Chapter 116: The Great Villain Suzaku!
[Zou - The Whale Forest Border]
The forest was silent, save for the ragged breathing of the defeated Musketeers.
Carrot's mind was a blank slate. Her long rabbit ears drooped, trembling uncontrollably. In her wide eyes, an unbelievable scene was reflected—a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.
The powerful Musketeers Squad was instantly defeated without landing a single scratch. And now, the two leaders who were the pillars of the Duchy, Duke Inuarashi and Master Nekomamushi, were lying in the dirt, broken by a single man who hadn't even drawn a weapon.
"Is... is this the end?" Carrot whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "Are we going to die?"
Despair, cold and suffocating, surged into her heart. The legendary strength of the Minks felt like a joke before these monsters.
However, right within this deadly silence of despair, a subtle sound broke the stillness.
Crackle... Pop...
It was the sound of static electricity.
ZZZTTT!
The sound grew louder, like a thousand bees buzzing. It wasn't just a noise; it was a physical sensation that made the hair on Carrot's arms stand up.
She suddenly looked up, gasping.
Through the canopy of the ancient trees, the clouds that had been scattered by the earlier Haki clash drifted away.
The full moon revealed itself.
A beam of pure, silver moonlight pierced the darkness, bathing the battlefield in a ghostly glow.
"The moon..." Carrot breathed, her pupils dilating. "It's full tonight!"
Under the hopeful gazes of the surviving Mink Tribe members, the two figures lying in the ruins of the forest began to twitch.
They slowly rose. But they no longer looked as they had before.
SNAP. CRACK.
Their bones elongated. Their muscles swelled, ripping through their clothes. Their fur, once brown and gold, bleached instantly into a blinding, pure white. It grew longer, flowing like a mane of spiritual energy.
In their eyes, the pupils vanished, replaced by a glowing, blood-red crimson. A primitive and savage wildness burned there, suppressing their reason.
The electricity constantly crackling around their entire bodies thickened, becoming a visible armor of blue lightning.
Sulong (Moon Lion) Form!
The hidden potential of the Mink Tribe, activated by staring at the full moon. A transformation that traded life force for god-like power.
"ROAAAAAAAR...!!!"
An inhuman roar shook the forest, knocking leaves from the trees. The air pressure spiked, creating a localized storm.
"So that's how it is."
On the gangway of the Pola, Suzaku looked up at the bright full moon. A look of understanding appeared on his face.
He looked at the two white behemoths radiating a terrifying aura that distorted the air around them. A playful, self-aware smile touched his lips.
"It happens to be a full moon tonight, doesn't it? What a cliché timing."
He crossed his arms, leaning back.
"That's fine. Only by bringing out your ultimate abilities... can you recognize the reality of the gap between us more clearly. Struggle all you want; the outcome is set."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Suzaku paused. He blinked.
Huh?
Wait a minute.
Why did those words... sound exactly like standard villain dialogue?
'Struggle all you want'? 'Recognize reality'? I sound like a final boss in an RPG.
Suzaku rubbed his chin.
I invaded their country. I beat up their guards. I'm watching their heroes transform in a desperate last stand... and I'm smiling.
Did I become the villain?
He looked at his crew. Albedo (Demon). Ulquiorra (Hollow). Madara (War Criminal). Akame (Assassin).
Yeah. We're definitely the bad guys here.
"Forget it," Suzaku shrugged. "History is written by the winners. And I intend to win."
While Suzaku was busy with his harmless self-mockery, Uchiha Madara, standing in the center of the clearing, was feeling something else entirely.
Pleasure.
A long-lost sense of battle thrill coursed through his veins.
His pair of crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated, tracking the massive influx of energy in the two Minks. He could see their Chakra—or whatever natural energy they used—flaring uncontrollably.
"Not bad. Not bad at all."
Madara uncrossed his arms. He dropped into a loose stance.
"Come!"
BOOM!
The ground exploded.
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi vanished. They transformed into two white streaks of lightning, moving at speeds that the naked eye couldn't track. They were faster than sound.
They charged forward, flanking Madara from both sides with feral coordination.
Slash! Claw!
A sword wreathed in lightning aimed for his neck. A claw coated in Haki aimed for his heart.
Madara didn't panic. His figure left an afterimage where he stood.
Swish.
He moved with an almost uncanny rhythm. He didn't block; he weaved.
He stepped to the left, letting the sword pass by his ear by a millimeter. He ducked, letting the claw slice the air above his head.
Every side step, every tilt of his body, perfectly avoided the sharp claws capable of tearing through steel. It was a masterclass in Taijutsu.
"Gaining astonishing speed by stimulating the body with electricity," Madara analyzed calmly, dodging a lightning bolt. "Is that it? A biological limit break?"
"DIE!" Inuarashi roared, swinging his sword in a frenzy.
CLANG!
This time, Madara didn't evade. He actively extended his left hand.
He caught the blade. Not the sharp edge, but the wrist holding it.
CRACK!
Simultaneously, he raised his right forearm, forcefully blocking Nekomamushi's heavy, powerful claw strike!
"Bang!"
A shockwave burst forth from the impact. The ground beneath Madara's feet cracked slightly, sinking an inch. But his arms remained as steady as a mountain.
Feeling the immense force transmitted through his palm—strength that could rival a Tailed Beast—the look of approval in Madara's eyes grew deeper.
"It's not just speed," Madara noted, grinning. "Even your strength has been elevated to another level. You are burning your life to fuel this power."
He pushed them back, creating distance.
"Very good. Now... you have the qualifications to entertain me! DANCE!"
"Stop... looking down on us!"
Nekomamushi squeezed out a roar of fury from between his fangs. Static electricity poured from his mouth.
"We... will never surrender! For the Kozuki! For Zou!"
"Inuarashi One-Sword Style: Dog of the Thunder God!"
"Nekomamushi: Red Cat Dance!"
Seeing that even normal attacks in Sulong Form couldn't defeat their opponent, the two leaders simultaneously threw caution to the wind. They abandoned defense entirely.
They unleashed their strongest ultimate moves.
Inuarashi's leg—his sword leg—transformed into a drill wrapped in immense lightning. He spun like a torpedo, stabbing straight toward Madara's chest!
Nekomamushi's sharp claws whipped up a crimson storm of Haki and Electro, sealing off all of Madara's retreat paths!
Advancing without hesitation, they were willing to die together to take this monster down.
Watching this all-or-nothing attack, Uchiha Madara finally let out a light, satisfied chuckle.
"Oh?"
His eyes glowed red.
"Do you two wish to dance as well? Fine. I will lead."
The instant his voice fell, he moved.
He didn't use a Jutsu. He used pure skill.
Just as the lightning-wreathed sword-leg was about to touch his chest, Madara's hand moved like a viper. He gently pressed against the side of Inuarashi's attacking ankle.
It seemed to possess no force, but it was applied at the perfect fulcrum point.
Redirect.
An irresistible, skillful force suddenly erupted!
Inuarashi felt as if his full-power strike had hit empty air; his momentum was used against him. He instantly lost balance. His massive body uncontrollably tumbled away to the side, spinning out of control.
At the same time, Madara's other hand transformed into a precise Hand Blade.
He met the crimson claw wind attacking from the other side. He stepped inside the guard.
In a flash of lightning, his figure flickered, appearing behind Nekomamushi's flank.
"Too open."
The Hand Blade sliced, neither heavily nor lightly, onto the back of the cat's neck, right at the nerve cluster.
WHACK.
WHACK.
Two heavy, muffled thuds sounded, one immediately following the other.
The two pale beasts, who had just been majestic and imposing avatars of destruction, froze.
Their eyes rolled back. The electrical aura dissipated like smoke.
They collapsed weakly to the ground. Their fur reverted to its original color. They shrank back to their normal size, completely unconscious.
From the moment they transformed until they were defeated... barely a minute had passed.
Uchiha Madara slowly withdrew his hands. He stood between the two unconscious leaders, untouched.
He glanced around, looking at the Mink Tribe members who were completely petrified, having forgotten even how to breathe.
He curled his lip in boredom.
"Is this it?"
The so-called entertainment had merely changed him from "standing still" to "moving his hands slightly."
"The gap between a god and a mortal is precisely this," Madara stated. "You rely on power. I rely on perfection."
After defeating the two courageous Mink Tribe leaders, Uchiha Madara lost interest. He turned his back on them and walked back among his companions who were watching the show from the ship.
"Well done, Madara!"
Suzaku praised Madara as he returned to the deck. He clapped slowly. "Efficient. Clean."
Then, Suzaku turned back to the scene below. He began to ponder what they should do next.
The Kings were defeated. The army was crushed. The civilians were terrified.
Now... how to recruit them without looking like a tyrant?
Suzaku rubbed his chin.
He couldn't possibly walk up to that somewhat cute Rabbit Girl, Carrot, like a true villain and say:
"Carrot, you wouldn't want your leaders to die, would you? Join me or else."
Eh!
He decisively shook his head. That was too vulgar! Too cliché! I have standards.
Albedo noticed Suzaku's hesitation. She stepped closer, her eyes glowing with a helpful, sadistic light.
"Lord Suzaku," she whispered. "What are you troubled about?"
"It's nothing," Suzaku sighed. "I'm just trying to figure out a way to subdue the Mink Tribe. A way to make them willing. Fear is a good motivator, but loyalty is better."
"Lord Suzaku," Albedo suggested sweetly. "Have you forgotten that I can communicate with this big fellow beneath our feet?"
She pointed down at the floor.
"If they are unwilling to submit to the great Lord Suzaku... then I can just dispose of these insects. I can command Zunesha to shake them off into the sea. Or dive underwater."
She smiled, a terrifying expression.
"Their strength is mediocre anyway. I feel that the big fellow beneath us—the Elephant Lord—would be much more useful as a warship than these fur-covered weaklings!"
"That's right, that method works!" Suzaku's eyes lit up for a second.
Zunesha as a weapon...
"But it's still too aggressive," Suzaku countered. "We need the Poneglyph. And the Minks have connections to Wano. If we kill them, we lose the path to Kaido."
"If they aren't willing... we should just let them realize they have no choice."
But then he rubbed his head again. Why was his thought process still heading in the direction of a villain?
He muttered to himself, looking at the trembling Carrot.
"You wouldn't want your Lord to leave you defenseless against Kaido, would you?"
He smirked.
What kind of strange development is this! I'm becoming a mafia boss.
"Alright," Suzaku decided. "Let's go down and talk. Politely. While standing on their necks."
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