Chapter 355: Zou – The Two Kings of the Furry Kingdom

Among the Six Powers, Takumi mostly used Geppo frequently.

Still, upgrading these advanced skills was definitely worth it.

"System," Takumi called. "What's the maximum level for these advanced skills?"

『Ding! Maximum level is fifteen.』

Fifteen, huh…

Takumi stroked his chin thoughtfully. He was curious—what would it be like if Haki reached its maximum level?

Without thinking further, he asked, "How many tasks are there in Zou?"

『Ding! Aside from the landing progress, there are three tasks on Zou Island, each accounting for 30% completion.』

Three more tasks.

It seemed the number of tasks on each island was quite balanced lately.

When it came to Zou, the first people that came to Takumi's mind were the two rulers of the Mink Tribe—Nekomamushi and Inuarashi.

That's right—Zou had two kings.

Unlike most nations that have only one ruler, Zou was special. Nekomamushi and Inuarashi were known as the King of Night and the King of Day, respectively.

As the King of Night, Nekomamushi ruled and was active from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., while sleeping during the other half of the day. He was responsible for guarding the Whale Forest, and the Musketeer Squad was directly under his command.

Inuarashi, on the other hand, was active during Nekomamushi's sleeping hours. He commanded a formidable combat unit called the Musketeer Squad, which was similar to Nekomamushi's group but focused on firearms.

Nekomamushi was known for his wild and eccentric personality. He was self-centered and claimed to love freedom. Inuarashi once described him as "the madman of this land." Beneath his wild nature, however, Nekomamushi also retained cat-like traits—he loved catnip, playing with balls, and cat toys. He was terrified of needles and had a sensitive tongue that couldn't tolerate hot food.

Despite his quirks, Nekomamushi was loyal and deeply valued friendship. He would never betray his comrades and would even sacrifice his life to protect them.

Inuarashi was a kind, humble, and well-respected leader, beloved by the Mink Tribe. He was polite, calm, and disliked violence. Even when faced with invaders, he preferred to resolve conflicts through dialogue whenever possible.

Like Nekomamushi, Inuarashi was loyal and willing to give his life for his friends.

Both of them were quite remarkable individuals.

Ever since Takumi knew he was coming to Zou, he had guessed that at least one task would involve Nekomamushi and Inuarashi.

Building a good relationship with them wouldn't be difficult.

Although Enel and Kaku had fought with members of Nekomamushi's Musketeer Squad, it was, as Kaku said, a matter of self-defense—the Musketeer Squad had attacked without warning. Neither Enel nor Kaku had killed anyone. While the squad members were injured, none of them were in critical condition.

The one who was injured the most was Pedro.

When Pedro had jumped onto the ship, Takumi had noticed that he was already wounded.

Given the current timeline, it wasn't hard to deduce that Pedro's injuries were from Whole Cake Island. He had lost fifty years of his life to Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors. As a sign of repentance, Pedro had even gouged out his own left eye in front of Big Mom.

Pedro was undoubtedly a ruthless character toward himself.

Takumi didn't dislike such people.

But not disliking someone didn't mean he would go out of his way to help them unconditionally.

Takumi was about to take a stroll around the Whale Forest when two cheetah-like members of the Musketeer Squad emerged from the jungle, carrying the heavily injured Pedro on their shoulders.

"Isn't that one of the humans who attacked Pedro?! What's he doing here?"

"Damn it! Did something happen to the others?"

"You take Pedro back first. I'll deal with this guy!"

The cheetah Mink on the left handed Pedro over to his companion and immediately charged at Takumi, his eyes filled with rage. With his hands shaped like claws and electricity sparking between his fingers, he lunged at Takumi with astonishing speed.

But just as he closed in, Takumi leapt into the air and delivered a powerful punch downward, slamming the cheetah Mink straight into the ground.

Boom! The impact was so strong that the cheetah Mink spat out a mouthful of blood and passed out instantly, his eyes rolling back.

The other cheetah Mink, who hadn't even had time to leave with Pedro, stood frozen in shock. He had just witnessed his comrade being knocked out in an instant. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his pupils contracted as his body tensed up in fear.

The overwhelming sense of danger radiating from Takumi made him feel utterly helpless.

After landing, Takumi casually shook his fist to loosen it, then walked toward the remaining cheetah Mink as if nothing had happened. His calm demeanor made the Mink tremble even more.

The cheetah Mink instinctively wanted to flee, but his legs refused to move as if they were glued to the ground.

As Takumi passed him without paying him any mind, the cheetah Mink finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But just as he relaxed, Takumi's voice suddenly reached his ears. "Where are the big fruits?"

By "big fruits," Takumi meant the oversized fruits found on Zou—grapes larger than a human's head, and similar giant fruits.

Takumi vaguely remembered that such fruits existed on Zou, but he couldn't recall their exact location.

Hearing Takumi's question, the cheetah Mink felt his fur stand on end. Though the question sounded casual, it carried an inexplicable weight.

Swallowing hard, the cheetah Mink turned to Takumi and pointed toward the southwest part of the forest. "If you go that way for about half an hour, you'll find them…"

"Thanks."

With that, Takumi headed in the direction the cheetah Mink had pointed, not even glancing back.

The cheetah Mink was stunned. He hadn't expected the terrifying intruder to thank him.

Now wasn't the time to be surprised, though. The cheetah Mink quickly checked on his unconscious companion. Once he confirmed that his comrade was still alive, he finally relaxed.

He then looked toward the direction Takumi had left, his expression complex.

"Just who are these intruders…? They're unbelievably strong…"

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