"What is that!?"
In the old town, the Minks who had been going about their daily work all suddenly stopped. One after another, they raised their heads and looked up toward the high sky above.
It did not take long for some sharp-eyed members of the Mink Tribe to notice the anomaly.
"That is… a ship?!"
"Wait! There's a pirate flag on it!? It's a pirate ship!!!"
"Pirates have broken into the royal capital!!!"
"This is bad! Hurry and call the Musketeers and Duke Inuarashi! Pirates have invaded the Mokomo Dukedom!!!"
The kingdom, which had been quiet and peaceful just moments ago, instantly descended into chaos.
Quite a few people even ran back into their homes and pulled out all sorts of weapons.
As members of the Mink Tribe, just like the Fish-Men, they were born with physical abilities far beyond those of humans, while also inheriting the traits of their respective animals. Calling them a race where everyone could fight was no exaggeration at all.
But a pirate crew descending from the sky?
That truly went far beyond anything they could comprehend.
Before long, news of the pirate ship's arrival reached the ears of one of the two rulers of Mokomo Dukedom, the King of Day—Duke Inuarashi.
"What? Pirates have arrived!?"
Outside the royal capital, in a wooden hut that was not luxurious in the slightest—in fact, it could even be called shabby—
Duke Inuarashi, who had been resting on a soft sofa, immediately furrowed his brows upon hearing that pirates had invaded.
"What happened? Why would pirates break through the forest defenses? Did the Musketeers fail to stop them!?"
"I don't know~" the resident who came to report said anxiously. "But that pirate ship should already have entered the city by now!"
"What!?"
Duke Inuarashi's eyes widened.
"Why didn't you say that sooner!?"
As he spoke, he abruptly grabbed the cloak beside the sofa, flung it over his shoulders in one smooth motion, and strapped on his sword.
"Order the guards to move out with me!"
"Yes, sir!"
The two wolf-type Mink guards beside him shouted in acknowledgment and sprang into action at once.
A short while later, in the central plaza of Mokomo Dukedom—
"Make way! Make way!"
"Duke Inuarashi has arrived!!!"
Amid the urgent shouts of the guards, the Mink residents—who had been confronting the Straw Hat Pirates with knives, forks, clubs, and sticks in hand—quickly parted to form a path.
That allowed Duke Inuarashi and his men to rapidly enter the plaza where the Going Merry had landed.
At the same time, the members of the Musketeers, who had hurried over from outside the city, followed the Going Merry's trail to the plaza as well and surrounded the ship.
"Hey! Human pirates! You're not welcome here!"
"Get out of Mokomo Dukedom at once!"
Shing!
Musketeers captain Sicilian, not noticing Duke Inuarashi hidden behind the Going Merry, suddenly drew the thin sword at his waist and shouted at the ship.
But at that moment, a small head suddenly popped out over the railing of the Going Merry, letting out a cry of surprise toward the commotion below.
"Wow~ talking animals~"
"Hey, Chopper, that really shouldn't be strange to you, should it?!"
Hearing Chopper's amazed exclamation, Usopp glanced at him speechlessly before looking at the tense standoff below.
"Looks like they're not exactly happy to see us."
"That's only natural~"
"After all, just like Wano Country, this place hasn't had contact with humans for several hundred years."
Red walked over to the railing with a faint smile, his gaze quickly sweeping through the ranks of the Musketeers.
Very soon, he noticed Carrot and Wanda among the crowd—two Minks who had gotten plenty of screen time in the anime.
At this same moment, on the other side of the Going Merry, Duke Inuarashi's entire body tensed, and his eyes trembled.
"Duke Inuarashi, from the sound of it, the Musketeers have arrived."
"It seems they didn't fail to stop the pirates after all—they were simply shaken off and those pirates fled here!"
One member of the guard stepped closer to Duke Inuarashi and spoke in a low voice.
But upon hearing that, Duke Inuarashi curled his lips into a bitter smile.
"Fled!?"
Because Zou remained in a semi-isolated, closed-off state, ordinary Minks rarely took any interest in the outside world.
In fact, more than thirty years ago, in the minds of the vast majority of Minks, Mokomo Dukedom was already the center of the world, and there were no more than five islands outside it.
It was only after Duke Inuarashi and Boss Nekomamushi returned to Mokomo Dukedom that the tribe had learned from them just how vast the world beyond truly was.
But their habit of isolation had already sunk deep into their bones, and many Minks had grown used to living their own peaceful lives this way.
Naturally, that meant they could not recognize the pirate flag flying above that ship.
But...
Others might not know it.
As the king of the Minks, he knew it all too well.
That was... the flag of the Pirate Emperor Sovereign—the Straw Hat Pirates!!!
A pirate crew powerful enough to easily defeat the Beasts Pirates, standing above all the Emperors of the Sea!!!
Why...
Why would such a terrifying force suddenly appear among the Minks!?
Duke Inuarashi could not make sense of it no matter how hard he thought.
And just then, the provocative shouting of the Musketeers from the far side of the Going Merry reached his ears, instantly draining all color from his face.
"This is bad!!!"
A strange light flashed through Duke Inuarashi's eyes as he hurried forward toward where the Musketeers stood.
Meanwhile—
Seeing that the Straw Hat Pirates still had not responded, and were instead standing on deck looking down at them as though they were animals in a zoo, anger suddenly flashed through Sicilian's eyes.
"Damn pirates! How dare you ignore our presence!"
"Musketeers, hear my order!!!"
"Yes!!!"
The Musketeers answered without hesitation.
When faced with a force that might bring danger to Zou, they had never known fear.
What they did not notice, however, was that Wanda—the only one among the Musketeers who liked reading books and newspapers—was staring solemnly at the scene before her, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Seeing Sicilian about to issue the order to wipe out the pirates in front of them, she no longer cared about anything else and hurriedly cried out to stop him.
"Wait, Captain Sicilian!!!"
Under the puzzled gazes of everyone present, Wanda suddenly stepped in front of Sicilian and spread out her arms, blocking the attack order he was about to give.
Wanda shouted in panic:
"We can't attack! We absolutely cannot attack them!!!"
"Hm?! Wanda, what are you doing!?"
Sicilian frowned in confusion.
But at that moment, a leisurely voice suddenly drifted down from the deck of the Going Merry.
"This Mink is right."
"If you dare attack us, you'll be causing a huge disaster for yourselves."
As he spoke, a rope ladder suddenly dropped down from the deck of the Going Merry.
Then Red, along with the Straw Hats—each wearing a curious expression—slowly descended from the ship.
Sicilian's brows tightened, and just as he was about to rebuke this arrogant pirate in front of him, a familiar cough suddenly sounded from behind him.
"Ahem... Sicilian, stand down for now!"
"Duke Inuarashi!?"
Sicilian turned back blankly, only to see the fully armed Duke Inuarashi leading a group of guards to the front of the Musketeers. Then, facing the very pirates they had just been preparing to drive away, he respectfully said:
"Welcome to Zou, Straw Hat Pirates. May I ask what brings such distinguished guests as yourselves to this remote land?"
"Nothing all that special."
Walking at the front beside Luffy, Red smiled faintly and said:
"We came here to take a look at the Road Poneglyph your tribe has been guarding, so our captain can become Pirate King as soon as possible."
"What!?"
Duke Inuarashi's pupils shrank.
Although he had guessed that the Straw Hats had come to Zou with a purpose, he had never imagined that the very first thing they would do was openly name the Poneglyph.
That was the secret the Mink Tribe had guarded for hundreds of years!!!
"W-Wait, what Poneglyph? I've never heard of such a thing in my life!"
His thoughts in complete disarray, Duke Inuarashi immediately denied it.
But Red merely smiled calmly.
"Enough. Stop hiding it."
"We've known for a long time already. It's in the Whale Forest, right?"
"The Kozuki clan you swore loyalty to is already our ally, and Wano Country has already returned to the hands of the Kozuki clan..."
"If you still want to play games with us at a time like this, then that's being awfully poor at judging the situation."
"What did you say!?"
Duke Inuarashi's eyes widened.
"Wano Country has already returned to the hands of the Kozuki clan?"
"But... how is that possible!? Wasn't the Kozuki clan—"
"You should be more familiar with Lady Toki's Devil Fruit ability than I am, shouldn't you?"
Before Duke Inuarashi could finish, Red cut him off directly.
"Lady Toki's Devil Fruit ability!?" Duke Inuarashi's fingers trembled. "You mean the power of the Time-Time Fruit!?"
"That's right."
"At the very last moment of her life, Kozuki Toki sent Kozuki Momonosuke and several Kozuki retainers twenty years into the future."
"And not long ago, they had already crossed through time and arrived in Wano Country as it was in that era."
"What!? The Kozuki bloodline hasn't been extinguished!?"
As one of the Kozuki retainers, Duke Inuarashi instantly burst into tears.
He quickly asked:
"So that means the current shogun of Wano Country is now Lord Kozuki Momonosuke!?"
"Not quite~"
As though he had expected Duke Inuarashi to ask that, Red's lips curled upward into a mischievous smile.
For some reason, ever since watching the anime, he had never felt particularly favorable toward the people of Wano, so he instinctively wanted to tease the big dog in front of him a little.
Red continued, "Before Kozuki Momonosuke and the others could even escape Wano Country, the existence of a traitor caused their information to be leaked to Kurozumi Orochi."
"And on the very night they arrived in the future, Kozuki Momonosuke died at Kurozumi Orochi's hands!"
"This!!!"
Duke Inuarashi's pupils contracted again, and the violent emotional ups and downs made his body sway in discomfort.
"Wait!"
But suddenly, he steadied himself again and looked at Red with blazing hope in his eyes.
"Then... why did you just say Wano Country has already returned to the hands of the Kozuki clan!?"
Red smiled slightly.
"Because the bloodline of the Kozuki clan was never limited to Kozuki Momonosuke alone."
"The current shogun of Wano Country is Kozuki Oden's daughter, Kozuki Momonosuke's younger sister—Kozuki Hiyori!"
"Ah!? It's... Princess Hiyori!?"
"She... she's safe too!?"
For the first time learning of Kozuki Hiyori's situation, Duke Inuarashi felt as though his mind had gone completely blank.
Although he had been deeply influenced by Kozuki Oden since childhood and thus retained some subconscious prejudice against women, the nearly twenty years he had spent living among the Minks had prevented him from becoming as rigid as the people of Wano itself.
So upon hearing that Kozuki Hiyori had become the ruler of Wano Country, while he did feel it was somewhat less ideal than Momonosuke, he did not say much.
At the very least...
Wano Country still belonged to the Kozuki clan.
But...
"Wait!"
Seeing that the Straw Hats were about to leave the plaza after disembarking, Duke Inuarashi hurriedly stretched out his hand to stop them once more.
"Th-this... everyone, it's not that I don't believe you, but this matter is simply too important. Could you wait until we confirm everything with Wano Country, and then personally invite you to view the Poneglyph?"
"Hey!? Aren't you getting a little too shameless here!?"
Before Red could say anything, Uta—who had already grown displeased after seeing Duke Inuarashi repeatedly obstruct Red and Luffy—instantly snapped.
She was similarly unfamiliar with the complexities of the world, and she did not care in the slightest about any pact between the Kozuki clan and the Mink Tribe.
As far as Uta was concerned, the Straw Hat Pirates had already solved such a huge problem for Wano Country, yet these people still kept blocking them over and over again...
That was just plain irritating!
Compared to that, Chopper on their ship was far cuter.
Just as fluffy, yet strong and sensible too.
"Th-this..."
Duke Inuarashi was caught in a dilemma.
But in the end, he clenched his teeth and said:
"My apologies! I am only trying to honor the agreement. I ask that the Straw Hat Pirates please understand!"
Duke Inuarashi bent low in a posture that was respectful, yet also unmistakably blocking their path.
A man with his level of knowledge understood clearly that Nico Robin of the Straw Hat Pirates was the survivor of Ohara, and also one of the very few people in the world capable of reading the Poneglyphs.
If he allowed the Straw Hats to come into contact with the Poneglyph, and Wano Country was not as they claimed...
Then he and his people would become the eternal sinners of the Mink Tribe.
"That's exactly why I said..."
At this moment, as though he had long expected things to turn out this way, Red let out a long sigh.
"Without enough power, what can you possibly protect?"
"Even though you know this kind of behavior could bring a catastrophic disaster upon the Mink Tribe, you still insist on doing it..."
"Do you really think... we wouldn't wipe Zou off the face of the world entirely?"
A sharp light flashed through Red's eyes as he turned to Chopper, who had long been prepared to move.
"Chopper, go!"
"Let these stubborn, hidebound Minks understand... just how laughable their so-called guardianship really is!"
"Roger that!"
Step!
Chopper, who had already been waiting for this, suddenly stepped forward.
At the same moment, his body shifted from his cute half-beast form directly into a human form.
Shhk—
The bandages wrapped around the two long swords on his back suddenly unraveled.
In the next instant, the two blades—so familiar to Duke Inuarashi that they could not possibly be mistaken—appeared before his eyes.
And those two swords were none other than the former personal blades of Kozuki Oden—
The Great Grade Meito (one of the 21), Ame no Habakiri, and the Great Grade Meito (one of the 21), Enma!!!
"Body Enhancement · Swordsman · Two-Sword Style!!!"
Shing!
Without any assistance from drugs whatsoever, Chopper directly used control over his Devil Fruit power to transform his body into a form suitable for swordsmanship.
But his current form was still somewhat different from Zoro's, who specialized in overwhelmingly powerful slashes.
If one had to describe it...
After entering this swordsman form, Chopper had nearly the same height and physique as Dracule Mihawk. Even the distribution of his muscles...
Was almost identical!
Perhaps this was the strongest way to use the Human-Human Fruit!
Find a powerful human, then use the Fruit's power to imitate everything about them!
It seemed that in Chopper's subconscious, Mihawk—without any Pokémon abilities or Devil Fruit powers augmenting him—was closer to the image of the ultimate swordsman in his heart.
That was why he had instinctively transformed into this appearance.
Clearly...
The abnormality in little Chopper's body instantly drew the attention of the Straw Hats.
Sanji could not help but burst into laughter.
"Hehehe, Mosshead, looks like you got rejected~"