Eust decided, through a vote, to face off against pirate hunter Perry on Lightlin Island. In reality, it was his own reluctance that led him to push for the vote.
However, since the decision was made, they began preparing the plan. Since there was no need to start immediately, they let Lila complete her life mission first.
Eust analyzed that even if Perry returned to Lightlin Island today, he likely wouldn’t come after them immediately. After Lila completed her mission, they would proceed with the plan the following day.
That day, Lila completed her mission and received a reward of increased navigational knowledge. However, due to the “special fairness” of the mission fruit, Eust gained even more knowledge than Lila did, making Eust feel somewhat sorry for Lady Lila.
The next day, Eust began implementing his plan.
Eust had asked the thief about the exact time Perry would return to Lightlin Island, but the thief didn’t know. So Eust had to go with the “lure the snake out of the hole” plan he discussed with Sunny and Lila.
The plan was simple: leave traces of their presence to deliberately attract Perry. Then, “lead him by the nose” to a designated fighting location for a showdown, aiming to eliminate him.
Eust’s plan succeeded. On the day they set it in motion, Eust waited at the spot where they buried Desli and saw pirate hunter Perry approaching.
Eust chose this spot not just because “a family should be together,” but because it was a good place for a fight. Perry’s brother Desli had planned to ambush Eust here too.
Sunny, the cute strategist cat, was waiting there, ready for battle. Lila, who aspired to be an excellent navigator, was safely learning navigation elsewhere.
Pirate hunter Perry, known as Quick Blade Perry, approached slowly, making Eust more alert.
“Heh, kid, are you feeling proud for luring me here so easily?”
“Uh!”
“Heh, are you thinking it’s stupid to know it’s a trap but still fall for it?”
“Yeah!”
“Heh, I can tell you, I’m not stupid. I’m an excellent chatterbox. After my brother went missing, it was easy to find out you guys were the prime suspects. So why would I fall for an obvious trap?”
“…”
“That’s because I deeply love my foolish brother and am quite confident in my own strength.”
“Heh, are you thinking, ‘Is this guy crazy? How can such a chatterbox be a solo pirate hunter?'”
“Exactly. Because I’m a chatterbox, no one wants to team up with me. My foolish brother didn’t either. Otherwise, we could’ve been the Chatty Brothers duo.”
“My foolish brother didn’t understand the advantages of being a chatterbox and even resented his excellent chatterbox brother. Foolish indeed!”
With Sunny agreeing, Eust had had enough and wanted to strike him down. “Meow, let’s take him down.”
“Shut up! Are you here for revenge or a debate competition?”
Before Perry could respond, Eust continued.
“Quick Blade Perry, you must know your brother’s character. I just want to say, if you can fight, stop babbling.”
“Sunny, go.”
As soon as Eust finished speaking, Sunny transformed into his combat form. His body grew tenfold, turning snow-white with red-tipped paws. He became the “Red Fire” and charged at the noise source, Quick Blade Perry.
Desli had some mastery of Iaijutsu, so Eust had warned Sunny about Perry’s possible moves. Quick Blade Perry lived up to his reputation; besides Iaijutsu, his regular sword strikes were also very fast.
Sunny’s charge wasn’t mindless. He had enough control to quickly adjust his position.
Even though Perry was startled by Sunny’s transformation, his reflexes kicked in, and he launched an Iaijutsu strike.
Although there were flaws in the execution, it was still faster than Desli’s half-baked Iaijutsu.
However, Sunny’s combat form had speed beyond Eust’s, easily dodging Perry’s strike.
Red Fire’s paw struck multiple times in an instant, sending Perry flying, showcasing Sunny’s formidable presence.
Holding his Child Tiger Blade, Eust realized he had underestimated Sunny’s strength. He thought Sunny wouldn’t have improved much since their last battle.
But after the fight with Bloodblade Carl, Sunny’s strength had increased significantly, making Perry easier to deal with.
Perry stood up quickly, looking badly injured but showing no fear or worry, only a sickly flush.
“Haha, a cat with Devil Fruit powers, quite rare. But your strength is not impressive. Perfect for testing if Devil Fruits truly hold the power of legends.”
Red Fire wouldn’t show mercy to a noise maker, especially an enemy. He charged again, intending to deliver a powerful strike.
Perry responded quickly, engaging in a fierce battle with Red Fire. Surprisingly, Perry began to gain the upper hand.
Their clash was fast-paced. Red Fire got slashed once due to a misstep, though the wound wasn’t severe. Annoyed, he ramped up his attack, evening the fight.
Both avoided each other’s blows, but Red Fire began to tire.
Although Red Fire had better adapted to his combat form since their last battle, extending its duration and power, his opponent was stronger too.
Red Fire faced an “Ultraman” dilemma: his “energy” was depleting, and his combat form was fading. What to do?
He couldn’t stick to Eust’s plan of not using his ultimate move. In “Ultraman” stories, the hero often wins with a final blast before running out of energy. Red Fire had done the same against Bloodblade Carl and could replicate it now.
Perry was still energetic, realizing that despite the cat’s surprise attacks and destroying his Iaijutsu advantage, he wasn’t losing. But the cat was tiring.
Usually, Perry’s judgment would be correct, but he underestimated Red Fire’s determination and the strategist cat tribe’s incredible recovery ability.
The next moment, Perry and Red Fire clashed fiercely, resulting in mutual injuries. Red Fire got lightly hurt, but Perry’s sword was knocked away. As he staggered to retrieve it, Eust stealthily finished him off.
This battle mirrored the last one. Perry, though stronger, underestimated Red Fire’s tenacity, sustaining less damage than Bloodblade Carl had inflicted.
Red Fire traded minor injuries for Perry’s severe ones, claiming the battle. His light wounds would heal within a day.
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