The next day, Nekomamushi remained completely silent and out of sight. His face was heavily injured from being beaten, and if he went out, he'd surely be recognized.
So, at the break of dawn, he left Oden Castle, while Inuarashi stayed in the castle until nightfall. Only then did he quietly leave with his and Nekomamushi's swords.
Meanwhile, Setsuna quietly opened the door to her room, revealing two wolf ears, and began to eavesdrop on the sounds from the adjacent room.
There was no sound of a generator running, nor any buzzing of electricity, which meant that Zeraora had already rested. Then she tiptoed out of the room, and after walking some distance, she ran towards the beach in Kuri.
Along the way, she startled a few Miltanks, but seeing it was one of their own, they quickly went back to sleep.
However, she didn't notice that Zeraora had been following her from not too far behind. He had already sensed something was off. Setsuna seemed to have something unsaid yesterday and today went to bed unusually early, which was completely contrary to her usual behavior.
Therefore, he didn't conduct his physical training today, instead keeping a watchful eye on Setsuna's movements.
Zeraora, as an Electric-type Pokemon without generating organs, is quite unique.
But for what he lost, he gained something else. Although he gave up generator organs, he could create magnetic fields through his own electrical currents.
This area was his domain, and within it, he could manipulate magnetic forces flexibly; with more training, he could combine it with Observation Haki to reach the level of Enel's Observation Haki.
Even now, although not yet proficient, he could still perform more detailed positioning.
However, such behavior was somewhat an invasion of privacy, so he usually refrained from doing so. Only after detecting some special situation did he make such a choice.
...
On the beach in Kuri, Nekomamushi and Inuarashi arrived earlier than Setsuna. Due to Wano Kuni's closed country policy, most citizens spent their time within the island's canals, rarely venturing into the Inner Sea.
Fishing in the Inner Sea of Wano Kuni required a fishing permit, which most only the Daimyo's family and relatives could qualify for.
During the day, some people were seen picking up fish hauls on the shore or some sea anglers, but by nightfall, the beach became utterly silent. Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, each holding a sword, waited in this environment.
"She wouldn't be toying with us, would she?"
"No, she's not that kind of person." Just as he spoke, Setsuna's figure appeared, running out from the woods alongside, with Zeraora also spotting them from behind her.
However, he didn't step forward, opting instead to find a tree to lie on, pulling out a few Poffins from his pocket. Poffins are pastries made from Berries, mainly served for Pokemon.
The specific craft wasn't developed by the Hundred Beasts Pirates; instead, it was created by the BIG MOM Pirates following the ideas provided by the Hundred Beasts. In terms of dessert chefs, no pirate group could match the BIG MOM Pirates.
Although some types of Poffins could be consumed by humans, many Poffins had peculiar flavors that only Pokemon taste buds could get used to.
Plus, each Pokemon had different preferences, and these were Zeraora's snacks, akin to popcorn during a movie. He wanted to see what Setsuna was up to.
But on the beach, upon seeing the swords in their hands, Setsuna's expression darkened.
"Inuarashi, you're just like Nekomamushi, it seems you both are of the same feather."
Although that's what she said, she initially thought only Nekomamushi would participate; she didn't expect Inuarashi would really get involved too.
"Sorry, but I have my reasons for doing this."
"Suit yourselves, is there anyone else? Might as well call them out." Such a situation was within her expectations, otherwise she wouldn't have specifically chosen today.
Whether it was Setsuna or Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, they all had one thing in common: no one looked up at the sky, where a full moon floated high above.
Years ago, with Arceus's help, she mastered the power of the Moon Lion, a power that was the greatest confidence of the Fur Race.
As for Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, although they were of the Fur Race, Setsuna was sure of one thing: when they left Zou, they still couldn't use the Moon Lion.
And the learning process of the Moon Lion was dangerous; without other adult Fur Race members, ordinary young Fur members definitely couldn't learn it by themselves.
With the Moon Lion, even if others were behind them, Setsuna didn't feel she couldn't handle it.
"No one else, this matter isn't significant enough to involve more people, but you remember what you said, right?"
"You needn't worry about that. If you beat me, I'll even dig into my own pockets to gather what you need; as for you, stupid cat, you'd better think of how to apologize when you lose."
"Don't talk big, meow... Though I don't know what you've been through over the years, we've learned a lot from Lord Oden!" Speaking, Nekomamushi drew his sword while Inuarashi didn't.
If Nekomamushi could resolve the issue himself, then it was best not to interfere, although Nekomamushi previously had some doubts, it's always worth giving it a try.
"Where's your weapon?"
"Mine? No need, bows and arrows aren't suitable now, you use your sword, and I've got claws." Saying this, Haki entwined around her hands, and sparks flickered between her coat of fur.
Although her mastery of Haki wasn't superb, as one of Kaidou's nurtured candidates, she had become quite adept in the basic use over the years.
"Haki... then I won't hold back either."
After all, he'd sailed the seas with two legendary pirates, he couldn't be completely unaware.
"Don't act as if you've been polite. Strangely, seeing you now infuriates me. You'd better be resilient to hits today!"
With that, she took the lead in attacking. Originally, she thought her anger had dissipated, but as the saying goes: the more you endure, the angrier you become. Last night, she felt like she'd held back.
In Nekomamushi's eyes, Setsuna turned into a white streak; by the time he saw her figure again, she was already clawing at him.
Although he raised his sword to block, Setsuna's claws held no hesitation, using Haki as defense, gripping directly onto Nekomamushi's blade, with an electric current traveling along the blade to his hands.
The Fur Race generates electricity through static generated between their fur. They're somewhat resistant to electricity; the current transmitted through the blade only made his palms tingle a bit, not enough to make him lose grip on his sword.
At this moment, his other hand also emitted an electric current, aiming for Setsuna's waist...