Tap, tap, tap.
Warwick launched into the sky using Moon Steps, the advanced movement technique he had recently mastered.
With his terrifying physical strength, Warwick's speed was nothing short of explosive. He leapt as if climbing a staircase of clouds, rapidly ascending until he reached the altitude of the flying pterosaur.
"Roar!"
The pterosaur, spotting its prey suddenly leap into the air to meet it, let out a thunderous roar and lunged at Warwick with its massive, bloodstained maw wide open—clearly intending to crush him in one bite.
But the next moment...
"What the hell are you roaring for?"—a voice-over from the author, dry and unimpressed.
Warwick casually slapped his palm across the creature's head—not using his claws, just raw brute force.
The airborne pterosaur was smacked hard, its momentum broken mid-flight. It staggered, clearly stunned, flapping its wings erratically before recovering and circling once more.
It dove again.
This time, Warwick's eyes flashed with killing intent. With a swift sidestep using Moon Steps, he evaded the clumsy dive and countered with a devastating kick to the creature's back.
A boom of force exploded on impact.
The pterosaur screamed and plummeted like a falling star, crashing down toward the earth.
"Now's my chance."
From the ground, Mio drew his black katana, Raikiri, and leapt into the air with perfect timing. As the wounded beast descended to his level, he slashed out with precision.
A wave of black sword energy erupted, forming the shape of a black crow mid-flight before colliding with the beast.
Shlick!
The pterosaur was cleaved in two, blood spraying in every direction as its carcass fell like rain.
"Congratulations on collecting the [Pterosaur] gene!"
A prompt flashed in Mio's field of vision, courtesy of his Gene System.
From the distance, Robin and Erica finally caught up and arrived just in time to see the final blow.
Robin's eyes widened in admiration. "That was amazing..."
"Of course, Master is the strongest!" Erica said proudly, her head held high.
...
Step.
Mio landed, calmly sheathing Raikiri. He glanced at the ruined bodies of both the Tyrannosaurus and the pterosaur before turning toward his companions.
Then, as if remembering something important, he slapped his forehead and looked at Erica. "Right! Erica, can you have your ants search for rare animals, insects—and Devil Fruits, too?"
He had almost forgotten. Erica could communicate with ants, and every island had countless ants crawling around. Here on this ancient island, the ants were not only abundant but far more ferocious and intelligent than the average kind.
They might even be strong enough to cripple some creatures and drag them over for an easy gene harvest.
The more Mio thought about it, the more it made sense.
"Yes, Master!" Erica responded immediately. She pressed her palms together as the strange antennae on her forehead began to twitch.
Robin looked puzzled. "What's she doing?"
"She's summoning her little helpers," Mio replied with a grin. "Try not to freak out."
"Oh..." Robin nodded, still curious.
Within moments, the sound of rustling leaves and twitching brush spread across the surrounding forest. The noise grew louder and louder, as if something massive were approaching from all directions.
Then, like a wave of black tide, ants of all shapes and sizes poured out from the bushes. The smallest were the size of a thumb, the largest as big as ashtrays. Glossy black and packed tightly, they surrounded Mio's group in a dense circle.
Gulp.
Robin instinctively pressed herself against Mio, gripping the hem of his coat with trembling hands. Her face turned pale. The swarm looked like it could devour her at any moment.
But Erica remained composed, her hands still pressed together, antennae gently vibrating.
The ants paused, then began dispersing in all directions, as though receiving commands only they could understand.
Soon, the clearing was quiet again.
Opening her eyes, Erica turned to Mio with a cheerful smile. "Master, I've given them the orders. They're searching now."
"Good." Mio nodded in satisfaction, then glanced down at Robin and gave her a reassuring smile. "Relax. These are Erica's ants. They won't hurt us. She can communicate with them and control them completely."
"I figured," Robin replied, letting out a shaky breath and patting her chest in relief. "Still... that was a bit terrifying."
Even so, she couldn't help but admire Erica a little more.
Who would've guessed this petite girl had such overwhelming power?
"Is Erica... an ant?" Robin asked curiously.
"Yep," Mio confirmed. "And not just any ant—she's an ant queen."
"Amazing... No wonder she's so special," Robin murmured, genuinely impressed.
Just then, the antennae on Erica's head began twitching again.
"Master, I've received a message," she said quickly.
"Huh? That fast? How?" Mio was surprised.
"I can send and receive signals using these," Erica explained, pointing to her antennae. "The other ants can't do that."
Realization dawned on Mio's face. "That's actually incredible. Alright then, lead the way—I'm curious to see what they found."
"Yes, Master."
Erica took the lead, walking swiftly through the forest.
Mio motioned for Robin to follow and set off right behind.
Their journey didn't take long. After weaving through dense undergrowth, Erica came to a halt and gestured forward.
"Master, we're here."
Mio stepped up beside her and peered ahead, only for surprise to flicker in his eyes.
In front of them was a massive swamp, murky and motionless. On its surface floated several bloated, rotting corpses. But that wasn't what caught Mio's attention.
At the center of the swamp was a large, unfamiliar carcass—and beside it, a live pterosaur.
But this one was different.
It was smaller than the others and more slender, built for speed and agility. As Mio watched, the pterosaur took a bite of the strange corpse's flesh—and suddenly vanished.
Whoosh.
In the blink of an eye, it reappeared several meters away, then disappeared again, only to reappear beside the corpse once more.
Mio's eyes narrowed.
"What the hell...?"
This pterosaur wasn't just agile—it could teleport.
Or was it phasing? Blinking through space? Something even stranger?
Regardless, one thing was clear.
It was a rare creature—and the gene it held could be valuable beyond imagination.
Mio's lips curled into a smirk. "Now this... this is getting interesting."