Seawater into Barrels (Please Bookmark and Recommend)

Pus Island, on a bustling street.

After learning that Nico Robin had left, Zhong Hao could only suppress his displeasure for the time being. He exchanged another twenty million Beli and carried the suitcase down the street, buying up goods.

As he passed a tavern and saw barrels being unloaded from a cart outside, a flash of inspiration struck him. He slapped his thigh hard, walked over, and asked the owner-looking man nearby, "Excuse me, where can I buy barrels like these?"

"B-Barrels?" The tavern owner looked awkward. This was a tavern—who came here to buy barrels instead of wine? Still, seeing that Zhong Hao was just a child, he answered, "The barrels are made by our tavern. Since they're used to store wine, they have to be made from specific kinds of wood to preserve its rich flavor."

"Then can I buy those barrels from you? Used ones are fine too," Zhong Hao asked again.

"That's a bit troublesome." The tavern owner scratched his head. "If you want some, I can give you a few." People who ran taverns were generally straightforward and generous.

Zhong Hao pressed his palms together in thanks. "Thank you so much. Please give me a hundred. I can pay in Beli."

The tavern owner's expression froze, and he forced a smile. "O-Okay."

He had thought Zhong Hao only wanted one or two. These barrels were not made with some secret technique, but producing them was troublesome. The wood had to go through many processes, taking a great deal of time, and he did not have many in stock. But since he had already agreed, he had to see it through even if it brought him to tears. He could not ruin the reputation for honesty he had maintained all these years.

At the shore, a hundred barrels were piled on the beach. After the tavern owner and his staff had left, Zhong Hao stored all the barrels in his space and jumped into the sea.

The tavern owner had been quite decent. Not one of the hundred barrels had been shoddily made. Though they were all used, they had been well preserved, and he had even helped deliver them to the shore.

Since the man had been so decent, Zhong Hao could not take advantage of him. He left behind two million Beli, which should have far exceeded the original value of a hundred barrels.

Under the sea, Zhong Hao took out the barrels one by one, filled them with water, and stored them away again. Before long, his space contained a hundred barrels of seawater.

It was an idea that had suddenly occurred to him. If he stored seawater in his space, then the next time he encountered a Devil Fruit user, no matter what ability they had, he could wait for the right chance and dump a sheet of seawater over their head. It would not fully restrain them since their whole body would not be submerged, but it could still leave them powerless for the briefest instant. And in the hands of a strong fighter, that brief instant was enough to decide victory.

Of course, that was only if the Devil Fruit user was unprepared. If someone knew of this trick beforehand and guarded against it, it would no longer work.

As for Sea Fang, he had originally thought it could leave Devil Fruit users completely limp and powerless like Seastone. But after testing it on Smoker once, he discovered that was not the case. Sea Fang could only let him strike an elemental body. After contact, it merely made the user somewhat weak and caused their control over their ability to become sluggish.

Still, the result was understandable. After all, Sea Fang merely had Seastone mixed into it during forging. It was not Seastone itself.

Sure enough, whether an ability is powerful or not depends entirely on how creative you are. Zhong Hao walked down the street, changed into clean clothes at a clothing store, and thought to himself.

Suddenly, he spotted Smoker and Hina walking down the street ahead, looking around as though they were searching for something.

The two saw Zhong Hao at the same time and ran over joyfully. Smoker threw an arm heavily around his shoulders and grumbled, "We've been looking for you forever. You came out to have fun without inviting me? And here I thought you were my brother."

Hina pouted in dissatisfaction as well. "Exactly. Zephyr said you were rich. I'm buying a few outfits later, and your punishment is paying for them."

Smoker kept his arm around Zhong Hao's shoulders and laughed loudly. "And me too. I found a new kind of cigar I like, but it's too expensive. I'm counting on you later."

Zhong Hao handed them the suitcase. "Here, take the money and buy whatever you want yourselves, okay? I want to be alone—"

Before he could finish, Hina grabbed his hand and dragged him toward a clothing store. He could only swallow the rest of his words and grumble inwardly, I came here to stock up, not go shopping. How am I supposed to buy anything with you two around?

Outside a tobacco shop, Smoker had a backpack larger than himself strapped to his back. He lit two cigars, clenched both between his teeth, took a deep puff, and wore an expression of pure satisfaction.

"Hey, Smoke Man, do you really need to smoke two at once? You spent so much Beli. Do you know how wasteful that is?" Hina said unhappily.

"You're one to talk. Can you even wear all those clothes you bought? Won't they go to waste once you grow taller?" Smoker retorted, pointing at the equally enormous pack on Hina's back.

"Alright, alright. If it's not enough, we can just buy more." Zhong Hao tried to mediate, then suddenly noticed pedestrians gradually gathering ahead. He changed the subject. "Looks like something happened over there. Let's go take a look."

The three arrived at the edge of the crowd. Faint sounds of an argument came from within, but the ring of people blocked their view. With the two of them carrying huge packs, there was no way they could squeeze through. Zhong Hao pointed at a four-story building across the street and had Hina grab onto him. He muttered, "Soru," and instantly leaped onto the rooftop. Smoker followed, flying up in a trail of white smoke.

Once they had steadied themselves, they looked down. In the center of the crowd stood a middle-aged man in luxurious clothes, his face full of fury as he said something. Two guards wearing thick steel armor stood behind him.

Facing him was a boy around seven years old. His lips were pressed tight, stubbornness in his brow, and his arms were spread wide as he shielded a sobbing girl of about five behind him. Both wore filthy, tattered clothes.

"Seriously, this kind of disgusting filth is everywhere," Zhong Hao snorted, his face darkening.

"What's happening down there?" Hina watched the boy desperately protect the girl and nodded appreciatively before asking. Smoker looked at Zhong Hao too.

The crowd was noisy, and they were too far away to hear clearly. They could only guess based on the expressions and movements of the people below.

After Zhong Hao explained, the two finally understood what had happened.

The well-dressed man was a noble. The filthy little girl had accidentally bumped into him, staining his fine clothes. Enraged, the noble wanted to kill her, and her older brother had stepped forward to protect her.

Disgust appeared on Smoker and Hina's faces as they stared at the noble in revulsion. Smoker said, "What kind of damned country is this? Yesterday, the king slaughtered civilians, and today we run into this."

Hina pursed her lips. "Hina hates this place."

Zhong Hao nodded in agreement. "It really is revolting. We've encountered it two days in a row. That can only mean this is normal here."

As the three spoke, one of the guards behind the noble suddenly stepped forward and knocked the boy to the ground with a punch. He then walked toward the girl. After taking only one step, his ankle was tightly seized by the boy lying on the ground. A vicious gleam flashed across the guard's face, and he kicked the boy hard in the stomach. Though the boy vomited blood, he still did not let go. Instead, he clung even tighter and shouted, "Nini, run! Nini, run! Big brother will stop them!"

The guard viciously kicked him three more times. Two landed on his stomach, and one stomped down on his waist. Combined with the weight of his armor, the force of those three blows finally knocked the boy unconscious. Blood kept pouring from his mouth, and he was barely clinging to life. The girl sat on the ground, staring blankly with her mouth open, her eyes dull and empty.

"Damn it! Those vicious bastards! I'm going to kill him!"

Smoker roared and was about to rush down. Hina was ready to do the same, but Zhong Hao narrowed his eyes and stopped them, looking toward the back of the crowd. There, a panicked woman was desperately trying to force her way inside.

"Wait a moment. That boy won't die yet. I want to confirm something." Zhong Hao spoke to the two of them.

At last, the woman squeezed through the crowd. Seeing the scene before her, her face turned deathly pale. The two pieces of dry bread she held fell to the ground. She rushed to the boy, picked him up, then moved to the girl's side and shielded both children behind her.

"My lord, please don't hurt them. They're still so—sob..." The woman crawled before the noble, fell to her knees, and repeatedly slammed her head against the ground. Thump after thump rang out. Soon, her forehead was a bloody mess, mixed with dirt until it resembled a slurry of flesh and blood.

"What are we waiting for? What else do you need to confirm? Are we just supposed to watch?" Smoker gritted his teeth and glared below, his fists clenched until they crackled.

"Don't stop Hina. Hina wants to hit him too." Hina bit her lip tightly.

"No, it'll be over soon. I just want to see what choice this woman makes. Smoker, go bring a doctor first." Zhong Hao watched the woman with a complicated expression. He felt that if things became impossible, she would abandon her children and flee alone.

Smoker stared for a while. Noticing something strange in Zhong Hao's expression, he said nothing more and turned into smoke, flying into the distance.

The noble still held his head high, looking down at her with only his eyes. "Who are you? What right do you have to beg me?"

The woman raised her head, one side of her face dyed red with blood, and said miserably, "They are my children. Please do not hurt them. I'm willing to accept any punishment in their place."

The noble's face turned cold. "You think a lowly commoner like you can take the place of someone who offended a noble? If you don't get out of my sight, I'll kill you too."

The woman's face changed again, and she began banging her head against the ground once more, babbling incoherently, "No, don't... Please, please..."

The noble gave the guard a look. The guard nodded in understanding, kicked the woman flat onto the ground, then planted a heavy foot on her back and drew his sword.

The woman coughed up blood. Lying on the ground, she struggled to wave her hand and screamed at the girl, "Nini, run! Run..."

Nini remained dazed, as if she had heard nothing. She had been like this ever since her brother was beaten unconscious, as though her soul had left her body.

At that moment, the guard raised his sword. A vicious glint flared in his eyes as he swung it down with all his strength. The surrounding crowd hurriedly scattered and turned their heads away, unable to bear watching any longer—and not daring to make a sound.

On the rooftop, Zhong Hao's eyes seemed disappointed, yet also relieved.

"So... it really was that woman who was worthless."

With a soft murmur, he gripped Sea Fang and spread his right hand.

"Soru."

"Iaijutsu: Iai Slash."

A brilliant blue blade light flashed forth, like an aurora from the deep sea passing through the eyes of everyone present.

This slash severed a certain obsession. This slash was firmer and more dazzling than any before it...