The once-peaceful forest, shadowed by t trees and dense foliage, now y scarred and burnt. Charred remains of trees jutted out like broken spears, smoke curling from their bed edges. The ground, once soft with fallen leaves, was now cracked and scorched, the lingering smell of gunpowder and burnt flesh heavy in the air. The distant sound of crag embers was the only thing that broke the eerie silence.

  At the ter of this destru stood Zheng Yi Sao, her boot resting atop the unreizable, charred corpse of a monstrous beast twice her size. She flicked a glowing gold between her fingers, the faint residue of smoke still rising from its surface.

  Her fiery red hair, streaked with hues e, was braided tightly down her back, giving the illusion of flickering fmes. She wore a loose jacket that slipped off one shoulder. Her left eye was covered by a tied-off cloth, but her right eye gleamed with wild amusement.

  “Hey, Watcher! Where’s my bonus, you piece of sh*t ntern?! All that radiance, yet somehow your ass still outshines your personality!” she bellowed, veins popping out of her forehead in frustration.

  From the shadows of the nearby trees, two figures stepped forward, having taken cover from the earlier explosion. The surroundings, though once peaceful, now felt tense and suffog, the flickering fmes casting long, sinister shadows across the ground.

  One of the figures was huge, his massive, muscur frame covered in dark umber skin. His long onyx braids were tied back, and his face was hidden behind a menag oni mask devoid of eye sockets but adorned with sharp, monstrous fangs that seemed to snarl at anyone who dared look. He wore an immacute white Japanese-like attire, the purity of the fabritrasting starkly with his fearsome presence. Resting on his shoulder was a deadly bck steel kanabo, its surface lined with jagged spikes capable of crushing bones with ease.

  This was Yasuke, the legendary warrior who once served the Shogun of Japan.

  Beside him stood aall figure, equally intimidating but with a different kind of presence. His long, u onyx hair flowed back, a full beard framing his rough face. Sparks of fme flicker itently across the ends of his hair beard, crag along the edge of his tattered pirate coa.

  Resting across his back were two heavy bck steel anchors, each ed securely.

  This was Edward Teach, better known to history as Bckbeard, the pirate who struck fear into the hearts of sailors across the seas.

  Both men stared up at Zheng Yi Sao, who stood fidently atop the burnt remains.

  Edward let out a dark chuckle, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

  “Hehe, probably your stupid *ss destroyed the gold, you dumb b*tch.”

  Yasuke shook his head, pressing a hand to his forehead.

  “Did you at least hear an annou before you blew everything to hell?”

  Zheng Yi Sao’s grin faltered.

  “No! I didn’t hear sh*t! Why didn’t aell me?!” she shouted, frustration boiling over.

  Edward tinued ughing, while Yasuke let out a long, exasperated sigh.

  Zheng Yi Sao, uo tain her rage, flung a handful of glowing gold s at a nearby tree. The moment the s made tact, a violent explosioed, sending the massive tree crashing down with a deafening thud.

  “Goddammit! Why ’t I get my hands on a medallion?! You’d think even a floating ball of pure energy would be less of a pain in the ass!” she screamed, stomping her foot.

  Meanwhile, 200 meters away, hidden behind thick bushes, Gee Washington observed the trih a telescope. His sharp, calg eyes took in every detail before him.

  He lowered the telescope, making it vanish into thin air, and turned around. Moving silently and swiftly, he sprihrough the forest, careful not to make a sound.

  A few moments ter, Gee regrouped with his panions, who were perched atop a massive, thick tree that provided an excellent vantage point.

  “So, what did you see? Is it the other testants?” Fu Hao asked eagerly, leaning in closer.

  Gee nodded. “Yes. I’ll tell you everything.”

  He reted every detail—their appearaheir ons, and their iions.

  Billy, always the joker, let out a chuckle.

  “Haha! A one-eyed crazy cyclops dy with a short fuse? This is gonna be fun.”

  Jeanne frowhoughtfully. “They must be fident in their strength if they’re drawing that much attention to themselves.”

  Lapupu, ever calm, added, “Or foolish. In a pce like this, you have to respect the forest.”

  Fu Hao grinned mischievously. “Who cares? We should jump their *sses now! There are six of us and only three of them!”

  Gee shook his head firmly. “No. We don’t know how strong they are. For all we know, one of us could die, and we’d only gain a single medallion piece or all.”

  As they debated, Musashi remained quiet, a slight frown creasing his brow. He seemed lost in thought.

  Billy noticed and nudged him.

  “What’s got you all moody, samurai?” he asked casually, leaning back against the tree with his hands behind his head.

  Musashi’s eyes narrowed. “The one wearing the oni mask… I think I know him.”

  Everyone paused, their eyes turning to Musashi. He let out a deep breath.

  “His name is Yasuke. He was a bodyguard for the Shogun—the ruler of Japan. Wherever the Shogu, Yasuke was beside him. Every enemy of the Shogun feared him, despite him being an outsider. Rumors said his strength was unmatched.”

  Fu Hao rolled her eyes. “Great. Now you’re hyping him up? Thanks for the fidence boost.”

  Musashi shot her a gre. “Shut up.”

  Gee also said. “Well, I’ve heard of the other one—niame Bckbeard. That man was a notorious pirate who ruled the seas with terror. His fleet was vast, and his cruelty was legendary. Sailors said his beard would burn like fire in battle, and he’d light slow-burning fuses in his hair to scare his enemies. If he’s here, he ain’t gonna be easy to take down.”

  Billy whistled. “Sheesh… well, damn. We know who they are now. So let’s go kick their *sses!”

  “Yeah! We ambush them. One of us acts as bait, lures them in, and therike. Easy!” Fu Hao added excitedly.

  Jeanne shook her head. “Are we seriously sidering this? We only know their identities, not their abilities, we also don't know the other one. Also this is just a basiclusion.”

  Lapupu, ever the calm, agreed. “We’d also be exposing ourselves. That explosion was loud enough to attract attention. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone’s already spying on them… like us.”

  Gee nodded. “Exactly. We o be careful. Our lives are at stake, and we ’t afford to let others know too much about us.”

  Musashi, still p, added, “We o act fast, though. We don’t know what surprises other dangers lurk around this area. We 't survive for too long nor be quick with it.”

  Billy stretched zily. “Yeah, yeah, we get it. Some of us survive solo, but being alone here is basically tantamount to suicide. Hey! How about this, let's put it to a vote. Majority wins.”

  Everyone agreed. After a brief moment, the votes were cast.

  Gee and Jeaed against fighting, while Musashi, Billy, and Fu Hao voted in favor. Lapupu abstained.

  Jeauro him. “Why didn’t you vote?”

  Lapupu simply replied, “I already have a medallion piece. The rest of you more.”

  Fu Hao smirked. “Heh, show-off.”

  Gee let out a deep sigh. “Alright. I have a pn…”

  He id it out: Musashi and Lapupu would engage directly, drawing attention aing the enemies’ strength.

  Billy raised an eyebrow. “Why not lure them to us?”

  Gee expined, “They’re too smart for that. But a direct approach with our stro close-bat fighters give our le attackers the ce to strike when the moment is right. The rest of us will provide backup. Our advantage is numbers.”

  “And truthfully,” Gee thought to himself, “we still don’t fully trust each other. But Musashi and Lapupu have proven their skill in battle. For now, that’s all we rely on.”

  Back at the crater, o it Zheng Yi Sao, Yasuke, and Edward stood he sm remains.

  Yasuke gnced around. “Do you think we’re making it too obvious that this is a trap?”

  Edward grinned. “Rex. Doesn’t matter ns they cook up—our underground explosives surrounding this pce make this gamble worth it.”

  Yasuke’s eyes narrowed behind his fierask . “And you memorized the escape routes?”

  Zheng Yi Sao thumped her chest. “Yeah, yeah! I’ve got it all in my head. If sh*t goes south, follow me!”

  Both men exged gnces. “Sure…” they thought, but both already memorized the trap pts themselves still not trusting the lunatic.

  Suddenly, two figures approached—their footsteps light but deliberate.

  Musashi, with his wooden katana drawn in his right while others are sheeted, and Lapupu, Kampin and Kasag in hand, walked slowly toward the trap-den ground.

  Just as Musashi was about to step forward, Lapupu blocked him with his sword, motioning with his toward a dista side.

  There, a massive wolf-like monster, its single cyclopean eye glowing fiercely, charged straight for Zheng Yi Sao’s group. The moment it stepped on one of the traps—

  BOOM!

  An explosion obliterated the beast instantly.

  Yasuke muttered, “Lucky bastards… they know about the traps.”

  Zheng Yi Sao groaned. “I khis was a dumb idea! We ’t loot them if they know this area is filled with explosives!”

  Edward smirked. “Doesn’t matter.”

  He took a slow, deliberate breath, his dark red-blue hue eyes gleaming with a predatlint. His rough fingers reached over his left shoulder, grasping one of the thick steel s coiled around him like a serpent. The rattled faintly as it uncoiled, each heavy link scraping against the with a metallic hiss.

  His muscles tensed beh his tattered pirate coat, veins bulging as he gripped the tightly. The bck steel anchor at the end of the gleamed menagly in the dim light, its surface worn and scarred

  With a sharp exhale, Ednted his feet firmly into the ground, taking a wide stance. His body coiled like a spring, building power, every muscle straining as he prepared to unleash the anchor. his arms, the heat dist the air around him.

  “Haha get these brainless idiots,” Edward growled under his breath, a wicked grin spreading across his bearded face.

  Suddenly, with a roar, he swung his arm in a wide arc, the long whip slig through the air with a deafening whistle. The sheer force of his throw sent the massive bck steel anchor hurtling through the air like a meteor, tearing through the forest opy and shattering branches in its path.

  The anchor’s trajectory was terrifyingly precise, heading directly toward Musashi and Lapupu, who were still rec from the ued explosion moments before. The wind from the anchor’s flight whipped through their hair, and for a split sed, their eyes widened in realization.

  “Move!” Musashi shouted, already shifting his weight to dodge.

  But just as the anchor was about to collide with them, it suddenly jerked mid-air, ging dire with unnatural speed. The heavy anchor, instead of tinuing its lethal path, swung downward with bone-crushing force, smming into the ground.

  The moment it hit, a massive explosioed, sending a shockwave. Fmes and debris shot up, the ground trembling violently from the impact. Some remaining splinters of wood and ks of earth were flung in every dire as a cloud of dust and smoke enveloped the area.