"Hurry! Duke Inuarashi and Boss Nekomamushi are going to spar with Sherwin!"
"What?! Those two are actually planning to team up?!"
"Hahahahaha! We finally get to see the Hunter make a move! He should be really strong, right?"
Because during this period the cats had often gone to fight with the Minks, the clash between the two sides wasn't taken too seriously by others. They even called their friends over to watch.
After all…
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, these two bitter rivals, were actually joining forces—this was extremely rare, especially for the younger Minks.
In addition, Sherwin hadn't sparred with other Minks during this time. So although they knew his strength definitely wouldn't be weak, they were still curious about how powerful he really was—powerful enough that Inuarashi and Nekomamushi both had to join forces, and that those cats would rather give up being rulers of Zou just to follow him.
"Judging from your reaction just now, you probably know what we're planning to do, right?"
After the two sides stood facing each other in the clearing, Inuarashi spoke with a serious expression: "Makes sense. You know so much about Wano, and you're surrounded by so many Minks, so of course you'd know about our tribe's form."
"Cut the nonsense, old dog! This time we're fighting for Lord Oden's honor! Don't you dare hold me back!"
Nekomamushi impatiently interrupted Inuarashi, then raised his head to look at the full moon hanging above everyone.
After being interrupted, Inuarashi wasn't angry. Instead, he also lifted his head to gaze at the sky.
"They're… they're actually going to use Sulong?!"
The surrounding Minks were all shocked.
At first they thought it would just be a friendly spar, but seeing that Nekomamushi and Inuarashi were planning to use Sulong right from the start, it was clear this was far beyond a simple exchange of blows.
"Sulong? Big sister Carrot, what's that meow?"
(=ω=)
Klee Meow curiously asked the little bunny beside her.
"Right, you didn't grow up on Zou, so you might not know — the Sulong is our true form as the Mink Tribe…"
While gnawing on a carrot, Carrot explained things to the Felynes.
With the little bunny's explanation and the surprised exclamations of the Mink Tribe, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi's bodies visibly swelled. The fur on them rapidly grew longer, turning completely white. Their already-sharp claws became even more menacing, and their eyes turned blood-red.
In addition, the appearances of the dog and the cat changed greatly. Nekomamushi, who already looked fierce, became even more terrifying, and even Inuarashi's once-kindly dog-like face became filled with aggression, turning into a ferocious white wolf.
"Whoa—! Huamei big sister, look, Uncle Inuarashi and Uncle Nekomamushi look so much like Klee Meow now!"
(=`=)σ
The little plush doll pointed at the two whose appearances had changed dramatically and shouted.
Hmm… red eyes plus light-colored, fluffy long fur… If you ignore those terrifying, monster-like faces, they really do look a lot like Klee Meow's style.
The Felynes were a little surprised by the transformation shown in the Sulong form, but they didn't think too much of it.
After all, in the Monster Hunter world, if a monster doesn't have at least a second phase transformation, it's almost embarrassing to say hello, not to mention subspecies, rare species, special individuals, apex forms, and so on.
So to the cats, the Minks' Sulong form was just "that sort of thing".
As for the fact that after turning into Sulong, every attribute is enhanced — that was even less surprising to them…
Come on, Sherwin and the others already know plenty of similar burst techniques.
"Red Cat Dance!"
"Dog: Great Gate Wind!"
After completing their transformation, the cat and the dog didn't waste words and directly launched an attack on Sherwin. After all, even though they had already mastered the Sulong form, it was impossible to maintain that state forever…
Well, after receiving both the "Oden buff" and "story power-up," that might not necessarily be the case. Anyway, during the Onigashima battle in the manga, Sherwin didn't see either of them showing the slightest sign of fatigue.
Perhaps because their bodies and claws became larger and it was inconvenient to hold weapons, Nekomamushi and Inuarashi both fought barehanded. But their transformed claws were no less lethal than any famed blades.
Although the best countermeasure against this kind of burst technique would be to use the recently-developed Hunter dance battle tune to stall them until they ran out of stamina…
This fight involved Kozuki Oden, and whether the Sulong's aftereffects would appear was uncertain. Besides, if Sherwin won using such a tactic, they likely wouldn't be convinced.
So Sherwin decisively chose to face them head-on.
It's just a burst technique, right? It's not like I don't have one.
Bravery Style, on!
Demon mode: Beast, on!
Monster Hunter style · Iaijutsu · All-Blades Severed!
Since it wasn't a life-and-death battle, Sherwin still held back a little.
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi were actually the same. Even though they looked murderous, they were still reserving strength.
After the two sides clashed once, Sherwin didn't move an inch, while Inuarashi and Nekomamushi staggered back two steps.
Although he had gained a slight upper hand, Sherwin held a very high opinion of the Sulong form.
It had to be said, as the Mink Tribe's ultimate trump card, the Sulong transformation technique truly lived up to its reputation.
Sherwin had already witnessed Inuarashi and Nekomamushi's strength before. According to the evaluation system he privately created, they should fall somewhere between High Rank six-star and High Rank eight-star. Converted into bounty terms, that would be six to eight hundred million berry…
This also fit well with the manga's setting of them being slightly inferior to Jack.
Of course, Sherwin's rating system and the bounty system in the pirate world aren't exactly the same. After all, bounties in the pirate world are sometimes inflated or underestimated. For example, even though they both have bounties over one billion, Katakuri is much harder to deal with than Jack.
If Sherwin were to rate them, then relying on his Observation Haki, Katakuri would be extremely close to a two-star master overall in terms of strength—or rather, in terms of how troublesome he is—even if his attack and defense don't quite reach that level. Jack, on the other hand, only barely reaches the threshold of master level; if he goes berserk and loses his rationality, he might even be easier to handle than Inuarashi and Nekomamushi.
As for Buggy, who will later become one of the Four Emperors with a bounty as high as three billion, there's not much to say. That guy basically exists to devalue bounties.
But Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, in their Moon Lion form, actually possess master-level strength, and not just at Jack's barely-qualified level. At the very least, they're at about one and a half stars.
However…
That's just perfect.
An excited smile appeared on Sherwin's face.
Because, according to his own self-assessment, he is roughly between two and three stars at the master level. If he goes all out, he can barely touch four stars, but that kind of outburst is abnormal and impossible to maintain for long. The aftereffects are even worse than the Moon Lion, and even medication can't immediately restore him completely.
So for Sherwin, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi in their current Moon Lion form are the most evenly matched opponents he has encountered so far.
Since such a rare opportunity has arrived, then it's time for a good fight!
Sherwin tapped his foot, and wielding his Longsword, he slashed toward Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, who had already stabilized themselves.
Monster Hunter Style: Wind Fang Tempest!
Having lost in the exchange of blows, the one cat and one dog no longer held back, attacking Sherwin with their full power.
"Oden One-Sword Style: Dog-Cleave Mighty Arrow!"
"Oden One-Sword Style: Cat-Smile Clash!"
The title is a Master Rank 6 quest from Rise: hunting the Crimson Fox Dragon and the Moon Swift Dragon. Just from the name you can tell they're variants of Mizutsune and Nargacuga. However, they're not subspecies but rare species, and both of them have switched to white coloration, which fits the Moon Lion very well.
There's actually another quest with two Rajang that would also be suitable, called "Twin Terrors Arrive: The Harmonious Bodies of Lions"… but that title is a bit delicate, so the other one was chosen instead.