate patterns.
" Inuarashi, this is the last time I'll ask—will you hand over the Road Poneglyph or not?"
Inuarashi knelt on one knee, using his broken longsword as a crutch to support himself.
He had countless wounds on his body; his left shoulder was dented from being punched by Jack, and his old wound on his right leg was still bleeding.
But he still raised his head and stared at Jack with his bloodshot eyes.
"I won't pay."
A flash of rage crossed Jack's eyes.
The scimitar was raised high, its patterns gleaming with a bloody light in the twilight.
"Then die!"
The curved blade slashed down fiercely.
"Swish swish swish~~"
But just as the blade was about to strike Inuarashi, a dark figure shot out like Inazuma from the forest to the side.
A burst of dazzling blue electricity struck Jack.
Jack was knocked to the side and swayed several steps.
The curved blade cleaved through the air, carving a deep trench in the ground.
The dark figure landed in front of Inuarashi, its form becoming visible in the twilight.
A large, Mink Tribe cat, its orange fur covered with mottled scars.
A gruesome knife scar ran from his forehead to his chin across his left eye, while his right eye burned with a frenzied killing intent.
Cat Viper.
Another king of the Mink Tribe, and leader of the Guardians of the Night.
"Old Cat."
Inuarashi used his broken sword to support himself on the ground, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"You're way too slow."
"Stop talking nonsense, you stinking dog."
The Cat Viper didn't turn its head; its cat-like eyes were fixed on Jack opposite it.
"If you weren't such a piece of trash who couldn't even last an afternoon, would I have been running in such a hurry?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a dense rustling sound came from the forest.
Hundreds of dark figures emerged from the woods, forming a neat array behind the Cat Viper.
Guardians.
These elite Mink Tribe, who live deep in the forest year-round, are all top-notch hunters.
"A fresh force?"
Jack steadied himself and stretched his shoulder, which had been struck by the electric arc.
The Cat Viper's sudden attack had left a charred mark on his shoulder, but that was all.
"Perfect, let's clean it all up at once."
The Cat Viper didn't waste any words.
He raised his right claw, gestured to the Guardians, and then transformed into an arc of electricity once again, lunging at Jack.
The members of the Guardians simultaneously dispersed, weaving through the Artificial Devil Fruit army's formation with extremely agile movements, each pass leaving a trail of blood.
This was a complete surprise attack.
Those artificially created ability users, who were used to overwhelming opponents head-on, were thrown into chaos when faced with attacks coming from all directions simultaneously.
Before one of the ability users with a crocodile-like jaw could react, he was struck simultaneously from both sides by two members of the Guardians, the blue Electro causing him to convulse.
Another ability user with bat wings on his back tried to fly away, but he was slapped back to the ground by a cat- Mink Tribe who jumped down from a tree branch less than two meters from the ground.
Within minutes, the Artificial Devil Fruit army had lost more than a third of its manpower.
Jack glanced back, his rugged face showing no emotion.
He never cared about the casualties among his subordinates.
The Beasts Pirates ' rule is simple: the strong live, the weak die.
These defective artificial ability users are dead, so be it. Governor Kaido can just train another batch later.
There is only one thing that truly matters—to complete the task assigned by the governor.
Jack withdrew his gaze and looked back at the two Mink Tribe Kings before him.
Inuarashi and Cat Viper stood side by side, one leaning on a broken sword, the other gleaming with sharp claws, their faces filled with a determination to die for their cause.
"You two do have some backbone."
Jack slung the scimitar over his shoulder and grinned.
"I love fighting with people who have backbone."
Because people like that are the most fun to beat up.