The large, ox-sized black monster, with its amber-green vertical pupils darting back and forth, tried to escape, turning once more in a different direction.
On a night with little moonlight, the monster, camouflaged by its dark fur, was perfectly at home in the darkness. If it reached the village, the mountain hunters, armed with pitchforks and hunting bows, wouldn't be able to stop it.
However, the next second, before the black monster could run a few meters, one Enlivened creature after another descended from the sky, accompanied by whistling winds, surrounding it completely.
"Caw—"
"Roar—"
"Hoo-hoo—"
"..."
Giant birds, enormous eagles, gargoyles, griffins... a bizarre assortment of Enlivened creatures, some made of stone, others of metal, all snarled menacingly at the black monster.
Frightened, the monster dropped the goat it was carrying, its fur standing on end, and it arched its back like a fabled feline.
"Hahaha! Let me see your true form!"
Cross laughed as he pulled out two oilcloth-wrapped torches from behind him. He lit them with a lighter and tossed them out.
The two torches landed with a 'thud' on either side of the black monster.
"Meow—"
Startled by the firelight, the black monster shuddered and let out a threatening growl from its throat, directed at Cross.
Finally, under the illumination of the torches, Cross clearly saw the black monster's true appearance, revealing a look of surprise and disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding me... This kind of legendary monster... It shouldn't exist in reality..." Cross's eyes were filled with an incredulous expression. He couldn't help but gulp, a 'gurgle' sound escaping his throat as he swallowed.
He saw that this black monster was actually a large, ox-sized black fabled feline creature, with two long black tails, looking more like a black cat than a black panther. Its ears were large and pointed, its teeth serrated on both sides, and its large, round, amber-green vertical pupils looked more like two emeralds, darting back and forth with surprising agility.
"My previous guess was actually true! It really is the legendary Nekomata!!" Cross's eyes flickered, and he murmured, "Perhaps it's a Zoan Devil Fruit user, too..."
In legends, the Nekomata is a yokai that resembles a black cat with two tails. It can speak in human voices, manipulate corpses, disguise itself as a beautiful girl or an old woman to deceive passersby, and even eat people to maintain its unique abilities.
"Meow!"
This legendary Nekomata seemed to sense Cross's threat. It opened its mouth and let out a roar like muffled thunder. Then, it pushed off with all four legs, its lithe body springing towards Cross like a black lightning bolt.
"Kreeaaa——"
In an instant, the silver giant eagle let out a cry, flapped its wings violently, and stirred up whistling currents of air.
Thud.
Its heavy metal wings struck the Nekomata with a resounding blow, as if slapping it, sending it flying back. The Nekomata rolled a few times on the ground, shook its head, somewhat disoriented, but then got up completely unharmed.
"Who are you, you creature?"
Cross stared at the Nekomata, his right hand gripping the hilt of Kagehide at his waist, and threatened, "You'd better surrender obediently, or I won't hold back!"
"Meow!"
The Nekomata shivered, its amber-green vertical pupils fixed on Cross, as if sensing that Cross was an even more dangerous presence than the silver giant eagle.
Clang.
Cross's expression turned cold. He directly drew Kagehide from his waist and said in a deep voice, "I'll count to three. If you don't respond..."
"Let me go, and I'll give you treasure, meow!"
Suddenly, the Nekomata interrupted Cross with a melodious female voice.
"Who are you?"
Cross narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in a deep voice.
"Let me go, and I'll give you treasure!"
The Nekomata didn't answer Cross, repeating itself.
"I'm a Marine; I don't accept bribes!" Cross declared righteously.
"I have the paper you like, and lots of shiny things. Let me go, and I'll give them all to you, meow!" The Nekomata's voice was clear, but the content of its words was extremely strange.
"Alright, enough with the nonsense. Just surrender obediently!" Cross found it somewhat amusing. He immediately leaped off the back of the silver giant eagle and reached out, grabbing for the Nekomata in front of him.
"Meow!"
The Nekomata shrieked, and its body, as large as an adult wild ox, rapidly shrank as if deflating. In a flash, it transformed into a tiny black cat that landed on the ground, narrowly dodging Cross's grab.
Meow!
Meow!
Meow!
At the same time, dozens of cats of various colors suddenly darted out, scattering in the night, seemingly covering the retreat of the Nekomata.
Then, the Nekomata, transformed into a small black cat, used the cover of night and the other cats, along with its small body, to quickly escape the encirclement of the Enlivened creatures, swiftly scurrying into the nearest house.
"Hoo~ It really can command these cats!"
Cross wasn't annoyed by his momentary slip-up. Instead, he watched the scrambling cats with interest, even flashing an "auntie smile."
Cats are so cute indeed!
Then, Cross took a deep breath, fighting the urge to grab a cat and pet it. His Observation Haki quickly spread out like radar electromagnetic waves, swiftly locking onto the frightened Nekomata fleeing a kilometer away.
"They say cats catch mice; this time, let me catch the cat!"
Whoosh.
Boom!
A red signal flare shot into the sky, exploding into a dazzling red seagull pattern against the dark night.
Then, Cross casually discarded the empty shell of the signal flare. He suddenly pushed off the ground with immense force, shattering it, and the powerful recoil sent his body flying like a cannonball, crashing without reservation into the unoccupied house.
With a thunderous 'boom,' the wooden wall shattered, and countless splinters of wood of all sizes scattered. In a flash, Cross burst out from the other side of the wooden house.
Several miles away from Stonewood Island, deep in the mountains, several hundred Marine soldiers, led by Gion, were stationed on a small hill.
The night sentries looked into the distance with slightly changed expressions; a red fireworks display, shaped like a seagull, hung high in the sky, illuminating the dark night.
"It's Major Cross's signal!"
The next moment, the sentries quickly pulled out their whistles and blew them vigorously.
Beep—
Beep—
Beep—
A sharp whistle echoed throughout the entire camp, waking the sleeping Marine soldiers.
Gion rushed out of her tent, her pretty face filled with surprise and uncertainty. Holding her famous sword, Konpira, she shouted, "What's happening in..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she saw the red seagull-shaped fireworks from the direction of Stonewood Island suspended in the night sky, slowly fading away.
"That little brat Cross, he's not bad!"
Gion's pretty face brightened with joy. She sheathed Konpira and then loudly commanded, "Alright, everyone! Twenty people stay to pack up the camp. The rest of you, get dressed, take only your weapons and ammunition, and follow me!"
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