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Chapter 456: Courting Death! Luffy's Red Hawk Obliterates the Maneaters
A thick, earthy stench drifted into their noses.
Filling their vision was a massive canopy that blotted out the sun. Every single tree trunk was as thick as a small fortress. The sunlight could barely pierce through the overlapping layers of branches and leaves, casting mottled shadows on the moss-covered ground. The air was damp and suffocatingly hot.
Ding. The system notification sound set by Blake echoed simultaneously in the minds of the six people.
[Arrived at Mid-Tier Dungeon: Hunter x Hunter World - NGL Autonomous Region.]
[Main Quest: Exterminate the Ant King, Meruem.]
[Background Hint: Chimera Ants are an extremely dangerous, invasive species from the Dark Continent. They possess the reproductive trait of 'Phagogenesis'. By devouring other organisms, the Chimera Ant Queen can pass on the superior genetics of that organism to the next generation.]
[Warning: Once they devour humans on a massive scale—or even acquire the special powers of humans—the evolution of the Chimera Ants will spiral completely out of control. Please sever their evolutionary chain as soon as possible.]
The system's voice faded.
Dragon looked up, his purple, ripple-patterned Rinnegan scanning the surrounding dense forest. His vision pierced through layers of tree trunks, allowing him to see various bizarre creatures moving about several kilometers away.
"Evolving just by devouring other organisms..." Dragon repeated the premise in a low voice. If these kinds of biological weapons were unleashed in the One Piece world, it would absolutely be a disaster on par with the revival of the Ancient Weapons.
Ivankov took two steps on the muddy ground in his high heels. He looked in disgust at the thick muck clinging to his heels. "Vee-haw! The environment here is simply dreadful! The damage to the skin is simply too great!"
Kuma didn't say a word. He stood rooted to the spot like an iron tower, his Observation Haki already spread out like a radar.
"Something's approaching," Kuma's voice was muffled. "A large number. Their auras are chaotic. They don't seem human."
Dragon nodded. He had naturally seen them as well. However, he wasn't in a rush to make a move. Someone else was much more eager.
"Wow! The trees here are even bigger than the ones on Mt. Colubo!" Luffy scrambled up a thick aerial root like a monkey. Clinging to the bark with both hands, he looked around excitedly. "Maybe there's roast meat even bigger than a tiger!"
Holding his iron pipe, Ace kicked Luffy from below. "Idiot! Didn't you hear what that voice said? The monsters here eat people!"
Sabo adjusted the top hat on his head, his expression somewhat grave. "Evolving by devouring genetics... meaning the more people they eat, the stronger they get. These aren't wild beasts. These are monsters born for slaughter."
Luffy hadn't absorbed a single word Sabo said. He noticed a rustling in the bushes in the distance.
"There's meat!" Luffy shouted. His legs pushed off the trunk violently, launching him forward like a cannonball.
"Hey! Luffy! Come back here!" Ace roared in exasperation. Gripping his iron pipe tightly, he hurriedly gave chase.
Sabo sighed helplessly. With wind gathering at his feet, he followed their pace. In the blink of an eye, the three brats vanished behind the dense bushes.
Ivankov was just about to step forward to chase them.
"Wait." Dragon raised a hand to stop Ivankov.
"Dragon-boy?" Ivankov looked at him in confusion. "If those three brats die here, that old man Garp will tear down the Revolutionary Army Headquarters!"
Dragon's gaze remained fixed on the direction the three boys had disappeared. "Didn't Blake say he spent one hundred million Beri to buy insurance? They won't die."
Dragon's tone was entirely calm. "Towering trees cannot be grown in a greenhouse. Since they clamored to come along, they have to witness true cruelty. The rules of survival in this world are far bloodier than in the East Blue."
Standing to the side, Kuma expressed his agreement. "We will just watch," Kuma said. "As long as it's not a situation of certain death, we will not intervene."
Dragon nodded. The three top executives of the Revolutionary Army stood completely still, retracting their auras entirely to blend into the shadows of the forest like ghosts.
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Elsewhere.
Luffy pushed aside weeds taller than himself, bursting into a clearing. He skidded to a halt. The excitement on his face slowly faded, replaced by an animal's instinctual alertness.
There was no roast meat. There were no wild boars or tigers either.
Standing before him were three creatures of extremely grotesque appearance.
The one in the middle had a human torso and limbs, but its head was a massive frog's. Its skin was covered in a nauseating slime.
The one on the left had the upper body of a gorilla covered in black hair, but its lower half was the eight legs of a spider.
The one on the right was the smallest, with the triangular head of a mantis, and its arms were two razor-sharp, serrated bone blades.
They were originally gnawing on the massive corpse of a wild bull. Hearing the noise, the three monsters turned their heads simultaneously. Six compound eyes devoid of emotion locked onto Luffy.
"A human kid?" The Frog-Headed Monster actually spoke. Its voice was sticky and thick with a heavy guttural sound. "Too little meat. Not even enough to fill the gaps in my teeth."
The Spider-Legged Gorilla snorted disdainfully. "But the Queen has really enjoyed eating human brains lately."
The Mantis Monster waved the bone blades on its arms, producing a teeth-grinding friction sound. "Catch him and take him back, or just eat him right here."
Luffy swallowed hard. He had hunted on Mt. Colubo for years, but he had never seen wild beasts that could talk. Furthermore, the killing intent radiating from these monsters made every hair on his body stand on end.
"Luffy!" Ace and Sabo finally arrived. They stood on either side of Luffy.
Seeing the three monsters before them, Ace's knuckles turned white as he gripped his iron pipe. "What the hell are these?"
Sabo's breathing grew rapid. "These are the Chimera Ants the system was talking about. Patching together the bodies of different creatures... it's really disgusting."
The Frog-Headed Monster stuck out its long tongue, licking its lips. "Two more came. Three brats are barely enough for a dessert."
Before the words finished, the Mantis Monster vanished from its spot.
So fast! Ace's pupils constricted violently. He completely couldn't see the opponent's movements; he only felt a foul wind rushing toward his face.
"Dodge!" Sabo yelled. He shoved Ace hard, using the power of the Anemo element to slide backward himself.
Swish! A flash of cold light sliced through the air. A tree trunk half a meter thick, right where Sabo had been standing a moment ago, was cleanly cleaved in two. The cut was as smooth as a mirror. The massive tree crashed down, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The Mantis Monster stood on the stump, tilting its head as it looked at them. "Not bad reactions. But your speed is too slow."
Luffy was furious. He stretched both arms far back behind him. "Don't you dare pick on Sabo! Gum-Gum—"
His arms stretched to their absolute limit before snapping forward like a slingshot.
"Red Hawk!"
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