Chereads / One Piece: Starting by Refusing Shanks / Chapter 224 - Chapter 224: Kuraigana Island: The Human Imitators

Chapter 224 - Chapter 224: Kuraigana Island: The Human Imitators

Kuraigana Island, once the territory of the Shikkearu Kingdom, now stands as a desolate ruin. In the middle of the destroyed city, there remains a crumbling, ancient castle.

Inside this ancient fortress, one building still stands relatively intact—this is where Dracule Mihawk, the man known as "Hawk Eyes," one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, resides. Mihawk had made this ruined castle his home, far from the chaos of the world.

Other than Mihawk himself, this island rarely saw any visitors, which made Takumi suspect that his progress mission might have something to do with Mihawk.

However, there was a slight issue...

Mihawk was notorious for wandering the seas alone in his small boat, and while Kuraigana Island was his home, he rarely stayed here for long. The thought of having to wait for him, much like the long wait on Sky Island, made Takumi sigh internally.

Well, there was no choice. He would wait.

As Takumi continued walking towards the castle, he called out, "System, how many missions are there here?"

[Ding! Aside from the primary sign-in mission, there are four progress missions to complete. One mission holds 30% progress, while the other three each hold 20%.]

It's just like back on Amazon Lily…

Takumi pondered for a moment before saying, "Check the 30% mission details."

[Ding! To complete the 30% progress, the host must defeat Dracule Mihawk.]

Takumi chuckled to himself.

As expected...

Now, there was nothing left to do but wait. This time, however, was different—this wasn't about simply facing someone. He needed to defeat Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman.

While Takumi had confidence in his abilities, Mihawk's mastery of the sword was on another level. To beat him purely with swordsmanship would be a tough challenge.

As Takumi walked deeper into the island, a group of armored baboons suddenly emerged from the fog-covered forest. These baboons wielded weapons—spears, swords, and axes—and blocked his path, shrieking aggressively.

These creatures, known as the Humandrills, were intelligent baboons capable of mimicking human behavior. Due to the island's bloody history of wars and violence, the baboons had learned to fight by observing the brutal battles of humans.

On this war-torn island, where death and destruction were once constant, the Humandrills had learned to wield weapons, turning themselves into formidable warriors. And because of the blood-soaked environment they grew up in, these baboons had developed violent tendencies, becoming ruthless fighters.

These baboons were no ordinary creatures; they had picked up some of Mihawk's sword techniques. Thanks to him, they had grown even stronger, and it was mainly because of them that Kuraigana Island had remained unclaimed for so long.

The Humandrills surrounded Takumi, brandishing their weapons and screeching with bloodthirsty intent.

Takumi calmly surveyed the situation, unsheathing the Cursed Sword Star Fragment (Lake Toya).

The baboons charged at him in unison.

Without hesitation, Takumi unleashed Divine Departure, sending a wave of sword energy imbued with his Conqueror's Haki towards the charging creatures.

In an instant, the baboons fell one after the other.

That was much easier than expected...

It seemed the baboons had not spent enough time around Mihawk to fully grasp his techniques.

Sheathing his sword, Takumi continued his walk towards the castle. Along the way, more Humandrills lingered in the shadows, watching him, but none dared to challenge him further.

Finally, Takumi reached the ancient fortress, the home of Mihawk. The baboons that had been following him retreated into the forest, unwilling to approach the domain of the man who had instilled fear in their hearts.

Back at the shoreline...

After Takumi left, Kaku jumped down from the ship.

"Ahaha! Finally, I get to explore!" Kaku laughed excitedly, eager for some adventure.

Enel, meanwhile, was less enthusiastic. "What about the ship? You're not staying to guard it?"

"Come on! I've been cooped up at sea for days. I need to stretch my legs!" Kaku ignored Enel's question, bouncing off into the misty forest.

Enel's expression twitched in irritation as he gripped his golden staff. "That damn long-nose! I don't want to watch the ship either… Forget it, I'll just park it somewhere hidden."

With that, Enel found a secluded spot to dock the ship before heading off to explore himself. Using his Observation Haki, he sensed where both Takumi and Kaku had gone.

Initially, Enel planned to avoid them, but when he sensed Kaku struggling in a fight, his curiosity got the better of him. In a flash, Enel appeared in the forest, perching on a tree to watch Kaku's battle against the Humandrills.

Kaku had barely entered the forest when he was ambushed by the baboons. He fought back with his twin swords, using Rankyaku to unleash powerful kicks, turning his four-sword style into an effective counterattack. However, the baboons were no pushovers. They wielded weapons of their own, and soon Kaku's swords were shattered.

Now left to rely on his Rokushiki techniques, Kaku held his own, but against the sheer number and strength of the Humandrills, he began to struggle.

Sensing Enel's presence, Kaku called out, "If you're here, how about helping me out?"

Enel, lounging on a tree branch, smirked lazily. "Heh, ask nicely. Beg me, and maybe I'll help."

Kaku rolled his eyes, dodging another swipe from a baboon as he responded, "You've got to be kidding me. You're really just going to watch?"

Meanwhile, the Humandrills seemed unfazed by the damage Kaku inflicted on them. As long as they weren't killed outright, they'd stand back up and attack again.

Suddenly, one of the baboons, larger than the rest, leaped towards Enel, sword raised.

Yawning, Enel casually flicked his fingers, sending a bolt of lightning to strike the baboon mid-air. The creature let out a shriek before collapsing, its body charred from the attack.

"Long-nose, you're weaker than I thought," Enel taunted from his perch.

Kaku dodged and countered the relentless attacks of the remaining Humandrills, gritting his teeth. "If you think I'm weak, why don't you fight them without your Devil Fruit powers?"

"Pfft. You're just jealous," Enel scoffed, his voice dripping with smugness.

Just as Kaku was about to retort, the largest baboon in the group suddenly appeared behind him. Kaku narrowly avoided a lethal strike, but the creature's claws raked across his back, leaving bloody gashes.

"Tsk, how pathetic," Enel mocked. With another casual flick of his fingers, he zapped the baboon, dropping it instantly.

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