486-490

Chapter 486: The Mysterious Old Man Inside the Whale’s Stomach 

At that moment, the mysterious old man sneered at Luffy and said, "You little brat, I’m about the same age as you, and you dare call me ‘Gramps’? That’s just unforgivable!" 

Luffy looked stunned. "What? You’re about the same age as me? Are you trying to make me laugh to death so you can inherit my stuff or something?!" 

Hearing that, Kazama burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. 

Sanji, Zoro, Usopp, Nami, and the others standing nearby also cracked up. They were all completely caught off guard by the old man’s bizarre claim. 

Still, Kazama could tell from the old man’s demeanor that he wasn’t weak at all. 

In fact, it was pretty clear the old guy was deliberately messing with Luffy and the others. 

So, Kazama instantly used the Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) and appeared right beside the mysterious elder. 

The old man, gripping a fishing rod, flinched slightly at Kazama’s sudden arrival—clearly startled by the swift move. 

But in order to maintain his air of mystery, the old man quickly composed himself and said calmly, "Not bad, kid. I didn’t expect a little runt like you to have such skill—to just appear in front of me like that. Too bad though... the moment you came here, you sealed your fate. I’m going to slice you down!" 

With that, the old man immediately launched an attack on Kazama. 

What surprised Kazama was that this seemingly eccentric elder was actually a skilled Fire Release (Katon) user. 

In just an instant, the old man’s entire body was engulfed in flames, turning him into a blazing fireman. 

The intense heat made the surrounding seawater start to boil. 

Off in the distance, Luffy, Zoro, and the others watched as the mysterious man suddenly attacked Kazama without any warning. 

They were instantly furious—completely losing their cool. 

After all, Kazama was their close friend and brother. There was no way they’d just stand by and watch him get attacked. 

They tried to rush in to help, but there was one big problem—their ship wasn’t floating on regular seawater. 

They were trapped inside a whale’s stomach, surrounded by highly corrosive gastric acid. 

Their wooden ship had already been eaten away to the point of falling apart. Moving it was impossible. 

Luffy saw that even their ship was being melted by the acidic “seawater” below. If they jumped into it themselves, it would be suicide. 

So, they had no choice but to stand by helplessly, consumed with worry. 

Luckily, Kazama wasn’t exactly in trouble. 

Given his strength, he could easily wipe the floor with this mysterious old man. 

Even though the old guy had clearly mastered Fire Release techniques, compared to Kazama, it was like showing off in front of a master swordsman. 

Kazama had control over twenty-three different types of supernatural flames. 

Forget his strongest fire, **Emperor Flame **—even his weakest, the ** Flame **, was enough to beat the old man black and blue, leaving him bawling for his mother. 

Still, Kazama wasn’t sure yet if the old man was an enemy or not. 

So for now, he held back from going all out. 

Chapter 487: Beating You Down with the Void-Devouring Flame 

With just a single move, Kazama unleashed his ** Flame**, instantly blocking the old man’s attack. 

Before the old man even had a chance to react— 

Kazama’s flame completely devoured the old man's fire, turning it into nothingness. 

“What?! How is that even possible?!” 

The old man stared in disbelief. Kazama’s flames were not only stronger than his own—they had burned his fire into nothing. 

He was completely stunned. 

Kazama, however, remained calm and spoke again to the old man: 

“Listen, gramps, we ended up here purely by accident. We’re not here to pick a fight with you. So I’d appreciate it if you’d stop attacking us.” 

The old man sneered. 

“Hmph! Spare me the act. Anyone who ends up here is nothing but a damn bastard!” 

“What?!” 

Kazama hadn’t expected the old man to be this arrogant and unreasonable. 

He’d even gone easy on him—yet the old man kept running his mouth like he was untouchable. 

There was no way Kazama would let that slide. 

With a flick of his hand, he summoned the fearsome Void-Devouring Flame, a black fire said to consume all things under heaven. 

He was ready to teach this so-called “mysterious old man” a real lesson. 

The old man, however, still didn’t seem to realize how terrifying this black flame really was. 

With a dramatic flourish of his hand, he unleashed an even more intense fire—one he claimed was far superior. 

“You little punk! This flame I’m using now is famous across the seas—it burns through anything and everything! So you’d better watch yourself!” 

As he shouted, the old man lunged at Kazama. 

But before his fire could even reach Kazama, it was completely swallowed by the black flames. 

“W-What the hell?! What is this?!” 

The old man stood there, frozen in shock. His signature flame—once his ultimate weapon—had been effortlessly devoured by Kazama’s Void-Devouring Flame. 

In all his years as a pirate, he never would’ve believed such a thing was possible. 

Kazama could already see that the flames within the old man's body had been fully consumed by his black fire. 

He took a step forward and said again, more firmly this time: 

“I’ll say it once more, old man. We ended up inside this whale completely by accident. We didn’t come here to fight, and we certainly don’t want to be your enemy. So stop causing trouble.” 

“Wait... how did you know this place is inside a whale?” 

The old man was floored. He had spent years creating this illusion of a peaceful paradise, hiding the truth that they were inside a whale. 

Yet Kazama had seen through it in an instant. 

“This?” 

Kazama casually pointed to his eyes—his Mangekyō Sharingan glinting in the light. 

“A dōjutsu, huh?” the old man muttered. “I’ve been sailing the seas for decades and I’ve never seen an eye technique like that... But since you saw through my illusion, you must be one hell of a guy. So—what exactly brought you here?” 

Kazama let out a long sigh now that the old man was finally willing to have a civil conversation. 

He knew full well—his strength was overwhelming. 

And if this old man had kept posturing... Kazama would’ve had no choice but to show him what true power really looked like. 

Chapter 488: The Arrogant Whale Hunters 

Truth be told, Kazama could’ve taken out the old man in a single move if he wanted to. 

But that wasn’t something Kazama desired. 

He wasn’t the type who delighted in killing. If anything, he avoided unnecessary bloodshed whenever he could. 

Just then, the mysterious old man finally explained himself to Kazama and the others. 

"You don’t know the whole story... This whale’s name is Laboon, and he’s the largest and most powerful whale on the East Blue coast. But the people living in this region have a habit of whale hunting—they love eating whale meat. That’s why they’ve attacked Laboon time and time again." 

"In order to protect Laboon, I came to an agreement with him to hide inside his body. From here, I help him fend off those attacks." 

"I see…" Kazama nodded in understanding. 

Still, he couldn’t help but think to himself, Even if you’re trying to protect the whale, was it really necessary to build this whole hidden paradise inside its body? Doesn’t the whale feel pain or discomfort? 

He sighed and shook his head, but chose not to voice his doubts. After all, it wasn’t really his place to criticize—this was someone else’s business. 

Then, Kazama quickly activated the **Yomi no Hirazaka (黄泉比良坂)**—a powerful space-time technique. He created two portals—one on the corroding ship and the other on the small island he currently stood on. 

With that, he successfully transported Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and the others safely off the ship. 

The moment they arrived, they all breathed a huge sigh of relief. 

Luffy gave Kazama a big thumbs-up and grinned. 

"Man, Kazama-nii, you’re seriously amazing!" 

"Yeah! Without you, we would've been seafood stew by now!" 

Even the mysterious old man was floored. 

"You, young man… just what kind of technique was that?" 

He had already been surprised by Kazama’s mastery over Fire Release, but now he had seen him use space-time ninjutsu too. 

As someone who had roamed the seas of the pirate world for decades, the old man had never encountered someone with Kazama’s level of power. 

"This?" Kazama smiled humbly. "The world’s full of strange and unique abilities. Everyone has their own gifts. Mine’s nothing special—just a bit unusual, that’s all." 

"Hah! Unusual? That’s an understatement," the old man muttered, still in disbelief. 

But just as things were starting to calm down, two figures suddenly appeared inside Laboon’s stomach—a man and a woman dressed in bizarre outfits. 

They showed up in the blink of an eye, landing right in front of Kazama and the others. 

The old man’s expression darkened the moment he saw them. 

He quickly leaned in and whispered to Kazama, "Little brother, those two… they're the ones I mentioned earlier. The real culprits behind the whale hunts. They’re known as the Wicked Couple. Those two damn scumbags! They manipulate the nearby villagers into hunting whales, then sell the meat all over the world. Because of them, whales around here are facing extinction, suffering unimaginable pain and cruelty!" 

Kazama’s eyes narrowed. 

"What?! That’s infuriating!" 😠 

Chapter 489: The Evil Couple Appears 

Luffy has always been someone who loves nature and adores animals. So the moment he saw this arrogant couple—a man and a woman acting all high and mighty—he instantly felt the urge to teach them a lesson. 

But before Luffy could even make a move... 

The evil couple suddenly struck with lightning-fast speed, knocking him flat on the ground. 

Then, the man and woman turned toward Kazama and the others, sneering, “Listen up, you little punks. Just because you’re hanging out with this old geezer doesn’t mean you can stop us. That whale, Laboon? We’re taking him, no matter what.” 

“That’s right. And really, what does our whaling business have to do with you? Don’t tell me you’ve never eaten meat. Never killed an animal before?” 

“Seriously?” 

The evil couple had slick tongues and knew how to twist words. In just a few short exchanges, they left Zoro and Sanji speechless. 

But no matter how clever they were, they couldn't outtalk Kazama. 

Kazama had an even sharper tongue—and a much stronger sense of justice. 

With a cold sneer, Kazama shot back, “Sure, we’ve all eaten meat, but honorable people take from nature responsibly. Even if you hunt, you don’t wipe out an entire species. From what I’ve heard, your whaling methods are barbaric—killing even newborn calves. Aren’t you afraid that someday there won’t be a single whale left in this world?” 

“Shut the hell up with your self-righteous crap!” 

The evil couple clearly had no intention of listening. They just thought Kazama was acting all high and mighty. 

They immediately started cursing at him. 

“Listen here, you little punk. We’re the top dogs in the whaling industry. We hunt however we damn well please. I’m giving you one chance: get lost. Now. Or don’t blame us for what happens next.” 

“That’s it! I’ve had enough of you two!” 

Kazama was seething. Watching this couple act so smug—especially after they beat up Luffy—there was no way he’d let them walk away. 

He charged at them. 

But before he could reach them, a mysterious old man quickly stepped in to block him. 

“Young man, you need to leave this place right now,” the elder warned. “These two are infamous for their arrogance and cruelty. They’ve eaten the Light-Speed Devil Fruit—their speed is nearly impossible to track. If they activate their powers, no one can follow their movements. They could kill you in an instant. Don’t fight them!” 

As the old man spoke, he rushed toward the couple without hesitation. 

The man laughed mockingly. “Well, well, old man. After fighting us for decades, I see you still remember how our abilities work.” 

“But even so,” the woman added with a cold smile, “knowing what we can do doesn’t help you. Against absolute speed, every tactic is worthless.” 

In a flash, they activated their light-speed abilities. 

Within seconds, the old man was left bruised and bloodied. 

And still, Kazama wasn’t the kind of guy to run away with his tail between his legs. 

Especially not after these two beat his brother-in-arms, Luffy, to a pulp. 

Chapter 490: Beating Down the Evil Couple 

Kazama wasn’t going to let this go—he was determined to help Luffy get revenge. 

In the blink of an eye, Kazama activated his Amenotejikara (Heavenly Hand Power), instantly swapping places with the elderly man who was about to be attacked. 

The evil couple, originally aiming to land a deadly blow on the old man, suddenly found themselves striking Kazama instead. 

They were completely caught off guard. 

"Huh? Didn’t expect that from you, you little brat. You were actually fast enough to switch places even during our light-speed attack?" 

"Heh, you got that right. Speed is what I, Kazama, take the most pride in. No one can match me when it comes to that." 

"Oh? Is that so? Then we, the evil couple, will take you up on that challenge. Let’s see whose speed really rules!" 

As they spoke, the evil couple activated their Light-Speed Devil Fruit powers again, instantly launching themselves toward Kazama with terrifying speed. 

Even with his Mangekyō Sharingan fully active, Kazama struggled to keep track of their movements. 

"So this is the power of a Light-Speed Devil Fruit… They really are as fast as lightning!" He was shocked, but his mind stayed sharp. 

Though Kazama couldn’t clearly follow their trajectory, he had other advantages: an invincible defense, and the protection of volcanic stone flames, which offered absolute defense. 

Even standing still, the evil couple couldn’t touch him. 

Just as he expected, their fierce, relentless blows all landed on his body—yet not a single one could harm him. 

Instead, after a few exchanges, the volcanic flames on Kazama’s body scorched their hands bright red. 

"What the—how is this even possible?" 

"Hey you little punk! Are you secretly a turtle or something? How the hell is your defense this solid?!" 

"Heh. You two evil lovebirds better watch your mouths when you talk to me." 

Kazama was clearly pissed. He couldn’t stand their arrogance—and now they dared to insult him too? 

The evil couple just sneered in return. 

"Tch, just because your shell is tough doesn’t mean you can act all high and mighty. Sure, maybe we can’t kill you—but you can’t kill us either. And don’t forget, your precious little friends are still wide open." 

As they said that, they launched another light-speed strike, this time targeting Sanji, Zoro, Luffy, Nami, and Usopp. 

Kazama’s eyes narrowed. 

Seeing how the evil couple were ready to slaughter his comrades, he instantly activated his Ultimate Dimensional Technique—Amenonaka (Heaven’s Within), dragging all three of them into a frozen world of snow and ice. 

But this time, Kazama had amplified the freezing power of this icy realm. 

The moment the evil couple entered, they were immediately encased in ice, completely immobilized. 

Even with their incredible speed, they were now helpless. 

Kazama coldly smirked at them. 

"What happened? Weren’t you two so proud of your so-called light-speed? Why can’t you move now?" 

"Damn you, brat! Don’t act cocky in front of us!" 

Even frozen solid, the evil couple refused to back down. 

"Sure, your power is insane—but look! Your little buddies are frozen too. If you kill us now, they’ll never survive!" 

They burst out laughing maniacally, certain they had Kazama cornered. 

And indeed, just as they said, Luffy, Zoro, and the others were frozen too, caught in the crossfire of Kazama’s technique. 

But then… 

Kazama let out a cold chuckle—and something happened that left the evil couple completely stunned.