Boom!
The golden bolt of lightning pierced through a massive boulder and continued unimpeded, striking the trees behind it.
"Devil Fruit?"
It was no surprise Naruto thought this way. After all, in this world, the easiest and most common method of harnessing the power of nature was by consuming a Devil Fruit.
However, Naruto quickly dismissed the idea.
Because right beside him, another horned tiger appeared.
This one was slightly smaller in size, seemingly the mate of the first tiger.
Then, under Naruto's slightly puzzled gaze, this horned tiger also unleashed a bolt of lightning from the top of its head.
Clearly, this ability wasn't derived from a Devil Fruit but was instead an innate power of this particular species.
The bolts of lightning crisscrossed, forming an 'X' shape in the air… unfortunately, they failed to hit Naruto.
"Come!"
Perhaps because he hadn't stretched his limbs in so long, Naruto found himself unusually excited.
He rolled up his sleeves, eager for a good, old-fashioned brawl with these giant beasts.
Back in the Ninja World, he had rarely encountered opponents who could push him to fight seriously.
Even for those veteran and famous Ninjas, most battles were over in just a few minutes.
Combat between ninjas was largely a battle of intelligence. The side with more information, or the more unpredictable abilities, usually held the advantage.
But when facing opponents with unknown abilities, Observation Haki's near-future prediction effect was simply too overpowered.
Basically, as long as Naruto's reflexes could keep up, it was nearly impossible for anyone to catch him off guard-
At least not yet.
Grabbing the giant tiger's head fur with both hands, Naruto followed up with a knee strike straight to the center of its forehead.
The massive tiger, which was dozens of meters tall, was sent crashing backward, flattening an entire stretch of forest.
It struggled to get back up, but the dizziness from the blow left it staggering, unable to fully regain its footing.
Naruto wasn't the type to show mercy to wild beasts. He leaped onto the tiger's chest and delivered another punch straight to its face.
During the entire process, he didn't use Haki at all, relying purely on raw physical strength to pummel the beast.
When Naruto's fist collided with the tiger's skull, it was like a nail hitting an eggshell… there was almost no resistance as the bone shattered under the impact.
The force behind the punch continued to surge into the tiger's brain, turning its insides into mush.
Even if Naruto chose to spare it now, the tiger would most likely end up as a 'vegetable'.
Pulling his arm free, Naruto's upper body was splattered with the beast's blood, with a relaxed and happy smile on his face.
He looked as innocent as a child who had just been taken to an amusement park.
Seeing its companion nearly killed in a single exchange, the remaining tiger let out a furious roar.
Then, without restraint, it unleashed a relentless barrage of lightning bolts from its horns.
The storm of electricity even engulfed its fallen comrade.
The lightning continued for over ten seconds before finally dissipating.
After that, the giant tiger looked visibly exhausted.
Clearly, using this ability came at a cost.
"Is that it?"
A voice like a demon's whisper echoed through the smoke.
Though it couldn't understand Naruto's words, the tiger displayed human-like emotion for the first time.
The injected, which had been injected with the special drug [SIQ], weren't supposed to feel fear.
But in certain situations, biological instincts could override the effects of drugs.
As the smoke cleared, Naruto stood there bare-chested, his body emitting faint wisps of steam… just like the fallen tiger.
Thankfully, he had used Armament Haki to protect his clothes and hair, otherwise, his hair would have turned into an afro by now.
Exhaling a puff of smoke, Naruto cracked his neck.
"Not bad… for a wake-up call."
The moment he finished speaking, Naruto vanished from sight.
The next instant, his leg whipped like a steel cable, smashing straight into the tiger's jaw.
The tiger's head, which is larger than a house, spun three or four times on its axis before its body finally collapsed limply to the ground, as if realizing its fate too late.
"Hah! That felt amazing!"
Naruto roared at the top of his lungs, as if venting all the frustrations he had endured back in the Ninja World.
It was like he had returned to his late teens, when all he had to do was smash through whatever enemy stood in front of him… no need to overthink, no need to worry about anything else.
Still riding the high of battle, he started a fire to roast the meat, pulling out various seasonings from a storage scroll he had prepared specifically for daily necessities.
Yes, Naruto had even dedicated an entire scroll just for cooking supplies.
However, perhaps his shouting had been too loud, or maybe the aroma of roasting meat was too conspicuous, because soon, rustling sounds reached his ears.
A new challenger had entered the fray.
An ant, which is as big as a bear, but with a head resembling a mammal's, peeked out from the undergrowth nearby.
At first glance, it didn't seem nearly as threatening as the lightning-spewing tigers.
But this ant wasn't a solitary creature.
Dozens, no, hundreds of ants soon swarmed in from all sides, their predatory gazes locked onto Naruto and the two giant beast carcasses on the ground.
To them, this was nothing more than a feast.
At this sight, the grin that had barely faded from Naruto's face widened even further.
And just like that, the next battle began without pause.
The sounds of combat drew more and more giant beasts, each one surging toward the source of the commotion.
They all wanted to be the opportunistic victor, the last one standing… but none who stepped into that blood-soaked battleground would leave unscathed.
Fists collided with chitin, bone, and fur, producing a symphony of impacts… a brutal concerto of destruction.
This was a movement of pure, unrelenting battle.
Naruto poured every ounce of his strength into crushing these beasts, fighting until he was spent, then roasting and devouring their meat before diving right back into the fray.
The sheer, mindless exhilaration of it all made him feel like he was in heaven.
…
Maka heard the commotion too.
But this middle-aged woman didn't dare approach the source.
As an ordinary person, she could only huddle fearfully inside the hollow of a tree stump, waiting for the terrifying battle to end.
Marca was a native of this floating island. Perhaps due to generations spent living at high altitudes, her people had developed thin, elongated feathers along the edges of their arms… a trait that might have linked them to the true Skypieans.
Her village was surrounded by a peculiar plant called [Mad Green], whose scent repelled the frenzied beasts.
But the plant itself was also highly toxic.
The reason Marca had left the safety of her village, which is protected as it was by the Mad Green, was because her mother had been poisoned by it.
Green patches had begun spreading across her skin, and once they covered her entire body, the victim would stiffen like a plant and die in agony.
To save her mother, Marca had no choice but to venture out in search of a medicinal herb called [IQ], the key ingredient in the antidote.
But most of the IQ herbs had already been monopolized by the Golden Lion Pirates.
Because this herb could also be used to manufacture [SIQ], a drug that sent beasts into a frenzy, numbing their pain and fear.
Therefore, Golden Lion Pirates had scoured the land, and now, the IQ herbs remaining in the wild are almost all in areas teeming with monstrous beasts, which are impossible for ordinary people to approach.
Places like this.
"Please… just end already…"
This ordinary middle-aged trembled, curling into herself as she muttered under her breath.
"Huh? What are you doing here?"
When an unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke, Marca instinctively looked up.
As a result, she saw Naruto, who looked like he had just climbed out of a pool of blood, staring at her with curiosity.
The poor woman barely had time to let out a shriek before her head jerked up in shock, slamming against the tree trunk… knocking herself out cold on the spot.
Naruto: "…"