Chapter 436: Mokomo Dukedom
On Zunesha's Back · Mokomo Dukedom
"RUMBLE—!!!"
The Blackbeard Adventurers' giant ship crashed heavily onto the elephant's back, the sheer force of the impact making the ground tremble beneath it.
The dull, deafening boom echoed through the night sky, startling flocks of birds from the distant forests into taking flight.
This massive commotion quickly alerted the native inhabitants of the Mokomo Dukedom.
—The one holding authority at this hour was none other than the Ruler of Night, Master Nekomamushi.
At that moment, he had been drinking heartily with his tribesmen. The aroma of roasted meat and the scent of strong liquor intertwined in the air amidst a chorus of boisterous laughter.
The instant the loud crash reached them, his laughter came to a screeching halt. He furrowed his brow, the tips of his upright cat ears twitching slightly.
"That sound... something isn't right."
Nekomamushi exhaled a breath smelling of alcohol. His tail abruptly lashed out, and his eyes grew incredibly cold.
He issued a deep, commanding order: "Blackback, Rody! Take the Guardians and investigate the Whale Forest."
"Understood!"
The Gorilla Mink Blackback and the Bull Mink Rody immediately gathered their men and bolted toward the direction of the loud crash.
The banquet resumed its lively atmosphere, but Nekomamushi never raised his cup again.
His instincts told him that this was absolutely no ordinary occurrence.
Minutes ticked by—
"...Strange, why haven't they returned yet?"
Nekomamushi forcefully set down his cup and slowly pushed his massive frame up from the ground.
His silhouette was stretched incredibly long by the firelight—he was a colossal feline Mink, boasting a size comparable to a giant beast.
Golden fur with brown stripes covered his body. A thick mane framed his neck like a ring of blazing fire, and his large, bushy tail swayed like a battle standard.
A deep scar ran across his left eye, giving his face an even more fierce and terrifying appearance.
Chewing on a pipe, he slowly exhaled a plume of white smoke, killing intent gradually rising in his eyes.
Gripping a heavy, double-headed spear in his hand, he struck the ground with a resounding CLANG, sending a visible shockwave rippling through the air.
"Looks like we have some uninvited guests..."
Just as Nekomamushi was about to lead his men out personally, the sound of snapping twigs echoed from the depths of the forest.
Crunch— Crunch— Crunch—
Five silhouettes slowly stepped into the firelit clearing.
The man leading the group was burly, his face covered in rough stubble, and a black cape billowed wildly in the night wind.
He scanned the surroundings and broke into a grin, bearing his missing teeth and fangs in a sinister, arrogant laugh:
"Zehahaha—!!! So this is the home of the Mink Tribe?"
—The intruder was none other than Marshall D. Teach.
His footsteps were heavy, every step seeming to crush the very chests of the watching Minks.
Behind him, four familiar figures followed closely: Laffitte, spinning his cane lightly with a dangerous smile; Van Augur, his cold eyes gleaming through the reflection of his sniper scope in the dark; Burgess, his bare, muscular upper body flexing as his knuckles cracked; and Doc Q, coughing hoarsely while riding his sickly horse, yet exuding a deeply unsettling aura.
Like shadows cut from the darkness, the five of them stepped onto the soil of the Mokomo Dukedom, bringing with them an unprecedented, suffocating pressure.
The night was thick. The firelight flickered violently in the wind, and the air was stretched so taut it felt like it could shatter at any second.
Nekomamushi took a deep drag from his pipe, smoke swirling around him. A chilling glare flashed from his remaining good eye. He drove his spear into the ground with a heavy CLANG of metal.
"Intruders... you must be tired of living."
Immediately after, Nekomamushi's voice boomed like thunder, his furious roar shaking the night sky: "What did you do... to my comrades?!!"
Teach burst into laughter, shaking the leaves from the trees:
"Zehahaha—!!! You mean that gorilla and bull who charged at us the second they saw us?"
He spread his arms, a cruel, cold light flickering in his eyes: "I hadn't even stated my business yet, and they tried to attack. So, I just casually sent them—"
Before he could finish his sentence—
"BOOM!!!"
Nekomamushi lunged forward like a golden blur! His spear flashed with a freezing glint, tearing through the air with a thunderous shriek, and instantly pierced straight through Teach's chest!!!
"Bastard!!!"
The sharp metal plunged into the chest cavity, emitting a bizarre, squelching sound like striking mud.
However—the sensation transmitted through the shaft made Nekomamushi's pupils shrink violently!
"...This texture, it isn't right?!!"
Although Teach's chest had been impaled, not a single drop of blood spilled out. Instead, the wound writhed and squirmed, transforming into a pitch-black swamp!
Gloop... gloop...
The viscous mud climbed frantically up the spear shaft, attempting to swallow Nekomamushi's arms!
Teach looked down and sneered, his voice hoarse and sinister: "Honestly... not a single one of you can understand human speech."
Alarms blared in Nekomamushi's head. He immediately let go, flipping backward through the air to distance himself! The instant his feet hit the ground, the earth cracked, and his tail swept away the billowing dust.
"This is... a Devil Fruit user...?!"
Teach reached down and grabbed the spear lodged in his chest. With a casual yank, he pulled it free from the swamp-like wound. In the blink of an eye, his flesh healed completely, leaving him looking as if he had never been injured at all.
He snorted coldly and tossed the spear to the ground, sending sparks flying.
Nekomamushi's claws turned as pitch-black as iron, coated heavily in Armament Haki. The razor-sharp blades gleamed coldly under the moonlight.
Behind him, the Mink warriors felt their fur stand on end. Moving in unison, they drew their weapons, forming a torrential wave of overflowing killing intent.
In a fraction of a second, the tension skyrocketed, the very air smelling of scorched ozone and impending slaughter.
Seeing this, Teach's eyes only grew more fanatic. His laughter shook the night sky: "Just as I thought... the Mink Tribe!! Born warriors, every single one of you!!!"
He extended one hand forward. His arm twisted, and the swamp churned in his palm like a vortex ready to devour everything.
"Hey, all of you, join my crew!! I'll take you out to the seas—to witness the true future!!!"
Nekomamushi's eyes turned blood-red, his roar thundering through the night:
"Shut up!! You look absolutely nothing like the man we are waiting for!!!"
In the next instant, his figure expanded explosively. His golden fur stood fully on end, wild arcs of lightning cracked wildly across his body, and his pupils turned completely crimson—
"Sulong!!!"
A berserk aura violently erupted, sweeping across the clearing like a raging thunderstorm!
Teach's expression turned vicious. He crossed his arms as the elasticity of rubber and the writhing of the swamp intertwined and surged. His silhouette warped menacingly under the moonlight:
"Stubborn fools!!!"
"Akaneko Odori (Crimson Cat Dance)!!!"
Surrounded by silver-white lightning, Nekomamushi sprinted at top speed, his feline claws—infused with high-voltage electricity and Armament Haki—slashing fiercely toward Teach.
"BOOM—!!!"
Gale-force winds howled! The forest instantly exploded, giant trees were snapped in half, and the earth fractured!
The thunderous roar of the Mink Tribe and Teach's darkness-infused swamp violently collided!
Deafening booms and furious roars intertwined. Lightning arcs and darkness wreaked havoc through the night. The brutal clash between the Mink Tribe and the Blackbeard Adventurers shook the entirety of Zunesha's back.
And this sudden, explosive battle would serve as the spark that finally tore open the prelude to the future.
...
—Time quietly slipped away.
Two Years Later · Marine Headquarters · Marineford
The morning light spilled through the heavy curtains, illuminating an immaculate and solemn office.
Stacks of documents were piled high on the desk, accompanied by the scratching sound of a pen tip.
Dressed in a pristine white Admiral's uniform, Roy was looking down, reviewing documents with a focused and composed expression.
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