Before joining the Chimera Ant Extermination Team, Tonpa went through a series of intense internal struggles.
That's because, before calling him, Law had comprehensively explained the terror of the Chimera Ants.
Thus, Tonpa didn't come immediately. After all, according to Law's analysis, the danger of this operation was no less than their time on the Dark Continent.
However, Tonpa ultimately came.
Even though Law had returned his heart, even though he was no longer bound by Law's conditions, he still came.
After making the decision, he wasn't sure what he was thinking. It wasn't until he arrived in East Gorteau and saw Law that he vaguely felt regret.
Law hadn't lied to him. The creatures in the nest were indeed terrifyingly strong.
Even without using his Nen Ability, Tonpa received frantic warnings.
"Regrets?"
Law looked at Tonpa's pale face, thinking it had been about two years since he'd seen such a reaction from Tonpa.
During the initial years on the Dark Continent, he saw this reaction from Tonpa several times almost daily. Only in the last year or two did it gradually disappear.
Unexpectedly, after two years, the three Royal Guards in the nest made Tonpa relive the taste of fear.
"Regrets! So much regret I want to turn and run right now."
Tonpa scratched his cheek, looking like he wanted to vomit blood.
Precisely because he was sensitive to danger, he understood more clearly how terrifying the three Royal Guards were.
"I won't stop you," Law said.
Law hadn't forced Tonpa to come. He was well aware of the operation's danger. So even if Tonpa retreated at the last moment, he wouldn't blame him.
"I'm already here. Running away now wouldn't be my style," Tonpa twitched his cheek, saying righteously.
Law's gaze lowered to Tonpa's trembling legs and he shook his head slightly.
For this operation, Law only called Tonpa and Ging. Because this operation might involve a direct confrontation with the Royal Guards, the mortality risk was too high, so he couldn't call others.
As for Ging, his strength was immense, so there was no need to worry about him.
And while Tonpa's direct combat ability wasn't strong, his escape ability was good. However, once facing the Royal Guards, even his escape ability might be ineffective.
Considering this, Law still called Tonpa because he needed Tonpa's reconnaissance ability.
Fortunately, Tonpa was quite loyal. Despite the danger, he came.
"I roughly understand the situation. Should I start reconnaissance now?"
Tonpa looked at the nest under the night sky.
According to Law's explanation, he understood the divergence of opinion between Law and Chairman Netero. Likely, Law had him come to scout to pinpoint the Queen's exact location and then strike with thunderous force.
That act was as dangerous as entering a tiger's den.
Though confirming the Queen's location could reduce risk, those three terrifying beings weren't mere decorations.
Just as Law wouldn't interfere with his decision, he wouldn't interfere with Law's decision.
"Mhm."
Law responded, looking at the nest alongside Tonpa.
In seven days, Hide-and-Seek was filled with nearly fifteen hundred Chimera Ant corpses. It was still unclear how many Chimera Ants remained in the nest.
Once Tonpa used his ability, he could instantly grasp the Chimera Ant's numbers and the Queen's location.
Notably, Tonpa's ability might provoke the three Royal Guards.
"Let's be clear first. If a fight breaks out, I'll run immediately," Tonpa said seriously.
"..."
Hearing this, Law rolled his eyes, unconsciously thinking of Kuro.
'Speaking of which, that guy still showed no signs of waking up.'
Then, Tonpa activated his Nen Ability.
A radar-like Nen Circle covering one kilometer wasn't difficult for him.
A thin, delicate Nen Circle started slow, then accelerated, crossing the forest and mountains, quickly sweeping over the Chimera Ant nest.
In that instant, relevant information popped into Tonpa's mind: the nest's structure, the number of Chimera Ants, the positions of the three terrifying beings, and the Queen's location.
Finally... the unknown life form in the Queen's womb.
'Was that the King Law mentioned?'
Tonpa's face suddenly changed drastically.
As the radar Nen Circle passed through the nest, the three Royal Guards and Squadron Leader-level Chimera Ants each reacted.
Pitou even bristled, while Youpi's muscles bulged more than twofold.
"Where did it come from?"
Pitou's expression immediately turned dark.
Without noticing, the enemy's life energy had infiltrated the nest. This was a dereliction of duty he couldn't forgive himself for.
"At least a kilometer away, meow."
Pitou's tail bristled, her eyes shining with intense brilliance.
"So, this usage exists."
Chimera Ants were extremely sensitive, making the discomfort from being spied on several times stronger.
Among the Chimera Ants was the King in the Queen's womb. Feeling the radar Nen Circle pass through his body was like receiving a stimulus, causing him to tremble suddenly.
The Queen abruptly looked down at her swollen, ball-like abdomen, emitting a low groan.
[Wait, it's not time yet!]
The Queen sent this message telepathically into the mind of the King in her womb.
Immediately after, the Queen felt an unbearably intense pain in her abdomen and screamed, throwing her head back.
Amidst that intolerable pain, she heard a brief, domineering sentence.
It was a language she didn't understand, but she knew it was human language.
"Silence!"
Those were the King's exact words.
Then, a fist pierced through the Queen's abdomen, tearing a hole.
That fist, still pointing upward, suddenly dropped to the right, pressing against the right side of the abdomen. Simultaneously, another hand emerged from the torn opening, pressing against the left side.
Both hands exerted force together, violently tearing the Queen's abdomen open.
Amidst flying flesh and blood, a figure stood within. The Queen, in severe pain, had lost consciousness, her organs critically damaged.
This figure had the standard height of an Asian. His head bore a crown-like structure. His face seemed chiseled from stone, with a pair of blood-red eyes and earlobes extending to his collarbones.
His physique was powerfully built, muscles clearly defined, his skin a mixture of cyan and purple.
Most striking was his strong, thick tail, as thick as an arm, ending in a sharp needle resembling a medical syringe.
This was the King. As Law feared, born over a month earlier than the experts estimated. Even the Chimera Ant Queen hadn't anticipated the King had developed to this extent.
She hadn't had time to see the King's appearance before fainting from worry.
What she didn't expect was the King being born prematurely, yet his development remained unaffected.
Upon emerging, the King didn't spare a glance at the Queen's pitiful state. Instead, he looked in a certain direction… the direction from which the radar Nen Circle came.
His gaze contained displeasure, his entire body radiating a murderous aura.
Simultaneously, the Squadron Leaders and Royal Guards, having heard the Queen's scream, rushed to the scene one after another.
On the distant mountaintop, Tonpa retracted his ability, his face instantly drenched in sweat as if he'd stood in the rain for a while.
"What's wrong?"
Tonpa's unusual reaction made Law's heart skip a beat.
"That should be the King you mentioned. He... came out. It... it wasn't because of me, was it?" Tonpa's cheek twitched slightly.
"What did you say?"
Law's expression changed slightly. After all, this was too sudden.
"The King is out!"
Tonpa suppressed the fear in his heart and said, "The moment I retracted my ability, the King looked in our direction. So we should take cover first. That King is even more terrifying than the three Royal Guards you mentioned."
Law couldn't help but clench his fists, staring intently towards the nest's direction, silent and grave.