"Dead person... decapitated with one strike, the opponent is a master."
After walking for a while, Takatsuki saw a golden-haired woman lying in the middle of the road, dressed provocatively with a seductive figure, yet mercilessly decapitated.
"Judging by this attire, it must be a kimono, a style from Japan."
"The body temperature hasn't completely dissipated, so it seems the killer hasn't gone far."
After a brief examination of the corpse, Takatsuki had a general idea of the direction.
"Internal strife?"
It was obvious that this body belonged to an outsider who landed on the island, and the manner of death clearly didn't fit the island's style; it looked more like it was cut by a sharp blade, and a warrior from Japan would perfectly fit this description.
"Well, I'll know once I find the person."
Perhaps more could be deduced from a single corpse, but there was no need; it wasn't a detective drama, and with Takatsuki's abilities, finding the other party would only take a few minutes.
He tracked the killer's traces all the way, only to find that the other party was heading off the island.
It was only when Takatsuki found a dugout canoe on another beach that he realized the other party wanted to leave the island.
"Came from outside the island, killed a companion, and then went back?"
It was strange, but the other party didn't seem to have gone back, as the boat was still abandoned here.
Did something else happen?
This island was bizarre everywhere, and even the people who landed on it exuded a strange aura.
However...
"Got it..."
He didn't know when, but a strong smell of blood drifted over with the sea breeze, entering Takatsuki's nostrils.
Along with it came miserable screams, like the roars of a ferocious beast on the verge of death.
"Waaahhhhh!!!"
His throat was ruined, and his body was completely pierced; he couldn't speak or roar, but as long as he could still move, even if he died, he would buy them time!
The golden-haired youth, covered in blood, swung his fists at the enemy before him.
Even though the enemy was completely overwhelming, the youth was still using his life to buy time for his companions to escape.
Sword?
No longer needed.
Looking at the monster in front of him that resembled a human, even if its head was shattered, it would recover; even if it was severed, it would reattach.
But it didn't matter, as long as his teacher and others could escape!
Like a wounded beast.
The youth unleashed his full potential.
But it wasn't for his own survival; it was fists swung to protect others.
"How annoying."
The monster, whose upper head had been blown off, raised its right hand amidst the youth's relentless assault.
Without any visible movement, a powerful impact erupted from it, piercing through the youth's body and leaving another bloody hole.
This blow was like the last straw that broke the camel's back; it completely drained the remaining strength from the youth's body, causing his life force to continuously leak away like a funnel.
Even in his last moments, the youth lying in a pool of blood wasn't concerned about his own life, but whether his teacher had escaped.
Every moment he had spent with his teacher flashed before his eyes, and reflected in his widening pupils was not only the monster with its head regenerated, but also... a shoe covering her face.
Boom!
The newly regenerated monster flew out as if struck by a cannonball, breaking countless trees and leaving only a violent explosion sound in the forest.
"How terrible."
Takatsuki lowered his head, looking at the youth lying in a pool of blood.
Although he could clearly feel the other party's life draining away, there was still a breath left.
A bean fell from the golden Hamon into Takatsuki's hand.
"Tsk, it seems he can't eat this himself."
He threw the Senzu Bean into the youth's mouth, and Takatsuki's hand glowed golden as he grabbed the youth's chin.
Hamon!
Under the stimulation of the Hamon, the youth's body stiffly moved, chewing the Senzu Bean in his mouth twice and swallowing it.
The moment the Senzu Bean was swallowed, it immediately took effect.
The multiple bloody holes on the youth's body began to heal rapidly, and his previously riddled body was completely restored.
This was the Senzu Bean, a miraculous item that could completely restore one's health as long as there was still a breath left.
To prevent encountering special circumstances, Takatsuki carried many Senzu Beans inside his Gate of Babylon.
"Hoh... hoh... Be... careful!"
His damaged throat was also recovering rapidly, and his widened pupils saw the presence rapidly approaching behind Takatsuki.
Thud!
With a dull thud, a hand chop powerful enough to pierce through any creature's body was effortlessly parried by Takatsuki with the back of his hand; a small black object blocked the hand chop's cut at the point of impact.
"Quiet, can't you see I'm busy?"
Takatsuki showed no emotional fluctuations regarding the opponent's attack.
With just a slight exertion of force, the attacker was sent flying, once again breaking countless trees.
Turning to look at the astonished youth, in those few short seconds, his injuries had completely healed; if not for the pools of blood on the ground and the bloodstains on his body, one wouldn't be able to tell that he had just been a hair's breadth from death.
"You seem like an ordinary person. Can you tell me, what is this place?"
Although soaked in blood, Takatsuki could still tell that the youth's clothes were from Japan.
"This is Shinsenkyo. Who are you? You're not from the fleet, are you? Also, watch out for that monster! She's coming!"
Mid-sentence, the youth's words suddenly changed, and he shouted, pointing behind Takatsuki.
In fact, Takatsuki didn't need the youth's warning; his Observation Haki had already informed him of the opponent's movements.
"Since you're an outsider, then this fellow must be a native, right? No, perhaps not human?"
In just one encounter, the opponent's head was shattered by Takatsuki again.
"The feel isn't right..."
Although Takatsuki knew it wasn't hard for him to shatter someone's head, shattering this guy's head was extremely easy, like... shattering a raw egg.
Although there was blood, Takatsuki didn't see any flesh, tissue, or bones in the shattered areas; instead, it looked more like plant-like tissue.
And the moment it was shattered, the opponent's body sprouted layers of vines, beginning to regenerate continuously.
"A true plant person."
Even with its head blown off, the opponent's movements didn't stop, but what seemed fast to ordinary people was ridiculously slow in Takatsuki's eyes.
Puff puff puff puff!!!
With a few dull thuds, the opponent's body was pierced with several large holes, just like the youth earlier.
However, this kind of localized damage clearly couldn't endanger the opponent's life.