Two weeks passed quickly.
Just yesterday, the Straw Hat Pirates defeated their third overlord—a wild bull yokai that had trained its power for nearly a thousand years.
No one was injured in this battle.
Counting the previous Blue Oni and the Dragon Monster, the Straw Hat Pirates had become super-overlord-level existences in the Monster Mountain Range.
All yokai with even a scrap of intelligence were communicating a single message through the forest network: Stay far away from the group of seven hairless monkeys.
Not only did they kill yokai, but they also ate them.
Their cooking methods were diverse and never repeated.
To the monsters of this mountain, they were the true apex predators.
At this moment, Luffy was carrying a huge slab of "snowflake" wild bull meat, standing at the front of the Straw Hat Pirates.
This group looked like primitive mountain gangsters.
Everyone's skin had darkened by half a shade from constant sun exposure, but their muscle definition was razor-sharp.
Compared to when they were in the One piece World, their faces had lost some childishness, replaced by a rugged maturity.
Whether it was Chopper, Nami, Robin, or Usopp, they were all surrounded by a soul-shaking killing aura.
The Monster Trio—Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji—were even more impressive, with fresh scars highlighting their absolute masculinity.
"Guys," Luffy growled, adjusting his grip on the meat, "let's go save Ray!"
"YEAHHH!!!"
...
From afar, Ray spotted the Straw Hat Pirates heading toward the vicinity of Kaede's Village.
This battle location was where he had secretly sent Chouchou to guide them.
He wanted to fight there to test everyone's growth.
Afterward, they could just wait for the Panther Cat Tribe to come cause trouble.
The extra five days would be perfect for the Straw Hat Pirates to rest and organize their gains.
After such high-pressure training, they needed a cooldown period.
And hey, they could also beat up Inuyasha while they were at it—why not take the opportunity?
...
Ten hours later.
As the sun set in the west, the dusky sky added an oppressive atmosphere to the forest, twenty kilometers away from Kaede's Village.
Ray sat under a large tree, slowly releasing his demonic energy.
Dark clouds began to swallow the sky, blotting out the twilight.
Lightning crackled, filling the air with ozone, and strong winds began to rage through the canopy.
The terrifying aura of a Great Yokai pressed down on the land, a heavy gravity that prevented any lesser demon within ten kilometers from daring to approach.
In Kaede's Village, the priestess Kaede looked at the abnormal weather with dread.
"What level of yokai is this? I hope he doesn't attack our village."
Inuyasha, who was eating dinner in Kaede's hut, paused mid-bite.
His ears twitched.
From this distance, he couldn't smell Sesshomaru's scent, but the oppressive pressure triggered every alarm in his body.
He walked outside and saw the blackened sky.
"Kaede-sama," Inuyasha said grimly, "this is definitely a super-powerful yokai appearing nearby, and it's in a combat state. No matter how many small yokai gather, they can't cause such massive celestial changes. At most, they make some dark clouds. This... this is different."
Kagome, still wearing her school uniform and carrying her bow, ran outside.
Their group had been resting in the village for the past week, thinking it would be a pleasant vacation, but the current situation shattered that illusion.
"Inuyasha, can you tell who it is?"
Inuyasha remained silent for a moment before responding.
"I've only encountered such terrifying demonic energy from one guy before."
At this point, everyone understood.
"Sesshomaru!"
Then, realization struck. It was already time for the Straw Hat Pirates to challenge him.
"Kagome, you all stay here. I'm going to help."
Before Kagome could respond, Inuyasha dashed toward the center of the demonic energy at incredible speed.
"Hey, Inuyasha!"
"Kirara, let's follow him!" Sango commanded.
"Meow~"
...
Twenty kilometers outside the village, deep in the mountain forest.
Ray calmly watched the aggressive group standing before him.
"Are you all so eager to die?"
Luffy took a bite of the giant steak on his back, swallowed, adjusted his straw hat, and stepped to the front.
"Sesshomaru! Return Ray to us!"
Nami also shouted, her voice trembling but fierce. "You despicable dog yokai! Release Ray from your mind immediately!"
This insult naturally earned Ray's top prize.
His killing intent surged toward Nami's location like a physical wave.
Being called a dog certainly didn't sit well with Ray, but the main reason was to test whether anyone in the Straw Hat Pirates could withstand this level of pressure.
This was the greeting before a battle between the strong.
Just like how the sky always splits when Yonko clash.
Nami felt an extremely cold aura rushing toward her.
Panic spiked, and she instinctively pulled Usopp in front of her as a shield.
But after waiting for a moment, she realized the killing intent hadn't reached her.
She peeked out.
Luffy was standing firm, releasing a powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki that collided with Ray's killing intent, creating an invisible barrier.
Seeing this, Ray nodded in approval inwardly.
'Good. At least Luffy can control his Haki release freely now. Being the overlord of the Demon Beast Mountains has truly hardened his spirit.'
After the aura clash ended, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji all entered combat mode.
The three of them activated Ryou protection combined with Armament Haki hardening.
'Serious mode from the start, eh'
The other four stood together in a tight formation, refusing to disperse.
Seeing this tactic, Ray silently agreed.
If fighting against a speed-focused powerhouse like Sesshomaru, splitting up would only give the opponent opportunities to pick them off one by one.
If they fought him the same way they battled the slower mountain overlords, the backline would be slaughtered instantly.
Ray remained standing in place.
His purpose was to go easy—he knew exactly how durable Sesshomaru's body was—but to the Straw Hats, his stillness looked like supreme arrogance.
Sanji narrowed his eyes. "So arrogant!"
Zoro gripped his swords. "Being too overconfident will get you in trouble!"
Chopper whimpered, hiding behind Usopp. "Captain Usopp, this evil version of Ray looks down on me!"
Nami sighed, clutching her Clima-Tact.
"If it were the real Ray, I'd definitely be fangirling again."
Robin also pretended to look furious on the surface.
"Then let him know the price of offending us!"
Usopp pulled back the elastic of his giant bone slingshot.
"I'll lead the way! Special Attack: Yokai Star—Meteor Stone Sword Swarm!"
Dozens of yokai seeds shot toward Ray's location.
Just as Ray swung his light whip to deflect them, the seeds suddenly split mid-air.
Each one divided into ten smaller projectiles, transforming into sharp stone swords.
The material wasn't ordinary stone, but possessed hardness similar to the "Stone Sword Ghost" yokai.
In short, they were stones enhanced by demonic energy—equivalent to stone swords coated with Armament Haki.
Usopp couldn't yet imbue his own Haki, but he had found an alternative that delivered even greater output.
The dense swarm of stone swords deftly evaded Ray's light whip and charged straight for him.
"Not bad."
Ray summoned his demonic energy barrier, withstanding the wave of attacks.
The stone swords shattered against his aura, but they kicked up massive clouds of dust, blinding him and providing excellent cover for the Monster Trio.
"Gear Third: Elephant Gun Gatling!"
"Three Sword Style: 1080 Pound Phoenix!"
"Diable Jambe: Spectre Flambé Shoot!"
The Straw Hat Pirates opened with their full offensive power, tearing through the dust cloud.