Chosen one?

At this moment, the Kozuki retainers had no way to rescue Momonosuke and the others.

"Nekomamushi, what are you doing?" Inuarashi shouted as he saw Nekomamushi leaving the battlefield and rushing toward Zou.

Originally, the four of them were already struggling against Vista, and now with Nekomamushi leaving, the pressure on them increased dramatically, pushing them to the brink of defeat.

"Stupid dog, didn't you hear Zunesha's cries? What's more important now than Zou?" Nekomamushi roared back while moving swiftly. Despite wanting to protect Oden's offspring, Zou being under attack by Nicholas weighed heavily on his heart. After all, his parents were still in the Mokomo Dukedom on Zou.

Even though both were Mink Tribe members, cats were not as loyal as dogs.

As time passed, Nicholas could clearly sense Zunesha's anger increasing. After reaching its peak and realizing that even swiping its trunk couldn't harm Nicholas, its anger began to fade quickly.

Zunesha stopped moving and stood still on the sea, likely realizing that with a powerful figure like Nicholas blocking its path, there was no way forward. Additionally, Nicholas's painful strikes reminded Zunesha of some unpleasant memories, though those people didn't enslave it the same way, the soul-deep pain was similar.

"Human... human... I have a very important mission. You cannot stop me," a faint voice echoed.

Nicholas's eyes snapped open, scanning the surroundings but finding no visible enemies. His gaze then shifted to the enormous elephant before him. On Zunesha's whip-scarred face, its previously lifeless eyes now showed a glimmer of awareness.

"Zou?" Aside from two distant figures watching from the sea, there was no one else around. The voice likely came from the awakened consciousness of Zunesha.

"You have an important mission? What does that have to do with me?" Nicholas said indifferently, continuing to float in front of Zunesha, blocking its way.

Regardless of whatever agreement Zunesha had with Joy Boy 800 years ago or the reason it's been wandering the seas for centuries, Nicholas wasn't particularly interested. Joy Boy, after all, was a failure, and Nicholas didn't care much about failures.

He only wanted to see what kind of power this giant beast could display. If Zunesha could defeat him, it could do whatever it wanted with Zou. But from the current results, it seemed Zunesha couldn't.

As a Thunder Fruit user renowned for his attack power and range, and as a great swordsman, Nicholas found facing a creature like Zunesha quite manageable. Even ordinary bombs could injure Zunesha, so Nicholas's attacks could certainly subdue a flesh-and-blood creature like it.

"Human, since you can hear my voice, you are one of the chosen. We are on the same side, so why must we fight each other?" Zunesha's voice echoed again, and Nicholas frowned. Zunesha's words clearly displeased him.

Everything Nicholas had achieved was through his own efforts, not because he was 'chosen.' He didn't receive any divine investments.

Meanwhile, in Wano, with Zunesha and Nicholas halting their battle, the Minks seized the opportunity to complete their evacuation.

In Kuri, a large group of Minks landed first, led by a jaguar mink and a bear mink.

"Pedro, is this Wano, where Nekomamushi and Inuarashi are?" Zeppo asked curiously, feeling the ground beneath his feet for the first time.

"Zeppo, stay vigilant. We are the vanguard, and we must remain alert. There's a strong scent of blood in the air," Pedro said cautiously. The order from the Duke Hitsugisukan and the intense battle between Zou and Nicholas had made Pedro realize that this departure might mean the Minks would never return to Zou.

Without Zou, their situation would be precarious.

At that moment, Nekomamushi appeared, running swiftly toward the gathered Minks.

"Pekoms, how are our people?"

"Pedro, don't worry. The Musketeer Squad is protecting the Duke Hitsugisukan. When I left, Bepo was with them," Pekoms reported.

A small-eyed lion mink smiled and said, "Pedro, that's Boss Nekomamushi!"

At this moment, Zeppo excitedly pointed to the increasingly clear figure of Nekomamushi.

When Nekomamushi saw the group of minks, his cat-like face wrinkled. If it were the Musketeer Squad, he would have welcomed them, as their strength could influence the war's outcome. But ordinary minks appearing here was not good timing.

...

About a few dozen meters from Pedro and the others, Nekomamushi suddenly stopped and fluffed up, looking into the air behind him. There, a giant eagle was gliding toward the shore, carrying a female swordsman wielding dual blades.

Seeing Nekomamushi's reaction, Pedro and the other minks realized the newcomer was Nekomamushi's enemy. Immediately, they heightened their vigilance to ensure the safety of the arriving minks.

Katie soon appeared before Nekomamushi. Observing the hostility from the other minks, Katie remained unperturbed, knowing they couldn't harm her.

"Retainer of the Kozuki family, Nekomamushi is here. This matter doesn't concern anyone else! Deal with me!" Nekomamushi glared at Katie, internally cursing the strength of these enemies.

Katie smirked, "You claim to be retainers of the Kozuki family and think of them as your brothers? You naïve 'little animals' truly believe the Kozuki family is your kin?"

Katie had learned from Nicholas that the Kozuki family wasn't truly the minks' brothers. Initially, the minks, like the dwarves, were essentially slaves.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Nekomamushi retorted loudly.

"How naive. Your Mink Tribe has no records of the Void Century or events from 800 years ago, right? If your tribe has been on Zou for over a millennium, why would there be historical gaps unless something was deliberately hidden? Haven't you ever questioned it?" Katie shook her head as she spoke.

"Don't try to deceive us." Nekomamushi's face turned pale, but he remained defiant.

Pedro and the others looked confused, not understanding what Katie was implying.

Katie had been equally shocked when she first heard Nicholas's theory. The Kozuki family's actions resembled the World Government's—cutting off history to hide the truth. It was hard to explain why the Mink Tribe, living on Zou for generations, had the same historical gaps as other nations.

"Stop talking nonsense! Lord Oden would never deceive us," Nekomamushi insisted.

"Your loyalty is commendable, but let me show you something interesting. I hope you can remain so calm after seeing it," Katie said, drawing a scroll from her waist. It was something they had obtained from the Flower Capital's Shogun's palace, kept by the captain for its intriguing contents.

Katie threw the scroll to Nekomamushi without making any other move.

Hesitant, Nekomamushi picked up the scroll and opened it. Upon seeing its contents, his lips trembled, and he found himself speechless.

The scroll's content was straightforward and brief:

Vassals: Shimotsuki family, Amatsuki family, Fuugetsu family, Kurozumi family

Slaves: Mink Tribe

Pledged eternal loyalty and protection to the Kozuki family...

The term "Mink Tribe" was a derogatory term humans used, and seeing it on a Kozuki family scroll with clan seals spoke volumes.

"Boss Nekomamushi, what does it say?" Pedro stepped forward, curious about the scroll's contents that distressed Nekomamushi so much. But Nekomamushi evaded him.

Nekomamushi shook his head at Pedro, his eyes filled with immense pain. They had indeed once been slaves, slaves to the Kozuki family. The irony that they had considered the Kozuki family as brothers was now painfully evident.