Chapter 364: Zou – The Tale of Cat and Dog

Zou is governed by two rulers of the Mink Tribe, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi. Although their relationship is strained, they are remarkably punctual when it comes to their "shift changes." When it's time to wake up or sleep, neither has ever broken this schedule.

The zebra Mink, seeing that Inuarashi had fallen asleep, rushed over to help.

However, Inuarashi's body was far too large for him to carry alone. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't even lift him off the ground.

He thought about going back for help, but leaving Duke Inuarashi here alone was too risky. What if these outsiders attacked him while he was away?

Caught in a dilemma, the zebra Mink didn't know what to do.

"What the hell!" Enel complained angrily. "Is fighting me really that boring? He just goes to sleep? Fine! If he wants to sleep, I'll make sure he never wakes up again!"

With that, Enel raised his lightning sword high once more.

The zebra Mink's face turned pale. Without hesitation, he threw himself in front of Inuarashi, spreading his arms wide in a defensive stance. His eyes blazed with determination. "Attacking Duke Inuarashi when he's defenseless? What kind of warrior are you?! If you want to kill someone, kill me instead!"

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" Enel sneered. "If you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish!"

He swung his lightning sword without mercy.

The zebra Mink's heart pounded in fear, but he didn't retreat.

"Captain?" Kaku glanced at Takumi. "Should we stop that idiot?"

Takumi nodded slightly.

He still had unfinished tasks, and if Inuarashi died here, completing those missions would become nearly impossible.

Sure, there was a slim chance that killing Inuarashi might somehow fulfill a mission, but that was too risky to gamble on.

With Takumi's approval, Kaku quickly equipped his rubber gloves and lightning-absorbing device. He leapt forward and intercepted Enel's strike, but the device only lasted a second before it was cut in half by the lightning sword.

Despite wearing rubber gloves, Kaku still felt a tingling numbness in his hands due to the impact.

"Not bad," Kaku said with a half-smile. "Your speed has improved, and your attacks pack more punch than before."

"You long-nosed bastard! What are you doing?" Enel shouted furiously. "Get out of my way!"

"No can do," Kaku shook his head. "The captain said no killing. Unless you want to get beaten up, stop now."

"Wait a second!" Enel turned to Takumi. "Since when are you so soft?"

Takumi answered indifferently, "Go ahead and kill him if you want. But you'll deal with all the consequences afterward."

Enel: "..."

"Hahaha," Kaku burst into laughter. "Alright, that's enough. They haven't really done anything to harm us. Besides, we might be staying here for a while. It's better to avoid unnecessary trouble."

"No way!" Enel refused. "I haven't settled the score with this dumb dog yet!"

"Wait until he wakes up, then fight him again," Kaku suggested, glancing at the zebra Mink, who was trembling with tension. "What's the deal with your duke? Why did he suddenly fall asleep? When will he wake up?"

Swallowing nervously, the zebra Mink explained, "Duke Inuarashi falls asleep every day at six in the evening. At the same time, Master Nekomamushi in the Whale Forest wakes up. The two have completely opposite schedules. When Duke Inuarashi is awake, Master Nekomamushi is asleep, and vice versa."

"Uh… what kind of arrangement is that?" Kaku chuckled awkwardly. "One wakes up, and the other falls asleep? Did they plan this?"

"We're not sure," the zebra Mink admitted helplessly. "Something happened between the two of them long ago that they could never forgive each other for. Now, they act like sworn enemies whenever they meet. That's why they take turns being awake. But despite their feud, it doesn't affect how they govern the Mink Tribe."

"Oh, I see." Kaku stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Now I'm curious. What exactly happened between them? Don't you know?"

The zebra Mink shook his head. "No one really knows. Neither of them ever talks about what caused their fallout. They used to be the best of friends, having grown up together."

Indeed, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi had been close friends since childhood. Their relationship deteriorated because of one tragic event—the death of Kozuki Oden in the Land of Wano.

Suddenly, Takumi had a troubling thought.

Could one of his remaining tasks on Zou be to reconcile Nekomamushi and Inuarashi?

If so, that would be a nightmare. Reuniting two bitter enemies was no easy feat. Even though Takumi knew their past, the death of Kozuki Oden was an irreversible fact. Forcing them to reconcile with brute force would only backfire, especially since neither Inuarashi nor Nekomamushi feared death.

The only person who could easily mend their relationship was Kozuki Oden's son, Momonosuke…

But at this point in time, Momonosuke hadn't arrived yet. If reconciling the cat and dog was truly part of the mission, Takumi might have to wait another five years on Zou.

Momonosuke's mother, Lady Toki, was a Time-Time Fruit user. After her husband's death, she sent her son and four of Oden's retainers twenty years into the future for the sake of Wano's future. However, Lady Toki herself chose to stay behind and follow her husband in death, ultimately being killed by the Beasts Pirates.

In short, if reconciling Inuarashi and Nekomamushi was a task, the worst-case scenario would be staying on Zou for five more years…

Takumi definitely didn't want to stay in one place for that long, especially since Zou didn't offer much that interested him. He knew the Mink Tribe's alcohol was mostly fruit wine, similar to what was found on Skypiea.

"Ah, there you are!"

Suddenly, a cheerful voice rang out.

Carrot appeared, holding a freshly picked giant apple. She hopped nimbly from branch to branch, landing gracefully in front of Takumi and the others just as she finished speaking.

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