"Guest! You have violated sacred ground!" Pedro roared as he descended from the trees like a lightning bolt.
In an instant, he had Carina pinned to the ground, his sharp claws wrapped around her throat in a potentially lethal grip. The leopard mink's single visible eye blazed with righteous fury—this was exactly the kind of intrusion he'd been trained to prevent.
Carina's eyes went wide with shock and terror. She grasped desperately at Pedro's powerful wrists, struggling to break free, but the Guardian leader's strength was overwhelming. Her efforts were completely futile against his iron grip.
"This may be a misunderstanding," a familiar male voice suddenly interrupted. "Let her go for now."
Just as Carina's face was turning red from oxygen deprivation, she felt the crushing pressure around her neck slowly ease. Relief flooded through her as precious air rushed back into her lungs.
"Cough! Cough! Hah... hah..." she gasped, gulping down desperate breaths.
Jerry had arrived at the critical moment, immediately grasping the dangerous situation. Without hesitation, he'd grabbed Pedro's arm and applied just enough pressure to force the Guardian to release his potentially fatal hold.
Pedro's expression remained skeptical as he studied Jerry's calm demeanor. "A misunderstanding? If I hadn't intervened, she would have directly violated our holiest site."
"Yes, she got lost earlier," Jerry replied smoothly, not even blinking as he delivered the carefully prepared explanation. "She probably became confused in the dark and wandered here by accident."
"Wanda and I have been searching for her all evening."
Jerry had no intention of starting a conflict with this peaceful race over Carina's reckless adventure. Despite her tendency to cause problems, she was technically under his crew's protection now. Even if her presence on their ship was involuntary, she was still his temporary responsibility.
Besides, it was partially their own negligence that had allowed her to slip away in the first place. He couldn't just stand by and watch her get seriously injured—or worse—over what was essentially a preventable mistake.
"You dare attempt to invade this sacred place?!"
The unmistakable voice of Nekomamushi boomed through the forest as Nekomamushi emerged from the shadows. His golden fur was bristling with indignation, and his massive frame radiated barely contained rage. True to his philosophy of action over words, he immediately launched himself at Jerry with extended claws, not bothering with further interrogation.
Jerry quickly scooped up Carina, who was still struggling to recover on the ground, and leaped backward to avoid the devastating attack. Nekomamushi's claws gouged massive furrows in the earth where they'd been standing just moments before.
Seeing the situation rapidly escalating toward violence, Wanda rushed forward and began speaking urgently to Nekomamushi in hushed tones. As one of the kingdom's designated messengers, it was her responsibility to keep both rulers informed about events that occurred during their counterpart's shift.
Pedro, who had initially stepped aside when his boss arrived, now approached to listen to Wanda's explanation and understand the full context of the situation.
"Cough! Yeah, I'm fine," Carina managed to say as Jerry set her down at a safe distance.
"Stay back and keep quiet," Jerry murmured to her. "We'll sort this out when we get back to town. I don't think our feline friend is going to be easily convinced."
Carina rubbed her bruised throat and gave Jerry a complicated look, clearly wondering why he'd risked himself to save her and was now covering for her obvious infiltration attempt. Though she had her own theories about his motivations, she wisely decided this wasn't the time for explanations.
After several minutes of intense discussion, Wanda finished briefing Nekomamushi on the day's events. Nekomamushi listened carefully, his expression gradually shifting from pure rage to something more thoughtful.
"Well..." he rumbled, fixing Jerry with an appraising stare. "Even though you fought that mangy dog, it actually made me quite happy."
"I've also taken note of your assistance to the civilians in Wano Country."
"But," his eyes gleamed with anticipation, "I still want to fight you properly. And it just so happens that tonight is a full moon."
"After our battle, we can forget about this trespassing incident entirely."
Jerry rubbed his forehead with resignation, but he wasn't intimidated by the prospect of facing an enhanced opponent. "Alright, let's get this over with. I have to admit, I'm curious to see what you're really capable of."
It was clear that Nekomamushi was the type who settled matters through strength rather than diplomacy. He had a warrior's sense of honor—repaying both debts and grudges through combat.
Knowing that his normal form posed little real threat to Jerry, Nekomamushi wasted no time with further discussion. He tilted his massive head back and stared directly at the brilliant full moon hanging overhead, releasing a primal roar that echoed through the forest.
In the blink of an eye, his appearance transformed dramatically. His golden fur turned pristine white and expanded in volume, his already impressive frame growing even larger and more muscular. His eyes blazed crimson red, and his claws extended into truly fearsome weapons.
This was the legendary Sulong form—the minks' ultimate transformation that could only be triggered by direct moonlight during a full moon. It was a state that dramatically enhanced every aspect of their combat abilities, but it required extensive training to control. Without proper preparation, the transformation could easily prove fatal to the user.
Watching the metamorphosis unfold, Jerry couldn't help but mutter, "Super Saiyan Cat..."
The moment Nekomamushi's transformation completed, all of his physical attributes skyrocketed to extraordinary levels. The ground beneath his feet exploded from the sheer force of his movements as he vanished in a blur of white fur and crackling energy.
His claws whistled through the air as they descended toward Jerry with devastating power, accompanied by the roar of displaced atmosphere.
Jerry had been preparing for exactly this moment. As the attack approached, his eyes sharpened with focus. He leaped upward, spinning through the air to meet the assault head-on with a perfectly timed kick.
The collision sent violent shockwaves rippling through the air as both fighters were forced back by the impact. Without pause, they immediately launched themselves at each other again.
Their battle became a blur of superhuman movement, far too fast for ordinary observers to follow. The two combatants were only clearly visible during the brief instants when their attacks directly clashed, creating explosive bursts of force that shook the entire forest.
Nekomamushi's enhanced reflexes and speed were truly impressive, but Jerry's own capabilities had grown tremendously since their last encounter. The gap between them was much smaller than it had been before.
After an extended exchange of lightning-fast strikes, there was a tremendous crash as both fighters briefly separated. Nekomamushi planted his feet and accelerated forward with explosive force, his right claw crackling with accumulated energy as he swung it upward in a devastating rising strike.
"Cat Claw Crimson Strike!" he roared.
Jerry responded, his Armament Haki flowing through both arms as he moved to intercept
Jerry's left elbow struck Nekomamushi's attacking claw from the side, deflecting the trajectory just enough to create an opening. In the same fluid motion, he pivoted and unleashed his fully charged right fist, accompanied by both his enhanced Haki and a water dragon construct.
"Water Dragon Fist!"
The devastating blow connected with Nekomamushi's hastily raised guard, but the sheer force was unstoppable. At the cost of several deep claw marks across his left arm and some scattered blood, Jerry's attack sent the massive Cat flying backward through the forest.
Nekomamushi crashed through several large trees before finally coming to rest in a pile of splintered wood and debris. Thanks to the water dragon's influence, there was minimal dust and smoke—successfully avoiding the old "smoke without injury" rule that seemed to govern many battles.
Jerry remained where he stood, breathing only slightly harder than normal. He made no move to press his advantage, showing respect for his defeated opponent.
Pedro, who had been watching the entire battle with interest, quickly gestured for the arriving Guardian reinforcements to stand down. He and Wanda rushed over to check on their leader's condition.
"Cough, cough! I'm fine," Nekomamushi growled, pushing away the pile of broken timber as he prepared to resume fighting.
But then his enhanced senses detected something that immediately captured his attention—the scent of small fish wafting through the air.
"Ooh, that smells delicious!" he exclaimed, his previous battle fury evaporating instantly.
"Hey, kid! What are you doing? Give me more!" he demanded eagerly.
Jerry had produced a bag of his and Kotatsu's favorite snacks—carefully prepared dried fish that they always kept on hand. Opening the package, he began tossing the treats through the air toward the transformed mink.
Nekomamushi's eyes lit up with pure joy as he instinctively opened his mouth wide, catching every single fish Jerry threw and chewing them with obvious delight. The combination of the satisfying battle and the unexpected treat seemed to drain all the aggression from his system.
By the time he finished eating, Nekomamushi had already returned to his normal form, his white fur reverting to its usual golden color.
Meanwhile, Deuce and Skull had arrived at the scene along with Kotatsu, having tracked down Jerry and Carina through a combination of concern and curiosity. Deuce was already examining Jerry's injured left arm and beginning to apply first aid.
Jerry, whose wounds were relatively minor, looked at Nekomamushi—who was nursing his own injured arm but still eyeing the fish bag with obvious desire—and decided to continue the diplomacy through cuisine.
He pulled out another fish, waved it teasingly from side to side as Nekomamushi watched with barely contained excitement, then tossed it directly into his waiting mouth.