Soon, the Straw Hat crew engaged in battle with the dragon-headed, human-bodied yokai.
It was truly worthy of being an existence approaching a Great Demon.
The demonic energy rolling off its body was thick and suffocating, putting the Straw Hat crew in grave danger from the first second.
But after all, Luffy and the others had previously fought against a being of Sesshomaru's caliber.
They didn't freeze; they instantly switched to combat mode.
The Monster Trio—Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji—ignited their Haki.
Each of them now maintained a 3cm layer of Flowing Cherry (Ryou) around their bodies.
When attacking, they could focus this aura to their striking points, extending their range to a lethal 5cm.
At this moment, the power of Flowing Cherry became evident.
Not only did it allow them to resist the corrosive invasion of the dragon's demonic energy, but it also enabled their attacks to penetrate its iron-hard scales.
No matter how tough the monster's surface was, the internal shockwaves from their blows struck firmly against its organs and muscles, causing it to howl in pain.
However, the dragon yokai was extremely fast.
Seizing an opportunity, it swung its spiked club with terrifying speed, catching Luffy mid-air and sending him flying hundreds of meters into the forest.
Seeing this, Zoro and Sanji immediately adjusted.
Using Soru and Geppo, Sanji engaged the dragon yokai head-on, a blur of black-clad motion disrupting its offensive rhythm.
Meanwhile, Zoro flanked to the rear, his swords glowing with dark energy.
"Nine Sword Style: Asura—Demon Nine Flash!"
The illusion of three heads and six arms manifested.
Zoro's technique, infused with his sharpened Haki, instantly tore a large gash in the dragon yokai's waist.
The beast roared, spinning around and striking him with the back of its club.
Zoro was sent flying, but he managed to block the impact with three temporary Haki blades.
Without them, his ribs would have been dust.
The moment the dragon yokai attacked Zoro, Sanji launched his own assault.
Spinning 1080 degrees in the air to generate maximum momentum, he dropped like a meteor.
"Diable Jambe: Dragon Head Crush!"
A fiery heel slammed into the dragon yokai's skull.
The Flowing Cherry shockwave pierced through bone and struck its brain, leaving the monster dazed.
Unfortunately, the dragon yokai's resilience was monstrous.
Even dazed, its instincts were sharp. It grabbed Sanji by the ankle mid-kick and opened its maw to devour him.
At that very moment.
"Thousand Blooms: Gigantesco Slap!"
Hundreds of Robin's arms sprouted from the ground, weaving together to form a massive, Haki-coated hand.
With a thunderous crack, she delivered a powerful slap to the dragon yokai's face, knocking its head aside.
Taking advantage of its momentary confusion, she pulled Sanji free.
Robin winced, clutching her right hand.
A red burn mark had appeared in the center of her palm.
Her current Armament Haki was still insufficient to fully resist the erosion of the yokai's demonic energy.
But the Straw Hat Pirates' offensive rhythm wouldn't stop.
"Take this! Chopper's Hidden Weapon Rain!"
Chopper transformed into his ball form and launched a barrage of weapons made from yokai remains—knives, daggers, kunai, embroidery needles—all hidden within his fur.
Although each one felt like nothing more than a mosquito bite to the dragon yokai, it couldn't withstand hundreds of mosquitoes biting at once.
The cumulative venom and pain left its body stiff and numb.
Before Chopper's attack even ended, Nami unleashed three thunderous strikes from three different directions.
One struck its mouth, one its buttocks, and one its... sensitive parts.
Nami remarked with a wicked grin that women's self-defense techniques weren't just for close combat—one had to grasp the underlying logic of vulnerability.
Just as the dragon yokai was convulsing from the electric shocks, several seeds flew toward it, propelled by Usopp's slingshot.
"Tiger Star! Bamboo Forest Star! Flea Star!"
This forest was home to many unique yokai plants.
For self-defense, they produced specialized seeds that could be used for both reproduction and combat. Usopp had harvested them all.
The Tiger Star transformed into a plant-based tiger, slashing with vine-claws.
The Bamboo Forest Star erupted from the earth beneath the dragon yokai's feet, its sharp bamboo tips targeting the monster's already-suffering lower body.
The Flea Star turned into hundreds of parasitic flea yokai, clinging to the dragon's scales and sucking its blood voraciously.
Of course, these attacks were one-time uses, but they were effective.
It took the dragon yokai a long time to swat away the annoying fleas.
By then, it was in excruciating pain, its mind dazed, its limbs weak, and its vision blurred.
When it shook its head to clear the fog, it saw the rubber boy it had sent flying earlier rocketing back toward it.
Luffy pulled back a flaming, elongated arm.
"Gear Second: Red Hawk!"
Luffy imitated Ace's attack, using Haki to enhance his rubber's heat resistance while incorporating Ryuo to ignite the air.
BOOM!
The punch connected squarely with the dragon's chest, sending the massive beast flying backward, vomiting black blood.
Before it could even hit the ground, two more attacks arrived.
"Three Sword Style: Extreme Tiger Hunt!"
"Diable Jambe: Bien Cuit—Grill Shot!"
Zoro attacked from below while Sanji struck from above.
Their ultimate moves hit simultaneously, sandwiching the dragon demon in a pincer of steel and fire.
The Straw Hat Pirates' combo was executed with remarkable smoothness.
Watching from a distance, Ray nodded in approval.
Their current strength seemed quite close to their post-timeskip level from the original story.
What they lacked was enlightenment—like how Luffy would develop Gear Fourth, when Sanji would awaken his exoskeleton, or how Zoro would awaken that special Conqueror's Haki.
These all required time.
However, some individuals were even stronger than their immediate post-timeskip counterparts.
Like Usopp—this world had provided him with sufficient external power and materials that simply didn't exist in the Blue Sea.
Just then, Chouchou reminded Ray from nearby.
"Master, are you sure about fighting these.... sly foxes later? I know you definitely won't go for the kill against them. But those two ranged attackers... Nami and Usopp... they would genuinely aim to destroy your ... penis."
Ray sighed helplessly and smacked Chouchou upside the head.
"Don't compare me to that dragon demon trash."
"Let's go. We should check on Rin."
Ray flew with Chouchou toward where Rin and Jaken were waiting.
...
When master and servant arrived at the camp, Rin happily ran toward Ray.
"Sesshomaru-sama, you've finally returned."
Ray nodded in response. "Rin, have you been well-behaved today?"
"Yes! Rin has always been good."
"Very well."
At that moment, Jaken came running over, bowing low.
"Sesshomaru-sama, I heard from an earth demon this morning that Inuyasha defeated Ryukotsusei."
Hearing this, Ray slightly furrowed his brows.
"I see."
After speaking, Ray walked toward the large tree near the camp.
"Rin, Jaken—go catch some fish."
Ray sat down, and the familiar alien thoughts drifted into his mind.
[Inuyasha defeated Ryukotsusei? Heh, it seems my little brother isn't completely useless after all.]
[Even if it was a weakened Ryukotsusei just released from its seal, that's still decent.]
[At least he's not disgracing Tessaiga.]
[But the Tenseiga father gave me... is it really just for saving lives?]
This was Ray's daily routine—whenever he heard news about Inuyasha, he could hear Sesshomaru's thoughts clearly.
Ray was actually quite puzzled.
After he left, how would the system make Sesshomaru convert Ray's actions into his own memories?
Or would the system delete Sesshomaru's memories related to the Straw Hat Pirates?
He had asked the system twice these past few days, but that thing never responded.
So Ray stopped asking.
He had a reason for considering this issue—it was because of the hidden task the system had mentioned.
'Improve relationship with Inuyasha to obtain hidden rewards.'
Since there were rewards, and the Straw Hat Pirates would face great difficulties after returning, Ray decided to go for it.
Get the rewards first, regardless of how miserable Sesshomaru might feel later about being nice to his brother.
So, the schedule was set.
'In 15 days, I'll have a sparring match with Luffy and the others.'
'In 20 days, I will complete the second stage mission and the hidden mission for Tenseiga.'
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