Even though they landed safely, everyone in the Mokomo Dukedom was completely stunned.
What did they just see?
Zunesha had actually stopped again—and not just that, it had *delivered* a pirate ship right to their front gate!
It was unbelievable.
The entire nation was left speechless by the shocking scene.
Even though it was still broad daylight, which meant Duke Inuarashi was in charge, the event was so unexpected that Boss Nekomamushi couldn't sit still. He rushed out of the Whale Forest with the Musketeer Squad.
At the moment, both Duke Inuarashi and Nekomamushi were leading the Musketeers and Gun Squad toward the gate at full speed.
But Reina stopped her sister Carrot.
"Sis, I know those guys. They're the Straw Hat Pirates—but didn't Kaido of the Four Emperors capture them?" Reina said in a sweet, confused tone.
"Straw Hat Pirates?" A puzzled look instantly appeared on Carrot's face.
"Yeah!"
"And they also know Ryuen and the others," Reina added seriously, nodding her head.
"I see~"
"I see. Reina, stay here and don't do anything. I'll go check out what's going on!" With that, Carrot disappeared from Reina's view in a flash, as fast as a bolt of lightning.
"Weird… weren't they caught by Kaido? Did they escape somehow?" Reina stood there, confused.
~~~
At the gate of the Mokomo Dukedom—
The two rulers of this country had both arrived, and the Musketeers and Gun Squad quickly surrounded the Straw Hat Pirates, just waiting for a command to charge in.
"Whoa~~~"
"There really are a ton of Minks here! This place really *is* a fluffy kingdom!" Usopp was so shocked at the sight of so many Minks that his jaw nearly dropped.
Luffy's eyes were already sparkling with excitement. He thought the Minks were the coolest thing ever.
"Pirates!"
"Who are you, and why did Zunesha bring you here?" Duke Inuarashi shouted, his voice booming like thunder, glaring at the Straw Hat crew like they were a serious threat.
Right beside him, Boss Nekomamushi was also staring down the Straw Hats.
"Everyone, don't get the wrong idea!" Crocus quickly stepped forward to explain. "We're the Straw Hat Pirates. Shanks from the Red Hair Pirates sent us here. He said you guys know him."
"Shanks?"
"You mean that red-haired little guy?" Nekomamushi suddenly asked, clearly excited.
Duke Inuarashi looked just as thrilled.
Red-haired little guy?
Everyone in the Straw Hat Crew, except for Luffy, was instantly shocked. He actually called Shanks a little guy!
"Wow!"
"So you really know Shanks! He's the one who told us to come here. He also said you should take us to find a strange stone!" Luffy blurted out without thinking, revealing their entire reason for coming.
The rest of the Straw Hat Crew could only feel helpless. They couldn't do anything about it—this was just how Luffy was.
Duke Inuarashi and Boss Nekomamushi exchanged a sharp glance, each instantly understanding the meaning in the other's eyes.
"We understand," Duke Inuarashi said in a deep voice.
Hearing this, the Straw Hats felt much more at ease. They were worried the people of the Mink Tribe might be hard to talk to, and if that happened, their mission would be much harder.
"Then we'll take you there now," Boss Nekomamushi said.
"Really?"
"That's great! Thank you so much!" Luffy got excited as soon as he heard they would take him to the stone right away.
"Hahaha!"
"No need to thank us. If Shanks sent you, that means you're our friends too. Let's head out now," Boss Nekomamushi said cheerfully.
"Woohoo!"
With a shout of excitement, Luffy rushed over to stand between Nekomamushi and Duke Inuarashi like a gust of wind.
His face was full of curiosity and excitement, his eyes shining. "That's awesome! By the way, mister, what's your name? And what about this dog guy here?" he asked, pointing at Duke Inuarashi.
The moment he said that, Duke Inuarashi's face instantly darkened, as if covered by storm clouds.
In sharp contrast, Boss Nekomamushi burst out laughing so hard his stomach hurt.
Once he finally stopped laughing, he said proudly, "Hahaha! Kid, everyone here calls me Boss Nekomamushi! As for this guy… hehe… he's just a smelly dog. No need to take him seriously."
Nekomamushi was delighted—he didn't often get to see this dog embarrassed.
"Old cat!"
"You wanna fight right now?!" Duke Inuarashi snapped, his anger exploding in a powerful wave of pressure that made the air tremble around him.
But Boss Nekomamushi didn't care at all. He stared back with open challenge. "Oh? Fine by me! I've never been scared of anyone!"
The tension between them spiked instantly, like a single spark could set off a fierce battle.
Sicilian and Pedro felt a headache coming on.
Recently, thanks to the Dream Exploration Group's visit, the two rulers of the Mink Tribe had gotten along much better. Even after the group left, they still met without fighting.
They thought the two rulers' relationship would slowly return to how it was in the old days.
But now it seemed they were back to square one.
And it was all thanks to that damn Straw Hat Crew!
In an instant, the Musketeer Squad and the Guardians all glared at the Straw Hats in anger.
The Straw Hats themselves were silently cursing Luffy. They knew it was his big mouth that caused the trouble again.
"Whoa!"
"Your Haki is amazing! Can you teach us? We don't really know much about the basics," Luffy called out again, still completely carefree.
In an instant, the tension from the two rulers eased.
"Of course! Let me teach you. My Haki is way stronger than this old cat's!" Duke Inuarashi said without hesitation.
"Smelly dog!"
"What did you say? My Haki is clearly better!" Boss Nekomamushi glared at him with eyes that burned like fire.
The tension flared up again, and it looked like the two rulers were about to fight!
"Uh…"
"Boss, Duke, how about this—split them into two groups. You each teach one group Haki, and in the end, we'll see whose Haki is stronger. What do you think?" Sicilian quickly suggested before things got out of hand again.
At his words, both Nekomamushi and Inuarashi's eyes lit up instantly.
Even the Straw Hats' eyes began to shine with determination. They had only one thought—there was no way they could lose to the other side!
---
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