Chapter 360: Zou – Duke Inuarashi

The group of mink warriors who appeared before Takumi belonged to the Musketeer Squad, serving directly under Duke Inuarashi, one of the two leaders of the Mink Tribe.

Although Inuarashi and Nekomamushi had been at odds for years due to certain past events, turning them into fierce rivals who fought whenever they crossed paths, this personal grudge never affected the relationship between their subordinates.

So, when the Musketeer Squad learned that the Knight Squad had nearly been wiped out by outsiders, they were outraged and immediately set out to confront those responsible.

Using their keen sense of smell, it didn't take long for them to track down Takumi.

They believed that as members of the Musketeer Squad, who were far stronger than the Knight Squad, capturing these intruders would be a challenging but manageable task.

However, before the battle could even start, it was already over.

The leader of the group, a lion-like mink named Sicilian, didn't even have the chance to retaliate before Takumi sent him flying with a single punch.

The rest of the Musketeer Squad stood in shock, staring at the direction Sicilian had disappeared, momentarily frozen.

It wasn't until Takumi calmly walked past them that they snapped back to reality.

"Sicilian-sama… was defeated? Did I see that right?"

"No wonder Pedro wasn't a match for these guys. It's no easy feat to take them down."

"Damn it! Sicilian-sama, hang in there! I'll go find him. The rest of you, keep an eye on this guy—don't let him escape!"

An antelope mink sprinted off in the direction Sicilian had been sent flying, while the remaining members of the Musketeer Squad surrounded Takumi once again.

"We minks never retreat, even when facing a powerful enemy!"

"That's right! Today, you won't take another step forward!"

"You won't leave here alive!"

The group of mink warriors stood firm, their eyes blazing with determination.

Takumi, however, couldn't be bothered to waste any words on them. He simply released a wave of Conqueror's Haki.

The world seemed to darken for the mink warriors as they collapsed unconscious, scattered across the ground.

Takumi walked calmly through the gaps between their fallen bodies and continued toward Kurau City without a backward glance.

About half an hour later, a tall figure with canine features appeared at the scene. His brown fur was streaked with darker shades, and a deep scar ran across the left side of his face. His large, fluffy tail swayed slightly as he adjusted his wine-red cloak. A long sword hung at his waist, and his sharp blue eyes glinted behind a pair of round-lensed glasses.

It was none other than Duke Inuarashi, the "Ruler of Day" and one of the two kings of Zou.

Upon seeing his comrades lying unconscious on the ground, his brows furrowed in displeasure.

"What happened here?" Inuarashi asked in a stern tone.

The Musketeer Squad had set out to avenge their fallen comrades from the Knight Squad. However, because of the ongoing rivalry between Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, they had chosen not to inform him of the incident.

Thus, Inuarashi only knew that three humans had arrived on Zou—he had no idea what they had done.

"Who would have thought those three humans were so difficult to deal with…" one of his subordinates muttered.

Inuarashi's eyes narrowed as he glanced at the speaker.

The mink warrior shuddered under his gaze and hurriedly explained, "Duke-sama, Sicilian-sama and the others were only trying to capture the intruders… but those three turned out to be far stronger than we expected. Sicilian-sama must be fighting them as we speak."

"Intruders?" Inuarashi repeated, his tone growing colder. "Are you saying those three humans entered the Whale Forest?"

Although outsiders rarely came to Zou, it wasn't unheard of. They generally fell into two categories: guests who stopped by for a brief rest and intruders who dared to trespass into the forbidden Whale Forest.

The Whale Forest was a sacred ground guarded by Nekomamushi. Anyone who entered without permission from either Inuarashi or Nekomamushi was considered an intruder.

Intruders were dealt with swiftly by the Knight Squad. Few ever left unscathed.

Initially, Inuarashi had assumed these three humans were merely passing travelers. But now it seemed they were far more troublesome than he had anticipated.

"Did something happen to the Knight Squad?" Inuarashi asked pointedly.

His subordinates broke out in a cold sweat.

The mink who had been lying earlier froze, utterly caught off guard.

Most minks were honest by nature and terrible at lying. Once their deception was exposed, they didn't know how to react.

Seeing their flustered expressions, Inuarashi didn't need to hear more—he already knew the answer. "Forget it. Let's find those three humans first. Sicilian's strength should be enough to withstand a fight with them."

Just as he finished speaking, the antelope mink returned, carrying a limp Sicilian on his back.

The sight of his unconscious comrades lying everywhere stunned him.

When he noticed Duke Inuarashi standing there, his heart sank even further.

"D-Duke-sama… you're here…" The antelope mink swallowed nervously, forcing a smile as he greeted him.

Inuarashi's gaze shifted to Sicilian. After a brief pause, he walked over and asked, "What happened to him?"

The antelope mink glanced around at his fallen comrades, then sighed and answered honestly, "It was the intruders. Sicilian-sama has several broken ribs from the human's attack."

Without hesitation, Inuarashi ordered, "Take him back for treatment immediately!"

"Yes, Duke-sama!" The antelope mink nodded and rushed toward the stronghold with Sicilian on his back.

Once they were gone, Inuarashi turned to the remaining conscious minks. "Take your fallen comrades back as well."

One of the minks hesitantly asked, "Duke-sama, what about you?"

"I'm going after those three humans." With that, Inuarashi followed the faint trail of scent left in the air, heading straight toward Kurau City.

Meanwhile, Takumi had returned to Kurau City. Thanks to Carrot's earlier "help," he was greeted by a wave of curious and enthusiastic stares.

"Look! The hairless mink who saved Carrot is back!"

"He looks so delicious. Karuchuu~"

"His friends called him 'Captain,' right? Is his name Captain? What a strange name!"

"Captain, Karuchuu~"

In an instant, a large crowd of minks ignored Takumi's icy aura, swarming him from all directions.