One Piece: The user of the Nen-Nen Fruit, who overturned the sea.

"Your Grace! The defenses are about to collapse!"

A musketeer squad leader, his face covered in blood, shouted.

Inuarashi cleaved back two charging ability users with a single sword strike, then looked around.

The musketeers' lines had been breached in several places, and the ability users were pouring in through the gaps, approaching the civilian area behind them.

He gritted his teeth, pulled a conch shell from his waist, and blew the emergency signal.

The deep sound of horns echoed over Zou Island.

This is the highest level of alert for the Mink Tribe—meaning the kingdom faces annihilation, and all Minks capable of fighting must immediately arm themselves.

Before the bugle call had even faded, Jack's patience had already run out.

"A waste of time."

Jack strode towards Inuarashi.

His steps were slow, but each step he took made the surrounding pebbles bounce.

Several musketeers who tried to stop him were slapped away by him and crashed into a tree without moving.

"Let me personally teach you what a difference is."

Jack walked up to Inuarashi and looked down at the Mink King, who was half his height.

Then he made his move.

He didn't use any weapons; it was just a simple, direct punch.

The fist tore through the air with a deafening roar like thunder.

Inuarashi raised his sword to parry.

The moment the fist slammed into the sword, Inuarashi was blasted away.

He tumbled several times in the air, crashing into and breaking several large trees before finally coming to a stop.

The tiger's mouth of his right hand, which was gripping the sword, was split open, and blood was flowing down the hilt of the sword.

"Is that all the strength you have?"

Jack flexed his wrists.

"I heard you were a retainer of Kozuki Oden back then?"

That Kozuki Oden was the man who could leave a scar on Kaido's body.

Compared to him—you're nowhere near as good.

Inuarashi stood up from the pile of wood, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and showed no fear in his eyes.

"Lord Oden is our Mink Clan's eternal benefactor."

His voice was hoarse but firm.

"Even if it costs me my life—I will never let you tarnish his last wishes."

Jack chuckled and walked towards Inuarashi again.

"Then let me see how long you can keep up your stubbornness."

Jack's fists pounded down like hammers.

Duke Inuarashi tried his best to block and dodge, but each collision only worsened his injuries.

His longsword, which he had carried for decades, was covered in cracks and could break at any moment.

The elite musketeers were in no better shape.

These skilled Mink warriors fell one after another as they faced the frenzied onslaught of the artificial Devil Fruit army.

It's not that they aren't strong enough, it's that these enemies' strength is too strange.

Doflamingo has provided Kaido with so many artificial Devil Fruits over the years that even Jack himself can't count them all.

More than 300 people were brought to Zou Island this time alone.

Three hundred Zoan-type Devil Fruit users.

Even if they were all defective, this force was still too much for the hundred or so men in the musketeer squad to withstand.

The sky gradually darkened.

The day and night cycle on Zou Island is much faster than on ordinary islands. Not long after the sun has sunk below the horizon, darkness spreads across the entire forest like ink.

Jack looked up at the sky, a look of impatience creeping onto his lips.

"It's getting dark, it's time to end this."

He drew the two curved swords from his waist, each worth nine hundred million in the sky.

The blades gleamed coldly in the twilight, each one adorned with intricate patterns.

"Inuarashi, this is the last time I'll ask—will you hand over the official historical text of the Red Army, or not?"

Inuarashi knelt on one knee, using his broken sword as a crutch to support himself.

He had countless wounds on his body; his left shoulder was dented from being punched by Jack, and his old wound on his right leg was still bleeding.

But he still raised his head and stared at Jack with his bloodshot eyes.

"I won't pay."

A flash of rage crossed Jack's eyes.

The scimitar was raised high, its patterns gleaming with a bloody light in the twilight.

"Then die!"

The curved blade slashed down fiercely.

"Swish swish swish~~"

But just as the blade was about to strike Inuarashi, a dark figure shot out like lightning from the forest to the side.

A dazzling blue arc of electricity struck Jack.

Jack was knocked to the side and staggered several steps.

The curved blade cleaved through the air, carving a deep trench in the ground.

The dark figure landed in front of Inuarashi, its form becoming visible in the twilight—

A large, furry cat, its orange fur covered with mottled scars.

His left eye had a gruesome knife scar that ran from his forehead to his chin, while his right eye burned with a frenzied killing intent.

Cat viper.

Another king of the Mink Tribe, and the leader of the Knights of the Night.

"Old Cat".

Inuarashi used his broken sword to support himself on the ground, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"You're way too slow."

"Stop talking nonsense, you stinking dog."

Without turning its head, the cat viper stared intently at Jack opposite it, its cat-like eyes fixed on him.

"If you weren't such a piece of trash who couldn't even last an afternoon, would I have been in such a hurry?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a dense rustling sound came from the forest.

Hundreds of dark figures emerged from the woods and formed a neat array behind the cat viper.

A group of chivalrous heroes.

These elite mink tribes, who live deep in the forest year-round, are all top-notch hunters.

"A fresh force?"

Jack steadied himself and moved his shoulder, which had been struck by the electric arc.

The cat viper's sudden attack had left a charred mark on his shoulder, but that was all.

"Perfect, let's clean it all up at once."

The cat viper didn't waste any words.

He raised his right claw, gestured to the group of heroes, and then transformed into an arc of electricity once again, lunging at Jack.

The members of the knight-errant group simultaneously dispersed, weaving through the artificial Devil Fruit army's formation with extremely agile movements, each pass leaving a trail of blood.

This was a complete surprise attack.

Those artificially created ability users who were used to overwhelming opponents were thrown into chaos when faced with attacks coming from all directions at the same time.

Before one of the ability users with a crocodile-like chin could react, he was struck simultaneously from both sides by two members of the martial arts group, the blue static electricity causing him to convulse.

Another ability user with bat wings on his back tried to fly away, but he was slapped back to the ground by a cat-furry tribe member who jumped down from a tree branch less than two meters from the ground.

Within minutes, the artificial Devil Fruit army had lost more than a third of its manpower.

Jack glanced back, his rugged face showing no emotion.

He never cared about the casualties of his subordinates.

The Beasts Pirates have a simple rule: the strong live, the weak die.

These defective artificial ability users are dead, so be it. Governor Kaido can train another batch later.

There was only one thing that truly mattered—to complete the task assigned by the governor.

Jack withdrew his gaze and looked back at the two Mink Kings in front of him.

Inuarashi and Nekomamushi stood side by side, one leaning on a broken sword, the other gleaming with sharp claws, their faces filled with a determination to die for their cause.

"You two do have some backbone."

Jack slung the scimitar over his shoulder and grinned.

"I like to fight with people who have backbone the most."

Because people like that are the most fun to beat up.