The ability of the insect-type Devil Fruit turned out to be a fantasy beast, but Mio hadn't expected it to be this kind of fantasy beast.
He clicked his tongue in slight annoyance.
Still, he couldn't help feeling a bit of excitement. After all, it was a fantasy beast. There were probably abilities he hadn't discovered yet. Once they returned to the ship, he'd be sure to train the little butterfly. Who knows—there might be unexpected surprises waiting.
Shaking his head, Mio cleared his thoughts and stood up. "Let's go. While there's still time, let's hunt more prey."
For the rest of the day, Mio hunted alongside Erica and the others.
Unfortunately, the remaining ant creatures didn't yield any more surprises. That disappointed Mio a little, but it wasn't entirely unexpected. He'd already encountered two surprises today. It would be too greedy to expect more—unless he ate the Good Luck Fruit or something. The fruit eaten by the pterosaur on this island was already equivalent to discovering two Devil Fruits. He was more than satisfied.
Time passed quickly, and before he realized it, evening was upon them.
Mio's gene list had grown significantly.
[Tyrannosaurus Gene]: A dominant dinosaur species with incredible offensive power and physical strength. Its skin also offers a decent level of defense.
[Pterosaur Gene]: A predator of the skies containing a strange gene. Allows the user to switch positions with any object. However, it appears to have a weakness to seawater.
[Allosaurus Gene]
[Velociraptor Gene]
[Triceratops Gene]
There were several samples of each gene. Mio didn't have to worry about running out anytime soon—unless he needed rare genes with specific abilities.
He even acquired a saber-toothed tiger gene, among others. With this much variety, Mio felt confident about future fusion possibilities.
As the sun began to set, the group prepared to head back to the shore.
"We had a good haul today. We should celebrate when we get back to the ship," Mio said with a smile, slinging a large wild boar carcass—freshly killed by Warwick—over his shoulder. It was fat and heavy, perfect for a feast.
Robin's eyes lit up at the mention of food. "Erica's cooking skills are really good."
Mio nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she's surprisingly talented at it. She's improved a lot from when she started. Her cooking just keeps getting better—especially her grilled meats. The golden crust and rich aroma are irresistible."
Besides today's gene harvest, there was another pleasant surprise—Mio's Observation Haki had improved significantly. Its range expanded from five meters to eight meters. That alone made the day even more satisfying.
As they neared the edge of the forest and caught sight of the coastline, Warwick suddenly stopped in his tracks. His nose twitched.
"Master."
"What's wrong?" Mio looked over curiously.
A cold gleam flashed in Warwick's crimson eyes as he replied, voice low and serious. "There are people ahead. And many unfamiliar scents… too many."
"Oh?" Mio raised a brow, then glanced at Erica.
Understanding his look, Erica gave a nod. From behind her, several ant scouts quickly crawled into the woods ahead toward the shoreline. The antennae on Erica's head twitched as she received their feedback.
Moments later, she turned to Mio. "Master, there's an ambush up ahead. The Navy."
Robin flinched. Fear flashed in her eyes—memories of the past surfacing like a cold wave. She instinctively moved closer to Mio, clutching the corner of his coat.
Mio noticed immediately and reached out, gently patting her head. "Don't worry," he said reassuringly.
With a grunt, he shifted his shoulder and let the boar carcass fall to the ground with a thud.
"Looks like they're targeting us directly. Otherwise, they wouldn't have set up an ambush by the shore." A grin crept onto his face. "In that case… let's see if they can actually keep us here."
At the Shoreline
A Navy warship had quietly docked offshore.
Armed soldiers stood ready on the deck, their eyes scanning the area vigilantly.
Thanks to the dense forest and the weather, the ship's presence remained hidden. On land, numerous Navy soldiers lay in wait, concealed near the shoreline.
The seaside was eerily quiet, the only sound being the rhythmic crash of waves.
Then—footsteps.
Several figures emerged from the forest's edge.
Mio was at the front, hands in his coat pockets. "Tch, I'm just a rookie who recently set sail, and the Navy's already out to get me? Guess I've got more potential than I thought."
A figure leapt lightly off the warship and landed on the shore with grace. Slender and composed, she had long, fair legs and a sword at her waist. Her left hand rested on the hilt as she locked eyes with Mio.
"You're not leaving this place today," she said coldly.
Mio narrowed his eyes. Despite his usual carefree expression, a flicker of surprise flashed across his face. He recognized this person.
"Confident, aren't you?" he replied with a smirk.
"Of course. I'm confident when dealing with pirates," she said sternly, drawing her blade halfway from its sheath. "And Nico Robin will be staying here as well."
Mio's grin widened, though his gaze turned sharp. "Sorry, but Robin is my crew now. And no, we won't be the ones staying. You will."
With that, he slowly drew Raikiri, its faint electric pulse buzzing softly in the air.
"How typical. All newcomers are arrogant and ignorant," the woman sneered.
Though she respected Mio's strength, she didn't take him seriously. She had seen too many so-called rising stars—pirates full of bravado, unaware of how massive and terrifying the world truly was.
In her eyes, Mio was no different.
"Go! Capture them! Kill them if you have to!" she commanded.
At once, the waiting Navy soldiers sprang into action. Gunfire erupted. Blades gleamed. Shouts echoed.
Mio turned to Robin. "Go hide. Leave this to us."
Robin bit her lip and nodded. "Be careful." She turned and ran back toward the trees.
Watching her go, Mio gave a small smile, then turned to the incoming soldiers. "That's a lot of them. Erica, Warwick—I'll leave this to you."
"Master, understood," Erica responded.
"Warwick will kill quickly," the werewolf growled before both of them vanished into motion—shadows among the trees.
Mio's gaze returned to the woman in front of him—Vice Admiral Momousagi (Gion), a potential candidate for admiralship in the original storyline.
He knew how dangerous she could be. But this wasn't the world twenty years in the future. No matter how strong she was now, she couldn't have reached the level of true monsters yet.
Perfect. It was the right time to test his current strength.
He didn't expect to win—but he wasn't afraid either.
And if things got ugly, he could always fight three-on-one.
"Let's see what you've got," Mio said, cracking his neck and taking a step forward—then disappeared in an instant.
A flicker of motion.
He reappeared directly in front of gion, slashing down with Raikiri.
"What—?!" The speed shocked her. Her pupils shrank. She had clearly underestimated him.
But she was no rookie either. With swift reflexes honed through countless battles, she immediately drew her sword—Kinpira—and raised it to block.
Clang!
Steel met steel. Sparks burst from the clash as their blades locked.