"Attack! Don't give him a chance to release those impact waves!"
Duke Inuarashi struggled to his feet, his entire body wreathed in intense electrical currents as he charged forward like a bolt of lightning.
Though the interior of the Whale Tree was spacious, it felt cramped for warriors of their caliber. In the blink of an eye, Inuarashi was before Aeridar, thrusting his sword directly at the man's chest.
Aeridar didn't meet the strike head-on. Instead, he took a calculated step back, twisting his torso to let the blade slide past. Simultaneously, his fist, coated in pitch-black Armament Haki, swung out, slamming violently into Inuarashi's waist.
Thud!
A muffled groan escaped the Duke's lips as his body folded into a "U" shape. He coughed up a spray of blood and was sent hurtling backward.
Boom!
Inuarashi crashed heavily into the wooden wall dozens of meters away. The impact sent shockwaves rolling through the chamber, embedding him deep into the wood as spiderweb cracks spread across the surface.
At that moment, Master Nekomamushi leaped high into the air. He swung his double-headed trident down with crushing force.
Clang—!
A fierce burst of air pressure erupted. Aeridar's blackened palm caught the trident's tip directly, completely ignoring the powerful electricity surging through it.
"Monster cat, this current is quite interesting. Is it bio-electricity generated by your body, or do you have electrical organs like an electric eel?" Aeridar asked curiously, leaning in to observe the crackling sparks dancing across Nekomamushi's fur.
"I'll tell you once you're sprawled on the ground! Meow!"
Fuming with rage, Nekomamushi released one hand from his weapon and extended his razor-sharp claws, swiping fiercely at Aeridar's head.
"Shinra Tensei!"
A sinister smirk curled on Aeridar's lips. A titanic force exploded outward, an invisible repulsive field that sent everything within a several-meter radius flying.
"What is this?!"
Nekomamushi felt an irresistible, invisible power repelling him. From his skin to his internal organs, the pressure was absolute. He couldn't stop his body from being blasted backward.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several Mink warriors who had rushed in to support were also caught in the range. They were instantly repelled, crashing heavily into the walls dozens of meters away, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
In less than a minute, the two Kings of the Mokomo Dukedom and dozens of the Minks' elite warriors had been laid low.
It wasn't necessarily that Aeridar's strength completely dwarfed theirs; rather, in the confined space of the tree hollow, Aeridar's area-of-effect attacks were too vast to dodge. They were forced to take the hits.
Furthermore, the Impact-Impact Fruit was renowned for its sheer destructive power. Aside from "monsters" with insane physical durability like Kaido or Big Mom, few would ever choose to take Aeridar's attacks head-on.
"No matter what... stop him! We cannot let him take this Poneglyph!" Duke Inuarashi pried himself from the wall, not even pausing to wipe the blood from his mouth.
"I'm going to bite you to death!"
Master Nekomamushi was livid. Ignoring his battered body and leaving his fallen weapon on the ground, he dropped to all fours and sprinted across the floor. He lunged with jaws wide, aiming his fangs directly for Aeridar's throat.
"Shishilian, Pedro, Wanda… everyone be careful!" Inuarashi shouted a warning to the Musketeers and Guardians behind him before charging back into the fray with his sword.
"Tch, a bunch of troublesome pests," Aeridar muttered, clicking his tongue in annoyance. He took to the air, easily evading Nekomamushi's bite.
Then, Aeridar swept aside his coat and reached into a palm-sized brown pouch at his waist. To the Minks' surprise, he pulled out a red jade gourd about thirty centimeters tall, decorated with orange flame patterns.
"Let's show you the power of the Fire God, Zhurong!"
Aeridar grinned savagely. He pointed the mouth of the gourd downward, uncapped it, and gave the bottom a sharp pat.
"Zhurong, come forth!"
A tiny flicker of flame emerged. And then...
Zzzzz— Snore—
The faint sound of snoring drifted from the mouth of the gourd, as if someone were in the middle of a deep, comfortable slumber.
"..." Inuarashi.
"..." Nekomamushi.
"..." The dozens of elite Mink warriors.
The atmosphere turned bizarrely silent.
Aeridar's cheek twitched. He looked down at the crowd below, his expression radiating awkwardness.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
"Zhurong, you little brat! Get out here!"
Aeridar pounded the red jade gourd several times, his face turning so dark it looked like it might drip ink.
"Ouch~ Who's making all that racket?!"
A crisp, high-pitched voice rang out from the gourd. Immediately following the voice, searing flames erupted from the opening. The temperature in the chamber skyrocketed, turning the cool, forest air stiflingly hot.
A ball of fire hovered in mid-air. It gave a wide, sleepy yawn before looking around with an indignant expression, searching for whoever had dared disturb its nap.
"The... the fire... it can talk?"
"Those eyes, that mouth... am I seeing things?"
"Oi, oi... am I dreaming?"
"A fire spirit? Or a fire yokai?"
The Minks stared open-mouthed at the floating Zhurong.
"Zhu— Rong—"
Aeridar growled the name, drawing out the syllables as he glared at the flame hovering before him.
"Uh..."
Zhurong froze, its fiery body momentarily solidifying. It turned its head stiffly, coming face-to-face with Aeridar's dark, menacing scowl.
"Ma-Master Hehe Hehe~ Good morning!" Zhurong offered a sycophantic little grin, greeting him with a forced cheerfulness.
"It's almost noon. Are you awake now? Or do you want to sleep a little longer?" Aeridar asked, his voice dripping with suppressed rage.
"No need! No need! I'm awake! Totally awake!" Zhurong shook its head and nodded frantically at the same time.
"Then help me burn these guys below to a crisp!" Aeridar pointed toward the Mink tribe below, his face grim. He had planned to make a grand, intimidating entrance for his "trump card," only to have the moment ruined. He wasn't about to give Zhurong a pass.
In truth, Aeridar didn't genuinely blame Zhurong. Because Aeridar possessed the ability of supersonic flight, almost nothing could keep up with him. While Zhurong could fly, it was nowhere near Aeridar's speed. To carry Zhurong with him, Aeridar had commissioned Dr. Vade to design this specialized container.
The gourd was red jade on the outside, but the inner lining was a special alloy infused with Seastone to prevent Zhurong's flames from melting through it. However, the presence of the Seastone acted as a sedative on Zhurong, making it prone to falling asleep inside, which was the real reason for the "grand entrance" failure.
"Right! Leave it to me, Master!"
Zhurong struck a confident pose, but as it looked down at the opponents, it paused in confusion: "Big dog? Big cat? And lions and tigers... what on earth are these things?"
"WHAT ARE YOU CALLING 'THINGS'?!" the Minks roared back, baring their fangs in unison.