034: Disguise

Not long after flying away, Karasu came back.

He gazed longingly at Mercer and the meat. Seeing this, Mercer wasn't stingy. He cut off another strip and tossed it over.

Just like before,

Karasu carried the strip of meat to feed Crow Xiaoniu.

Only after making several trips back and forth

did Karasu finally eat some himself.

Mercer laughed and teased him. "So you're a big softie after all. Spoiling your wife like that."

"Caw~"

Only after eating nearly a pound of meat did Karasu finally fly back to his nest, satisfied.

Mercer cooked the prepared meat over a fire and brought Kureha a portion. Then he happily ate his fill, leaving the rest for Bear Cub to finish.

The days passed.

Nine days later.

Early morning.

Awoken at dawn by the hoarse, high-pitched cries of crows, Mercer carried a basin of prepared beef and minced meat up to the treetop.

As soon as Crow Xiaoniu saw Mercer, she gazed longingly at the basin in his hands, flew straight out of the nest, and landed on his arm.

She gracefully stretched her slender neck toward the basin, picked up a piece of beef, and started eating.

Mercer grinned. "Take it slow. Where's Karasu?"

"Caw~" After swallowing the meat, Crow Xiaoniu pointed a wing into the distance and cried hoarsely, "Caw-caw~"

Mercer understood. That guy had gone hunting.

That was only natural.

So he didn't bother asking any more.

Once Crow Xiaoniu had eaten her fill, she began picking up the minced meat with her beak and feeding it to the five chicks one by one.

This food had been specially prepared, mixed with medicine from the "Kōrai Crow" breeding booklet. It could promote the development of their bones and brains, and aid digestion.

The chicks weren't the only ones eating it. The couple ate it too.

He still remembered how both birds had looked at the meat with the medicine mixed in for the first time, their eyes full of reluctance.

Mercer had to pry their beaks open and force it down.

But now,

their bodies told the truth.

As Mercer watched Crow Xiaoniu feed the chicks, he pinched up some minced meat and helped feed them too.

Every now and then, he stroked one or flicked another.

Crow Xiaoniu occasionally pushed Mercer's hand away with a wing or nipped his finger with her beak.

Mercer found it amusing too. From time to time, he reached out to tease Crow Xiaoniu, rubbing her head with his fingertip.

He helped smooth her feathers.

When Karasu returned with a fat Bamboo Rat in his beak, he saw Mercer in his nest, teasing his wife and children.

Good thing Mercer wasn't a bird. Otherwise, the scene would surely have turned into a bloody fight with feathers flying everywhere.

Seeing the returning bird, Mercer waved and called out with a smile:

"Well, look who's here! I saved some meat for you. Come eat."

Karasu gave an unhappy "caw," but didn't turn down the food. He set the fat Bamboo Rat he'd pecked to death outside the nest, then ate the medicated beef strips Crow Xiaoniu had saved for him.

Mercer chuckled and stroked his back feathers. "You're a tsundere, aren't you?"

"Caw~" Karasu cried unhappily, but didn't resist Mercer's touch. "You're the caw~ one."

Mercer wasn't surprised to hear him speak. A couple of days earlier, the exceptionally clever Karasu had learned a few simple words under Mercer's tutelage.

He could even use simple words to talk back to Mercer.

Mercer couldn't be bothered to respond.

He turned to stroke his wife's head, scratch her neck, and smooth her feathers, then went back to teasing the five chicks.

Karasu sat quietly to the side and watched. After spending all these days together, he and Mercer had become quite familiar with each other.

With Mercer around, there was food and shelter, and no need to worry about surviving.

But Karasu still went out to hunt alone every day,

regardless of wind or snow.

Now, when Mercer rubbed his head, Karasu only gave a quiet "caw." He didn't resist.

Mercer looked at the family of seven before him, feeling rather pleased. Everything was hard at the beginning, but as time passed, he was sure his flock of crows would grow.

After playing with them a little longer, Mercer climbed down.

As soon as he entered the house, he saw Bear Cub clearing the table.

After getting used to it over these past few days, Bear Cub had used self-devouring to change back into his original panda form.

He said that after the novelty wore off, he was more comfortable in his usual form in most situations.

However, he'd kept the modifications to his throat bones.

Because Bear Cub had modified them himself rather roughly, Kureha had given him a full physical examination.

She'd gathered a lot of data about his body and helped Bear Cub further optimize the design for the bone modifications.

When he saw Mercer, Bear Cub stopped working and asked curiously, "Birds, feed, done?"

Mercer smiled. "Yeah, I'm done feeding them. Those chicks haven't even grown all their feathers yet. They're so ugly. You were cuter when you were little."

Bear Cub grinned and laughed, "Aw-aw." After he finished laughing, he pointed at the kitchen, then at himself.

"Bowls, wash, me."

Mercer nodded. "Go on, then. In a bit, we'll keep practicing the fusion. I feel like it's been good for both of us."

Bear Cub's eyes lit up, and he nodded at once.

"Free Breathing Method"

Although the Devil Fruit ability and the body were Bear Cub's, fusing with him gave Mercer a much faster way to cultivate Unity of Heaven and Man.

Because all living things were part of nature, living creatures were naturally one aspect of it.

By sensing what it was like to fuse with Bear Cub, Mercer had also gained a deeper understanding of Unity of Heaven and Man.

And Mercer wasn't the only one benefiting. When Mercer used the "Free Breathing Method" while they were fused, it greatly benefited Bear Cub as well. Bear Cub's understanding of the Breathing Technique kept improving too.

That wasn't all. While they were fused, Bear Cub also gained unique insights into how Mercer used Observation Haki.

Perhaps one day, Bear Cub might awaken Observation Haki on his own while they were fused in the state of "Unity of Heaven and Man."

Mercer was certain it was possible.

Haki existed instinctively within living beings. Any living creature could awaken it.

Just look at the Kung Fu Dugongs of Alabasta. They were incredibly good at using Haki.

Even Armament Haki.

After chatting with Bear Cub for a while, Mercer went upstairs to assist Kureha with her research and study under her.

When enough time had passed,

Mercer went downstairs.

He glanced at Bear Cub. The latter understood immediately, and the two went outside. Bear Cub wrapped his arms around Mercer's waist, opened his mouth wide, and swallowed him whole.

Karasu and Crow Xiaoniu, perched at the top of the Treehouse, witnessed the scene. The two birds exchanged a glance, both of them intrigued.

They weren't frightened, since they'd seen this happen many times before.

Though the first time they saw it, both birds had been terrified.

As Bear Cub used his ability, he and Mercer merged once again.

A panda-man appeared.

His fur was black and white, and his face was a blend of Mercer and Bear Cub's features. No clothes appeared.

Bear Cub watched his transformation out of habit, then relaxed his control over the body. Mercer smoothly took over.

In the state of Unity of Heaven and Man, Mercer reflected.

He sensed that all things had their own unique breathing rhythms and fluctuations.

By visualizing these rhythms, he could adjust his breathing to match them, to blend with them, and to become one with them.

At the same time, he could engrave the unique breathing rhythms of all things into his own body.

Then he could make these natural phenomena manifest through himself.

Would that be a form of manifestation through thought?

How could he manifest it?

Could he use the power of Haki?

These were some of Mercer's conclusions from his insights.

So far, he could only achieve something like this with Bear Cub, relying on the Munch-Munch Fruit ability.

All things followed their own laws.

Each had its own most fundamental way of operating.

Even Devil Fruits did.

By fusing with Bear Cub, Mercer could sense the specific uses and workings of the Fruit ability.

Swallowing all things, the space inside the stomach, digestion, absorption, fusion, and the refinement of biological structures.

He focused on these things, trying to sense their similarities.

Mercer's breathing unconsciously grew deeper.

Mercer was cultivating, and so was Bear Cub. He savored the clarity that came over his body with each breath.

It was as if he could sense everything inside and outside his body.

His thoughts flowed along with Mercer's breathing.

Cultivation always seemed to pass quickly. Their fusion also consumed a great deal of stamina, and the session ended when Bear Cub began to feel tired.

Bear Cub ended the fusion and pulled Mercer out of his mouth.

After stretching, Mercer glanced at Bear Cub's somewhat listless expression and smiled.

"Come on, let's go hunting and find something tasty."

As he spoke, Mercer saw Bear Cub's eyes light up. Then he looked toward Karasu, perched atop the Treehouse, and beckoned.

Karasu flew over and landed on Bear Cub's shoulder. He regarded Mercer curiously. "Caw~ What?"

Mercer said, "We're going hunting. I'll get food for your wife and kids."

Karasu nodded and praised Mercer, "Go, hunt, meat."

Mercer considered what to eat today, then looked at Karasu.

"Want some bamboo grubs? Thumb-thick and palm-long. Tender and white, with lots of protein and fat."

Mercer saw Karasu swallow. His eyes went wide, and drool dripped from his beak.

Seeing this, Mercer turned to the two of them. "Let's go to the Purple Bamboo Forest. We'll catch rabbits, dig up bamboo shoots, and pick out grubs."

He went home to get a large plastic container, then set off with the bird and the bear.

At the foot of Drum Mountain, to the east, a sprawling Purple Bamboo Forest stretched out.

Crack!

Bear Cub bit off a section of bamboo as thick as an arm, snapped it into pieces, and hugged them to his chest as he crunched away.

They searched for bamboo that had been bored into by insects, chopped it down, picked out the grubs, and put them in the container.

Every now and then, Karasu would eat a few to satisfy his craving.

The bamboo forest was vast,

and many creatures lived in it. Whenever they came across something edible, they didn't let it escape.

They spent several hours scouring the bamboo forest.

With fifteen snow rabbits, a plastic container full of plump bamboo grubs, and a huge bundle of tender green bamboo shoots, the three bandits carried their haul out of the forest.

Mercer asked Kureha if she wanted fried bamboo grubs to go with her drink. She cursed him and chased him out, nearly kicking him too.

There was no helping it.

He gave the whole box of delicacies to Karasu's family. Braised rabbit heads, whole roast rabbits, rabbit stew—he prepared one dish after another.

They had a feast of rabbit.

Kureha finally stopped being angry.

The days passed, and the five chicks grew bigger and bigger.

Thanks to Mercer's careful raising, they all had glossy feathers, strong bodies, and boundless energy. They were especially curious about everything.

In the blink of an eye, October arrived.

One morning,

Mercer sat on the steps in front of the Treehouse.

In the state of Unity of Heaven and Man,

he watched serenely as the five "ground chickens" flitted and played in the snow before the house, their calls all ringing out in hoarse, clear caws.

The five of them were now about thirty centimeters long.

The five white-necked crows tussled in the snow, darting back and forth. Every now and then, they scurried between Mercer's legs, using his body as if it were a tree branch to hide behind.

He quietly watched them play. They acted as though they didn't notice that the "thing" around which they were playing was a living person.

They could see Mercer and touch him, yet they unconsciously ignored him, as if he were part of the Treehouse or the snowy ground.

They couldn't help overlooking him.

Nearly five months had passed, and he'd practiced fusing with Bear Cub every day.

Mercer sighed helplessly. "Looks like the Gifted Ability I had in mind is still missing some key conditions.

"But by chance, I've manifested another interesting Gifted Ability."

[Disguise]

A curious ability he had grasped after spending a long time entering the Unity of Heaven and Man.

By sensing the fluctuations in the natural environment's breathing rhythm, he could bring the fluctuations in his own breathing into sync with it.

He could blend his Aura with the Aura around him.

This allowed him to disguise his presence. It wasn't a visual disguise; it merely made others unconsciously overlook him.

After all, people walking along the road generally didn't pay much attention to stones on the ground or weeds by the roadside.

Of course, for beings with strong awareness, keen observational skills, or familiarity with Mercer, this disguise wouldn't be of much use.

After all, "disguise" hadn't yet taken physical form, nor was it enhanced by a blessing.

Just then, the flapping of wings sounded, and Karasu landed on Mercer.

Clutching Mercer's trouser leg with his claws, he cocked his head and looked at him curiously. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Mercer's pretending to be a wooden dummy again."

Mercer immediately broke character. He smiled and exited the Heavenly Human State.

"What is it? You're back so early today. Did you find anything?"

As Mercer's "eyes and ears," that was how Karasu saw himself.

After the five little ones had learned to fly, they'd begun scouting the area within ten kilometers of the Treehouse every day.

They also caught some food along the way.

"River ship. Dog head."

Karasu uttered those three words, and a trace of curiosity appeared in Mercer's eyes. "A warship? With a dog's head? Is Grandfather here?"

That made sense. It had been almost half a year, so Garp should be coming by soon. He visited Drum Island nearly twice a year.

"Should I go check out the East Blue this time?" Mercer asked himself, then answered, "Sure. It's been a while since I last went."

"Thanks for all your effort." Mercer reached out and smoothed Karasu's feathers, smiling. "I understand."

"If you're hungry, there's meat at home. Go help yourself."

"Caw~"

Karasu spread his wings and flew toward the treetops.

When the five little ones saw him return, they flapped their wings and chased after him.

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