As the Mountain King began to struggle against the entangling web of twigs, rocks, leaves, dirt, and dead vines, something in me snapped. I made my decision.
Before it broke free, I turned, tapped into my inner turbo, and shifted to gear eight as my life depended on every second I was away from this thing!
I move at my fastest speed to get as much distance from natural monstrosity.
My mind didn't have anything on it other than 'NIGERU!', even though I knew that this was wrong and I should be thinking of other solutions.
The weight of the moment settled over me like a cold fog. The beast was still wrapped in vines, but I knew it wouldn't stay there long. My legs were already in motion, pumping faster than I thought possible.
My body moved with a speed I didn't even know I had. Every muscle screamed in protest, but my mind only focused on one thing: distance. I needed space. I needed to get myself into a spot full of dead leaves and tangled vines—something I could use to my advantage. I wasn't foolish enough to believe running would be enough, but I had to try.
'Just please stay there!'
With every step, the forest seemed to open up around me, though I knew it wasn't really. The trees blurred into a streak of green and brown as I darted between them. I jumped over rocks, ducked under low-hanging branches, my feet landing lightly on the ground, my heart racing faster than my legs.
The distance was growing, but so was the sound of the tiger's growls. But didn't make me slow down or take it easy.
'Faster!"
Quite the opposite, it made me refocus my breathing according to the Hamon rhythm, hoping that the mystic ripples would help me explode with more speed and run away faster, because I knew it wouldn't be long before this natural disaster would come after me.
My luck had never been good. I had no delusions of the tiger simply deciding I wasn't worth chasing. That wasn't how my life worked.
Moreover, it was a predator, and I was prey. Simple as that. I wasn't foolish enough to think that maybe, just maybe, it would get tired and wander off.
I knew I would have to fight it, but now, all I can think about is running.
No one can blame me, who in their right mind would think they can fight this thing?
'Even my gun doesn't work against it, how the hell can I take it down?!'
I felt the weight of my Barbossa Sword in my hand, its presence comforting in a strange way, making my frightened mind work a bit.
But I knew this Sword wasn't enough.
The Sword held power, yes, the power to puppeteer the inanimate things, like the leaves and dead vines.
Yet, this power seems to be completely irrelevant to the earth beneath me; other than a few rocks and some mud-like dirt, it has no power on earth, like it doesn't exist.
'I guess its domain is the sea, not the land. So its power on the land is heavenly nerfed.'
So with only a bit of a jungle reject, could it really stop a beast like that?
An elephant-sized tiger, charging through the woods like it owned everything? It didn't seem likely.
But in this moment, I will use everything I can.
'Wait, can I get something from the Box-'
CRASH!
ROAAROAR!
The sound of something crashing and the loud roar was a clear indication of what transpired.
The massive feline is free, and judging from its ground-shaking steps, it is coming in my direction!
I didn't slow down. My feet pounded against the dirt, and I tried to keep my breath in rhythm and ragged in the cool air.
The tiger was still behind me, though, that much was clear from the thunderous sound of its approach. The ground shook with its steps, and I had to believe I was pulling ahead.
The sound of its growls was so close now, like a distant echo that crept closer with each passing second. And the loud breaking and crashing sound made me feel like I was being chased by a speeding storm.
"WHAT THE FUC…?!"
Then, I realized that all this running had done nothing.
I had no idea how far I'd gotten, but the realization hit me hard: the tiger was still gaining on me, smashing everything in its way, with trees falling and flying away from its path!
There was no way I was outrunning it—not anymore.
Its speed… the way it moved, like a force of nature, was terrifying. It closed the distance quickly, faster than anything that should be possible.
An elephant-sized predator moving with the speed of a train.
ROAAROAR!
'How could anyone compete with that?'
Panic clawed at my chest. I could feel the sweat drenching my back as the tiger's roars vibrated through the ground beneath my feet.
I was doing everything in my power to keep my breathing in control.
Just running is not working, I needed to use my sword.
'Fast!'
Swinging the blade. It hummed in my hand, alive with power. I reached out with its magic power, calling to the dead vines, the old twigs, the rotting roots, anything that could answer for me in this area.
They answered me, stretching and twisting through the underbrush, pulling up from the earth, wrapping around the trees. They moved at my command, reaching for the bloody-eyed tiger, intending to trap it again before it reached its prey.
The Apex Predator of this forest, sensing the change in the air, stopped short.
For a moment, it hesitated, as if calculating its next move. The vines snaked toward it, creeping in from all sides.
But the tiger wasn't just a mindless beast—it was a predator, and it knew how to fight.
With a quick, graceful leap, it dodged the first set of vines, its body flowing through the air like water. It landed in a crouch, its tail lashing behind it.
But I wasn't done.
I focused harder, pulling more from the forest and anything else that responded to my Sword.
'Come on!'
The vines and leaves were relentless now, pushing their way toward the tiger, swarming like snakes and bugs.
But the humongous feline was moving again.
Reflexes were lightning-fast, its body twisting and turning with catlike agility.
It darted between all the swarm, rushing towards it, avoiding and dodging their reach with a flexibility unfit for its large frame.
'Didn't you put all your points in strength?!'
Caution and intelligence were clear in its action, it refused to be captured again, even if it was sure it could break away, it didn't want to take chances.
Moreover, it wasn't backing down.
It wasn't running away.
Instead, it circled me, keeping its distance but never leaving.
'Shit!'
The tiger was testing me, circling, waiting for the moment when I made a mistake. And it was patient, so much more patient and calm than I was.
I could feel the sweat beading on my forehead, the strain of concentration needed for using the Barbossa Sword.
Yet, I couldn't afford to slip up. Not now. Not when my life was hanging by the thinnest of threads.
'Let's lay a trap...'
The ground beneath me trembled once more as the tiger leaped, aiming to close the gap.
But I was ready this time.
The vines that were close to me surged forward, rising up in a sudden wave, wrapping around its front legs.
ROOAARAR!
The tiger stumbled, snarling in frustration, its momentum halted a few meters from me.
Its eyes met mine again—this time, not just with anger, but with challenge.
But it stopped, just for a second—that was all I needed.
'Quicker Hachiman!'
I didn't waste a heartbeat.
My pistol was already in my hand. I knew it wouldn't hurt it with that thick fur, hide, and rippling muscles, but it could be painful enough for it to slow the beast for a few moments.
Like that, I could use the dead vines and twigs to capture it again, then I would try anything to take it down, for good this time, or at least do some serious damage.
Then it surprised me.
'Wha...'
Light of recognition flashed through its blood red eyes, like it had recognized what the pistol aimed at it for, what was going to happen to it next, and took action to prevent it.
With a terrifying roar, the tiger spun its body, spun around the very legs I had captured, like it had done this a hundred times before.
Its massive body twisted with impossible flexibility, and its tail—thick and sinuous like a steel whip—snapped toward me.
WHRROOOOOSH!
I saw it almost too late.
Instinct took over. I jumped away, the tail whooshing past where my head had just been, slicing the air with such force it felt like a blade, smashing and blowing away all the vines and leaves that could capture it like a tornado!
'Fuck! It has an AoE!!!'
For a moment, I was in the air. Wooden shrapnels, stones, mud, and small pebbles kept hitting me all over, and I could feel scratches and injuries all over my body.
I landed hard on my side, breath knocked out of me, heart hammering like a war drum.
'All of this from one attack. Damn...get up!!'
I scrambled to my feet fast, coughing, the Barbossa Sword still in my grip.
The vines around the tiger's legs were already torn apart, shredded by raw strength and razor claws. It was free, and now there was nothing between me and its fury.
I didn't have time to think.
Gritting my teeth, I took a deep breath according to the Hamon rhythm.
Ripples like sun rays surged from my chest, then my arm, all the way to my Sword, like water flowing through a stream.
I expected the usual flare of Hamon from the blade, the aura that appears on the sword when I use the Crush Overdrive with it.
But this was different.
The Barbossa Sword didn't just conduct the Hamon—it stored it.
'This...'
The blade still glowed, but subtly, and it was humming with a resonance that vibrated through my arm and up my spine.
I could feel it collecting the ripples I am sending to it, concentrating it into something dense and dangerous, something I could use.
Then the tiger charged again.
This time, it wasn't holding back. Its roar shattered the air as it leaped, claws outstretched like glinting scythes. Each claw was the length of a long dagger, and I knew—knew—that if even one of them hit me, I'd be torn apart like wet paper.
I took a steady step.
And I swung.
BUZZZZZ!!!!!
The sword, now blazing with compressed crushing ripples, met the tiger's claws in a buzzing sound that silenced the world around it.
BUNNNG!!!!
The impact wasn't just sound—it was pressure, force, like being caught between a huge hammer and a gigantic rock.
I didn't see it clearly, but I felt it.
The tiger's claws hit the sword with a screech of steel on steel, but the Hamon in my blade rebounded the combined power of my slash and its swing into a shock through the tiger's body.
The blast knocked the tiger back mid-air, hurling it several steps across the clearing.
It rolled on the ground with a heavy a few times, roaring from pain, blood dripping from its clearly injured leg, taking cautious steps away from me.
Stumbled back a few steps too, trying to keep my breath in check, heart still racing, and pain was coming from all over my body.
The sword trembled in my hand, steam rising from its glowing blade. My fingers felt numb, but I held on.
My eyes couldn't help but glance at the sword. From what I knew and tested, metal could conduct the Hamon but not hold it. I have tested this many times myself, this is why I use rubber bullets for my Hamon shots.
But looks like this sword is special, the tip is clearly from metal, but it can hold the Hamon like it were wood.
Although it doesn't hold it 100%, it should be high. I am not sure what the accurate rate was, and I have to time to gauge it now.
The tiger glared at me, pain and hatred burning in its eyes—but also something else.
'Is this…Recognition? Does it see me as a complete enemy now?'
…
A/N: By the way, this Tiger looks scary, but it is actually weak. East Blue Luffy would have taken it down with one Gomu Gomu no Bullet. Sigh!
Well, That's it for now.
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