Watching Izou, who jumped off the ship holding dual guns, Drake couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic, because long ago, she also used dual guns, but after joining the Hundred Beasts, she gradually changed her fighting style.
Fists became her more reliable weapon. However, she still had two handguns strapped to her waist, though their style had become much more sci-fi, a new type of weapon designed with her own abilities in mind.
They operate on the same principle as the energy cannon within Queen, both new types of weapons powered by Pokemon's strength, although Drake seldom used hers.
As Izou landed, he immediately saw a large cat enveloped in lightning charging at him, the beast form of Drake. In terms of sheer speed burst, the beast form was faster than the human-beast form.
Drake's sprinting speed was incredibly fast, making it difficult for Izou to lock onto her for a moment.
Bang! Bang!
The two gunshots only added two bullet holes in the sand; Luxray's flexibility had already allowed Drake to get above Izou, her mouth brimming with lightning as she moved to bite him.
Though it appeared savage, sharp teeth have always been one of the fighting styles of Zoan, and most with the ability to have sharp teeth preserve this fighting style.
Yet, Drake's Thunder Fang couldn't land on her target, as Izou dodged it with an extremely agile maneuver.
Failing to hit, Drake reverted to her human-beast form, her claw blades gleaming coldly, engaging in close combat with Izou, whose quick, close-range assault left him with almost no chance to fire his guns.
Although Izou hailed from Wano Kuni, unlike those samurai skilled in swordsmanship, he had no confidence in his swordsmanship. He believed that a "samurai" should not be constrained by swords; using guns also expressed the way of a samurai.
Yet, Izou felt that his combat style was being anticipated by the opponent, not through Observation Haki's foresight, but because the opponent clearly knew his next move.
In fact, this was precisely the case. Drake was also adept at using dual guns, and she knew exactly the types of opponents they struggled with. Normal human speed is hard to dodge bullet speed, but someone of her cadre level is different.
One could say that Izou was at a disadvantage against her right from the start, yet having served aboard the Whitebeard ship for so many years and even becoming the captain of the 16th division, Izou possessed his own unique skills.
Amid Drake's close-quarters entanglement, he still found his opportunity to shoot.
In Drake's eyes, Izou's recent actions resembled a dance; this was because, in his childhood, Izou was a successor of the dance style Hanakago School. After his father became a criminal, his family scattered, leaving him and Kikunojo to drift through the streets.
Due to dancing from a young age, those dance techniques became integrated into his combat system.
"Tanzanmaru"
Izou's gun barrel spewed bullets, infused with Haki, allowing each bullet to deliver circular slashes, a unique shooting method that achieved both shooting and slashing effects simultaneously.
Though using guns, his bullets could achieve what blades could, and soon the bullets Izou shot collided with the claw strikes from Drake, using the smoke from their collision, Izou tried to distance himself, aiming to reach a distance suitable for gun combat.
But Drake had no intention of giving him that chance, entangled in electric currents, she continued her attack on Izou.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Iscariot also carried out the task given by Drake.
"Go help Sister Drake deal with the enemy, or you know what the result will be."
Encased in insect armor, Iscariot spoke plainly to Kikunojo, this was the task assigned to her by Drake. She didn't know what that result would be, but it was irrelevant, as Kikunojo himself understood.
If the three of them made moves on the outside during the fight, Kozuki Hiyori in Wano Kuni would encounter problems, which was something they had known for a long time.
For the sake of Kozuki Hiyori, even if they had to become blades for the Hundred Beasts, it didn't matter, yet this time was different because the opponent was his own older brother, Izou.
Yes, he had to face Izou, not Fossa.
Though Drake asked Coby to hold on a bit longer, Kikunojo wasn't going to help him, because his strength wasn't enough, even with Kikunojo, they might not quickly resolve Fossa.
But this was different; Kikunojo's help could allow her to finish the battle in her hands quicker, freeing her to confront Fossa.
Freeing her greatest combat strength was her plan.
They never doubted the words of the Hundred Beasts because they dared not gamble on the consequences for Kozuki Hiyori if they didn't cooperate.
"What are you waiting for? Don't you understand the meaning?"
"Understood...."
No matter how unwilling, Kikunojo forced his body to move.
"Brother... I'm sorry...."
Faced with the choice between his own brother and the master's remnant, Kikunojo opted for the latter. Regardless of whether Drake perished or was defeated, his presence guaranteed it would affect Kozuki Hiyori's situation.
He didn't even dare to hold back too much because Drake understood him too well. But due to the identity, even if he did nothing, just appearing in Izou's line of sight was enough to create a massive impact.
In the middle of combat with Drake, Izou noticed the movement nearby. As he aimed his gun in that direction, he froze, giving up on shooting momentarily, not reacting until he was kicked in the abdomen by Drake.
Staring at the severed gun barrel in his left hand, Izou's expression was filled with shock.
"Why? Kiku, why are you doing this?!"
Even with the mask, through the eye holes and the way the sword was brandished, he recognized him as his younger brother.
Despite various reasons keeping him on Whitebeard's ship, preventing him from returning to Wano Kuni for many years, he never expected his brother would brandish a sword against him.
"I'm sorry...."
Tears trickled down from the gaps in the mask. There was a jest that Izou and Ashura Doji's deaths in the original timeline happened because they weren't devout enough to the Kozuki family, but in some ways, these two indeed differed slightly from other household attendants.
At that moment, Izou suspected Kikunojo of having unspeakable reasons but didn't think in this direction. Whether it was joining forces with his brother to deal with Drake or passing information, Kikunojo didn't dare because of Kozuki Hiyori. He only continued to apologize while attacking.
But Izou found himself in a conundrum, with Kikunojo now wide open, fully unguarded against him. He hoped Izou could defeat him, viewing it as the best possible outcome for him. Yet, Izou couldn't bring himself to shoot his own brother.
Simply because of Kikunojo's presence, the once balanced battle tilted towards one side...