Was it just coincidence?
Just as that question crossed Dr. Ent's mind, the image on the monitor abruptly shifted—to reveal a towering figure over ten meters tall stepping into view.
The massive steel-plated form gleamed coldly under the sunlight, casting a dark, imposing shadow. Standing there like a fortress, it blocked Nao's path completely.
AE-97.
Dr. Ent's eyes lit up.
This was the newest AE model robot produced, and aside from initial research and development costs, the individual unit itself cost over 300 million Berries.
In terms of power, it was the strongest robot in the forest—slightly superior to the other seven robots, and even capable of going toe-to-toe with a Marine Rear Admiral.
No matter how powerful that black-haired recruit was, at the end of the day, he was still just a recruit . Surely, Dr. Ent thought, he'll be struggling against this one.
On the monitor, the black-haired youth looked up at the towering robot, an indecisive look crossing his face—like he was weighing whether to fight or flee.
Just as expected…
Dr. Ent adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, already on the verge of smiling—
—when suddenly, Nao sighed, and slid his drawn sword… back into its sheath.
Then he raised his right hand.
And made a fist.
What's he doing?
Dr. Ent blinked in confusion. So are you fighting or not? Why sheathe the sword if you're staying?
Before he could piece it together, Nao vanished from the screen in an instant.
When the surveillance Transponder Snail caught up and refocused—
Nao was already high in the air, dozens of meters above the robot's head. He looked down, face blank, and threw a punch downward.
Boom.
A deep, guttural sound rang out as the robot's metal skull caved inward.
The green lights in its eyes instantly flickered out. Its massive frame wobbled—then toppled backward with a colossal crash.
Instant KO.
Dr. Ent gawked at the screen, his jaw dropping open so far it nearly dislocated.
This… this can't be real!
That was the strongest robot the facility had produced! It had even defeated a Marine Commodore in earlier test battles—and now it couldn't even take one punch from that kid?!
That guy's... really just a cadet?
"You see what I meant?"
Zephyr had appeared behind him at some point. He gave Dr. Ent a pat on the shoulder and grinned.
"Didn't I say not to speak too soon? Honestly, with how few robots you sent into the forest, I'm really worried there's not enough to keep that guy busy…"
...
Deep in the forest—
Nao crouched beside the downed AE-model robot, searching the back of its neck for a mechanism. After a few minutes of fiddling, he finally managed to open the compartment and pull out the chip.
"What a hassle."
Even the chip itself was bulkier than the others—about the size of a computer monitor. Nao gave it a test weight, clicked his tongue, and stuffed it into his snakeskin bag.
It had taken him ten-plus minutes just to extract the thing. Total waste of time.
If he wasn't trying to avoid becoming the second coming of Garp—who would've just smashed the whole robot to pieces and let the chip fall out—he'd have done it already.
That whole bit with drawing his sword and then putting it away? That wasn't hesitation. It was restraint—he was trying not to destroy the robot entirely. Of course, from the monitor's angle, Dr. Ent had no idea and just assumed he was unsure about fighting.
The snakeskin bag was already heavy. He could feel the weight of at least two or three dozen chips inside. Nao didn't bother to count. He just tied the bag up, slung it over his back, and got moving again—still on the hunt for more AE-models.
Fighting them barely took any time at all.
AD? AE? Whether they were supposedly on the level of a Captain or Commodores—none of that mattered. For Nao, it was always over in a single punch.
The real issue was the size of the forest. Trying to sweep it clean within the time limit was the hard part.
"Time's tight."
He sprinted through the underbrush, giant snakeskin bag on his back, his eyes darting around constantly.
"If only my Observation Haki were stronger… Like Enel's or that Katakuri guy. If I could scan the entire island, I wouldn't have to waste time like this."
The ever-humble Nao muttered in frustration—tone filled with guilt, as if his sensory range somehow should be planetary.
"…Huh?"
A few minutes later, he suddenly paused, turning his head toward the eastern part of the forest. His expression turned… odd.
"So it's that guy…"
"What's he chasing?"
...
"Bastard! If you've got guts, stop running!!"
In the damp shadows of the forest, Shiryu was in full pursuit, fury boiling over as he shouted profanities and tore after a white figure.
Normally quiet and cold, Shiryu rarely lost his composure—but right now, he was absolutely livid. And the man he was chasing had clearly gotten under his skin.
And for good reason.
"Oh? You say stop running and I'll just stop? What kind of logic is that?"
The figure ahead stayed just far enough ahead, glancing over his shoulder with a cheerful grin. It was a middle-aged man with a thick mustache. "Why so mad? You've only got yourself to blame. Maybe next time, keep your guard up while grabbing the chip, yeah?"
He gave a playful wink.
"Come on, kid! According to Zephyr's rules, you've still got half an hour left to catch me. If you can't do that, the chip's mine for good!"
Behind him—
Shiryu clenched his teeth so hard they nearly cracked, but he had no counter.
Because… the guy wasn't wrong.
He'd been careless. That was the truth.
But who the hell could've expected things to go so catastrophically?
He'd ended up getting sandwiched between two AD-models at once. Then, just as he'd finished them off, two more showed up. He'd been fighting a four-on-one deathmatch for over thirty minutes before finally downing them all.
The moment he grabbed the chips—before he could even get a good look—this damn mustached bastard sprang out of nowhere and snatched one clean from his hand.
Made a goofy face…
Then ran off laughing.
Unforgivable.
Who the hell could just let that slide?
Shiryu had chased him down immediately—and found that his speed was just a bit faster. He'd nearly caught up…
But then the bastard revealed he was a Paramecia-type who'd eaten the Overgrowth Fruit—he could manipulate the plants in the forest.
Every time Shiryu got close, vines would sprout up from the ground and wrap around his ankles, slowing him down just enough to widen the gap again.
And each time, the guy would stand just out of reach, watch Shiryu wrestle with the vines in frustration, chuckle, make another dumb face, and then jog off again.
Repeat. For thirty minutes straight.
At this point, Shiryu was ready to explode.
That white cape with "Justice" written on the back might've marked the guy as a fellow Marine—but right now, in Shiryu's eyes, he was worse than a pirate.