I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 348 Counterattack against the Nine-Tails?

5 p.m.

Tokyo Metropolitan Higher Vocational School of Jujutsu

Accompanied by soothing music, the students headed towards the school gate, preparing to go home.

The only problem is that the students here are of a wide age range, from elderly men with white hair to children carrying schoolbags.

Moreover, the ways of getting around are incredibly diverse. Some people board cars waiting at the door, while others ride in ancient cages; some go to the nearby helipad to take a helicopter, while others take off on their own.
As for those who immediately leap high and low after leaving the school gate, there are even more.

"Have you heard? The government is about to release the 'Compensation Regulations for Damage to Buildings Caused by Extraordinary Individuals'."

"There's nothing we can do about it, isn't there?"

"When everyone's fighting, no one cares about the flowers and plants."

Some well-informed students discussed upcoming government legislation; others talked about school assignments and how to earn credits. But the most frequent topic was:
Marshall Teach?

"The Emperor of the Disrespectful Seas—"

"The fourth human to reach the Demon-level powerhouse, what a lucky guy."

"This person is not just lucky. He has been active in the southern seas and on battlefields large and small. It is no exaggeration to say that he has been through countless battles."

The students, young and old, formed small groups and left together. They were curious, disdainful, or respectful of Teach, who had just entered the 'Demon Level'. Apart from the principal, who was an outsider, there were only three Demon Level experts in the human camp before.
Now that another person has been added, even though they are not from an island nation, it is still something to be happy about.

After all, in internal conflicts among humans, there is at least the option of surrendering and admitting defeat;

Neither the Nine-Tailed Fox nor the Orochi have ever given humans a second glance—which is why the Sea Kingdom, despite its domineering actions, is considered a 'friendly' force.

"That man,"

"They actually reached the Ghost level?"

In the principal's office, Qiong Mei, who was sitting on the sofa scrolling through her phone, was startled.

Being able to defeat it head-on, well, given 'Paper Dance's' personality, it's not exactly defeating it, but at least being able to make 'Paper Dance' feel troubled, which means that Teach is indeed a Demon-level being.

"Isn't this too fast?"

Xiao Ying, standing next to Qiong Mei, both looked on in disbelief.
She spends all her time at the shrine, except when Yu, Ichiyo and others come to visit. She spends the rest of her time training and is only at the Tiger level.

They had just made contact with that person named 'Marshall Teach' using a clone, even though she was only a Tiger-level being.
"How did he do it?"

"Perhaps Yu-kun knows the answer to this question."

Nao, sitting opposite her, adjusted her round-framed glasses. She had no desire to improve her combat power: she had recently signed a contract with 'Hakuzosu' as well. If she encountered any danger, she would simply ask Hakuzosu for help!

"It's simple,"

Several girls turned their attention to her, and You put down her pen behind the desk.

"It's nothing more than the blessing of secret techniques, the enhancement of magical artifacts, or the possession of a powerful being."

"But no matter what method is used, there will always be some problems—Ghost level is different from Tiger level, and most extraordinary people will be stuck at Tiger level for their entire lives."

Reality is not a game where you can level up infinitely; human talent has its limits.

Most people train hard their whole lives and still can't break through the wolf level, but a talented person can achieve enlightenment in a single day.

Tiger level requires talent, hard work, and comprehension; while for Demon level, aside from cases where Yu secretly "cheats," the only one who truly reached Demon level on his own was Monk Zhixiong.

While Yura possesses extraordinary talent, it was also thanks to Yu's secret intervention that she was able to fuse two nature transformations on the battlefield to form a bloodline limit.

Kafka, needless to say, relied entirely on the 'Ibaraki' cells within his body: the source of the cursed seal.

"Although I don't know how that Teach reached the Demon level,"

"But I'm pretty sure his condition is far from optimistic."

Yu casually made this conclusion.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Non-professional waters,
The massive Mount Suzuka floats in the air.
Sunlight streamed down, reflecting a dazzling brilliance; silently demonstrating to everyone the countless treasures and formidable strength of the Sea Kingdom.

Suzuka Mountain is known to be rich in gold and jade, and countless treasures; this is a common knowledge. However, the strength of the Sea Kingdom is also evident, with its young lord, Ōtakemaru, suppressing several powerful demons.

Moreover, this 'Suzuka Mountain' floats in the sky, and ordinary people are neither qualified nor capable of coming to this mountain.

The only people who can freely set foot here are—

"I will not treat you anymore,"

The carp girl in the stream turned her head away angrily, her cheeks puffed out like a goldfish spirit.

“Mr. Teach, you haven’t taken my advice to heart at all!”

"Look at your body: muscles are on the verge of dissolving, veins are broken and damaged, internal organs are failing and diseased, and even your bones are riddled with holes."

After saying all that in one breath, the carp spirit still couldn't help but turn its head away.

"It's a miracle that you can still stand in front of me."

“If this continues, you won’t have many years left.”

The carp girl put it rather euphemistically, but in her understanding, it would be perfectly normal for the man in front of her to die on the spot.

"Hahaha~~"

"Thank you for your treatment. I will keep your medical advice in mind."

Picking up the captain's coat from the side and putting it on, Teach laughed heartily, showing no signs of being terminally ill.

He was fully aware of the situation. It was nothing more than a high-stakes gamble, and the stakes he was throwing onto the table were his own lives!

"What should I say?"

After finishing his treatment, Teach stroked his beard.
"My attitude towards life is different from that of ordinary people: pursuing dreams is a magnificent moment! For this, I am willing to be shattered to pieces."

?

"I don't understand,"

The carp spirit in the stream frowned slightly.
She used to be a simple animal, but now she is just a member of the Sea Kingdom who has only recently 'transformed';

Providing treatment to others was her duty, and the rest of the time she spent carefree traveling and enjoying life, day after day, year after year.

"Hahaha~~"

"There's no need to try to understand; we're simply not on the same path."

As Teach strode away, uttering meaningful words, he waved goodbye.

"Goodbye."

"Brother Teach!"

"I heard you've been promoted to a great demon?"

After leaving the carp spirit in charge of treatment, Teach did not leave Suzuka Mountain directly, but went to the valley to meet the other 'Sea Kingdom' members.

Upon seeing Teach approach, the lobster-men covered in shells, the eight-armed octopus-men, and the shark-men with serrated noses all greeted him warmly. Teach, like them, was a member of the 'Sea Kingdom,' fighting for it; and now, having heard of the great demon who could defeat the Nine-Tailed Fox's forces, how could they not be completely convinced of his worth?
"Hahaha~~ It's just luck."

Facing the crowd of sea creatures surrounding him, the little giant Teach laughed heartily.

"As long as you cultivate diligently, you too can one day become great demons!"

“No, no, no.”

"No way, Brother Teach."

Upon hearing Teach's words, these 'sea creatures', who were seven parts sea creatures and three parts human, all shook their heads.

"Unlike you, our strength increases very slowly."

"Well, strength is forged in blood and fire."

"You always stay on Mount Suzuka, isn't that a bit much—"

While the 'Sea Kingdom's people were stunned and ashamed, Teach laughed and changed the subject.

"Let's not talk about that,"

"Here, I brought some good wine!"

As he spoke, Teach pulled out a scroll and opened it.

With a loud bang, smoke billowed up, revealing a pile of wine jars.

"While it may not have any extraordinary effects, it will certainly bring joy to everyone. — Don't be shy, let's drink." "Then we won't stand on ceremony!"

Upon seeing these wine jars, the group of 'Sea Kingdom' members' immediately had their eyes light up and were drooling with desire.

The reason is simple: something was added to the wine.

"Brother Teach, I salute you!"

"Done!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Night falls,

"Lord Teach, you've arrived?"

"This way, please—"

When Teach returned from Suzuka Mountain, the Allied forces' Queen Elizabeth was already waiting next to his Queen Anne's Revenge. A group of high-ranking Allied officers respectfully invited him to board the ship, and even gave up the main seat in the conference room.

"Time is of the essence, let's get down to business."

Sitting in the specially made main seat in the conference room, the three-meter-tall giant glanced at the coalition officials in front of him and directly asked for the information he needed.

"How much information do you have about the 'Beast Mother'?"

The existence of a 'mother' among the hundreds of millions of demons is known to all countries.

Back when the Nine-Tailed Fox forces left the island nation after the Battle of Mount Koya, Blood Hakama summoned the mother of the "Hya": a super-giant Hyakki that was magnified hundreds of times, and a large number of new Hyakki were constantly being created.

Later, the Nine-Tailed Fox's forces ravaged the region, and many people witnessed countless times the 'Mother' spreading demons and devouring lives.

Therefore, the allied forces also organized an 'assassination' operation, attempting to eliminate the 'mother' of the demons with tens of thousands of elite troops; they even used nuclear weapons, but the result was the complete annihilation of the entire force.

In the face of a great demon, nuclear weapons that cannot get close are no different from firecrackers.

“There is more than one ‘mother’ of the demon,”

A bald general with high eyebrows, deep-set eyes, short chestnut hair, and brown pupils spoke.

“In addition to the colossal mother controlled by ‘Blood Hakama,’ there are several ‘secondary mothers’ used to spread the yakuza bodies in various places.”

Previously, there was no fog, so the Allied Forces gathered a lot of intelligence: for example, the Biyou had a core 'super-giant mother' and several scattered 'secondary mothers': it was these large monsters that constantly created massive numbers of Biyou.

Whether it's the remains of a demon, a human corpse, or an animal.

They will all be collected by the demons and transported back to the 'mother' body, where new demons will be created.

It's just like the 'Zerg' from a science fiction movie: although we don't have the ability of the 'Zerg' to traverse the universe with our bodies, we don't have the star destroyers from science fiction movies either.

Do you have any clues about the location of these 'secondary matrices'?

?

Upon hearing Teach's question, the high-ranking coalition officials present were taken aback, and then looked at each other.

“Mr. Teach, this is a military secret.”

It was the bald general who spoke first, because he was England's defense minister.

"But if it's you, we're willing to share information with you. May I ask what information you need—?"

Amid the expectant gazes of the high-ranking officials, Teach burst into laughter.

"Didn't you already guess?"

"Break into the fog, destroy the 'mother' entity, and weaken the Nine-Tailed Fox's power!"

? !
Just as expected,

Although many people present had guessed it,

But even after receiving Teach's personal confirmation, they were all still excited.

Previously, the allied forces suffered defeat after defeat against the Nine-Tailed Fox forces until the Sea Kingdom appeared and turned the tide of the war. However, that was the strength of the Sea Kingdom, which had nothing to do with 'humans'.

Now things are different. With Mr. Teach reaching Rank B, or Ghost Rank, the Allied Forces have finally stabilized their position and even have the possibility of launching a counterattack!

“Mr. Teach, the Commonwealth, no, all of humanity will thank you!”

An officer stood up and saluted Teach.

"Thank you for your bravery."

"That's exactly right,"

The bald British Defense Secretary also nodded.
"Whatever your needs, we will fully support you!"

"Give the order, Mr. Teach."

grateful?

Hahaha~~
"Thank you all for your support. I won't be polite then."

"Select the most elite troops, then summon the extraordinary individuals—"

"I, Marshall Teach, will personally lead the team into the misty region to slay the 'Mother' and curb the arrogance of the Nine-Tailed Fox forces!"

After saying that, the giant-like man clenched his fist and placed it on his chest, as if he were about to 'donate his heart'!
However, the reality is:

How much longer can this heart hold on?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Night came,

"Ok?"

"Yes, this is a summons from Mr. 'Emperor' Teach."

At the dock, he received the Commonwealth messenger from the man before him, looking at the ancient 'belief' in his hand, with Teach's personal seal on the lacquer on the back.

what the hell?

What era are we living in?
Why bother with this kind of ritual from hundreds of years ago?
While the navigator girl was already thinking about complaining, she nodded to the messenger in front of her.

"I will tell my captain,"

"Whether or not to participate is a decision for the captain."

"Yes,"

"My mission is complete. Please allow me to take my leave."

After saluting, the messenger turned and left. For the sake of secrecy, even a superhuman like him was only allowed to deliver a 'summoning order'.

As for the specific content of the letter, and why it summoned other extraordinary individuals, none of that mattered to him!
"A letter from Luffy, the 'Sea Emperor'."

Soon, the girl found the one-armed captain who was feasting.

Besides 'artificial Devil Fruits', consuming large amounts of food can also enhance spiritual power; however, this method has a very weak effect, so weak that it is not noticeable at all.

"A letter? Chew it... Read it to me... Chew it..."

"Ok."

As the girl opened the envelope and read its contents, Luffy put down the beef leg he was holding.

Even the other people in the room—Zorro, who was working out with dumbbells; the blond chef, who was carrying a 'plate' weighing several hundred pounds; and the long-nosed sniper, who was holding a fish tank—all gathered around.

"Kill the 'mother' of the demon?"

"That Teach, could it be that we've really misunderstood him?"

After hearing the contents of the letter, the group was filled with doubt and surprise: the Teach they knew was not the type to willingly rush into the fog to fight for ordinary people.

"Ruf, what do you think?"

All eyes fell on the one-armed boy.

"go."

Without hesitation, the boy gave his answer.

"Our goal is to drive out the Nine-Tails' forces; there is no reason for us to back down!"

Even though Luffy also harbored some dislike for Teach, he would still do it if it meant dealing with the Nine-Tails' forces, even if he didn't like it.

(End of this chapter)