...
*Boom!!*
*Boom!!*
A massive commotion suddenly erupted on the island, with thick smoke and dust billowing into the sky above the forest.
Along the coast, the large group of pirates turned their heads toward the depths of the heavily shaded woods.
Nami wore a strange expression. "What's going on? Is the island about to feed again?"
"It doesn't look like it. The terrain hasn't started shifting. Something must have happened in the forest," Sanji said, his brows slightly furrowed.
"It has to be that bastard Hercules beetle. Let's go!"
Allen's eyes darkened. With his black cloak billowing behind him, he stepped forward and dashed out, plunging headlong into the deep, dark forest.
Sanji and the others quickly followed.
...
The lush, verdant forest was covered with brightly colored plants of all sorts of bizarre shapes.
Whenever animals or insects passed by, these quietly camouflaged predatory plants would suddenly launch an attack.
Dozens of figures rapidly darted through the shadows of the trees.
From time to time, they encountered strangling vines that suddenly dropped from above, man-eating flowers that abruptly opened their bloody maws to bite down, or sharp bamboo shoots that violently thrust out of the ground.
*Bang!*
Sanji leaped into the air, kicking away a radish with a head full of sharp fangs.
Landing back on the ground to keep up with Allen, Sanji spoke in a solemn tone, "There are way too many of these annoying plants. The target's position keeps shifting. At this rate, it'll be hard to catch up."
"Or we could use our previous method. Gather some food to lure it over, but this time we dig a pit and set up a trap," Gin suggested as he ran.
Allen's eyes were deep in thought. His Observation Haki occasionally caught the creature's position, but it would quickly vanish again.
It was as if the target could sense him too. As soon as they got close, it would run away. Under these circumstances, ambushing it was completely unrealistic.
Moreover, Allen could faintly sense that the creature's emotions had descended into extreme chaos.
It was as if it had been frightened by something. Right now, even food would probably fail to lure it over.
"Keep chasing," Allen said with a resolute gaze, not slowing his pace.
They hadn't run far.
*Swish! Swish! Swish!*
Over a dozen arm-thick, sharpened bamboo shoots suddenly shot out from the shadows of the trees ahead!
"Watch out in front!" Allen shouted, leaping high into the air. The others behind him instinctively followed suit to dodge.
However, in the next second.
*Bang!*
When those sharp bamboos struck the tree trunks, blooming pinecones were shaken loose from the lush canopy above their heads.
Those pinecones seemed to have been arranged in advance, falling in a perfect circle around them.
Seeing this, Allen's pupils suddenly shrank. His Observation Haki had already premonished disaster.
"Watch out for the explosion!!"
Sure enough, in the next instant, the pinecones erupted with blinding white light!
*Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!*
A terrifying chain of explosions instantly engulfed the group. Fierce flames mixed with thick smoke billowed upward.
"Uwaaah—!"
*Thud! Thud!*
Many people were sent flying directly by the explosive shockwave, their bodies crashing heavily against the tree trunks.
As the others landed back on the ground, Allen seemed to sense something and sharply turned his head to the side.
A red seed shot out at high speed, rapidly expanding and growing countless green leaves until it transformed into a giant plant wolf with a red bulb on its nose.
"Green: Impact Wolf!!"
Accompanied by a furious shout from deep within the forest, the giant plant wolf charged forward ferociously, leading with its red nose.
Hearing this voice, everyone's expressions changed. They instantly realized they had walked into an ambush.
Allen's eyes turned cold. He took a heavy step forward and threw a swift, fierce punch right at the charging giant plant wolf!
*Bang!!*
The heavy, powerful punch collided violently with the red bulb on the giant wolf's nose. The immense force instantly shattered the plant beast.
However, to Allen's surprise, the red bulb on the giant wolf's nose suddenly unleashed a powerful shockwave!
*Bang!!*
Allen sank his stance into a half-squat to endure it, but the ferocious impact blasted him backward. His feet plowed two trenches over ten meters long into the dirt until his back slammed into a large tree.
The tree trembled violently, shedding countless green leaves.
Allen steadied himself, bending his knees slightly, ready to push off the ground and charge.
But at that moment, a chain trap was triggered. A massive capture net dropped from the canopy above, successfully enveloping his body!
"Seastone?"
Looking at the small stones embedded in the net's knots, Allen couldn't help but frown. If he were a Devil Fruit user, he would have likely lost all ability to resist by now.
But he wasn't a Devil Fruit user. To him, this was just an ordinary net.
"I finally caught you, Toruno!"
A figure suddenly dashed out from the forest behind them. Wearing a black-and-white striped shirt and a black Hercules beetle helmet, the man charged forward wielding a large axe.
Allen looked at the newcomer. Gripping the tough capture net with all ten fingers, his arm muscles bulged as he violently tore the ropes apart with a loud *rip*.
"Pfft—!!"
*Thud!*
Seeing this, the helmeted man was so shocked he faceplanted right where he stood, sliding across the dirt with his butt in the air until he stopped in front of Allen.
Allen: "..."
...
A moment later, in a clearing within the woods.
Allen sat on a rock while his subordinates formed a circle around him, all glaring angrily at Heracles in the center.
"I'm truly sorry, hahaha! I didn't expect humans to accidentally trigger the traps in the forest. I thought it was Toruno," Heracles apologized with a carefree laugh.
The next second.
*Bonk!!*
Nami raised a smoking fist, scolding him in exasperation. "What are you laughing at?! Do you have any idea you almost blew us up?!"
"Yes, I am very sorry." Heracles bowed his head, sporting a massive lump on his head, his tone suddenly becoming incredibly sincere.
Sure enough, physical violence was the most effective method.
Sanji took the cigarette from his mouth, slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke, and asked, "This 'Toruno' you mentioned, are you referring to that strange Hercules beetle? Were those traps set to catch it?"
"Ah, have you already seen him?" Heracles looked up in surprise and answered Sanji. "That's right. I've been on this island for 23 years. Aside from studying the plants here, I've spent the rest of my time researching a way to kill him."
"Oh right, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Heracles, a botanist from the South Blue. You can also call me by another name..."
Saying that, Heracles stood up, took a step forward, struck what he thought was a very handsome pose, and proudly shouted:
"The Hero of the Forest! ...ro of the Forest! ...the Forest!"
*Bonk!*
"Don't add your own echo, you bastard!" Nami scolded in annoyance, delivering another punch.
Another large lump popped up on Heracles's head. Dropping his handsome hero pose, he sat back down on the ground cross-legged.
"Ahem. Anyway, this was all a misunderstanding. Because the Boin Archipelago is actually a giant plant, no Log Pose points here. I never expected humans to wander into the forest and accidentally trigger the traps."
"You said the traps were meant to catch that Hercules beetle. Is he a Devil Fruit user? I noticed the net earlier was lined with Seastone," Allen asked him.
Heracles crossed his arms over his chest and turned to look at the capture net not far away. A complex look flashed in his eyes hidden beneath the helmet as he nodded.
"That's right. He is a Zoan-type ability user, and an even rarer Mythical Type than Logias—the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Proteus!"
"Human-Human Fruit? No wonder he didn't feel human to me. Is it a Hercules beetle that accidentally ate the fruit?" Allen frowned, speaking his thoughts aloud.
However, Heracles shook his head. Staring into Allen's eyes, he said:
"No, Toruno... is a human. The reason he turned into that is because his Devil Fruit awakening failed."
...