Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were the first to venture into the island's interior. The trio moved quickly, with the reindeer keeping pace, showing no fear of potential danger. Along the way, they discovered a variety of wild fruits, and Chopper took the opportunity to gather several medicinal herbs. However, because Luffy was sprinting at the front of the group, their luck eventually led them straight into the middle of a massive herd of pigs.
The striped pigs had been resting in their colony when the humans suddenly intruded. The creatures immediately became aggressive, surrounding Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper until nearly 300 of them had blocked every exit.
"Lu—Luffy, maybe we shouldn't have made them angry?" Usopp said, his legs shivering slightly.
"Meat! Look at all that meat!" Luffy shouted, his eyes wide with excitement.
Luffy wasn't thinking about the danger; he was busy calculating how much food the herd would provide. He used the basic math skills Dadan had taught him to figure out exactly how many days the crew could feast on such a haul.
As the tension rose, a massive pig stepped to the front of the herd. This leader was five meters tall and looked incredibly powerful, with sharp, terrifying fangs that glistened in the light. Instead of being intimidated, Luffy's eyes brightened, and he began to drool. The large pig let out a loud snort, looking at the humans with a mix of anger and disdain.
Chopper, acting as the group's official translator, looked worried. "This is the territory of the Pig God," he told the others. "The pig says that because we dared to break in, we won't be allowed to leave. They want to capture us as sacrifices for their great Pig God!"
"A Pig God? Is that what the sign on the beach was talking about?" Usopp asked nervously.
"A Pig God is still just a pig, right? I bet it tastes delicious!" Luffy's drool became even more ferocious.
Chopper continued to talk with the large pig and translated the conversation for his friends. They learned that the striped pigs worshipped a real entity known as the Pig God. According to the herd, this deity possessed enough magical power to cover the entire island, and anyone who disobeyed its laws would bring disaster upon everyone.
To Luffy, it didn't matter if the creature was a god or a ghost; he only cared about the meal. "Alright! I don't care about any Pig God. You're all going to be meat for me! I'll take you back and have Sanji cook the best dishes ever! Gomu Gomu no—Gatling!"
Luffy launched his attack immediately. The air filled with the sound of rapid impacts as his rubber fists sent several striped pigs flying through the air. However, the victory was short-lived. The pigs that had been knocked away simply stood back up and rejoined the circle, their eyes glowing with even more rage.
"Now they are really mad!" Chopper interpreted dutifully.
"These pigs are amazing! They must be extra tasty!" Luffy's grin widened.
Luffy knew exactly how much force he had put into his Gatling attack, and he used that to judge the pigs' strength. In his mind, the tougher the animal, the better the meat. He noticed that the large leader had taken several hits without even flinching. This only made him more determined to catch it.
The herd lost its patience and charged. Led by the five-meter giant, 300 striped pigs sprinted toward the trio in a frantic stampede. Luffy charged forward to meet the leader head-on, throwing a Gomu Gomu no Pistol at its forehead. To his surprise, his fist bounced off the pig's skull as if it were made of solid steel.
"Hahaha! What a strong pig! I'm going to have to try harder!" Luffy shouted, becoming even more excited. He began raining blows down on the giant pig, determined to win his dinner.
Usopp and Chopper had no choice but to defend themselves. Chopper shifted into his Kung Fu Point, using martial arts to weave through the charging animals and striking them with his hooves. He quickly realized that while he could knock the pigs back, they were so thick-skinned that his physical attacks weren't leaving a mark.
"Usopp, these pigs are weird!" Chopper yelled as he dodged a charging tusker.
"I know! My slingshot isn't doing anything!" Usopp's voice was filled with anxiety. He continued to fire his Kuro Kabuto, hitting his targets with perfect accuracy, but the ammunition didn't seem to bother the rampaging beasts. Eventually, Usopp had to use his skills to retreat to higher ground. "Only in the New World would the pigs be this strong! This place isn't for normal people!"
Despite his complaints, Usopp didn't stop fighting. He might be timid, but he had grown much stronger and wouldn't abandon his friends. He took aim and fired a specialized lead ball.
Bang! The projectile hit a pig and sent it tumbling backward. This time, the pig didn't get back up immediately.
Chopper looked up in surprise. "Usopp, how did you do that? That was great!"
Usopp struck a pose, looking proud. "Hah! Don't be too shocked. I've awakened my Armament Haki! Defeating these pigs is easy for a man like me."
"Oh, it was just Haki," Chopper said, losing interest instantly. He had hoped it was a new gadget.
While Armament Haki was powerful, Chopper hadn't mastered it yet. He had to rely on his own techniques. He used Moonwalk to leap into the air and began firing off Rankyaku air kicks. The sharp blades of wind sliced into the pigs, finally knocking some of them down. However, the pigs were so durable that even the Rankyaku only caused shallow wounds. By the time Chopper had taken down 20 pigs, he was already sweating from the effort.
On the other side of the clearing, Luffy was having a great time. He hadn't even used Gear 2 yet, seemingly enjoying the back-and-forth struggle with the giant pig leader. The pig had been taking a beating for fifteen minutes and still refused to fall. This only made Luffy more certain that the meat would be high quality.
Suddenly, a deep rumbling sound vibrated through the ground as if a massive earthquake were hitting the island. Usopp and Chopper froze, looking toward the tree line. Moments later, a literal torrent of pigs came rushing toward them.
Running at the very front of this massive stampede were Jango and Mr. 3. Both men were sprinting as fast as their legs could carry them.
"Luffy! Usopp! Chopper! Run! There are too many of them!" Jango and Mr. 3 screamed as they spotted their teammates.
There was no need for the warning. The three of them could see that the situation had changed. A quick glance showed a "beast tide" of nearly 10,000 striped pigs charging through the forest. It was an incredibly dangerous situation that would overwhelm anyone without significant strength.
Luffy could have stopped the stampede easily with a burst of Conqueror's Haki or a powerful shockwave, but he chose not to. Instead, he grinned and started running alongside Usopp and Chopper. To him, being chased by a thousand pigs was just another part of the adventure.
"Hahaha! This is so much fun!" Luffy laughed as they sprinted away.
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