The Little Girl Who Uses Sorcery!

"It was a bustling street, with goods for sale everywhere, but it was just as chaotic as it was lively."

Mercer walked along the street. On his way here, he'd witnessed no fewer than five brawls.

That wasn't all. From farther away, in places he hadn't visited yet, he could faintly hear gunshots.

Through Observation Haki, he sensed the auras of many lives fading away.

Mercer looked at a fruit stall ten meters away and walked over. It had quite a variety of fruit.

When the stall owner saw Mercer approaching, he waved him away with a look of disgust. "Shoo, shoo! I don't give handouts here. If you're begging, go somewhere else. I saw you from way over there, looking around everywhere as you walked."

Mercer stared blankly at him, completely baffled. He looked himself over. What? My clothes aren't even ragged.

"What're you looking at? I've seen plenty of unwanted brats like you. Don't think I can't tell just because you've put on clean clothes. Now get lost!"

The owner cursed again. "If you're trying to fool me, you'd better bring an adult along. How many times do you think that lousy trick will work on me?

"I've already been burned before, so get moving. This isn't a charity."

Without a word, Mercer took a coin with a little dragon on it out of his pocket. It was worth five hundred Beli. He said calmly,

"How many apples can I get for this?"

The owner's expression stiffened. Then he pursed his lips and reached out to snatch the coin. "Apples are five hundred Beli a catty."

The owner picked out several apples, put them in a bag, and handed it over. Mercer took it and weighed it in his hand. His eyebrows lifted.

"Your scale's off, isn't it? This is obviously too heavy—by two taels."

At the first part of Mercer's comment, the owner's lips curled as if he were about to curse him out. But when he heard the rest, he fell silent. Then his expression turned fierce.

"Get lost! Why do you have so much to say? My scale's accurate. Quit wasting my time."

Mercer looked at the kindhearted fruit seller and smiled. He took a bright red apple from the bag and wiped it on his clothes.

Crunch!

He took a bite. It was crisp and sweet, absolutely delicious. Cheeks puffed out as he chewed, Mercer smiled and said,

"Actually, you've got it wrong. I just arrived on this island today. I snuck off the ship and came to explore by myself."

"Can you tell me why you thought I was a beggar?"

Seeing Mercer like this, the owner took a closer look. The skin on Mercer's hands was smooth, not rough, and he didn't smell bad. The owner began to believe him.

But then his face soured, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"So you've got money?"

Mercer smiled and nodded. "Of course. So, are you going to rob me? I've been wandering around here for a while, and people don't seem to be keeping a close eye on things."

The owner's expression turned cold. "If you know people aren't keeping a close eye on things, then hurry back where you came from. This port city is controlled by the Ishu Family, and their trade is booming."

A glint flashed in Mercer's eyes. He looked at the owner in surprise.

"Could you tell me more?"

As he spoke, he took another five-hundred-Beli coin from his pocket. With a ting, he flicked it into the air. It spun and landed in the owner's arms.

The owner hesitated, but for the sake of the Beli, he said, "The Ishu Family's business is booming. They've got a lot of businesses, and people like you, outsiders on your own—"

He seemed to have reservations and cut himself off. Irritation showed on his face. "Hurry up and get lost. Stop getting in the way of my business."

He tossed the coin back. Mercer caught it easily. It rolled between his fingers a few times before he flicked it back to the owner.

Mercer smiled and waved. "I appreciate the warning. Bye, foul-mouthed but kindhearted shopkeeper."

He'd only said half of it, but Mercer understood what he meant. It was probably something like trafficking outsiders.

Mercer turned and left, ignoring the owner's reddening face. He ate his apple and glanced at the five apples still in the bag. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

"Seems the people here aren't all coldhearted. Then again, painting everyone with the same brush would be unfair."

Mercer continued strolling down the street. As people came and went around him, he wandered along at an easy pace. Suddenly, he spotted something interesting.

Not far away, a boy of about fifteen or sixteen brushed past an adult man. Mercer clearly saw a guilty little hand slip into the man's pocket and deftly pull out a wallet.

After the boy passed the man, another boy brushed past the pickpocket. The pickpocket quickly handed him the wallet.

"A gang?"

Intrigued, Mercer followed the boy who'd ended up with the wallet. He trailed him through the streets and alleys, keeping his distance.

Along the way, he watched the boy buy a big bag of baguettes from an old, run-down bakery and hide them beneath his oversized clothes.

Half an hour later, in a deteriorating cluster of buildings in an increasingly remote area, Mercer saw the boy slip into a secluded courtyard that had partly collapsed.

His breathing steady, Mercer entered a state of Unity of Heaven and Man, matching the rhythm of his breath to his surroundings.

He came closer.

He could hear snatches of faint, noisy conversation from inside.

"Big Brother Will, you're back! How'd it go? Did you get anything? Yay, we've got baguettes again!

"Big Brother Will, you're amazing!"

"Will, where's Moni? Didn't he come back with you?"

"He's still out looking for outsiders. Keep your heads down for the next few days. There've been a lot of foreign gangs fighting lately, so be careful.

"Okay, go boil some water. We'll have bread porridge in a bit."

"By the way, Will, what did that little girl you ran into before say? Did she agree to join us?"

"Uh, sh-she still won't. That girl's got some kind of sorcery, and she refuses to join us.

"I even told her she could be the boss, but she still wouldn't. She said some pretty insulting things, too."

"She sounds awful. That monster of a kid. You even gave her food before."

"Tell me about it."

"Will, do you think we should sell her information to the people at the Ishu Merchant Association? Maybe we could get a reward. She's an outsider, not one of us."

"Shut up, Aban. Don't say that again. We may be thieves, but we don't do vile things like that.

"Any of you who tries it will have to answer to me."

Listening to the voices from inside, Mercer stood by the outer wall, curious about the girl they said could use sorcery, and surprised by the resolve of the boy named Will.

With that, Mercer went to the entrance, bent down, and ducked inside. In the courtyard, he saw five boys and girls. Will, the one who'd taken the wallet, was the oldest. The other four—two boys and two girls—were a little younger, about twelve or thirteen.

When the five saw Mercer, they all stared blankly. The boy named Will stepped forward, frowning.

"Who are you, kid? How'd you get in here?"

A slightly older boy with a bowl cut spoke menacingly. "Kid, tell us now, or I'll beat you up."

"Aban, don't scare him. Let me talk to him."

A little girl with purple hair stepped forward and smiled at Mercer.

"Little guy, what's your name? I'm Jada. Can you tell me how you got here?"

Mercer ignored her and looked at Will with interest. "Can you tell me where the little girl who can use sorcery is? I'm curious about her."

Jada puffed out her cheeks, looking unhappy. Aban saw this and anger flared in his eyes. "Hey, kid! Jada's talking to you. Are you deaf?"

As he spoke, he walked over and reached for Mercer's head with his right hand.

Just then, an arm shot out and grabbed Aban's right hand. Aban glared at Will. "What's that supposed to mean, Will?"

Mercer took a step back and watched with interest. A falling-out?

Will let go of Aban's arm and said expressionlessly, "I don't remember teaching you that, Aban. Picking on the weak is forbidden."

Seeing that Will was angry, Aban looked uneasy and turned his face away. "Okay, okay, I know I was wrong. Don't look at me like that, Will. Sorry."

At that, Will's expression softened a little. He turned his gaze to Mercer.

"Can you tell me?"

Mercer smiled and looked Will up and down. There was a capable air about him. "I saw the whole thing when you two were stealing earlier, so I followed you.

"I told you my part. What about you? Where's that girl who can use sorcery?"

Will furrowed his brow. "Can you tell me why you want to find her? Who are you?"

"Hey!" Mercer smiled, then suddenly stepped forward and kicked him in the stomach.

"Huh?" Seeing Mercer suddenly attack, Will was startled by how fast he was. He clenched his right fist and punched with all his strength.

Thud!

A muffled impact rang out.

Will staggered backward after Mercer kicked him.

The other four stared in shock. The boy called Aban reacted the fastest. He suddenly picked up a brick from the ground and threw it at Mercer.

A flash of surprise crossed Mercer's eyes. He reached out with his right hand and caught it cleanly. Then he stepped forward, came up to Aban, and brought the brick down on his head.

Thud! The brick shattered into three pieces against Aban's forehead. Mercer let go of it and watched Aban collapse, eyes rolled back and blood running from his temple.

Mercer looked at him and clicked his tongue. "You actually tried to sneak up on me, huh? You've got some nerve."

Then he looked at Will, who was now on guard, and smiled.

"Can you tell me? If you do, I'll give you a chance—an opportunity to survive in this world."

Will froze, then gritted his teeth.

"Tell me why you want to find her first. If you're planning to hurt her, I won't tell you."

Mercer smiled, looking at him strangely. "No, it doesn't matter if you don't tell me. I've got them, too. Once I take you down, I'll use you to threaten these three. They'll tell me."

As he spoke, Mercer gestured with his chin toward the one boy and two girls who were still looking frightened. Will's face immediately darkened.

Mercer felt he sounded a little too much like a villain, but it was pretty fun, too.

He just watched Will with an amused smile.

With no choice, Will said, "She's in an abandoned house near the forest, west of these ruins.

"I've told you, and I don't have any money. So can you leave us alone now?"

At that, Mercer smiled. The kid had good character, knew when to give way, and wasn't stubborn. He had real potential. Mercer had been right about him.

"Thanks!" Mercer turned and left. But after taking a couple of steps, he looked back at Will. "That opportunity I mentioned? There's a warship from Marine Headquarters docked at the port, west of here. Go there and give them the name Mercer. Tell them Mercer sent you, and they'll take you in.

"It's up to you whether you go.

"Bye~ Good luck, you decent little thieves."

Mercer turned and ducked out.

"It really is desolate. This must be the old, abandoned district."

Mercer walked along the deserted street. It was completely different from the bustling streets nearby; weeds grew everywhere.

Before long, Mercer reached the ruins near the forest. Collapsed, abandoned one-story houses were scattered all around.

Mercer jumped onto a two-meter-high ruin and surveyed the area. He sent out his Observation Haki and quickly picked up an aura.

It wasn't strong.

But it clearly wasn't that of a small animal.

Mercer looked in that direction and walked over. Two minutes later, he stepped into the forest. Among the sparse trees, brightly colored flowers grew everywhere.

They were full of a striking vitality.

As he walked through the flowers, he heard a cheerful voice coming from a flower patch up ahead a few minutes later.

"La la la~ La la la~ The flowers smell so nice. Mm, poor Pepe~ Poor little Pepe."

"Well, there's no need to feel sorry. Good things will happen one day. Keep going, Pepe-chan!"

A childish voice giggled as it offered words of encouragement. It wasn't clear who they were meant for; the speaker seemed to be amusing herself. Mercer walked over.

He saw the small figure of a girl with pink twin tails, her head lowered as she looked at the ground in front of her. Curious, Mercer called out,

"Who are you? Are you talking to yourself?"

Mercer clearly saw the tiny figure flinch. Then he saw her collapse.

What happened next amazed Mercer. Something like a spirit emerged from her body.

The spirit wore the exact same clothes as the figure on the ground. Judging by her appearance, she was a little girl around seven or eight years old, floating above the flowers and grass.

The spirit girl put one hand on her hip and pointed at Mercer with the other. Tilting her head, she asked in confusion,

"Who are you? Did you come to see me?"

"Yeah. I heard there was a strange little girl around here who could use sorcery, and I got curious, so I came to look. That's you, right?"

The spirit girl tilted her head. Her eyes darted around, and suddenly she thrust out her right hand toward Mercer.

Just then,

A transparent white spirit, like a Teru Teru Bōzu, shot out from the spirit girl's palm and sped straight toward Mercer.

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P.S. One catty equals five hundred grams, and two taels equal one hundred grams.