"The south, huh? I could've sworn the Kuri daimyo's estate was in the north. That sneaky bastard Wolf grabbed the closest spot right off the bat!"
Deckro's ship touched down on the southern coastline.
He led ten subordinates into the Guardian Forest. At night, the forest took on a deeply eerie and terrifying quality — dark tree branches twisted and intertwined like the claws of demons reaching out from the shadows.
As a pirate, Deckro naturally wasn't about to be frightened by scenery like this.
"Good — we're in. Easier than expected!"
He had assumed the infiltration would be more difficult, but it turned out the southern coast of Kuri had almost no watchtowers. They had slipped into the forest with ease.
The remote locations did have their advantages — the defenses here were noticeably thinner.
"Boss Deckro, something about this forest doesn't feel right."
One of his more timid subordinates spoke in a quavering voice. He had always been jumpy — the slightest noise was enough to send him into a panic.
"I keep feeling like someone's watching us."
"There you go again. You were exactly like this back on Onigashima. Who's going to be watching us out here in the middle of a forest?"
Another crewmate shot back without mercy. "If you're that scared, turn back now. Don't drag the rest of us down!"
Deckro shook his head and ignored the exchange. He simply signaled for the others to keep quiet and press forward.
It wasn't that he didn't believe the nervous one — it was just that the man had always been cowardly to the point of being afraid to patrol Onigashima alone at night.
Besides, Deckro hadn't detected anything unusual himself.
If there was anything strange about this place, it was probably just the torii gates they had been passing along the way.
Torii gates standing deep in the middle of a mountain forest was odd enough on its own. But these were all tilted and crumbling — some half-buried in the earth like forgotten graves.
He led his ten men deeper and deeper into the Guardian Forest, their figures growing smaller and smaller in the darkness.
Behind them, pairs of glowing red eyes tracked their every move.
"Grrrrr..."
A low growl rumbled from the throat of a beast.
"Quiet, Taroumaru!"
Saori gave the large dog beside her a gentle pat on the back, signaling it to settle down. The enormous Shiba Inu — which carried a massive sword strapped to its back — obeyed her without question. It went from baring its fangs to sitting obediently, tail wagging.
"Good boy. Very good."
Saori praised the dog with an affectionate rub, then whispered, "Don't worry — they're not going anywhere."
The moment she finished speaking, the entire forest erupted into motion.
Howls of wolves, roars of beasts of every kind — the sounds layered on top of one another like a wild, primal symphony!
Deckro and his men snapped to full alert. Ordinary beasts they wouldn't have feared. But this coordinated chorus of roars told them something far more dangerous was at play.
"Been spotted already?"
He muttered to himself and immediately shifted into his half-beast form. Crocodile armor replaced his skin, transforming him into a grotesque and terrifying figure.
But against the countless pairs of eyes flickering in the depths of the forest like ghost fire, even his fearsome appearance seemed almost quaint.
The timid crewmate from before looked ready to faint. He could barely keep his trembling hands wrapped around his weapon.
"Who's there?!"
Deckro felt a headache coming on. If even the most remote southern approach had this level of guard presence, their mission was doomed to fail.
The beast pack emerged slowly from the shadows — one massive, ferocious creature after another, until Deckro and his men were completely surrounded.
No — these weren't ordinary beasts.
Deckro noticed that each of these creatures possessed traits of at least two different species.
Four legs and wings — a combination that shouldn't exist in nature, yet here it was, practically the standard.
At that moment, Deckro heard a clear, pleasant voice.
"I hear your boss is Kaido, King of the Beasts?"
A girl who appeared to be no more than a young teenager sat astride a stout Shiba Inu that stood at least five meters tall. The dog wore a conical straw hat on its head and carried a towering sword on its back.
The Shiba Inu was perhaps the only creature present that looked like a normal animal.
If one chose to ignore its absurdly massive size, that is.
"Who are you?"
Deckro didn't make the mistake of underestimating her just because she looked fragile. If anything, his guard went up.
"Me? I'm the King of the Beasts!"
Saori answered with a gleeful smile. And she wasn't exaggerating — as the user of the Dango Dango no Mi, which allowed her to command all animals, she could genuinely lay claim to that title.
By now, Saori's animal friends had completely encircled Deckro and his men.
And similar scenes were unfolding across every approach to Kuri.
On Kuri's northern side, Wolf — who had planned to blitz the daimyo's estate with a rapid strike — found himself in serious trouble as well.
Blocking his path was the Oniwabanshu army, led by a woman known overseas as the "Dragon Ogre" — Kujou July!
Just the sight of her was enough to give Wolf a massive headache.
A seasoned veteran like Kujou July was already a formidable Grand Line pirate in her own right. Add to that the fact that her abilities outclassed his Hyena Fruit in virtually every category, and Wolf couldn't see a single path to victory.
More importantly, her very presence confirmed that Kuri's ties to Inazuma ran deep. This was terrible news for the Beasts Pirates.
If Kaido found out, it would give him a serious headache.
Fortunately, he wouldn't find out — because July wasn't about to leave any witnesses alive.
No witnesses, no bad news. And if Kaido never heard about it, then it simply wasn't a problem!
Wasn't that its own form of mercy?
Upon sighting the enemy, July immediately shifted into her oni form. Her ferocious Dragon Ogre physique was startlingly agile — she clashed with Wolf and his men across the steep mountain cliffs.
The Oniwabanshu forces barely had any opportunity to intervene. One Wolf plus ten subordinates who were barely above fodder-level was just enough for July to enjoy a proper fight all to herself!
It had been a long time since she'd had the chance to stretch her legs. The last time she'd felt this good was...
Actually, it was just last month, when Ren had returned to Wano Country. That battle had been different in nature, but it had been every bit as exhilarating!
Even Kujou July and her sister Yayoi working together couldn't stand against Ren. In the end, they had both been subdued with a single strike of his staff.
"What do you think, Buggy? I'm actually getting a little nervous..."
Back on Kuri's southern side, Enel rubbed his hands together like a fly, practically buzzing with anticipation.
"Pathetic. It's just a few pirates."
Buggy replied with a dismissive scoff. "If you're scared, feel free to hide behind the great Buggy!"