Twenty minutes later, Ray arrived with Rin and Jaken, finding Inuyasha standing amidst the wreckage of a skirmish.
After a quick glance at the scene, Ray let out a sigh.
"Ah... my embarrassing little brother."
Inuyasha's face flushed red with frustration.
During the earlier battle, he had been outsmarted.
Both Kagome and the Sacred Jewel fragments had been taken right from under his nose.
"I will definitely rescue Kagome!" he barked, gripping Tessaiga.
Without waiting for a response, he turned to follow the scent trail left by the fleeing enemies.
Ray merely said calmly, "Be careful. Wait for me to catch up."
Hearing this, Inuyasha froze in place.
He had expected Ray to mock him for failing to protect Kagome.
He had expected Ray to scold him for being unworthy of the dog demon clan.
But what did Ray say? To be careful.
"...Tch... I can handle it alone," Inuyasha muttered, though his voice lacked its usual bite.
He dashed off into the forest.
Of course, Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and Shippo quickly followed.
Ray paid them no further mind and instead headed toward the village with Rin to ensure her safety before joining the fray.
...
Meanwhile, in the Village of the Ancient Tree.
The Straw Hat Pirates were engaged in a chaotic battle with the Panther Cat Tribe's underlings.
Though they all had cat-like faces on human bodies and were mere cannon fodder, their strength was comparable to that of Marine Lieutenant and Commanders.
The stronger minor leaders even reached the level of Marine Captains.
For the Straw Hat Pirates, this wasn't an easy skirmish; it was like fighting elite soldiers from Marine Headquarters.
"Gear Second: JET Gatling!"
Luffy unleashed a furious barrage of steam-wreathed fists, sending over a dozen Panther Cat yokai flying, their bodies battered and broken.
Zoro and Sanji were similarly engaged, cutting swaths through the enemy ranks.
But they weren't the ones with the highest kill count.
"Mil Fleur: Fracture!"
Within Robin's line of sight, as long as she could see them, she broke them.
Necks snapped, spines cracked.
For those too strong to break directly, she sprouted arms coated in Armament Haki to strike precise blows to vital points.
Nami and Usopp were also experts at area attack.
Under the protection of Chopper and Chouchou, the duo took out entire groups with single moves.
Usopp was particularly smug.
"Chouchou, is this what they call Admiral-level strength? I, Captain Usopp, can wipe them all out alone!"
He loaded his massive slingshot.
"Take this! Special Attack: Yokai Star—Stink Bug Meteor Shower!"
He launched a barrage of pellets filled with overwhelmingly foul, plant-based stink bug essence specifically designed to target a yokai's sensitive nose.
To humans, it was just stinky.
To yokai, it was chemical warfare.
However, after the attack launched, only a few Panther Cat yokai fell.
Meanwhile, Chouchou and Chopper were already on the ground, eyes rolled back, foaming at the mouth, twitching uncontrollably.
"Oh no! I forgot they're mosnter too!" Usopp panicked.
Just as the Stink Bug Star was about to strike the main group of cat yokai ahead, a fragrant whirlwind swept through, dispersing Usopp's attack effortlessly.
A woman appeared.
She wore a floral dress, surrounded by dancing petals, with a cute face that belied her power.
This was Shunran (Spring Tempest).
She glanced at the battlefield, slightly surprised.
'Its been a while since i've returned to the Western Lands, have humans become this fierce? Moreover, there was even a dog demon cooperating with them.'
But she hadn't come to fight.
She was there to deliver orders.
"Big Sister's command: retreat."
Upon hearing the instruction, the soldiers of the Panther Cat Tribe instantly fell back, withdrawing from the village with disciplined speed.
Just as Shunran turned to leave, several attacks converged on her—attacks even she had to take seriously.
"Gear Second: Redhawk!"
"Three Sword Style: 1080 Pound Phoenix!"
"Thunder Lance!"
"Mil Fleurs: Gigantesco Dragon Claw!"
Four attacks assaulted Shunran from the front, back, left, and right simultaneously.
"Hmph. Mere humans. Even if you have some strength, you dare challenge me?"
Just as the attacks were about to land, Shunran unleashed her demonic power.
A violent whirlwind of illusions and petals danced outward from her body, blocking the four attacks and inflicting shallow cuts on Luffy and Robin.
Seeing how easily the enemy had neutralized their combined assault, everyone immediately understood why Chouchou had estimated the enemy's strength as equivalent to 2-3 Vice Admirals.
This woman was likely just one of the commanders, yet her strength already surpassed the overlords of the Monster Mountain Range.
If she wasn't quite Admiral level, the gap wasn't large.
And there were three more commanders, plus a leader.
Just as Luffy prepared to continue the attack—
"Big Sister won't play with you today," Shunran giggled. "Since you seem to be friends of that priestess, if you want to save her, come to our city."
With that, she transformed into a flurry of petals and vanished.
A few minutes later, Ray arrived at the village.
After entrusting Rin to Granny Kaede's care, he set off with the Straw Hat Pirates and Jaken.
They rode on the demonized, giant Chouchou, heading toward the Panther Cat Tribe's castle.
...
Panther Cat Castle.
The fortress was hidden behind a barrier that took the form of a mountain range.
Shuran and Karan arrived at the barrier's entrance, carrying the unconscious Kagome.
Just as they were about to enter, three figures appeared on the cliff above.
A trio dressed in animal hides, with wolf tails.
"Kouga! As expected, they're the ones who kidnapped Big Sister Kagome!" Ginta shouted.
Seeing yokai abduct Kagome, Kouga, the young leader of the Wolf-Demon Tribe and one of Kagome's suitors, flew into a rage.
"Give Kagome back to me!"
Coincidentally, Inuyasha arrived at that moment.
"Give Kagome back, you disgusting cat yokai!"
Unfortunately, the two rivals fought independently, bickering constantly, and predictably failed in their rescue attempt as the commanders slipped inside.
"You're such a disappointment, mutt. Kagome should be protected by me," Kouga sneered.
"Skinny wolf, don't talk big without understanding the situation! I will definitely save Kagome; you're the one who shouldn't hold me back!"
In the end, Inuyasha used the red Tessaiga to shatter the Panther Cat Tribe's barrier, creating an opening into the castle grounds.
...
An Hour Later.
The sky had darkened—the most suitable time for yokai to fight.
Luffy and the others arrived at the outer district of the Panther Cat City alongside Ray.
Dense pairs of green eyes stared at them from the shadows in all directions, causing Nami, Chopper, and Usopp to tremble.
"There are just too many of them..." Usopp whispered.
Robin made a quick estimate. "Close to 5,000 cat demons."
Ray nodded.
Then, he posed a question to the Monster Trio and Usopp.
"How many enemies are stronger than Luffy?"
This was a test of their Observation Haki.
Ray remembered how Rayleigh could sense every beast on an island.
This city spanned about two kilometers in radius; they should be able to do it.
In the end, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji all reached the same conclusion.
"Two ally: Inuyasha and you. One unfamiliar ally... unknown, but extremely fast. Four enemies. One of them is terrifyingly strong, with an aura slightly weaker than you."
"Correct," Ray confirmed.
Usopp couldn't answer fully; he could sense locations but couldn't yet gauge aura strength accurately.
The others were still too inexperienced.
"The enemy leaders—the commanders—will be handled by me, Inuyasha, and the others," Ray ordered.
"Your job is to hold off these cat demons. Night battles are a great opportunity to train your Observation Haki."
Everyone nodded.
Although Luffy pouted slightly—he wanted to spar with the commanders too—Ray shook his head.
"You're the captain. Protect them."
Luffy nodded, his expression serious.
Though he usually didn't say it outright, during battles, his priority was always his comrades' safety.
After the incidents with Ray and Chouchou, Luffy had matured.
He took his position at the front of the formation, ready for war.