Chapter 634: The Strange Tree Disappears!
At that moment, the Night Raid members withdrew from the forest.
From the wounds on their bodies and the destruction clinging to their clothes, it was obvious they had just been through a brutal fight.
Yet the moment they crossed the forest's edge, not a single monster chased them out.
It was as if those creatures could only roam inside the woods.
Najenda looked at the people waiting outside and asked straight to the point.
"Were we the first to withdraw?"
"Yes," someone answered quickly.
Kobayashi stepped forward as well. "Captain Najenda, did you find anything?"
Najenda nodded, still smiling even with blood on her sleeve.
"After we killed two monsters, a large number of monsters appeared."
"To ensure safety and avoid dragging others into trouble, I chose to pull out first."
"As expected, we're still at a disadvantage in direct combat."
She said it cheerfully, but the meaning was grim.
Najenda was not weak. After enhancement, Night Raid's members were already top tier fighters in this world.
And yet these monsters were simply too strong.
Not only that, there were too many of them.
Her retreat was the safest choice.
"Both ends?" Gaino's voice cut in.
He appeared beside them without warning, as if he had been standing there all along.
"A large number of monsters. Exactly how many?"
Kobayashi and the others had been left outside for this reason.
Gaino could appear beside any crew member, letting him relay information to Ryuunosuke immediately.
Najenda shook her head.
"I can't give an exact number. I only remember that every one of them had multiple problems."
Then she raised her hand.
"Gaino, this is energy. Absorb it first."
She handed over the energy gathered from their kills.
In a moment, Gaino absorbed it completely.
His expression tightened.
"It's still green energy."
"Does that mean only the green attribute of the Heart of Eternity can be produced here?"
He paused, then frowned harder.
"That's not right."
Based on his earlier speculation, this island should contain Eternal Heart energy of multiple attributes.
But so far, only green had appeared.
The difference was too big to ignore.
If it kept going like this, the energy from ten monsters would be enough to replenish the Eternal Heart.
And once that happened, something would definitely change in the Heart of Eternity.
But there were far more than ten monsters here.
With so many monsters, why not fuse them into a single super monster?
A creature carrying the complete power of the Heart of Eternity.
If that kind of thing appeared, even an official combat member would struggle to face it alone.
"Oh, right," Sabo said, suddenly remembering something.
"My big brother told me to bring this over."
He pulled out the item and lifted it up.
"It's supposed to be… the Key of the Gods."
"I don't know if it'll work here, but…"
The moment the Key of the Gods appeared, the forest in front of them began to shrink.
The trees sank into the ground one after another, as if something beneath the earth was swallowing them whole.
In just a short time, the lush forest was gone.
In its place stood a barren mountain.
"This…" Surprise rippled across every face.
Those strange trees had been the reason Observation Haki felt blocked and distorted.
Now that they were gone, Kobayashi immediately expanded her senses.
"Hmm?"
Far away, Ryuunosuke felt the scan brush over him.
He looked around sharply.
The strange trees had vanished, and then Kobayashi's perception swept the island.
That meant this change was tied to an external factor.
Ryuunosuke spread his holy wings and shot into the air.
As the trees disappeared, the monsters vanished as well, without leaving a trace.
A bad feeling crawled up his spine.
"Everyone, retreat to the beach!"
He pulled out the Dragon Hunter Token and sent the message at once.
Then he led his group toward the shoreline.
When he arrived at the beach, he saw them.
Luffy and the Straw Hat crew.
Sabo too.
And in Sabo's hand, the Key of the Gods.
"Sabo. Luffy. You're here?" Ryuunosuke smiled as he walked toward them.
To be honest, he was surprised.
This was not exactly a tourist spot.
"Big brother!"
"Big brother!"
Both of them rushed up enthusiastically.
Sabo held the key out immediately.
"Brother, this is the Key of the Gods we got from Koushirou."
"Mr. Koushirou was also killed by Blackbeard."
"Blackbeard got Orochi's power, but he still escaped in the end."
"What?!"
Kuina stepped forward, disbelief flashing across her face.
The misunderstanding between her and Koushirou had only just been resolved.
Now he was dead.
She had waited for this day for so long, and the reality of it hit like a blade to the chest.
Zoro spoke, voice rough, and held out a long sword.
"Kuina. What Sabo said is true."
"This is the teacher's sword."
Sabo had revealed the truth quickly because he was worried Zoro would be forced to say it face to face.
But when he saw Zoro hand over the sword himself, Sabo felt some relief.
If Kuina found out that they had come here because of Koushirou's scheme…
That might have been even harder for her to accept.
"Blackbeard…" Kuina turned, eyes trembling, and looked at Ryuunosuke.
Her voice dropped.
"Captain…"
"I know," Ryuunosuke said quietly.
He pulled her into his arms.
"Once we leave here, I'll begin hunting Blackbeard immediately."
The warmth of the embrace cracked the dam.
Kuina could not hold it back anymore and burst into tears.
Zoro lifted a hand, as if he wanted to speak, then swallowed every word.
He set the sword down carefully on the sand and walked aside.
Minutes later, after her emotions finally eased, Kuina stepped out of Ryuunosuke's arms.
Her expression was different now.
Harder.
More resolute.
And beneath it, more hatred than before.
Ryuunosuke patted her back lightly.
"You all wait here for the others."
"I'm taking Luffy and Sabo to talk about something."
Then the three of them walked further along the shore together.
The sand on this beach was still black.
An island like this should have been easy to spot anywhere in the sea.
It was simply too distinctive.
"Big brother," Sabo said, lowering his voice.
"This is all the information. I won't leak it."
"After all…"
He handed the notes over to Ryuunosuke.
Shizuku had written them using her Nen ability when she arrived here.
Ryuunosuke used Nen to read it, and his eyes narrowed as the information sank in.
"Sacrifice?"
"This really is the Island of the Gods… but what does sacrifice mean?"
"And how is the Key of the Gods used?"
He asked with genuine confusion.
Sabo shook his head. "I don't know. When I got the Key of the Gods, Koushirou was already dead."
Then Sabo's expression turned serious.
"But brother… what exactly is this Island of the Gods?"
Sabo had come intending to join Ryuunosuke in the battle for Wano.
Instead, he had been dragged into something far worse.
This island was hiding a secret, and it was not the kind that stayed buried forever.
.....
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