Nami had just climbed up the vines when she saw Luffy had turned into a tiny black dot, and she was so angry that she almost climbed back down.
That idiot! It's always the same!
The first thing I did when I arrived at the new place was to rush out by myself!
Usopp lay panting heavily on the edge of the giant elephant:
"Then let's not chase after him... let him go on his own..."
Chopper, in his reindeer form, carried Brook, who was still dizzy from the height, and poked Usopp in the waist with his hoof.
"But Usopp, every time Luffy rushes out alone, he only makes things worse."
Usopp was silent for two seconds, then looked up at the sky and sighed:
"Then what are we waiting for—chase after them!!!"
At this time,
Luffy, who had gone ahead, swung swiftly through the woods.
He swung his arm out and grabbed the tree crown, launching himself forward like a slingshot, his slippers making a series of rustling sounds on the leaves.
The surrounding scenery rushed past, and the occasional figure of a Mink Tribe warrior flashed through the dense forest, but Luffy didn't stop at all.
His Observation Haki told him that the clash between the several auras ahead was becoming increasingly intense.
"Arrive!"
Luffy launched himself off the last tree, did two somersaults in the air, and landed heavily on the ground.
What appeared before him was a scene of utter devastation.
Trees were cut in half, the ground was plowed with countless deep furrows, and the air was filled with the mixed smell of gunpowder and blood.
On the outskirts of the battlefield, a group of the Mink Tribe warriors were nervously watching the depths of the dense forest. When Luffy suddenly descended from the sky, everyone was startled.
Who goes there!
A member of the Musketeer Squad charged at Luffy as if by reflex, his claws crackling with static Electro.
The other members of the Guardians also attacked simultaneously, several of them lunging at Luffy from different angles.
"Sigh~"
"Wait, wait, wait—I'm not the enemy!"
Luffy dodged while waving his hand.
But his dodging motion looked more like a preparatory stance for a counterattack to the Mink Tribe, so more Mink Tribe warriors joined the attack.
" Gum-Gum-- "
Luffy was about to use his Gum-Gum Fruit powers to create some distance, a Flying Slash came from the side, accurately striking the ground between Luffy and the Mink Tribe warrior, blasting up a cloud of rubble.
"Stop it, all of you."
Zoro emerged from the woods, his Wado Ichimonji already drawn and held in his right hand.
He was followed by Sanji, Nami, Robin, and the other members of the Straw Hat Pirates.
"This guy may be an idiot, but he's not an enemy." Zoro sheathed his sword, his tone calm.
The Mink Tribe warriors watched the group of humans who had suddenly appeared warily, their claws still extended, but they also did not continue their attack.
Just then, a man dressed in traditional samurai attire from Wano Country rushed out from the back of the group.
Kin'emon.
He ran extremely fast, his wooden clogs leaving a series of messy footprints on the grass.
His face was deathly pale, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his lips were trembling violently.
"You just said that the one fighting Inuarashi and Cat Viper was... Jack the Drought?!"
A member of the Guardians nodded with difficulty:
Yes... yes.
Jack's army of Artificial Devil Fruit is attacking the Whale Tree, while Jack himself is fighting two kings.
It's been going on for a long time--"
Kin'emon's eyes instantly turned red.
The pupils in those eyes contracted violently, and the blood vessels around the eye sockets bulged out one by one.
His breathing became heavy and rapid, as if something was about to burst out of his chest.
" The Beasts Pirates - Jack the Drought -!!!"
Kin'emon forced these words out of his throat, each one sounding as if it had been carved from his bones.
He was a retainer of the Kozuki Family.
When Oden and Kaido battle, he was in Wano Country and witnessed his lord being killed.
After that day, Wano Country fell into the hands of the Beasts Pirates, and the Kozuki Family bloodline was almost completely wiped out. The few surviving retainers were forced to flee.
Over the years, Kin'emon has returned to that day countless times in his dreams.
Now, one of the All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates is right in front of them.
Kin'emon drew his katana from his waist, the blade gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
He pushed off with his feet, transforming into a gust of wind as he charged toward the center of the battlefield.
" Kin'emon! Wait!" Sanji tried to stop him, but it was too late.
The center of the battlefield.
Inuarashi and Cat Viper stood back to back, both with bruises on their bodies.
Inuarashi's old wound on his chest reopened, and blood flowed down his white fur.
Cat Viper's left arm was slashed open by Jack's curved knife, leaving clumps of blood-stained orange fur.
Jack stood opposite them, his breathing still steady.
He also had several claw marks and sword wounds on his body, but those wounds were very shallow, so shallow that they were almost negligible.
"What? You're already out of energy?"
Jack slung his scimitar over his shoulder, a disdainful smile playing on his lips.
"I'm not even finished warming up yet."
Inuarashi gritted his teeth, his hand gripping the sword trembling slightly. He and Cat Viper exchanged a glance, a resolute look flashing in their eyes simultaneously.
"Old Cat, use that move."
"Alright. After this attack, let the children retreat."
Both of them took a deep breath at the same time, crouched slightly, and prepared to launch a final, all-out attack.
Just then...
Foxfire Slash!
A furious roar exploded from the woods.
A slash carrying flames flew from the side, aiming straight for Jack's back.
The flames trailed an orange-red arc across the night sky, the surrounding air distorted and blurred by the intense heat.
Jack didn't even turn his head.
He casually raised the curved sword in his left hand and slashed back at the fiery strike.
The moment the blades clashed, the flames were jolted apart and scattered, bursting into small flames on the ground.
The master of the slash rushed out of the woods.
Kin'emon gripped his swords with both hands, his body wreathed in the distinctive red flames of foxfire.
His eyes were bloodshot with hatred, his lips were pressed into a thin line, and the veins on the back of his hand holding the knife bulged.
Jack finally turned around.
He stared at the man dressed in Wano Country samurai attire, paused for a moment, then his expression shifted from impatience to amusement.
"Oh?"
Jack looked Kin'emon up and down a few times.
"It's you. The remnant of Wano Country — Foxfire Kin'emon."
Kin'emon did not answer. He raised his sword and charged at Jack, the flames wrapped around the blade burning to their fullest extent at that moment.
" The Beasts Pirates —pay for Oden's life—!!!"
Jack chuckled and raised his hand to block Kin'emon's full-force attack with a single stroke.
In the sparks from the clash of blades, Kin'emon saw Jack's eyes filled with contempt.
"Life for a life?"
Jack grinned.
"That fool of yours has been dead for twenty years."
What kind of pipe dream are you still having?
Kin'emon's blade was jolted back, and he staggered back several steps.
His hand was split open, and blood was flowing down the hilt of the knife, but he didn't drop the knife.
"Giggle!"
Upon seeing the scene before him Jack laughed loudly a few times.
"You remnants of the Kozuki Family, you really are a persistent ghost."
Back then, Governor Kaido killed your daimyo, and today I'll clean him up!