Chapter 549 - 389

AI Model: gemini-3.0-flashChapter 390: Adventure in Zou (Part 2)The gazes of all the Mink Tribe warriors were locked firmly onto Trafalgar Law, their eyes seemingly saying: "Confess and be treated leniently; resist and be treated severely!"Four Emperors!The weight of this title was too heavy, heavy enough to crush any lingering hope within this thousand-year-old ancient country.In their limited intelligence, the Four Emperorswere mobile natural disasters; wherever they passed, only conquest, destruction, and plunder followed.Trafalgar Law, the "Surgeon of Death" who had similarly risen to fame in the New World, was, in their eyes, undoubtedly a gold-medal enforcer under the Straw Hat's command.And Bepo, their former compatriot, had now become one of the enemies!This realization caused a wave of grief and indignation mixed with a sense of betrayal to swell frantically in the hearts of the Guardians, like fermenting yeast.A vein on Law's temple throbbed uncontrollably, forming a visible '#' symbol.He looked at Bepo, who was still clinging tightly to his leg, crying with snot and tears, completely oblivious to the situation. Law felt his blood pressure soaring at a dangerous speed, ready to hit the roof at any moment.After staying with Straw Hat-ya's crew for so long, had his own crew member begun to irreversibly evolve in the direction of an idiot?!"Get off!"Unable to bear this embarrassing scene any longer, he raised his leg and delivered a kick. No Haki was used—it was a purely physical attack—landing precisely on Bepo's furry butt, sending the three-hundred-pound giant bear rolling away."Shut up, Bepo! Stand to the side! Say one more word of nonsense and I'll dock your honey for a month!""Ugh... I'm sorry..."The still-sobbing Bepo stiffened instantly at his Captain's roar. Looking aggrieved, he climbed up and stood obediently behind Law with his head bowed, like an elementary school student being punished.This kick, rather than escalating the conflict, made the eyelids of Wanda and the others twitch.They saw it clearly now: this wasn't some superior-subordinate relationship; this was clearly a parent disciplining their disobedient, bratty child!Having done this, Law raised his head again, meeting Wanda's gaze calmly. He prepared to use his surgeon-like, calm, and precise language to excise the misunderstanding in one go.However, while he had calculated everything, he hadn't accounted for his Captain being a complete man-of-action idiot."Wow! It's a talking bear!"Luffy's eyes lit up with a 'ping'. Completely ignoring the tense atmosphere, he blurred forward and appeared in front of the just-stabilized Bepo, circling him with glowing eyes."Hello, hello! I'm Luffy! The man who will become the Pirate King! Do you know kung fu? Do you want to join my pirate crew?""Eh? I... I'm sorry..."Bepo was dazed by this sudden enthusiasm and subconsciously started apologizing."Hey! Straw Hat-ya! He's already our crew member!"Law's temples throbbed violently; he felt like he was about to have a brain hemorrhage.In the eyes of the Mink Tribe, Luffy's recruitment attempt was a further provocation! Trying to poach our compatriot right in front of all of us?!Wanda's gaze instantly turned cold again.At this critical juncture, Law took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to beat Luffy up. He spoke before anyone else could, his voice slightly heavy as an invisible aura spread out."Listen up! Our Straw Hat alliance's target is your sworn enemy—"He paused deliberately, spitting out that taboo name word by word."'Beasts' Kaido!"Boom!!!The enemy of my enemy... is a friend?This massive shock of information caused the brains of all the Mink Tribe warriors to fall into a brief blank state.However, while their brains short-circuited, Luffy's brain connected the dots in a peculiar way."Oh! Right, right, right!"He clapped his hands together and shouted a supplement to Wanda and the others as if having a sudden realization,"We're here to send Kaido flying! And to have a banquet while we're at it! Do you guys have meat here?"Law: "..."He covered his face, feeling his heart grow weary.The epic sense of gravity and seriousness he had worked so hard to build—of "two great powers joining forces for revenge"—was poked into pieces by Luffy's "is there meat," leaving not even a scrap behind.The Mink Tribe members had finally managed to pull themselves out of their "hatred," only to be led into confusion by Luffy over "what are these people even here for."Fight Kaido? Have a banquet?Was there any necessary logical connection between those two things?! Was the thinking of a Four Emperors member always this erratic?Amidst this eerie silence, a completely inappropriate sound exploded like a sudden thunderclap!"CLANG—!!!"With a loud bang, Yamato slammed that massive Spiked Club onto the ground, cracks instantly spreading from the point of impact.This action drew everyone's attention.She puffed out her overly well-developed chest, hands on her hips, striking a pose she considered incredibly heroic. Using a tone that deliberately imitated a certain legendary figure, she issued a world-shaking declaration to all the Minks!"I am the heir of Kozuki Oden!!!"...Dead silence.A silence even more absolute than when the Four Emperors arrived, so quiet one could hear heartbeats.If Law's words were a scalpel and Luffy's words were a stirring stick, then Yamato's sentence was a nuclear bomb dropped directly into the brains of all the Mink Tribe!Ko...zuki... Oden?What did that name mean to the Mink Tribe?That was their most beloved lord, a family member with whom they shared brotherly bonds, the one-and-only legend they were willing to give their lives to follow!And now, a stunning beauty with a smoking hot figure stood before them, saying she was that scruffy, uninhibited man?The expressions of all the Mink Tribe warriors froze.Their CPUs completely burned out at this moment.Wanda's beautiful canine eyes went wide as she stared fixedly at Yamato, her lips trembling, her logical system in total collapse.Beside her, Carrot's long rabbit ears stood straight up, her small mouth forming an 'O' shape, and a giant question mark slowly emerged in her ruby-like eyes.Lord Oden... twenty years later... reincarnated as a big beauty? Is this some kind of new-era trend?The massive impact of information and gender confusion caused these warriors, who had just experienced a mental roller coaster, to fall into a collective system crash once again.At the center of this storm of emotional and logical breakdown, a lazy voice broke the eerie silence."Ah~~ what a pain..."Zoro leaned against a large tree, yawning listlessly, and muttered a complaint in a volume only those nearby could hear:"Why make it so complicated? Who cares about Oden or whatever? When the time comes, just go to Wano Country and cut down that guy named Kaido, and that'll be that."Zoro's simple and crude remark fell clearly into Robin's ears.She looked at the matter-of-fact expression on the man's face—as if "cutting down Kaido" was as simple as going out to buy groceries—and couldn't help but smile.It's so nice...Robin's gaze swept over the eccentric Yamato, who was trying to imitate Oden but ended up scaring the Minks into a collective stupor, and then at her own Captain, who was curiously observing his surroundings without a care in the world.These were her companions.Never bound by so-called legacies, prophecies, or fate, they simply believed in the swords in their hands and the fists of their friends.