Chapter 115: Inugami and the Nekomamushi!
[Zou - The Whale Forest Border]
The twilight sun filtered through the canopy of the ancient Whale Forest, casting long, distorted shadows across the battlefield. The air was heavy, smelling of ozone from the discharged Electro and the metallic tang of spilled blood.
Sicilian, the Captain of the Inuarashi Musketeer Squad, lay face down in the dirt. His body screamed in agony, his nerves paralyzed by the precise strike he had endured moments ago.
He struggled to lift his head, grit mixing with the blood in his mouth.
Move, he commanded his limbs. Move! You are the shield of the Duke!
But his body refused to obey. He could only watch, helpless.
He gazed at the back of the man who had defeated them.
Uchiha Madara.
The man stood amidst the fallen bodies of the elite Musketeers like a dark monolith. His crimson armor gleamed dully in the fading light. He stood with his arms crossed, his posture relaxed, yet the invisible pressure radiating from him felt heavier than the elephant they stood upon.
It was an aura of absolute solitude and absolute power.
"How could..." Sicilian whispered, a tear of frustration mingling with the blood on his cheek. "How could there be someone this powerful? He didn't even draw a weapon... he didn't even use Haki..."
Sicilian's gaze struggled to turn forward, past the God of War, towards the massive steel battleship looming over the clearing like a beast of prey.
On the deck of the Pola, Suzaku and his companions—the pale man with the hole in his chest, the woman with black wings, the maids—were observing the scene. Their expressions were bored. It felt like they were watching a play whose ending was already written in stone.
The enemy had only deployed a single person.
This realization shattered the last traces of hope in Sicilian's heart. A coldness named "Despair" surged uncontrollably within him.
The Mokomo Dukedom... a nation that had stood for a thousand years... was facing an imminent catastrophe.
Just then, the "Deity" seemed to sense something.
Madara's previously bored, half-lidded eyes suddenly shifted toward the depths of the dense forest.
"Oh?"
A faint, almost imperceptible curve finally appeared at the corner of Uchiha Madara's mouth. His Sharingan spun slowly, the three tomoe blurring into a red ring.
"More people have arrived..." Madara murmured, his voice deep and vibrating in the silent clearing. "Stronger ones. Their life force is potent. It looks like I'll get to stretch my muscles slightly after all."
No sooner had he spoken than two powerful auras—one burning hot as the sun, one wild and cold as the night—swept in from the depths of the forest.
RUSTLE... THUD!
The trees parted violently. Two large figures landed in the clearing, flanking the fallen Musketeers with earth-shaking impacts.
On the left stood a massive canine Mink. He wore small sunglasses and noble, renaissance-style attire. He carried a long sword at his hip. His presence was dignified, regal, yet edged with a sharp killing intent.
Duke Inuarashi, the King of Day.
On the right crouched a massive feline Mink with a wild, voluminous mane and a pipe clenched in his teeth. He wore a haramaki and carried a spear. His presence was savage, untamed, radiating the wildness of the night.
Master Nekomamushi, the King of Night.
The two rulers, who usually despised each other so much they split the day in half to avoid meeting, appeared side-by-side. It was a truly rare occurrence, a testament to the severity of the threat facing their home.
Behind them, leading a contingent of elite members of the Guardians and the remaining Musketeers, they instantly counter-surrounded Suzaku and his companions.
"Sicilian! Wanda! Are you okay?!"
Duke Inuarashi looked at his companions strewn across the ground. His expression, usually calm and composed, instantly became incredibly serious. His tail twitched with suppressed rage.
Master Nekomamushi's gaze was more direct. His vertical pupils locked fiercely onto the intruder in red armor, filled with primal vigilance and hostility.
"Meow..." Nekomamushi growled, smoke puffing from his pipe in angry bursts.
"To take down Sicilian and the boys without killing them... to disable them with precision strikes... that takes skill, goronyanya."
He knew the strength of the Musketeers Squad too well. He had led the Guardians and fought them for years in their mock battles. Anyone who could knock all of them down so effortlessly was a monster not to be underestimated.
Seeing Uchiha Madara's body already leaning slightly forward, his fighting intent practically solidifying into blue Chakra, Suzaku's voice rang out unhurriedly from the ship.
"Madara, wait."
The command was soft, but it carried authority. Suzaku stopped the battle maniac who was about to launch a fireball that would burn the forest down.
Suzaku leisurely walked down the gangway, stepping onto the mossy earth of Zou. He wore a perfectly measured, diplomatic smile as his gaze swept over Inuarashi and Nekomamushi.
"Duke Inuarashi. Master Nekomamushi. It is a pleasure to meet the Rulers of Zou for the first time."
Suzaku bowed slightly, a gesture of politeness that contrasted sharply with the violence around them.
"Please don't be so tense. Impatience is not a good habit for kings. At the very least... you should grant us a chance to talk, shouldn't you?"
Duke Inuarashi tightened his grip on the sword in his hand. Electro crackled along the blade, sizzling in the damp air.
"Who exactly are you people?" Inuarashi asked in a low voice, his hackles raised. "Why have you invaded our home? What is your ultimate goal in Zou? Are you allied with Kaido?"
"Rest assured, we bear no ill will," Suzaku said, spreading his hands to show he was unarmed. "The fact that these Mink Tribe members can still draw breath is the best proof, isn't it? If we wanted war, this forest would already be ash."
"Hmph!"
Master Nekomamushi let out a disdainful snort, spitting his pipe out onto the ground.
"Do you think you have secured victory just because you defeated the kids? Don't look down on us, human!"
The massive cat Mink stood up to his full height, looming over everyone.
"We, the Mink Tribe, will not be threatened by anyone! We sailed with the King of Pirates! We fought alongside Whitebeard! We are warriors!"
He pointed his spear at Suzaku.
"Leave here immediately, and we can pretend nothing ever happened! If you refuse... you will become cat food!"
"Oh dear..."
Hearing this, Suzaku sighed, feigning distress. He rubbed his temple. His smile finally faded, replaced by a subtle expression of helplessness and cold calculation.
"It seems that language is indeed the most powerless thing in the world when dealing with stubborn warriors."
He understood clearly: on this sea where strength is revered above all else, the only way to make proud "powerhouses" bow down and listen was to first utterly shatter their pride.
Diplomacy required a demonstration.
"Forget it."
Suzaku turned around and walked back toward the ship, turning his back on the two Kings. He waved a hand over his shoulder.
"Madara."
"Hmph."
"I'll leave this to you," Suzaku said softly.
"Let them... profoundly understand the extent of the 'goodwill' with which we have arrived. Don't kill them. Just... break them. Make them realize the gap."
This casually spoken sentence carried an undeniable air of dominance.
"GAHAHAHAHA!"
The impatient Master Nekomamushi was already enraged by the dismissal. His entire golden coat of fur bristled like burning flames, static electricity arcing between the hairs.
"Stop playing games and pretending to be mysterious! I am the King of Night! I will show you what true terror is!"
"ELECTRO!"
Before his voice faded, the ground beneath him violently shook.
BOOM!
He transformed into a golden blur, charging straight at Uchiha Madara with the speed of a lightning bolt!
Duke Inuarashi saw this. Though he cursed the cat silently as "reckless," he moved at the very same instant.
Having feuded for many years, they shared unparalleled tacit understanding. When facing an external enemy, they could instantly form the most perfect offensive and defensive alliance. The Dog and Cat combination was legendary.
"Not bad."
Watching the two furious leaders charge at him from the left and right, a flicker of approval finally appeared in Uchiha Madara's eyes.
"At least they possess the spirit to face me directly! Speed... power... acceptable."
His Sharingan spun, tracking their trajectories in slow motion.
"However... It is far from enough!"
Master Nekomamushi's speed was extreme; in the blink of an eye, he had closed the distance to Madara. He leaped into the air, his claws glowing with Advanced Armament Haki (Ryou) and high-voltage Electro.
"Oden One-Sword Style: Feline Grin Clash!"
His sharp claws, shimmering with cold light and accompanied by an air-tearing screech, fiercely lunged toward Madara's heart!
Simultaneously, Duke Inuarashi's figure moved like a phantom. Utilizing the moment Nekomamushi drew attention from the front, he appeared in Madara's blind spot on the flank. The long sword in his hand scattered a brilliant silver light.
"Oden One-Sword Style: Canine Slash Arrow!"
The relentless slash sealed off all of Madara's retreat paths!
One claw and one sword. One hard and one soft. Their cooperation was flawless, arriving almost simultaneously to dissect the intruder.
"DIE!"
BOOM...!
A massive crash roared, kicking up clouds of smoke and dust! The ground cracked under the impact of the Haki-infused attacks. The force was enough to flatten a small hill.
"Hmph, too arrogant! He dared not dodge or evade!"
Nekomamushi watched his sharp claws solidly strike the target. A sinister grin spread across his feline face.
"Our 'Oden One-Sword Style' is not something easily defended against! Even Kaido felt this sting!"
However, as the smoke and dust slightly dispersed...
The look of satisfaction on both their faces instantly froze.
CLANG...
The sound wasn't flesh tearing. It wasn't bone breaking.
It was the sound of absolute rejection.
Uchiha Madara was still standing in the exact same spot, without even changing his posture. His arms were still crossed over his chest. He hadn't moved a muscle.
On the surface of his body, a layer of Spectral Dark Blue Energy—looking like the ethereal ribcage of a demon—had quietly manifested.
[Susanoo: Ribcage Defense]
It blocked both of their full-power, Haki-infused attacks completely and without flaw!
The claws and the sword were stopped dead against the ethereal bones. Not even a single crack appeared on that thin layer of blue energy.
"What?!" Inuarashi gasped, his eyes widening behind his sunglasses.
"This... how is this possible?" Nekomamushi's eyes bulged. "It blocked Ryou?! It blocked Electro?!"
The shock was indescribable. Their combined attacks, which could cut steel and injure ancient beasts, hadn't even managed to breach the opponent's passive defense!
They were not ordinary individuals; they were members of the Nine Red Scabbards. They had followed Kozuki Oden. They had sailed with Whitebeard and Roger. They knew what strength was. They had faced monsters.
And this... this was beyond them.
In that brief moment of distraction, Madara, a seasoned veteran of countless battles during the Warring States Era, would not let this opportunity slip away.
"Losing focus during a battle is a grave mistake."
The cold voice, devoid of mercy, slowly entered their ears.
"Susanoo."
ROAR!
That layer of dark blue skeletal energy instantly surged. It didn't just defend; it attacked.
It expanded, condensing into a towering, half-body blue Warrior God. A skeletal giant rose from Madara's aura, its eyes glowing yellow.
Two gigantic blue energy fists, each larger than Nekomamushi himself, slammed out violently. One from the left, one from the right.
"Begone."
"Duke Inuarashi! Master Nekomamushi! Watch out!" Carrot's cry of alarm rang out from the trees.
However, everything was too late.
In the face of overwhelming, absolute power, all skill and reaction became meaningless.
CRASH!!!
Amidst the dull, heart-stopping impact, the figures of Inuarashi and Nekomamushi were sent flying violently backward.
They were launched like rag dolls struck by a giant hammer.
SNAP! CRACK!
They broke through several towering trees along the way, smashing trunks and branches. They flew fifty meters, finally crashing heavily onto the ground, kicking up large clouds of dust.
They didn't move.
The entire scene fell silent. The wind stopped. The birds stopped singing.
Uchiha Madara slowly dispersed the Susanoo. The blue light faded into the twilight.
He stood tall, dusting off his shoulder. His gaze calmly swept over the two figures lying in the distance, as if he had merely swatted away two annoying flies.
"Weak," Madara muttered, turning his back on them. "Next."
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