006 Sudden Battle!

Chapter 6: 006. An Unexpected Battle!

"Mercer, you're already a big kid. Since you want to study medicine, you need to learn to pick various medicinal herbs independently first."

"There's a small valley about ten kilometers east. You know, that's a place where Reindeer often appear. This season is exactly when their antlers grow."

"I'd love to say I wouldn't go with you, but you have Observation Haki, so you'll definitely find me. Therefore, I'll only step in if your life is in danger."

"As long as you don't die, I won't intervene even if you break an arm or a leg."

This was Kureha's last bit of stubbornness.

Mercer thought of Kureha's words from earlier, with a Bear Cub following closely behind him.

Before long, he stumbled from the cub bumping him with its head. He turned back and glared with a helpless look at the round, rolling creature currently acting cute and rolling around.

Its size, its roundness, showed no signs of it being nearly a year old. It was as big as Mercer, and even rounder.

It had been almost half a year since Garp smashed through the ceiling. It was now mid-May.

He wore a white Laboon-themed hat on his head, white plush pants, and a fur coat of the same color and material.

A pair of polarized sunglasses.

A pair of white cotton gloves.

He was completely bundled up, looking like a giant rabbit.

A cub of Laboon?

"No, no, no, how could I be a rabbit?" Mercer shook his head, pushing the absurd thought from his mind. "Impossible."

Snowflakes like goose feathers drifted from the sky.

Stepping through the snow, sinking slightly with each step, at one moment, "Ying~," a soft bear cry sounded. The Bear Cub bit Mercer's pant leg, pulling him back.

Mercer squatted down and pinched the bear's ear. After a long period of Taming and living together, he could clearly sense the anxiety in the Bear Cub's cry.

He stroked the cub's head with his left hand, soothing its emotions. At the same time, within the range of his Observation Haki, beyond the small snow slope in front of him, chaotic presences stirred.

"You you~"

Calming himself, clear deer calls sounded from not far away. Mercer's heart couldn't help but rejoice. Target acquired.

He lowered his head and met the Bear Cub's dark, glistening eyes, a look of approval in Mercer's gaze.

The Bear Cub stuck out its tongue at the perfect moment and blinked.

Acting cute is shameful.

Mercer said, "Since you're scared, wait here for me. Remember to hide in the snow."

Mercer stood up and organized his gear: an axe, several stones, and a sling with stones tied to both ends.

And a mount that hadn't fully grown yet, an "Iron Eater Beast."

Climbing over the small snow slope, he lay at the crest and could see a group of Reindeer happily digging in the snow in the nearby snow-covered bushes.

There were at least fifty to sixty Reindeer, large and small.

It was a small herd.

Mercer's lips curled up. He reached out and stroked the Bear Cub that had crawled to his side, whispering:

"Did you see it? Oh, I forgot, you're a little blind bear, you can't see that. Did you hear it? Since you followed me, you'll attract their attention later while I go hunt. Got it?"

The Bear Cub tilted its head, looking at Mercer, then covered its ears with its paws and buried its head in the snow, its short tail wagging with its hip movements.

Mercer was amused to the point of anger. Since you're here, you're not getting out of this.

He grabbed the cub by the back of its hind leg with his right hand and easily flung it away. In mid-air, the Bear Cub let out a sharp "Aowu!" cry, immediately drawing the attention of the nearby Reindeer herd.

Plop!

A furry lump landed in the snow. Not feeling any pain, the Bear Cub pulled its head out of the snow and shook it vigorously. Its nearsighted eyes stared intently at the Reindeer herd ahead, baring its teeth and roaring fiercely and cutely.

It let out a series of intermittent roars for over ten seconds.

Successfully attracting and provoking the Reindeer herd, led by a scarred adult Reindeer, several male Reindeer lowered their heads, their magnificent antlers pushing towards the Bear Cub.

In the midst of the heavy snowfall.

After throwing the Bear Cub out, Mercer had already rolled down the snow slope. Taking advantage of the Bear Cub distracting the herd, he circled around to their flank.

He watched as the Reindeer herd began to stir.

Even the smallest bear is still a bear, and it doesn't matter if it eats meat or plants.

He also noticed that, led by the head Reindeer, several Reindeer had scared the Bear Cub into retreating.

Behind a crooked tree.

Mercer observed the Reindeer herd, less than a hundred meters away, constantly searching. After a few seconds, he spotted his target within the herd: a rather plump male Reindeer. The antlers on its head had not yet ossified and were currently velvet.

He glanced again at the Bear Cub's position, estimating it could hold out for another minute. Thus, Mercer began making snowballs, gathering piles of snow and forming fist-sized, high-quality snowballs.

As he finished counting in his mind, over twenty "hardened" snowballs had been piled up in front of him.

Swish!

Mercer rose from a half-kneel, extending his left hand to aim. In his right palm, he held a snowball, raised over his head. He took a deep breath, locking onto the lead reindeer with his Observation Haki, his focus absolute. With a sudden jerk, he flung his right hand forward.

Whoosh!

The spinning snowball became a streak of snow, precisely thrown. Amidst a whistling wind, a crisp crack sounded as the snowball struck the lead reindeer's head, right in its eye.

"Yip!?"

A panicked bleat rang out. The lead reindeer leaped two meters into the air. The next second, another snowball smashed into its head while it was still airborne.

No damage, but it stung.

As soon as it landed, the lead reindeer bolted in a panic.

When the lead reindeer panicked, the entire herd began to stir. In the next moment, stones mixed with snowballs began pelting the herd. With his Observation Haki predicting their movements, even adult four-legged beasts couldn't escape the simple stratagems of a two-legged youngster.

Driven by the constant barrage of stone-filled snowballs and the next move prediction of individual Reindeer by his Observation Haki, that one Reindeer was eventually squeezed out of the herd. Mercer knew the time had come.

He quickly grabbed the rope of his sling in his right hand, raising it above his head and spinning it rapidly. His upper arm, forearm, and wrist moved in perfect coordination. The moment the Reindeer turned its head, he flung the sling. Amidst the whistling wind, the stone-laden rope, straightened by its momentum, wrapped around the Reindeer's front legs.

With a thump, the Reindeer plunged headfirst into the snow, tumbling. This sight only made the scattering herd more frantic.

Mercer, clad in Laboon's fur, ran out wielding his axe, flinging the last few stones to drive the herd away.

Mercer appeared beside the fallen Reindeer. Without hesitation, he brought his axe down. The part that resembled an ice pick pierced the Reindeer's neck like a dagger, instantly creating a long, narrow gash.

"Yeee!!!"

After a mournful cry, Mercer pulled out his axe and retreated, wary of the prey's death throes.

This male Reindeer was nearly 1.6 meters long, close to adulthood, and powerfully built. Its hind legs were kicking wildly now.

A few seconds later, the male Reindeer's head, its trachea ruptured, crashed into a pool of blood. The herd watched anxiously from a distance.

As the male Reindeer breathed its last, an irregular crystal, shimmering with a mysterious luster, appeared above its corpse.

Mercer knew this was a sight only he could see, something the perspective of "mortals" couldn't perceive.

Without changing his expression, he beckoned, and the rice-grain-sized Soul Crystal was drawn into his palm.

A flicker of thought crossed his eyes. Simultaneously, information appeared on his retina.

[Obtained F-rank Soul Crystal *1]

Soul Crystal: Obtain Soul Crystals of varying quality through killing. Soul Crystals can be used to strengthen Attributes and Gifted Abilities. (Soul Crystals are refined and forged from the Origin of a life's spirit.)

A line of small text describing the Soul Crystal appeared after its name. Mercer wasn't surprised, as this was a characteristic of the "Light Orb."

He called it "Appraisal."

After focusing his gaze on an object for a few seconds, a detailed description of the object would appear on his retina.

It could be a creature or an item, a form of insight into its most fundamental nature.

He had to admit, it was an incredibly convenient ability, a perfectly suited support skill.

Perfect in what regard? Of course, in exploring the unknown, like a newly developed potion whose effects were completely unknown.

With the appraisal results, he could ascertain its specific function.

He stored the Soul Crystal back into his body, or more accurately, into the Soul Crystal tab on his status panel, which conveniently stored Soul Crystals.

Soul Crystal: [F-rank *1]

Mercer looked at the Reindeer before him and swung his axe. With a crunch, a 30-centimeter-long, branch-like antler was severed at the base.

With another swing, the other, slightly shorter antler was also cut off.

He packed them into his bag.

His first hunt was a complete success.

Just then, a black and white furball waddled over, whimpering softly, its cries full of grievance.

It was understandable. A cub less than a year old, even a Bear Cub, would feel wronged and scared when threatened by several adult, horned creatures.

Mercer cupped Bear Cub's chubby cheeks in his hands and ruffled them vigorously. Instantly, Bear Cub let out happy cooing sounds.

While playing with the black and white furball, Mercer remained vigilant of the Reindeer herd, which kept looking back. He didn't immediately process the male Reindeer he'd hunted, lest the herd decide to double back.

Just then.

Bang, bang, bang.

A series of gunshots rang out from the woods to the side of the Reindeer herd, to Mercer's front-left. Loud shouts and yells followed.

Almost instantly, the Reindeer herd, leaving a few casualties behind, bolted in fright from Mercer's front towards the right, kicking up a flurry of snow.

Mercer quickly grabbed Bear Cub by the scruff of his neck and hid behind the male Reindeer's corpse, shielding them from stray bullets. He looked with annoyance at the approaching group.

They all carried knives and guns.

There were fifteen of them.

At the front were two youths, one around thirteen or fourteen, the other around seven or eight. Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be brothers.

The one with the purple-red bowl cut, a horse-like face, and an arrogant expression, likely the older brother, held a flintlock gun and was furious.

"You bunch of useless cowards, you can't even kill a few deer! You've only killed a few. When I become king, I'll banish all of you."

The younger brother, with his deep purple hair, also wore a cruel expression, his fat face appearing particularly ugly.

"Good, you bunch of trash, hurry up and kill all those Reindeer for me. I want to eat a whole Reindeer feast tonight."

All thirteen guards looked aggrieved, daring not to speak out despite their anger. The leading guard, however, had some backbone and calmly said at this moment:

"I apologize, Your Highnesses. The soldiers have just come out of that ruin and are already very tired. Moreover, the Reindeer are very vigilant, and it's snowing heavily right now."

Moshuru looked impatient and waved his hand, his horse-like face stretching even longer as he couldn't help but mock:

"If it weren't for the gains we made in the ruin earlier, do you think I would just scold you a few words?"

Walpo picked his nose and smeared the booger on the coat of the guard beside him, puffing out his cheeks, looking unhappy, his large face becoming even fatter.

"My big brother is right, you are indeed too useless."

"Huh?" Walpo then noticed a dead Reindeer in the snow to his right rear, and also noticed Mercer looking at them: "Laboon?"

The next moment, the guards all raised their guns and aimed, looking vigilant.

Laboon, A type of gregarious, carnivorous rabbit on Drum Island, possessing the Agility of a rabbit and the physique of a Bear. It is extremely fierce, only recognizing the strong it deems worthy. It attacks other creatures with a "friendly" group assault.

In the heavy snowfall, even so, visibility still extended for a hundred meters.

But after looking again and again, there were no Laboons in the surrounding environment. The direction Walpo was pointing only had a dead Reindeer and... a hunter?

"Who's there?"

The leading guard frowned and shouted, "We are the Kingdom Guard. Stop playing tricks. I'll count to three, and if you don't come out, I'll shoot."

The King's only two offspring were here, so he had no choice but to act this way.

Everything was secondary to the safety of the royal family.

Mercer looked annoyed and recognized who they were, the future "tyrant" of this country.

The snowflakes in the sky had inexplicably become denser, and the cold wind whistled.

Mercer already had thoughts of retreating. He was still young and didn't need to confront gunfire with a body that was not much stronger than an ordinary person.

He reached out and patted Bear Cub beside him, then bent down, pressing his mouth close to Bear Cub's ear and whispering, "You go first, I'll cover you. Let's meet at that small snowdrift we passed earlier."

Although the Bear was young, it couldn't withstand its intelligence. With Mercer's hand gestures, the clever Bear Cub, who had been sharp since childhood, crouched down, turned, and crawled away. Meanwhile, the people on the other side were still shouting insults and obscenities.

Mercer's Observation Haki locked onto Walpo and his group, who were about sixty to seventy meters away.

He had already gathered snow with his hands and was making snowballs. To retreat safely, he had to disrupt their formation first.

Otherwise, with his back to them, Mercer couldn't guarantee he wouldn't be shot in the back.

One, two!

Five, six.

At this moment, the guards on the other side, urged by the two brothers, began to surround Mercer.

Fifty meters. Forty-five meters. Thirty meters.

The eldest prince, Moshuru, urged from behind, "So slow, hurry up! I want to see who's playing tricks. Just open fire."

The leading guard: "But..."

Mercer knew he couldn't wait any longer. He tightly gripped a snowball in his right hand and, using the direction he had perceived with his Observation Haki, he slightly raised his body and threw the snowball with all his might.

The next moment.

"Ah!!!" Moshuru screamed, "My eyes! Guards, protect me! Shoot, shoot quickly!"

The guards were startled and quickly protected the two princes in the center, aiming their guns and retreating.

Mercer's Observation Haki clearly perceived the movements of the people on the other side. Mercer held a snowball in each hand, took a deep breath, and with all his strength, kicked the Reindeer carcass to the right.

At the same time, he rolled to the left.

Bang!

A dull thud was heard as the Reindeer carcass hit the ground, followed by a series of pop, pop, pop gunshots in the direction of the Reindeer.

Mercer took the opportunity to get up and charged forward, throwing the two snowballs in his hands with a "whoosh" sound. With two "slaps," Walpo cried out in pain.

Bang, bang, bang!!!

Another few gunshots rang out. Mercer clearly perceived the ripples created by the bullets passing through the air. Since he had perceived them in advance, he could naturally dodge them.

He had already used a trick to expend some of their ammunition, and their guns were not automatic, so this volley consisted of only a few shots.

Mercer dodged the ordinary lead bullets and quickly took out a sling from his waist, spinning it and throwing it. In the wind and snow, the distance of less than twenty meters was covered in an instant. Two guards' feet were immediately entangled, tripping them in their panic.

At this moment, Mercer had already charged into the crowd. He kicked the leading guard directly in front of him in the groin. As the guard bent over, he used his knee to strike his chin, sending him flying.

Among the remaining crowd, with swift axe strikes and punches and kicks, accompanied by tearing sounds and blood, the gun-wielding arms were all struck.

Dull thuds, screams, and cries of pain.

Mercer weaved nimbly through the crowd, relying on his small stature, considerable strength, and ruthless attacks, perceiving their every move.

A crushing battle.

In less than ten seconds, Mercer single-handedly took down the team of fifteen.

Mercer gave the Walpo brothers, who were all bark and no bite, a brutal blow to their right arms.

Their major tendons were directly severed.

Dear readers, please give me your recommendations, or should you continue reading!

Young saplings also need time to grow.

As we've discussed before.

Recommendations! Favorites! Continued reading! Investments!

PS: [Basic Strength Classification Ranges] (Approximate)

Normal Adult: F- rank

Sergeant / 100,000 Belly: F rank ~ F+ rank

Lieutenant / 1,000,000 Belly: E rank ~ E+ rank

Colonel / 10,000,000 Belly: D rank ~ D+ rank

Rear Admiral / Supernova / 100,000,000 Belly: C rank ~ C+ rank

Elite Vice Admiral / Admiral Candidate / Yonko First Mate / Shichibukai: 1,000,000,000 Belly: B rank ~ B+ rank

Admiral / Emperor: 3,000,000,000+ Belly: A rank ~

PS: (In the world of pirates, individuals usually reach a certain rank in one or a few aspects, not a fully rounded, six-sided warrior.)

A rank, for example, Zephyr.

A rank, for example, Hawk Eyes, Blackbeard, an elderly Garp.

A+ rank, for example, an adult Whitebeard (reaching it in one aspect), a peak Red-Hair (reaching it in one aspect).

B+ rank, for example, Marco, Katakuri, Crocodile, Empress, Jinbe.

B rank, for example, Doflamingo.

The above is a general guideline; the specifics will depend on the main text, as the overall environment is not static.