Shanks had all his attention focused on Ann, so he didn't notice Buggy right away. On top of that, both Buggy and Enel were deliberately concealing themselves. Enel in particular—his Observation Haki was already approaching the level of Observation Killer.
This was something even Buggy and Shanks couldn't manage at the moment. Though both of them were strong, ever since they'd learned Advanced Conqueror's Coating, they'd been focusing their efforts entirely in that direction.
Over the years, even Furaese's gap with Buggy and Enel had been widening. Her physical abilities were formidable, but her Haki couldn't compare to these two.
Ren estimated that her combat ceiling was probably around the level of King—and might even fall slightly short.
Attention back to the battlefield.
Ann had already taken out most of the CP9 grunts.
During the Enies Lobby incident, this organization had given people a real sense of dread, but in truth, most CP9 agents' combat power was far below that of Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals. Even Fukuro was still a step below a Vice Admiral.
Still, he was no pushover against someone like Ann.
Interestingly, it seemed that even the Pirate King's children weren't born with immense power.
There were roughly two types of geniuses in this world. The first were monsters like Big Mom or Katakuri—born with overwhelming strength from the start.
Big Mom went without saying, and Katakuri had already carved out a place for himself on the Rocks Pirates when he was just a child. Back then, his personality had been completely uncooperative, and many pirates harbored grudges after being roughed up by him. That was why they'd gone after his sister.
The second type was the growth-oriented genius—like Straw Hat Luffy, who as a child had the strength to wrestle wild beasts, but was still leagues behind those monsters.
But in Ren's eyes, this growth-oriented type was the truly promising material. The former might possess overwhelming natural talent, but they could also easily be shackled by that very gift.
"Not bad, little girl!" Fukuro was ostensibly praising her, but his fury was so intense his four fangs were nearly cracking from the force of his bite.
These CP9 colleagues of his were all useless! Useless when it mattered most, defeated by a brat like this—absolutely humiliating!
At this point, he'd have to step in himself.
Fukuro drew his short blade. Using a weapon against a girl was a bit embarrassing, but it was still better than resorting to his Devil Fruit ability.
"Fine then—I'll kill you myself! Soru!"
Fukuro spat out the short syllable, and his figure vanished from where he stood. Ann's eyes hadn't even caught up when a massive shadow loomed over her.
Fukuro, clad in his coat, had already appeared directly in front of her. His short blade was gripped in a reverse hold as he thrust it toward Ann's shoulder. He wasn't even aiming for her heart.
Killing her outright would be far too merciful. How could he make the Red Hair Pirates crew—those bastards who looked down on him—suffer unless he tortured her to death in the cruelest way possible?
But the scenario Fukuro had imagined with such confidence never materialized. His blade cut through empty air. Ann's eyes hadn't tracked his movement, but her Observation Haki had sensed the attack ahead of time.
This was different from seeing the future—it was more like a dynamic visual tracking ability.
The instant Fukuro's blade descended, Ann bent her supple body backward in a limbo dodge, then swung her longsword upward in a rising slash.
Clang!
Blades collided, sparks flying.
If Ann had relied on Observation Haki to dodge, Fukuro was relying on his physical abilities and sharp reflexes.
He was a user of the Ancient Zoan Saber-Tooth Tiger Fruit. Felines had exceptionally sharp reflexes, and even without activating his ability, the Zoan Fruit's enhancement to the user's physical attributes was always present.
With a single hand, Fukuro deflected Ann's blade. His other hand was coated in Haki—his index finger gleaming jet-black as he thrust it toward Ann like a black lightning bolt.
"Shigan!"
Ann didn't choose to meet force with force. Instead, she leaped back a step, putting distance between them.
But Fukuro, whose blade had missed her moments ago, was prepared this time. His right foot stomped twenty times on the deck in a single instant, turning him into a streak of afterimages as he closed the gap!
His speed was even faster than Ann's initial leap. His curved fingers formed into claws, raking toward Ann's chest like sickles.
Ann hastily raised her blade to block. The razor-sharp Supreme Grade Blade Ace had no trouble stopping Fukuro's claws, but the force transferred through the blade nearly sent it flying from Ann's grasp.
"Captain, we need to act quickly—Ann's no match for that guy!" Lucky Roux said urgently upon seeing this. Ann and Ace were the crew's precious treasures.
Ace was currently in that obnoxious age where he was a complete brat, which only elevated Ann's status on the ship even higher. The entire crew of grizzled pirates watched over her like she was their own daughter. There was no way they'd let her come to harm.
Shanks nodded and was about to act when a pink figure descended from the sky.
"Tsuru Claw!"
Furaese, with pink feathers adorning both arms, landed first. Her slender legs transformed into bird-like talons in midair, and powerful claws struck down like lances, thrusting toward Fukuro's chest!
"What?!"
The sudden turn of events made Fukuro's pupils involuntarily slit vertically. A sense of danger surged from the depths of his heart—like a sea urchin extending its spines, piercing his very being.
Thud!
Furaese's kick punched clean through the deck. Fukuro reacted quickly—he'd intended to counterattack, but the sudden threat of death made him instantly retract his body, executing a backflip to retreat!
But an attack from behind struck at that very moment!
Agony and a tearing sensation ripped across Fukuro's back, forcing a howl from the now half-transformed humanoid saber-tooth tiger.
With his sharp fangs bared, he turned around—only to come face to face with a big, round-faced cat.
"What are you looking at? Never seen such a handsome cat before?" Nekomamushi said, punctuating his words with two more swipes at Fukuro's face.
"Ugly as sin, and stuffing ivory in your mouth—what, you pretending to be an elephant? I, Nekomamushi, look down on people like you!"
Fukuro: ???
"Is there a possibility… that he's a saber-tooth tiger?" Inuarashi said with droopy ears.
Nekomamushi: Impossible! Absolutely impossible! (waves hand dismissively)
[
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