Chapter 89: Rusukaina Island
After the banquet, Kane finally revealed the main purpose of his trip.
"I heard there's an island near Nine Snake Island that's home to a large number of ferocious giant Beasts?"
"Hm?"
Gloriosa paused slightly, then nodded, "That's right, it's to our northeast, called Rusukaina Island."
"But, Lord Kane, how do you know about this place?"
Her eyes were full of confusion.
This was deep in the Calm Belt, and outsiders could hardly know of its existence, except for the navigation records passed down through generations on Nine Snake Island.
"I have my sources."
Kane lightly brushed over the topic, "I need the fierce Beasts on that island. You won't object, will you?"
"Please, go ahead."
Gloriosa didn't hesitate: "Even if you clear out that entire island, it doesn't matter."
Or rather, she couldn't ask for more.
If Kane could clear out those fierce Beasts, Nine Snake Island would effectively gain a fertile new territory with greatly reduced danger.
After all, Rusukaina Island was a dangerous area that even Nine Serpent Warriors dared not easily set foot on.
"Very good." Kane smiled and nodded.
He did indeed plan to clear out Rusukaina Island, but certainly not in the way Gloriosa meant.
If the Beasts Pirates didn't have Beasts, could they still be called the Beasts Pirates?
Those were five hundred fierce Beasts capable of defeating Luffy two years ago.
Kane even suspected that the Gifters army, relying on artificial Devil Fruit in the original story, might not even be a match for these fierce Beasts in terms of individual strength.
Of course, it's definitely different now; Judge's artificial Devil Fruit directly uses the lineage factors of those fierce Beasts.
Oh, speaking of which, I wonder where Golden Lion is hiding and researching IQ plants now?
The fierce Beasts he researched probably aren't even as good as the ones readily available here on Rusukaina Island.
Pfft, what an old unlucky guy.
The next day.
Rusukaina Island.
This uninhabited small island welcomed an unprecedented bustle today.
"Woohoo~"
"Fenrir, charge!"
In a dense forest clearing, a girl with two horns on her head rode on the back of a huge white wolf, darting through the woods, her silver-bell-like laughter echoing along the way.
What a harmonious scene of human and nature.
If one ignored the fresh, stacked bumps on the white wolf's head, and its watery, tearful eyes full of grievance.
Bonney watched eagerly, clutching Kuma's pant leg tightly, looking up at Kuma with longing eyes.
"That's too dangerous---"
Kuma was about to refuse, but seeing his daughter's eager little eyes, he finally gave in: "Alright, but only for a little while."
"Yay! Daddy's the best!" Bonney cheered, happily hugging Kuma's thick calf.
The father and daughter went to find their favorite small animals.
Kane wasn't worried about this.
The moment he landed on the island, he swept the entire island with his Observation Haki; while there might not be no animals that could threaten Kuma, he could certainly ensure his own safety.
"Roar!"
Just then, a deafening roar suddenly came from deep within the forest.
As the sound wave spread, tree branches and leaves shook wildly, startling countless birds.
"Hm?" Kane raised an eyebrow slightly.
A formidable fellow has arrived.
He looked in the direction of the sound, only to see dust rolling in the distance, accompanied by a dull tremor of the earth, a huge black shadow, like a moving small mountain, was charging towards their direction with astonishing speed, disproportionate to its size.
A Lion!
A giant Lion, over fifty meters tall, with knotted muscles and scars all over its body.
"Roar!"
It let out another earth-shattering roar, announcing the arrival of the overlord.
This island was home to top-tier fierce Beasts that even Luffy had to activate Gear Four to defeat.
And this Lion was one of them.
Kane suspected it was the origin of Luffy's Lion Bazooka.
"Ace, Sanji, Zoro, do you want to give it a try?" Kane stroked his chin, a smile of interest playing on his lips.
"Couldn't ask for more!"
Zoro's eyes instantly blazed with high fighting spirit, and a excited grin spread across his face.
He bit the wado ichimonji in his mouth, the remaining two long swords unsheathed with a clang, positioned behind him in an 'open' shape, and he shot out like an arrow from a bow!
"Three Sword Style: Tiger Hunt!"
The fierce sword light tore through the air, slashing fiercely towards the Lion's head.
Clang! A piercing clash of metal exploded.
Zoro's blades failed to tear through the Lion's skin, leaving only a few shallow white marks and a few strands of falling hair.
"So hard!"
He couldn't even break its defense!
Zoro's pupils constricted, and he immediately wanted to pull back.
However, the Lion's reaction was astonishingly fast.
A giant palm, like a sky-covering shadow, carrying the terrifying force to smash boulders, slapped down towards Zoro's head like swatting a fly, with a suffocating rush of wind.
Bang!!!
Zoro only managed to cross his three swords in front of him, and he was violently sent flying without any resistance.
His body plowed a deep gully tens of meters long in the ground before he barely stopped, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
"Moss-head, you're really pathetic!"
Sanji, seeing that Zoro was still breathing, relaxed and taunted: "Next---"
"It's my turn!"
Before Sanji could finish, Ace, unable to hold back, rushed forward first.
Then.
He flew back even faster, landing precisely next to Zoro, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The two became brothers in misfortune.
"Hoo~"
Sanji pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag, his eyes sharpening.
"Big Brother Kane, I'll prove that I'm the strongest rookie under you!"
"Third-Rate Mince!"
After several consecutive backflips in the air, Sanji arrived in front of the Lion's forehead and delivered continuous kicks with his legs.
The powerful kicks landed on the Lion, instantly causing it pain.
This time, the Lion felt obvious pain and let out a roar of fury.
The little people in front of it were too annoying.
Like a swarm of mosquitoes, buzzing around it.
The giant palm, carrying destructive wind pressure, slapped down again, with astonishing speed.
Bang!
Sanji hastily raised his right leg to defend, but the power gap between them was simply too vast.
He inevitably met the same fate as his companions.
A human-shaped dent was smashed into the ground.
Fortunately, with his exoskeleton fully awakened, Sanji's defense had grown rapidly, and he still retained a shred of consciousness at this moment.
"Cough—cough cough---"
Sanji struggled, still wanting to stand up, but Kane had already arrived in front of him, gently patting his shoulder.
"Alright, you guys aren't a match for that fellow right now. Grow up a few more years."
With that, Kane slowly stood up, his calm gaze falling upon the Lion, which was now in a rage from being repeatedly provoked.
The moment Kane's gaze fell upon it, the usually lawless Lion suddenly felt a pang of fear.
Its beastly instinct told it that the man in front of it was not to be trifled with.
But immediately, the pride of being the island's overlord instantly overshadowed its fear.
It was the king of this forest! Who could make it retreat voluntarily, besides its old rivals!