"Shut up, you perverted cook!"
Zoro cursed under his breath, but when he looked at Chopper's current form, the words caught in his throat and he could not force out a single syllable.
There was no helping it. He simply was not as skilled as the others!
Ever since Mihawk had been loaded with a Pokémon template by Red and gained Pokémon energy, his strength had been growing stronger by the day. On top of that, Zoro and the others had never held back in giving him experience...
And now, Mihawk could already unleash a complete Pokémon-ization with ease.
A powerhouse at the level of an Emperor of the Sea, further boosted by Pokémon-ization, had made Zoro's path to defeating Mihawk—and claiming the title of the world's greatest swordsman—far more difficult.
For a moment, Zoro did not know whether to laugh or cry.
After all, the stronger Mihawk became, the more Zoro could gain from him.
All he could say was that once, he had been given a perfectly legitimate chance to become the world's greatest swordsman, yet he had failed to seize it properly.
Now he would have to work even harder than before—twice as hard—to grasp that opportunity once again.
On the other side, the moment Chopper suddenly drew the two swords that had once belonged exclusively to Kozuki Oden, Duke Inuarashi's expression froze in shock.
"Th-Those two swords... why are they with you!?"
He abruptly lifted his head and demanded an answer with a solemn voice.
Chopper replied calmly, "We traded for them in Wano Country."
"Wano Country!? That's impossible!"
Duke Inuarashi's eyes turned red with agitation.
"Those were Kozuki Oden's personal swords! How could anyone possibly use them in a trade!?"
"Of course they could~"
At that moment, Red, standing not far away, said with a smile:
"If two swords could be exchanged for a long and peaceful rule over Wano Country, I don't think anyone would refuse, right?"
"After all, the value of Wano Country's national treasure, Shusui, is far greater than just two Great Grade Meito."
"Shusui..."
Duke Inuarashi stared blankly at Red.
Having once lived in Wano Country for a very long time, he naturally understood Shusui's significance to that land.
Before it was stolen, Shusui had been no different from an imperial seal.
It could be said that possessing Shusui meant possessing Wano Country's legitimate authority.
But...
"Why is Shusui in your hands!? Could it be that the ones who stole it back then were you people!?"
"Uh... you could say that~"
Red answered with a light chuckle.
After all, now that Moria had become their obedient little subordinate, it did not matter if he took the blame for this one.
The instant Duke Inuarashi heard that, however, he flew into a rage.
Perhaps he had long since regarded himself as a true son of Wano Country. So upon hearing that Red and the others had stolen Wano's national treasure, a flash of fury burst forth in his eyes.
And that was exactly what Red wanted to see!
Anger was good.
If he was angry, then he should be willing to fight Chopper with his full strength.
Red had been worried that Duke Inuarashi might have too many reservations, that he might not dare face Chopper head-on or fight seriously.
If that happened, they would not be able to properly test how much Chopper had improved lately.
"You thieves actually want to trick me into letting you peek at the Road Poneglyph!"
"There's no way I'll break our promise and let you do as you please!"
"Inu Daimonpu!!!"
Whoosh~!
Duke Inuarashi instantly transformed into a lightning-fast blur, swinging his razor-sharp claws as he launched a sudden assault at Chopper.
Seeing this, battle intent immediately surged in Chopper's eyes, and an overwhelming chill burst forth from him, freezing the surrounding air as though it were tangible.
And in that very instant, a sacred radiance suddenly bloomed around his body.
That's right!
Following Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji—the Straw Hat Pirates' three main combatants—the crew had now gained yet another fighter who had mastered Pokémon-ization.
Although it was still only an incomplete Pokémon-ization, once the first step had been taken, the remaining ninety-nine would naturally follow in time.
Whoosh~
The light of evolution shattered like starlight.
In the blink of an eye, a mysterious dual-sword swordsman cloaked in frost appeared right in front of Duke Inuarashi.
"Two Sword Style · Snow Slash!"
When Chopper used Ice-type energy for Pokémon-ization, his appearance did not change much. The only difference was that the clothes originally wrapped around him had transformed into a light, frosty armor made of cold mist.
The two blades in his hands, meanwhile, shed their metallic sheen under the influence of Pokémon energy and became as clear and crystalline as ice itself.
With the massive supply of Pokémon energy flowing through them, even Enma—the blade that could drain Zoro's life force—bowed its head and obediently changed form.
As Chopper swung his twin swords, his freezing sword intent instantly assimilated the moisture in the air, forming a blizzard that obscured all vision and crashed toward Duke Inuarashi.
Clang!!!
The fierce slash and the sharp claws collided violently, unleashing a burst of impact that rippled in all directions.
"Hm!?"
In an instant, Duke Inuarashi's face darkened. Feeling the icy chill transmitted from his palms, he immediately realized...
This member of the Straw Hat Pirates was no ordinary opponent either.
As expected of the Pirate Emperor Sovereign who had defeated Kaido!
Even his subordinates possessed such terrifying strength!?
This time, Zou Island was truly in grave danger!
That thought flashed through Duke Inuarashi's mind. But before he could gather his power and launch a second attack against Chopper, the frost and snow that had originally been formed from Chopper's icy sword intent suddenly came under the influence of some mysterious power. Sweeping past Chopper's body, it roared back toward him.
"Double Follow-Up · Blizzard!!!"
Whoooooosh!!!
A surging storm of ice instantly swallowed Duke Inuarashi whole.
As a Human-Human Fruit user who could truly be called an all-rounder, the things Chopper could bring to battle were naturally not limited to swordsmanship alone.
Swinging a sword was merely one of his methods for dealing with enemies.
Beyond swordsmanship, Chopper was also skilled in various combat techniques, tool usage, sniping, and... Pokémon moves!!!
And after mastering so many combat styles, Chopper had naturally learned how to combine them together in battle.
For example...
This slash fused with the Pokémon move Blizzard!
The tremendous Ice-type energy instantly turned the original wind and snow into a raging blizzard powerful enough to swallow the entire park.
A move with a base power of 110 naturally translated into a force that few ordinary experts could withstand.
Even though Duke Inuarashi possessed strength comparable to a Yonko Commander, enough to resist Jack the Drought—
Under Chopper's Blizzard, his body could only be frozen bit by bit into ice.
"Duke Inuarashi!!!?"
Seeing this, the surrounding Minks instantly cried out in alarm.
And just then, a crack suddenly appeared on the lifelike ice sculpture.
In the next moment, Duke Inuarashi—his whole body wrapped in Armament Haki—violently shattered the ice imprisoning him, breaking free from Blizzard's frozen status and regaining his freedom.
But the instant his body recovered, he immediately stepped backward and opened up some distance from Chopper.
Shhk...
Duke Inuarashi came to a stop and lifted his head, revealing eyes full of uncontrollable shock.
"Th-That... what kind of move was that!?"
It was bone-piercing!
That was Duke Inuarashi's only feeling after being sealed in ice!
More importantly...
The pride in his heart had been completely shattered by Chopper's single blow.
A crew member of Pirate King Roger, a powerful warrior of the previous era, a retainer of the Kozuki clan...
A man with so many statuses worthy of standing among the world's greatest, and yet he had been overwhelmed by a single strike from his opponent!
Duke Inuarashi desperately wanted to shout: How is this scientific!?
But pirates do not follow science!
"You got out of the frozen state that quickly?"
Seeing Duke Inuarashi assume a fighting stance again, little Chopper's eyes flashed sharply.
This opponent was clearly much stronger than that member of God's Knights he had encountered last time!
Whoosh!
Before the shock in Duke Inuarashi's heart could fully fade, little Chopper suddenly activated his leg-enhanced form. His entire body transformed into a streak of icy lightning and charged at Duke Inuarashi once more.
"Two Sword Style · Aurora!!!"
Boom!!!
A slash as swift as a beam shot out instantly, hurtling straight toward Duke Inuarashi.
From this attack alone, it was clear that Chopper's training in swordsmanship had already allowed him to step into the realm of a true swordsman, capable of unleashing flying slashes.
And after Pokémon-ization, his control over Ice-type power had become even more fluid, allowing him to fuse Ice-type moves into all kinds of attacks with ease.
This strike was a slash condensed from the Ice-type move Aurora Beam.
Its power could only be called average, but when combined with Aurora Beam's terrifying speed, it hit Duke Inuarashi almost before he could even react.
"Ah!!!"
Because he had not anticipated it at all, Duke Inuarashi did not even have time to use Armament Haki to defend himself this time.
The sharp slash pierced straight into his body, opening two wounds across his fur. But before blood could spray out, the wounds were instantly frozen shut by ice.
Yet this was not protecting his injuries.
On the contrary, it sealed all of the previous slashing force within Duke Inuarashi's body, preventing him from using Haki afterward to lessen the damage.
"This is bad!"
After two consecutive exchanges, Duke Inuarashi had fallen behind both times.
At this point, even a fool could tell that Chopper's strength was nothing like the cute little figure he usually appeared to be.
Wanda of the Musketeers clenched her fists tightly, then suddenly turned to Carrot beside her and shouted:
"Quick! Carrot! Duke Inuarashi isn't a match for those pirates!"
"You're the fastest one here! Hurry and find Boss Nekomamushi! Tell him what's happening here!"
"But..."
Carrot looked worriedly at Duke Inuarashi in the distance, now beginning to bleed, her face full of hesitation.
Seeing this, Wanda snapped at once:
"Go!"
"Even if we stay here, we won't be a match for the Straw Hat crew!"
"Only if Boss Nekomamushi and Duke Inuarashi join forces will there be a chance..."
"..."
At the end, Wanda's voice abruptly faltered.
A chance for what?
Even if Boss Nekomamushi and Duke Inuarashi fought together, could they really drive this pirate crew out of Zou Island?
And if they allowed them to see the Poneglyph, then what would become of the promise the Mink Tribe had guarded for centuries?
That crushing reality left Wanda unable to finish her sentence.
But after hesitating for a moment, Carrot nodded firmly.
"Okay! I understand! I'll go find Boss Nekomamushi right now!"
As she spoke, brilliant arcs of electricity suddenly sparked beneath her feet.
In the next instant, her body turned into a streak of lightning that swiftly wove through the crowd and dashed out of the square.
Naturally, the Straw Hats noticed what was happening over there, but at Red's signal, no one paid Carrot any mind.
"Chopper's really getting stronger and stronger~"
Franky, who had only just completed his own evolution and thought his strength had risen greatly, could not help but sigh in heartfelt admiration when he saw Chopper's Pokémon-ization.
Standing at the front, Red also chuckled.
"Well, after grinding levels for so many days, he had to get some results~"
Recently, aside from handling matters related to the Pokémon game, Red had spent nearly all of his remaining time taking Chopper and Brook into the Pokémon world to level up.
As their exploration of the world of Pokémon: Sword and Shield deepened, the Pokémon they encountered grew stronger and stronger, and naturally, the speed at which they leveled up also rose accordingly.
And Chopper's Pokémon-ization had been honed through battle after battle.
Compared to Chopper's nimble intuition, the rest of the Straw Hat crew were still a little lacking.
Whether it was because their base stats had not yet met the requirements, Red did not know, but for now, fully spreading Pokémon-ization to every member of the Straw Hat Pirates was still no small undertaking.
...
...
"Oden One Sword Style · Inu Zan Yabune!!!"
"Two Sword Style Secret Technique · Absolute Zero Slash!!!"
On the other side of the battlefield, although Duke Inuarashi had been wounded by the earlier slash, its power had not been especially great, so aside from pain, it had not affected his combat ability.
And at this moment, he had clearly realized that Chopper was nothing like the ordinary opponents he had faced before.
So he brought out one hundred and twenty percent of his focus and directly unleashed his strongest move!
Whoosh~!
Duke Inuarashi once again displayed his incredible speed, the blade in his hand shooting toward Chopper's abdomen like an arrow.
At the same time, a massive amount of Armament Haki surged from his body and concentrated upon his sword.
Facing him, Chopper was no less resolute. The temperature of his body suddenly plummeted.
Terrifying ice energy spread from beneath his feet, freezing the ground and rapidly extending outward in every direction.
At that moment, Chopper's aura of life seemed to vanish entirely, and even his eyes turned into a crystalline icy blue.
The only proof that he was still alive might have been the two long swords moving in his hands.
Shhk!
A plain and unadorned X-shaped frozen slash burst from Chopper's swords and flew straight toward Duke Inuarashi.
Everything in its path was completely frozen.
In an instant, it was as though time itself in this world had been sealed in ice. All things ceased the passage of life.
Including Duke Inuarashi, who had been charging toward Chopper.
And thus...
An ice sculpture of a Mink Duke appeared before everyone—balanced on the tips of his feet, sword in both hands, body leaning forward in mid-charge.
Even though the blazing sun overhead continued to spread its warmth and light, Duke Inuarashi's body did not move in the slightest.
As though...
He had truly become an ice statue.
And this was the power of the strongest Ice-type move in the Pokémon world—
Sheer Cold!!!