"Seems like there's a fight over there."
Fukuro turned his head and said to his two companions.
Six CP9 agents had come this time, split into two teams of three. Kalifa, Kaku, and Blueno were assigned to the Flower Capital. Fukuro, Owl, and Jabra were assigned to Kuri.
Kaku's team had leaner builds and smaller profiles, making them easier to hide in the Flower Capital.
The first two members of Fukuro's team were both large-framed, which was more convenient for operating in Kuri's dense forests and mountains. The three landed silently on the shoreline and then infiltrated Chinju Forest.
The giant Shiba Inu wearing a straw hat in the jungle immediately became alert.
Taromaru was extremely vigilant. The moment he smelled something unfamiliar, he sprang into action. Chinju Forest was originally a place rarely visited by humans, so catching an unfamiliar scent here was clearly a major problem.
"Awooo!"
He let out a low call, and immediately, responses echoed from throughout the jungle.
Before long, another black Shiba Inu carrying a massive sword on its back and wearing a straw hat emerged.
Kageromaru.
Kageromaru was Taromaru's junior, a ninja dog trained by Taromaru himself — incredibly formidable. Not only could he use Haki, but he could also employ sword techniques and flying slashes.
If you really wanted to compare, Zoro before his training with Mihawk might not necessarily have been its match.
In this bizarre world, when someone says you're inferior to a dog in a certain area, they might not actually be insulting you.
And it's not just dogs you might be inferior to — there are all sorts of strange creatures, like baboons for instance.
The two Shiba Inus lowered their heads and communicated in dog language, reaching an agreement: while their master, Saori of the Beasts Pirates, was away, they would protect Chinju Forest and eliminate these intruders!
Taromaru and Kageromaru immediately sprang into action.
As the former set off, he even reminisced about his own youth.
Back then, hadn't some guy called "Little Kaido" sent people to scout Kuri too?
…
"Wait, something's approaching!"
The three moved carefully through the forest when suddenly Jabra halted and called out in a low voice.
"Ohhh, what's going on?" Fukuro spoke in his characteristic exaggerated tone, like a kabuki actor.
"I smell something!" Jabra said in a hushed voice. "Be careful! It's the scent of a wild beast!"
Hearing this, Fukuro and Owl tensed up. Just as there was a vast gap between humans, the wild beasts of the New World were on a completely different level from ordinary ones.
Many creatures in the New World had destructive power that surpassed even Supernova pirates.
And Jabra was a Dog-Dog Fruit, Wolf Model user. Even without transforming, his sense of smell was incredibly powerful. Since he said so, the intelligence couldn't be wrong.
The three stood back to back, their eyes scanning in continuous rotation, swallowing nervously.
Before long, both Fukuro and Owl heard movement coming from deep within the jungle — something large was charging forward, like a wild boar in a frenzy!
"Rustle!"
The sound grew closer and closer. The force of its charge made the forest trees sway, as if swept by a typhoon!
"Is it coming?" At this moment, even Owl, whose mouth was zipped shut, couldn't help but speak.
This guy was normally quite chatty and often leaked secrets, which was why his mouth had been modified into a zipper. But now, the fear and tension in his heart made it impossible to hold back the urge to speak.
"Rustle!"
From deep within the dark jungle, a violent gust of wind suddenly swept in!
A massive black shadow burst forth in an instant!
Fukuro reacted immediately. Gripping his staff-like weapon with both hands, he launched himself at the shadow with a single step.
Soru!
The long metal staff cleaved through the air and smashed down with tremendous force!
"Cling!"
A crisp sound rang out — metal striking metal!
Fukuro's attack had been deflected by a blade reflecting white light. But although the attack failed, Fukuro used the brief spark of contact to glimpse the attacker's face.
To earn Jabra's designation as a "wild beast" and to be able to block his attack, the enemy must surely be —
A Shiba Inu?
When Fukuro found himself face-to-face with Taromaru's honest and adorable dog face, he nearly slipped.
Are you kidding me?
You call this a wild beast?
More like a cute beast!
"H-how… how is it a Shiba Inu?" Jabra was also stunned. He was certain the scent he had detected earlier had come from this large Shiba Inu.
It was just that…
This guy had absolutely nothing in common with a wild beast!
Although Taromaru was massive, he was the farthest thing from ferocious. His huge body was perfectly proportional — his four legs were short stumps by comparison, his face was round and pudgy, and the corners of his mouth were upturned, giving him the appearance of a dopey grin.
His two dot-like eyebrows were the finishing touch!
So cute that Fukuro actually wanted to reach out and pet him.
But the moment he noticed the four fangs in the creature's mouth — each one longer than his finger — Fukuro abandoned that idea.
The three stood there stunned when they suddenly sensed something wrong. The night sky above them seemed to be obscured by something. The faint moonlight that had been there moments ago was now completely gone.
Jabra looked up and saw a figure with short limbs and a plump rear end tumbling through the air above them, a sword clenched in its mouth, slashing down toward them.
Dog with sword in mouth!
The phrase suddenly popped into Jabra's head.
Kageromaru: ???
Who are you calling that?
Do you know the worth of an Inazuma sword dog?
Take my Great Beast Slash!
The sharp sword energy instantly snapped the three agents back to reality. This was Inazuma, after all — how could they be fooled by an enemy's appearance?
These two Shiba Inus might look cute, and they genuinely were cute, but their danger level was extremely high.
That black Shiba Inu had appeared above their heads at some unknown moment and was now slashing down at all three of them!
"Paper Art!"
"Paper Art — Iron Body!"
"Paper Art!"
Fukuro and the others made their choice in an instant. All three simultaneously chose Paper Art, relaxing every ounce of strength in their bodies and drifting lightly outward in all directions through the windstorm Kageromaru's blade had created.
If this had been Blueno, he would have tried to tank it with Iron Body, no question.
Of course, if that had actually happened, it would have been quite entertaining!
"Ohhh, this is the grace of falling cherry blossoms."
Fukuro landed lightly, considering himself no different from drifting cherry blossom petals. At the same time, the long hair behind him seemed to come alive, swaying like fox tails before gathering together and twisting into a sharp, serpent-like shape.
"Finger Pistol — Reverse Wild Hair!"
[
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