Ch. 201Zou: Don't Move, Karuchu Warning / Zou: Duke Inuarashi
Key plot points and events
- Lin Mo, Kaku, and Enel enter Klaudo, where Mink Tribe residents regard the fur-less outsiders with suspicion and curiosity.
- Carrot returns with a huge apple for Enel, fulfilling his condition to become his apprentice. Enel accepts the apple but tells her she must first convince Lin Mo to let her travel with them. Lin Mo refuses.
- When Carrot appeals to Lin Mo, he dodges her enthusiastic attempts to give him a “karuchu” and eventually knocks her away before going after Enel, who has fled with the apple.
- Carrot explains that the strangers saved her from the Sky Flyers. The residents quickly decide the trio are good people. She demonstrates that “karuchu” means showing affection by rubbing her cheek against someone.
- The residents swarm Kaku to give him karuchu, leaving him helpless beneath the crowd.
- Lin Mo encounters a Musketeer Squad led by Sicilian. Accused of attacking the Guardians, he is surrounded and ordered to explain himself. He demands that Sicilian lower his rifle, then vanishes, crushes the weapon, and defeats Sicilian with one punch.
- The squad is stunned. One warrior runs to check on Sicilian while the others surround Lin Mo again. The excerpt ends as the confrontation continues.
Character developments and interactions
- Enel tries to avoid taking responsibility for Carrot by making her apprenticeship depend on Lin Mo’s approval, then flees when Lin Mo turns his attention to him.
- Carrot remains cheerful and persistent, eager to follow Enel and affectionate toward the newcomers. Her testimony helps shift the residents’ distrust into gratitude.
- Lin Mo is reserved and decisive: he refuses to take Carrot along and swiftly deals with the armed Musketeers.
- Kaku acts as a teasing mediator, but his curiosity about karuchu backfires when the residents enthusiastically mob him.
- Sicilian and his squad approach Lin Mo as an enemy in response to reports that outsiders attacked the Guardians; their confidence collapses when Lin Mo defeats their leader instantly.
Significant themes
- Appearance versus character: The Mink Tribe initially judges the outsiders by their unusual appearance, then revises its view after hearing how they helped Carrot.
- Affection and cultural misunderstanding: Karuchu creates comic confusion between the Mink Tribe and the visitors.
- Strength and authority: Lin Mo’s effortless defeat of Sicilian demonstrates the gap between the outsiders’ power and the squad’s expectations.
- Loyalty amid division: The Musketeers’ anger over the Guardians’ injuries shows solidarity among Mink Tribe groups, despite the long-standing rivalry between their leaders, Inuarashi and Cat Viper.