As Momonosuke spoke, a fine pink powder had already begun seeping from his fingertips, silently spreading into the surrounding air.
The moment this powder touched human skin, it infiltrated without a trace.
And in the mere moments it took Momonosuke to finish speaking, every combatant on the banquet platform had already been contaminated with a considerable amount of this strange dust.
Of course, Momonosuke wasn't foolish enough to attempt infecting powerhouses like Roya, Kaido, or Charlotte Linlin with the powder—their strength was clearly in another league entirely.
Seeing that the moment was ripe, Momonosuke grinned widely and raised his small arms, giving a sharp command:
"Kill everyone on this island. Leave no survivors!"
Before his words had even fully fallen, the eyes of Kin'emon and the other Red Scabbards suddenly erupted with a terrifying blazing pink light, locking onto all living beings present.
Even with the light acting as a filter, one could still feel the intense bloodlust behind those eyes—a chilling, almost physical malice that made one's hair stand on end.
What's more—their muscles began to swell with unnatural speed, bulging violently across their bodies.
Meanwhile, members of Kaido's crew—the All-Stars, the Tobi Roppo—and the Sweet Commanders from Big Mom's camp began experiencing alarming symptoms: shortness of breath, chest tightness, dizziness, and weakness.
As one side's strength surged while the other waned, chaos erupted across the entire banquet plaza in an instant.
Kin'emon, wrapped in blazing flames, charged straight toward Kaido.
Nekomamushi, his golden fur bristling like a wild lion, ditched his sword and lunged jaws-first at Big Mom.
And the one who targeted Roya—was none other than Inuarashi, whose strength rivaled Kin'emon's within the Red Scabbards.
Originally already a beast-like canine, Inuarashi now became truly monstrous.
His grotesquely swelled muscles bulged to the point of splitting skin.
His eye sockets had doubled in size, and the pupils within burned with pink light, bulging terrifyingly outward.
His tongue lolled between twisted fangs, dripping pink, corrosive saliva.
Where the spit hit the ground, it sizzled instantly, releasing steam—proof of the immense internal heat surging through Inuarashi's body.
Two streams of scalding white vapor blew from his nostrils, releasing a sickly sweet stench into the air, enough to make anyone gag.
With a rasping growl, torn straight from his throat, Inuarashi charged at Roya—intent on killing.
Kozuki Hiyori cried out instinctively in horror.
She turned to Momonosuke in disbelief and shouted:
"Momonosuke! What are you doing?! Why are you having Inuarashi attack us?!"
But the only response she received was a cold, merciless stare, like one reserved for a corpse.
Hiyori's heart turned ice cold. She quickly spun around to look at Roya.
But Roya had already moved—
A cascade of afterimages streamed outward from beside her like frozen echoes, each illusion drifting past as if they existed in multiple moments of time.
One illusion, however, remained by her side.
It even turned and looked at her directly, giving her a reassuring smile.
The rest—each mirage took position, launching attacks toward Inuarashi.
Each afterimage struck with two fingers extended like a blade, stabbing rapidly at various pressure points across Inuarashi's body.
And with every precise jab, a burst of pink powder erupted from Inuarashi's body—expelled forcefully.
To the bystanders, it appeared as though Roya was simultaneously present in every timeline and location of the fight—responding to every moment at once.
As Hiyori watched in awe, the illusion beside her suddenly remerged into the real Roya.
The mirages returned fluidly, like flowing water, coalescing back into his true form.
And Inuarashi—was left collapsed on the ground, unconscious and utterly drained.
His muscles had returned to normal.
His bulging eyes were no longer grotesque.
The pink madness had faded.
Hiyori let out a sigh of relief—and also finally accepted the truth:
The source of the Red Scabbards' sudden, monstrous transformation… was the pink powder.
And with that realization, she had no choice but to admit:
This Momonosuke… was no longer the pure and kind brother she once knew.
---
"You want to save him? Do you even have the power to do that?!"
Momonosuke sneered as he saw Inuarashi's collapse.
He finally dropped all pretense.
From his fingertip, a thick stream of pink powder—as wide as a thumb—shot forth like a serpent, slithering toward the unconscious Inuarashi.
It slithered straight into his nostrils, worming its way inside.
Inuarashi's limp body snapped rigid.
The muscles that had just returned to normal swelled again—this time, even more violently than before!
This second transformation pushed his body beyond its genetic limit.
His skin tore apart instantly, shredding like strips of cloth hanging from his rapidly pulsing, python-thick muscle bundles.
Bright red muscle tissue and white tendons twisted and coiled, emitting columns of scorching steam as they tried to cool the monstrous internal heat.
Even his bones expanded—his frame becoming larger, denser, and more grotesque by the second.
In just over ten seconds, Inuarashi had fully transformed into a muscle-forged beast, spewing heat from every pore as he leapt back into battle.
But now—this thing was no longer a swordsman.
He had lost all technique, reduced to a monster driven by pure bloodlust, attacking with nothing but razor claws and fangs.
A savage animal—aimed straight at Roya.
Roya sighed softly.
He knew now that he could no longer solve the problem by simply purging the powder like before.
Inuarashi's body had been pushed to the absolute brink of what his genes and bloodline could withstand.
If Roya expelled the powder again now, the abrupt energy crash would cause his body to collapse—dying inch by inch, painfully.
Because destruction is always easier than preservation.
Momonosuke narrowed his eyes at Roya, full of contempt and mockery.
He sneered:
"People like you… always get hung up on meaningless ideals and principles. That's why you'll always lose at the final moment!"
"Just let go of all that crap—kill me, and the poison will lift on its own. You'll save everyone."
"Come on! Kill me! I'm not that stupid woman's brother anymore!"
But Roya couldn't care less about entertaining this lunatic.
He extended his left hand forward—
And cast a net of Observation Haki threads, woven tight like silk, and flung it toward Inuarashi like a trap.
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