Facts have proven that even if the bear is strengthened again, it is still no match for Garp and Sengoku—let alone the two of them combined.
In fact, even if Garp alone were to fight that bear, it would still get hammered.
Larson was preparing to lead everyone to evacuate. After all, Garp and Sengoku were occupied by the bear and couldn't break away for now. Since Roger had no intention of engaging with them at the moment, there was no reason to stay. They might as well move deeper into the heart of Yerug Island and uncover what secrets it holds.
Just as everyone was about to evacuate, Marco, who had been trailing at the back, suddenly noticed something. His expression shifted instantly, and he pointed urgently. "W-Wait! Look over there!"
Everyone turned to where Marco was pointing, and their expressions changed in unison.
One, two, three… countless beasts emerged from every direction, surrounding Larson and his group entirely.
The creatures included bears, tigers, dinosaurs, and others that Larson couldn't even recognize.
Seeing so many beasts, everyone suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.
"It seems like we've got a serious problem," Larson said grimly.
"There are people in deeper trouble than us," Rayleigh reminded him calmly.
Larson instinctively glanced toward Garp and Sengoku. Sure enough, they too were surrounded—dozens of beasts now enclosed them as well.
"What the hell is this?! Why are there so many of them?!" Sengoku cursed in frustration.
One bear had already given him and Garp a headache, and now with dozens more swarming in, it was becoming unbearable.
The horde of beasts pounced on Sengoku and Garp in unison. The sheer sight of it was overwhelming.
Although these beasts were not particularly powerful and Garp and Sengoku could dispatch them one by one with relative ease, the creatures' endless regeneration threatened to wear them down through sheer attrition.
Golden light flared, and Sengoku transformed into the form of a massive Buddha. A colossal shockwave radiated outward, blasting the dozens of beasts into mush.
However, before Sengoku could even catch his breath, the piles of flesh began to writhe and reform. In mere moments, the beasts were whole again, charging toward Sengoku and Garp once more.
"Have their regeneration abilities improved?" Larson observed from afar, frowning. The beasts' recovery speed far surpassed that of the original bear they had encountered.
"What should we do now?" Gaban asked, breaking the tense silence.
The beasts seemed to sense that Larson's group had too many people and did not attack immediately. Instead, they circled, observing and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
Rayleigh unsheathed his long sword with a confident smirk. "What else? We kill them!"
Before anyone could respond, Rayleigh rushed forward alone without even a word of warning to the others.
"Wait!" Larson shouted, but Rayleigh paid no mind and charged headlong into the herd.
The beasts, seeing a human rushing toward them, roared with excitement and leapt at Rayleigh like a swarm of locusts.
With a sneer, Rayleigh swung his sword, and in an instant, cold steel flashed—dozens of bear heads hit the ground.
Larson buried his face in his hand and groaned, "It's over..."
"Larson, you look worried," Whitebeard said, glancing toward him, while Roger and Gaban also turned their attention to him.
"Yeah," Larson replied solemnly. "Think about it. These beasts all have the ability to resurrect and strengthen themselves. Our attacks are only feeding into that, making them stronger each time we cut them down."
Gaban's expression darkened as the realization hit him. He immediately cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Rayleigh! Stop! Come back! Don't cut them anymore!"
Rayleigh, in the midst of slicing down more beasts, frowned but didn't stop. "What are you on about?"
His blade continued to flash, and a few more beasts collapsed in pieces.
Gaban's eyes widened in frustration. "What the hell, Rayleigh?! Are you seriously not getting it?!"
Larson's warning had been clear—attacking the beasts was making them stronger. Yet Rayleigh seemed unaware of how catastrophic his actions were becoming.
Gritting his teeth, Gaban dashed into the fray, dodging the beasts' strikes to reach Rayleigh's side.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Rayleigh asked with an annoyed expression.
"Stop slashing them, idiot! You're helping them!" Gaban growled, grabbing Rayleigh by the arm.
After snarling those words, Gaban hauled Rayleigh backward toward the group, away from the beasts.
Seeing the fallen beasts stand back up, Rayleigh instantly realized the mistake he had made. A bitter smile formed on his face. "It seems I did something stupid," he admitted.
"Get back! Get back!"
Gaban held his axes defensively, carefully fending off the beasts without harming them. Every swing was measured and cautious—he knew that even the slightest cut could trigger the creatures' resurrection and make them stronger. Sweat dripped from his brow as he dodged and parried their attacks, trying to avoid unnecessary damage.
Eventually, Rayleigh and Gaban managed to retreat to the group.
The beasts, now fully resurrected, surrounded Larson and the others, their scarlet eyes glowing with feral hunger. They remained eerily silent, like predators waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.
"Phew… Sorry about that," Rayleigh said with a guilty expression.
The normally composed swordsman of the Roger Pirates was rarely one to make such a grave mistake. His pride stung from the blunder.
"Don't worry about it," Larson said, waving his hand dismissively. "It's not as bad as it could've been."
And he was right. So far, the beasts had only been struck down once by Rayleigh, which meant the situation hadn't spiraled beyond Larson's control—at least, not yet.
Larson exhaled slowly, calming his mind. "What I'm worried about is… this might not be all the beasts in the forest."
Rayleigh's brow furrowed. "What are you saying?"
"What if this group is just a small fraction of what's lurking in the forest?"
A heavy silence fell over the group as everyone took a sharp breath.
"Is this… the true horror of Yerug Island?" Gaban whispered.
The thought weighed heavily on them. Larson's imagination painted a grim picture—scattered across the island, other pirates lured here by the promise of treasure were likely being overrun by similar hordes of beasts. How many of them would survive such a relentless assault?
The urgency of the situation was clear, but they had to deal with the immediate threat first.
Fortunately, Larson already had a plan.
He bent down and picked up a rusted chain lying on the ground. Turning to the group, he explained, "These beasts only get stronger after they're killed and resurrected. In other words, as long as we don't kill them, their strength won't increase."
Rayleigh, rubbing the back of his neck, muttered, "So, the trick is to fight without killing."
"Exactly," Larson confirmed. "We just need to incapacitate or restrain them without delivering fatal blows."
Gaban gave a cautious nod, beginning to see the strategy. "So… tie them up or knock them out, but no slicing and dicing?"
"Right," Larson said, lifting the chain meaningfully. "If we can trap them or immobilize them, their regeneration won't come into play. As long as they're stuck in one place, we maintain control."
Roger grinned slightly, the glint of excitement never far from his eyes. "Now this sounds like fun."
Whitebeard let out a low chuckle. "Heh. You always did like a challenge, Captain."
"Well then," Larson said, glancing around at the group. "Let's put this plan into action. No more slashing—only binding and bashing."
Rayleigh's eyes gleamed as he adjusted his grip on his sword. "Got it. No more stupid moves from me, I promise."
Larson nodded. "We need to act fast. If more of these things show up, we're in for a nightmare."
The group readied themselves for the next phase of the fight, chains and blunt weapons at the forefront. Around them, the beasts snarled and pawed the ground, sensing the tension in the air.
This wasn't going to be easy, but if they executed the plan properly, they just might survive Yerug Island's deadly trap.