Vic turned his anger into an appetite and returned to the inner ring to hunt. The spotted donkey beast had the most delicious meat Vic had found on the island during this time. Whether roasted, pan-fried, deep-fried, or stewed, it was delicious, so Vic planned to hunt two more to eat.
Spotted donkey beasts were herd animals. They looked like donkeys, but their coats had black and white markings. Because their meat was so delicious, they became food for many predators, which was why they lived in herds. If a predator attacked them, they would band together and charge it savagely. A single spotted donkey beast was nothing to fear, but a whole herd was terrifying. Many predators had been gored or trampled to death while hunting them.
Vic wasn't particularly afraid. He was fast enough and highly skilled with a sword. Before the herd could react, a spotted donkey beast would already be dead by his blade. After killing one, he wouldn't linger. He would quickly use Geppo to get far away. Otherwise, if the herd spotted him, they would still come charging at him, so he had to keep his distance.
Once the herd failed to find the predator, it would leave after a while, and Vic could simply collect the dead spotted donkey beast. Of course, he had to time it right. If he came back too late, there would be nothing left but bones.
After finding the herd, Vic launched a sneak attack and fled far away. Once the herd had left, braying and cursing, Vic returned with a smug smile.
"Take that! Ever heard of guerrilla warfare? If I don't eat you, who am I supposed to eat? Hahaha... No, I've got to hurry." He hoisted two spotted donkey beasts onto his shoulders and raced back to the cabin. By now, so many bones had piled up around it that they formed a wall. From a distance, it looked like a white wall. Vic felt that his "sins were grave" and that he would go to hell when he died.
Today, Vic planned to make a whole donkey feast, with spotted donkey served eight ways. He tended the charcoal fire and slowly roasted one spotted donkey, while preparing the other in a variety of ways. Today, he planned to let loose and have a huge meal.
Once the roasting rack was set up, Vic returned to the cabin to prepare the other dishes. He had already made pan-fried donkey steaks and red-braised donkey meat. A pot of donkey meat was stewing nearby, and he was deep-frying donkey steaks.
Just then, he heard a crashing sound outside the cabin. He picked the pieces of meat out of the pot, put down his chopsticks, and went outside. Vic was instantly startled, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
A gigantic creature was eating his donkey meat, and it seemed to be enjoying itself. Vic's heart sank a little. It was a western dragon, a big lizard with wings. Its entire body was pitch-black and gleamed with a metallic luster, giving off an oppressive presence. Vic had seen it on the previous full-moon night, and it should have been among the creatures in the third tier. Vic had a deep impression of the creature, with its claws, fangs, powerful tail, and wings.
This western dragon was one of the few creatures that had escaped completely unscathed. It was highly aggressive, and a swipe of its sharp claws would leave several massive wounds. Its jaws had an astonishing bite force, and a single bite would tear away a huge chunk of flesh. The black scales covering its body provided good defense, and its wings allowed it to fly, giving it great mobility. If its size hadn't fallen short of creatures like the Sea Kings, it too would have been a strong contender for the mysterious fruit.
Vic didn't know whether it had followed him here or been drawn by the smell. Either way, his legs were trembling a little now. It might not have been as big as a Sea King, but it could still eat a two-legged creature like Vic in one crunchy bite.
The western dragon didn't notice Vic as it ate. It swallowed the roasted spotted donkey beast whole, bones and all. Still not quite satisfied, it stuck out its tongue and licked its great jaws, lined with gleaming white fangs. Then its nostrils twitched, and it turned toward the cabin.
Vic knew the aroma of the donkey meat inside hadn't escaped the dragon's nose. He wasn't going to back down. He was no pushover himself. They hadn't fought yet, so who was afraid of whom? It wasn't as if he'd never heard of dragon slayers. He could try it himself.
He darted back into the cabin and grabbed Yubashiri from where it leaned against the wall. By the time he came back out, the dragon had already approached the cabin.
Vic drew Yubashiri from his waist and used Soru to appear before the dragon's head. He was just about to strike, but before his blade could reach its head, the dragon opened its mouth and roared fiercely at him. A black shadow flashed past, and in an instant, Vic went flying away at the same speed. He crashed through his white wall, having been sent flying by the dragon's black wing.
A little dazed, Vic shook his head and charged again. This time he was prepared and wasn't hit, but the dragon was too enormous. Vic couldn't exactly trim its toenails from the ground, so he could only rely on Geppo to clash with its claws and wings in the air. Vic wasn't as strong as the dragon, but every time he was knocked back, he used Geppo to return and fight again. He was determined not to let the dragon steal any more of his food.
The dragon was getting angry too. Was it really necessary to fight so desperately over a little meat? It wasn't as if it had dug up his ancestors' graves.
The dragon roared so loudly that Vic's head spun. One careless moment sent him flying again, smashing a huge crater into the ground. A line of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. He had suffered internal injuries. The dragon's furious strike was shockingly powerful, beyond what his body could withstand.
Of course, Vic wouldn't give up there. It wasn't as if he'd never been injured before. He was used to it. He unleashed the Six Powers technique Soru, and man and beast clashed once more.
This time, Vic kept a tight hold on his concentration and wasn't affected by the roar again. But his current level of cutting iron could barely break through the dragon's defenses. He wanted to comprehend a higher level of cutting iron and make a breakthrough in battle.
Vic executed his sword moves again and again, stripping away many unnecessary motions he hadn't noticed before. His sword moves grew more refined, shedding complexity for simplicity, and the techniques increasingly suited his own habits.
Vic could feel his swordsmanship improving, and he was delighted. I really do need to fight strong opponents more often. That's how I can improve quickly. Fighting a beast works too, he thought.
Vic's joy turned to sorrow. Unable to finish him off after so long, the dragon grew even angrier and went straight for him with its mouth, biting at Vic with its sharp fangs. Vic hurriedly dodged the huge jaws, but the moment he stopped moving, an enormous claw swept toward him. It was too late to dodge. The blow struck him hard in the chest and sent him flying a long way, smashing a deep crater into the ground.
Vic was already gravely injured. Bright red blood poured from his mouth and nose, and Yubashiri had flown from his hand. Without a weapon, he struggled out of the deep crater.
Vic's mind was hazy, and he was on the verge of losing consciousness. He could no longer hear a thing. He merely stood up numbly and looked at the dragon. The dragon raised its head to the sky and opened its enormous jaws, spreading its wings wide and extending its claws to either side of its body. The author guessed it might have been shouting angrily, "You're just a two-legged creature, yet you keep getting back up again and again. Doesn't the Dragon King deserve any respect? Eating a little of your meat really isn't easy!"
Vic couldn't hear a sound. He instinctively felt that the dragon was dangerous now, but his body wasn't quite obeying him.
Sure enough, the dragon opened its huge mouth and spat a fireball at Vic. A great sense of danger surged in his heart, and he screamed frantically in his mind, Dodge, dodge, hurry and dodge! At the last possible moment, something made a faint sound inside him, as if something had broken open.
Vic dodged the fireball, and all sounds returned to his ears: the dragon's roar, the crackling of the charcoal fire, the waves below the cliff... He could also hear many sounds he hadn't been able to hear before.
Vic knew he had finally awakened his Observation Haki. He saw the dragon rush over and swipe at him with a claw. He saw a leaf fall from a tree at the edge of the forest. He saw a fish leap out of the water from beneath the surface of the sea...