Clearly, Robin's Flower-Flower Fruit ability had been mistaken by the Iwagakure captain as a Kekkei Genkai—a hereditary bloodline limit.

And in a world where bloodline abilities could be passed down through genetics, capturing this girl might just mean creating a whole new Kekkei Genkai clan for Iwagakure. Even if she couldn't be captured, eliminating her to prevent other villages from obtaining her power would still be a valuable outcome.

"A man's worth can invite his own ruin"—Robin had become a target simply for possessing such a rare ability.

This was unavoidable. No matter how cautious or clever Robin was, there was no way she could have predicted that an ability like hers—unstealable in the One Piece world—would be seen here as a bloodline trait that could be inherited through lineage.

The Iwagakure captain quickly formed seals and activated his jutsu.

Boom!

With a thunderous rumble, the earth heaved upward. Jagged stone pillars shot into the air and interlocked in an instant, forming a massive stone prison that blocked Law's escape route.

"Drake!"

"Roar!!"

At Law's shout, a deafening dinosaur roar replied.

The ground trembled as the massive Allosaurus lowered its head and violently smashed through the stone pillars, charging into the prison.

As it thundered across the open ground, Law seized the opportunity. Grabbing Robin, the two of them leapt into the dinosaur's claw.

Then, with a second mighty crash, the Allosaurus smashed through the far end of the prison and charged toward the forest at full speed.

"Stop them!"

The Iwagakure captain shouted without hesitation.

At the dinosaur's current pace, if it managed to break through the dense, obstacle-filled forest and into open ground, even a Jonin using the Body Flicker Technique wouldn't be able to keep up for long.

The only way to stop them was to eliminate them inside the forest.

The Iwa shinobi reacted immediately. Those farther away began forming hand seals without delay—

Only to be abruptly interrupted the next second.

Robin had waved her arm, and numerous arms sprouted from the palms of those shinobi, stopping their hand signs mid-formation.

Flower-Flower Fruit was a natural counter to hand-seal-based ninjutsu. Its suppression was nearly absolute.

Clutch—Twenty-Fold Flower!

But then—

Robin's expression changed. Her mouth opened slightly in shock.

Beneath them, the solid ground suddenly transformed into a vast quagmire. The Allosaurus stomped down—and instantly sank deep into the swamp.

Earth Style: Dark Swamp!

What's going on?! she had already neutralized their jutsu, hadn't she?

A smug smile curled at the edge of the Iwagakure captain's lips.

They'd been prepared.

Those Iwa shinobi within Robin's line of sight were just decoys—meant to bait her ability. The real caster had been hiding beyond her field of vision, completely concealed.

The logic was simple—if you can't see the enemy, how can you stop their jutsu?

Sure enough, the strategy worked perfectly. Drake was trapped in the swamp.

No matter how strong the creature, it was impossible to escape such a deep mire on sheer strength alone.

The more one struggled, the faster they sank.

In just a dozen seconds, the quagmire had swallowed the dinosaur's legs up to its thighs. With no other choice, Drake canceled his transformation.

His massive body rapidly shrank down, reverting into the slender form of a boy. All three of them—Drake, Robin, and Law—sank into the swamp together.

In this dire moment, Robin clenched her teeth and said:

"Hold onto me!"

"What?!"

Law and Drake were stunned. But then they looked up—to see a thick tree branch above them, where a pair of arms had sprouted and were still growing, like bamboo segments, elongating rapidly.

Twenty connected arms formed two long vines, which whipped down and grabbed the group, then yanked upward with all their strength.

Twenty-Fold Flower: Grapple Rope!

With a painful jolt, Robin was pulled out of the swamp.

Law and Drake quickly grabbed onto her legs, and together they were all hauled out of the quagmire and flung onto a nearby tree branch.

"Run!"

Robin gritted her teeth. Her arms ached faintly.

The hands she had sprouted earlier on the Iwa shinobi had already been severed. With shared nerve sensation, she had felt every cut as if it were her own.

This was where her effort to save Drake and Law paid off—she could now be carried away by them.

Sure enough, Drake picked up Robin and leapt, landing steadily on a far-off branch.

Although his feet lacked chakra to stick to surfaces like a trained ninja, his upbringing and training allowed him to manage basic movement through the trees.

Law, on the other hand, jumped... and nearly fell.

Clearly, he wasn't as adept.

At this rate, they wouldn't even make it to the forest's edge—let alone escape pursuit.

Seeing this, Drake gritted his teeth and grabbed Law as well—now carrying both of them as he sprinted through the treetops.

There was no way they could run on the ground.

No one knew if the enemy would create another swamp to stop them again.

Watching this scene, the Iwa captain's eyes showed a trace of contempt.

Touching teamwork... but utterly pointless.

If he had abandoned the boy and fled with just the girl possessing the Kekkei Genkai, he might have gained some distance.

But now...

With a flicker of movement, the Iwa captain blurred into motion. In just a few steps, he closed the gap between them—appearing directly in front of Drake, just like when he first appeared.

His hands moved behind his back, completing seals. When he raised his right hand, it was now encased in a massive boulder-like gauntlet.

With a swing of a stone fist over a meter in diameter, he struck at Drake.

Earth Style: Stone Fist Jutsu!

Boom!

With a dull thud, Drake was sent flying, crashing through tree branches that snapped like twigs.

So strong...

Drake could feel his forearms—used to block the attack—fracture slightly. He couldn't muster any more strength.

Robin immediately sprouted hands from nearby trees to catch the three of them, but her expression darkened.

At this rate, there was no chance of escape.

The ninja were simply too fast.

"Put me down..."

Law suddenly bit his lip and spoke, a serious look in his eyes.

Drake looked at him deeply and shook his head. "I'm not abandoning anyone again."

"That's not what I mean," Law replied calmly, sounding far older than his years.

"If we don't kill that captain first, none of us are getting out alive."

He clenched his fists and said with chilling resolve:

"Put me down. I'm going to kill him."

"Oh? And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

The Iwa captain landed lightly on a tree branch ahead, looking amused rather than alarmed.

The rest of the Iwa shinobi had arrived as well, surrounding the trio completely.

Without creating an opening, escape was impossible.

Law reached down and drew a small blade from Drake's waist.

He swung it once, then turned to face the Iwa captain.

A smile tugged at the corners of his boyish face.

"With this... I'm going to kill you."

~~~

If You Wish To Support Me And Read Advance Chapters, Consider Joining Me On This Journey!

p(a)treon(.)com/HudaLin

Remove the parentheses btw