Chapter 1161: The Girl and Croagunk (Part 2)

Chapter 1161 -1143: The Girl and Croagunk (Part 2)

The difference is, Croagunks are very strong, and if you underestimate them, you’ll feel the threat from these adorable creatures.

Take pandas, for example, they’re not weak little cats, they’re bears. They can munch on bamboo with a blank stare or smack a person awake, showing what it means to be a flexible chubby creature. Their speed in mountain running is contradictory to their appearance.

“Are you going to continue?”

It seemed like Kuzan thought the Croagunks hadn’t had enough fun yet. With a wave of his hand, he produced a pile of ice bricks on the ground. Eskimos would probably welcome Kuzan because with this ability, they wouldn’t have to make ice bricks for their igloos.

However, the Croagunks were different. Four or five Croagunks sat in a row with a squatting posture, their poison sacs on the sides of their cheeks continuously inflating and deflating, looking at Kuzan with a kind of affectionate gaze reserved for fools.

“Gua kachaa? (Why give us ice blocks?)”

“Gua kachaa. (I don’t know, maybe he likes eating ice blocks.)”

Kuzan didn’t have a strong enough bond to understand what the Croagunks were saying, otherwise, he’d know that he had misunderstood some things.

Brick breaking is a personal hobby of the Croagunk tribe, but there’s a reason for this hobby.

Initially, it was just for training. Later, they discovered that this behavior would attract worshipful looks from those delinquent teens, who would offer “tributes”. After that, brick breaking became not just an exercise, but also a form of street performance.

In terms of strength, forget about Machamp, even Machop is stronger than the Croagunks. But the Croagunks managed to win thanks to their unique appearance.

Moreover, those Machamp families are either sweating it out in the gym or working hard at construction sites, while the Croagunks chose this path, which confirms the name “delinquent”.

If the camel were here, Kuzan wouldn’t have had this misunderstanding. But at this moment, the camel was having fun in the rain. Born in the Northern Sea Region, it hadn’t seen rain before, only experiencing blizzards. For this penguin, rain was a completely new experience.

It even deliberately looked around to make sure no one could see what it was doing before it entered a relaxed state.

…

The silence around Kuzan was quickly broken by someone else. The raindrops above his head suddenly disappeared, and a floral umbrella had already been placed over his head.

“Uncle, you’re not using an umbrella on a rainy day. Be careful, you’ll get rheumatism when you’re older.”

A little girl, who looked to be about eleven or twelve years old, held up the floral umbrella in her hand and extended it over Kuzan’s head. His height of over three meters was still too tall, even though Kuzan was now half-squatting on the ground, it was still a challenge for the little girl.

“Don’t worry, I’m very healthy. This light rain won’t affect me.”

“Grandma was also like that when she was younger, and she regrets it now.”

The weather forecast might lie, but old injuries won’t. People who have been hurt when they were young face a challenge with every rainy or cloudy day as they grow older and weaker physically.

But the body will faithfully respond to changes in the weather, and many elders will use themselves as a lesson to warn the next generation.

“Ah la la, thanks for your concern. I’ll pay attention next time.

But you, why are you out here alone in this weather and walking towards this place? It’s not safe to be near the river on a rainy day.”

“Grandma’s back doesn’t feel good. I came to get medicine for her. You must be new here; Croagunks don’t eat ice blocks, bringing those things is useless. Hold the umbrella for me please.”

Saying that she took out a food container, which contained a few fish-dry rice balls and an empty bottle, and handed them to the Croagunks.

The Croagunks were quite familiar with this transaction. After receiving the food, they secreted a drop of venom into the bottle, then filled it with water.

When the quantity is large enough, the secreted venom can paralyze a person’s body, but when the dosage is appropriate, it is a good medicine.

The venom secreted from the tips of their fingers can be made into medicine when diluted, and it is an excellent material for relieving back pain.

Croagunks use special water to dilute it, leading to an irreversible process in dilution, ensuring that even if someone wants to purify it, they can’t get the toxin back, only ending up with a cup of waste water, preventing anyone from using this venom for malicious purposes.

The water they produce is the best thing for preparing medication, and their presence here is partly because of this. The specially made medicine also appears on the sales platform of Hundred Beasts Fruit and is highly praised.

Whether it’s a decoction or ointment, it can have miraculous effects and has become an effective folk remedy in Wano Kuni for treating old conditions like back pain.

Of course, the Holy Mountain is a better option, but unless it’s an irreversible injury or illness that can’t be dealt with by conventional means, no one would climb the Holy Mountain for small ailments like headaches or fevers. Climbing there is a difficult task.

After obtaining the medicine, the girl protected the medicine bottle in her arms and turned back to run in the direction she came from.

“Hey, your umbrella!”

“I gave it to you. My home is very close, newcomers shouldn’t keep getting drenched.”

Before she could run two steps, Kuzan instantly appeared in front of her, returning the floral umbrella to her hand. He also had an ice umbrella in his hand.

“I appreciate the thought, but I do have an umbrella.”

“Demon Mages indeed are such odd people. You can make an umbrella, yet you still get wet!”

“As for you, what ordinary girl would give a stranger an umbrella the moment they meet.”

“That’s what Grandma said. Life now is hard-earned, so we need to take care of you newcomers a bit.”

She mistook Kuzan for a newcomer among the Hundred Beasts. Here, they don’t know anything about the Navy Admirals.

Her judgment was correct, but Kuzan himself was very special.

There’s hardly any outsiders in Wano Kuni, over the years, only one or two ships have accidentally arrived here. After the Hundred Beasts took over, it’s basically desolate.

People dressed in unique attire are typically members of the Hundred Beasts. They’ve seen the change in their lives; though they can’t do great things, they’ll do their best to accomplish small tasks.

Of course, not every part of it is accurate, because no matter what the group, there will be elites and riff-raff within it.

There are skilled and capable elites among the Heavenly Celestial Dragon, and there are intrusive elements who flaunt their power within the Revolutionary Army and the Navy, but it’s undeniable that the education of the previous generation greatly impacts the next.

“Alright, go home quickly. You don’t need to worry about adult matters, little kid.”

“Don’t underestimate people, okay? I’m already preparing to work at a Pokemon Center in the future, so maybe when you get hurt, it will be me treating you.”

“If possible, I’d rather not get hurt.”

Outside of Kuzan’s injured leg, his leather boots were intact. If he didn’t actively remove them, others wouldn’t be able to tell he’s missing a leg.

Watching the girl turn and enter an alley, Kuzan also planned to leave here. The rain was gradually getting heavier, and there were already few people on the street.

But as he turned, he sensed a slight anomaly….

The patter of the rain did not cease, and the croaking of the Croagunk intermittently echoed from the marshland.

Raindrops gathered on the leaves, weighed them down under gravity, and finally converged into a trickling stream on the ground.

The flow of people on the streets thinned out, everything seemed so natural, and the land before his eyes was still Wano Kuni, yet this nation continued to spawn scum.

“Something’s off with these footsteps…”

Even a bottom-tier Admiral can be described as a monster, their strength has long surpassed human limits, this limit is not only reflected in strength and speed but also in their heightened senses.

Kuzan’s sight and hearing are sharper than an average person’s, and anyone trained in Observation Haki would have their senses heightened, as Observation Haki itself is an extension of the eyes and ears.

Even if someone is blind, as long as they are skilled in Observation Haki, they can move as freely as a normal person, albeit unable to see human faces, everything in the world appears to them as vague black shadows.

Alleyways were separated by walls, making it impossible to see the details within them with the naked eye, but this only applied to ordinary people.

To Kuzan, standing still was enough for him to sense the situation over there.

Kuzan couldn’t combine Observation Haki with Fruit Ability like Enel to expand his perception range across the entire island.

This unique combination of talent and fruit is hard to replicate, but sensing an alley dozens of meters away was no problem.

The little girl’s footsteps changed from steady to flustered, and finally vanished, replaced by a heavier stride.

A northerly wind blew by, scattering a few fine ice shards into the puddles, quickly melting under the rain.

Kuzan’s figure had vanished the moment he sensed the anomaly, the shattered ice flowers on the ground were the only evidence of Kuzan’s presence.

…

At that moment in the alley, a familiar floral umbrella lay on the ground, and the girl was being pressed into the muddy ground by someone.

A man reeking of alcohol was on top of her, pressing a large hand over her mouth, preventing any cries for help.

Judging by the traces around them, she tried to escape when faced with danger but wasn’t successful.

When it came to matching strength against an adult, she was overwhelmed, ultimately getting trapped in this alley.

The man hadn’t premeditated this, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision fueled by alcohol, discovering the girl taking a shortcut home in an empty area.

The slippery roads in the rain made him fall, the girl kindly tried to help him up, but he developed malicious intent.

Wano Kuni had numerous surveillance facilities, but most were outward-facing or ensuring Queen’s laboratory security. While these acted as a deterrent to common citizens, they couldn’t prevent illegal activities entirely.

If surveillance alone could solve such issues, there would be no tragedies in the world.

But just as he wore a perverted grin and intended to continue, he lost control of his body.

“I’d advise you not to move, or you’re done for if it breaks.”

Kuzan appeared behind him, his hand resting on the man’s shoulder, and with that, most of the man’s body was turned into an ice sculpture by Kuzan.

Fear washed over him, clearing his head in an instant, he knew his actions were wrong, yet desire clouded his judgment.

“I…”

Crack…

The ice spread, and Kuzan wasted no words. He merely further engaged his ability and encased the man entirely in ice, avoiding affecting the girl beneath with a sudden freeze.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Grandma always said goodness begets goodness.”

The girl’s voice quivered slightly, with a hint of relief.

She found Kuzan peculiar and thus wanted to offer him her umbrella. Their brief encounter led to the unfolding events, which were precarious, yet in the end, her unintentional act earned her further assistance from Kuzan.

“From now on, be cautious when you go out… It’s good to be more wary of strangers, and it’s best not to take these small alleys.”

Seeing that the girl’s mental state didn’t seem too poor, Kuzan felt slightly relieved but still offered his advice.

To be honest, he didn’t want to say such things. The girl had a benevolent side of human nature in her, and the thought of selflessly helping others could make society more beautiful.

But he had to say it because human nature is unpredictable, even in this Wano Kuni, scoundrels like this man still existed.

Here, there was a stable living environment, countless opportunities, and directions for efforts, yet he chose the most despicable act.

People like him were rare in Wano Kuni, but individuals like him could spoil a good pot of soup, and no one dared gamble that their kindness wouldn’t invite similar trouble. If such an incident happened to one’s own family, it would be a Nightmare.

The only way to protect oneself was to withhold that benevolence.

Society’s conscience was gradually worn away in front of such people.

“Let me see you home. I’m quite formidable, wouldn’t fear a hundred more like him.”

The girl seemed fine, yet Kuzan noticed her legs trembling slightly; she was putting on a brave face.

Not knowing what the girl had been through didn’t matter to him; he was willing to lend her a hand.

A small icy pony appeared out of thin air in Kuzan’s hand, the lively little horse dispelling the girl’s fear.

…

The girl was right; her home really wasn’t far, Kuzan soon escorted her back, where they met the elderly lady waiting for her at the door.

“Where are the child’s parents?”

“At work. They’re working overtime to buy a new house in the Flower Capital, so they’ve left the child in my care.

Thank you so much, subordinate of Lord Kaidou.”

“Lord Kaidou…”

Kuzan didn’t dwell on the title. He’d settled in Wano Kuni, so it’s reasonable to be mistaken as Kaidou’s subordinate.

After returning the girl, Kuzan explained the earlier events, and then the grandmother sincerely invited Kuzan to come in, bringing about this scene.

At this moment, the girl was changing clothes inside, while the elderly lady entertained Kuzan with everyday chatter and stories of Wano Kuni’s past changes.

From such commonfolk, Kuzan gained a deeper understanding of the drastic changes in Wano Kuni over the past 20 years.

“They should keep a better eye on the child, such things are too dangerous.”

“It’s actually rare, I haven’t heard of similar incidents in years. Times have become so good; why are there still people who are not content….”

“Granny, it’s not about contentment; it’s just… human nature, I suppose.”

Kuzan was at a loss for words, simply standing up to leave. There were many people in the world, and even more in need of help; he couldn’t establish close ties with everyone. Most encounters were merely fleeting.

After Kuzan left, the girl changed into clean clothes and came out again, intending to continue helping her grandmother with her medication.

“Hanako… Grandma may have taught you something wrong, focus on protecting yourself outside before helping others. Goodness is not always there.

Your parents might be right; it may be better to go into business with them than to become a doctor.”

“I understand Grandma, but I still prefer being a doctor. More good people exist, and saving a good person would mean one less bad person too.”

The hearts of the young weren’t yet tainted with complexities, only wanting to move towards their ideals. Whether they can maintain this purity in the future remains to be seen.

After leaving Hanako’s house, Kuzan returned to the alley. Earlier, he’d only frozen the man, refraining from shattering him before Hanako.

But upon his return, he found several people there, with two Mightyenas prowling around the ice statue.

Surveillance couldn’t ensure instant prevention of accidents, but it provided more assistance in handling incidents…