"That’s the Marines’ flag! Why would they appear here?!"
Pedro was utterly shocked.
As the former captain of a pirate crew, he was no novice when it came to the distribution of forces across the seas. He wasn’t someone who knew nothing about the outside world.
What he had never expected, however, was for the Marines to find Zou while it was on the move.
Especially when he saw the specially designed massive warship soaring through the sky.
It was a colossal vessel resembling a moving fortress—the first of its kind Pedro had ever encountered.
The identity of the newcomer was clearly anything but ordinary.
"Wanda, hurry and inform the two Dukes! Carrot is still in her Sulong form. I’ll hold them off and buy you some time!"
Pedro drew his sword and shouted urgently.
"Tell the two Dukes that only the two of them working together can stop this enemy!"
Wanda and the other Minks’ expressions changed drastically.
This was the first time they had ever heard Pedro say something like this.
As one of the few Minks who had traveled the seas, Pedro’s knowledge and experience far surpassed theirs.
In Pedro’s eyes, the two Dukes had always been powerful enough to stand on their own anywhere in the sea.
They were unquestionably among the top-tier combatants.
They had never imagined that Pedro would now say that the enemy could only be repelled if the two Dukes joined forces.
"Attack!"
Pedro roared again, sword in hand, and charged straight toward Lucas.
Wanda and the others also snapped out of their shock and moved into action.
ROAR!
Carrot, still in her Sulong form, seemed to understand the command at that moment as well.
She let out a beast-like growl, lightning crackling violently around her body as she prepared to break through the Thousand-Armed Kan’on protecting Lucas.
However, the moment she moved, Lucas suddenly raised his head and let out a helpless sigh.
"I still have to get off work. I don’t have time to play around with you right now."
"Wake up first."
BOOM!
A terrifying burst of Conqueror’s Haki, as violent as a raging ocean, exploded from Lucas’s body.
Wanda and the others had only taken three or five steps when they suddenly felt an invisible impact strike directly at the depths of their souls.
In an instant, their heads began to roar.
Their minds shook violently, and their consciousness went completely blank.
By the time they recovered, that terrifying shockwave had already swept across an area spanning ten thousand meters, continuing to surge outward.
Wanda and Pedro came to their senses, cold dread running down their spines.
When powerful fighters clashed, life and death could be decided in an instant.
If their opponent had chosen to attack during that momentary lapse in consciousness, they would probably already have been dead.
They turned to look behind them.
The Minks who had gathered in the area—
No.
It was more accurate to say that the Minks within several thousand meters had all collapsed to the ground, foam spilling from their mouths.
As for Carrot, who had been in her Sulong form only a few steps away from Lucas—
She was now gasping heavily.
The consciousness that had been overwhelmed by the wild instincts of her Sulong form had completely returned.
At the instant she had attacked on instinct, the overwhelming burst of Conqueror’s Haki from such close range had struck directly at her soul.
The sensation was as though she had been caught in the middle of a raging storm, like a tiny boat that could be swallowed by enormous waves at any moment.
Looking at the young man standing right in front of her, Carrot—who had always desperately wanted to master her Sulong form—actually found herself wishing that she could once again be controlled by its wild instincts.
Because now that her rational mind had returned, she couldn’t even summon the slightest intention to attack.
Her instincts were telling her something even more terrifying.
If she fought to the death against him, the only outcome would be death!
Feeling the trembling in her body and the weakness spreading through her legs, Carrot could no longer maintain the Sulong form she had barely managed to control.
Like a receding tide, the transformation rapidly disappeared.
Wanda and Pedro looked at each other in horror.
Had he actually suppressed Carrot’s Sulong form through sheer force?
They had originally intended to attack as well.
Now, however, they couldn’t even bring themselves to entertain the thought.
"All right. There’s nothing for you to do here. Step aside for now."
Lucas took a small sip of the earthen-fired liquor, then reached out and gently rubbed Carrot’s head.
He glanced at Wanda and Pedro before smiling.
"Don’t be nervous, either. Leave what happens next to your Dukes."
BOOM!
A figure wearing a blue cloak suddenly shot out from the distant forest and crashed heavily onto the ground in front of Wanda and Carrot.
The enormous impact caused even the thick stone beneath them to crack apart.
As clouds of dust billowed outward, Duke Inuarashi, the King of the Day, surveyed the surroundings with a grim expression.
"I never imagined the Marines would find this place. That has never happened before. It seems our Mink Tribe has indeed become careless."
"However, Marine, what are you doing here?"
"And was that Conqueror’s Haki you just used? I never expected that after only three or four months without contact with the outside world, the Marines would produce a newcomer like you."
"I’d very much like to know whether you’re a Rear Admiral or a Vice Admiral."
Zou was a moving island, and the only way to locate it accurately was through fragments of Vivre Cards.
Forget ordinary people—even the News Coo would find it harder than reaching the heavens to deliver newspapers to the Mokomo Dukedom through the thick mist surrounding the giant elephant.
Furthermore, the Mokomo Dukedom, like Wano Country, had always maintained a policy of isolation.
Only a handful of people had the qualifications to leave Zou and travel across the seas.
As a result, they were clearly unaware of what had happened in the outside world during this period.
In Inuarashi and the others’ understanding, the Marine Headquarters still only had the three Admirals as its highest-ranking combatants.
"What rank I hold isn’t important."
"What matters is that I’m in a hurry."
"I don’t want to repeat myself."
Lucas patted Carrot on the shoulder.
"So, tell the other Duke hiding in the shadows to come out as well."
"All right. Don’t just stand here. Go wait over there."
Carrot suddenly snapped back to her senses.
Her legs were indeed still weak.
However, seeing Inuarashi’s arrival made her feel considerably more at ease.
After subconsciously taking another look at Lucas, she quickly ran over to Wanda.
Wanda and Pedro secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
That brief burst of pressure alone had already filled them with apprehension.
If Lucas had continued treating Carrot as a hostage, that would have truly been a nightmare for them.
"Heh. I originally thought you would use one of our younger people as a hostage and hold her over us."
Inuarashi was somewhat surprised.
"I didn’t expect you to release her to us. It seems there are good people among the Marines after all."
"However, I’m sorry. Whatever business you have, you can tell me directly."
"That fellow and I haven’t spoken to each other for decades. If I appear, he absolutely won’t come out."
"That is an ironclad rule."
"An ironclad rule?"
Lucas smiled and shook his head.
"No. I believe he’ll come out to meet me."
"After all these years, I never thought you would still be unable to accept Oden’s death."
"However, I’m not some bleeding-heart good guy."
"I simply want to kill you, and you’re so weak that you don’t even have the qualifications to use hostages as leverage!"
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT
◇ 1 bonus Chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus Chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70+ Chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789