Zoro and a Frog with a Cat's Face?
The living room fell silent, broken only by the soft clinking of Elfman's bowls and chopsticks as he ate his fill.
"Crunch, crunch!"
Mira's tightly closed door was suddenly flung open, and Lisanna, in a very good mood, hopped out like a little rabbit.
She patted Hughes on the shoulder and gave him a "done" gesture.
With her excellent eyesight, she turned around and forcefully pulled Elfman up, regardless of whether Elfman wanted to or not.
"Hughes, I'm going upstairs with Elfman to talk to him about something. We'll be back down in a bit!"
A series of flashy movements left Hughes scratching his head, wondering what tricks they were up to now.
Just as he was wondering what was going on, Hughes heard light footsteps and looked up.
A white-haired quail was walking towards him.
Mira lowered her head, as if trying to bury herself in the barely visible ravine, her ears slightly red, her hands nervously twisting together.
It took him half a minute to walk over the ten-meter distance to Hughes.
"Um... um, it was my fault, I misunderstood!"
The murmur was a few tones lower than the flapping of a mosquito's wings.
Unable to hear clearly, Hughes tilted his head and leaned slightly closer to Mira, trying to hear what she was saying.
A sidelong glance revealed that Mira's exquisitely sculpted face was already flushed, her head bowed low.
Hughes:???
"No, why are you blushing? Anyone who didn't know the situation would think I did something bad to you!"
Hughes suddenly sat up straight and gently tapped Mira's little head with his finger, making her lift her head.
You have a problem!
After gazing intently into Mira's bright, amber-like light blue eyes for a moment, Hughes spoke earnestly.
After staring at Hughes for three seconds, Mira awkwardly looked away, her cheeks flushing even more.
"You... you're the one with the problem!"
Hughes placed his hands on either side of her cheeks, cupping Mira's small face in his palms like a bouquet of flowers, not giving her a chance to look away.
Were you angry just now, or were you just throwing a tantrum?
Mira turned her head, realizing she couldn't shake off Hughes's control and didn't dare look Hughes in the eye, so she simply raised her small eyes and said arrogantly, "I wasn't throwing a tantrum!"
Seeing this, Hughes simply moved forward a little, and at this moment, the distance between the two was probably less than five fingers' width.
Mira's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, her heart pounded, and she froze.
Lisanna, who was peeking from the second floor, shook her head. "It's hopeless. Mira is completely beyond saving."
Hughes pinched Mira's fair and smooth cheek. "Not throwing a tantrum, so that means you're angry?"
"Hmm~ Tell me so I can have a good laugh?"
Perhaps because it felt good, Hughes squeezed it a few more times.
The strange actions and words eased Mira's tension slightly. She rolled her eyes at Hughes, then forcefully slapped Hughes hand away, pouting, "It's all your fault for not speaking clearly!"
"Huh? You can't be like Lisanna and lie through your teeth. You were there when I tricked Kailinfu!"
Mira turned her head slightly, stubbornly retorting, "I don't care, I don't care, it's your fault for not saying that the ring on your hand is that treasure!"
Hughes laughed in exasperation, then reached out and pinched Mira's cheek again. "You're making a scene even when you're wrong, but if you were right, you'd cause a huge uproar!"
"I won't listen! I won't listen!"
Lisanna left, and she felt a little nauseous from looking at the food.
The next day, the sun shone brightly.
On the outskirts of Magnolia Town, two figures, one tall and one short, were walking with their heads down.
Hughes planned to cause a ruckus at the Sabertooth guild, making an example of them.
As for Mira, Hughes brought her along.
After absorbing the Devil Factor from Dojigiri, the Awakening level of the Flame-Flame Fruit has reached 75%.
According to Hughes's previous estimate, without taking Granny Porlyusica's mental potion, with his current physical condition, he could completely overcome the mental pain and raise the Awakening level of the Flame-Flame Fruit to 80%.
If I take Granny Porlyusica's psychic potion, I can improve to at least 85%.
Since the Awakening level of the Flame-Flame Fruit had not reached its limit, and he also had a demon host that he had stolen from the Magic Council, Hughes naturally planned to further improve his strength.
This is also why Hughes brought Mira along on this trip.
He'll absorb the Devil Factor, and Mira will receive the demon—a win-win situation, getting the best of both worlds!
Of course, all of this happened after we taught the Sabertooth guild a lesson.
Two days later, in a forest three hills away from the location of the Sabertooth Guild, Hughes came to an abrupt stop.
["Three-Sword Liu Zoro" has been detected. Please defeat him!]
The quest "Challenge the Three-Sword Master Liu Zoro" is now active!
A system notification suddenly appeared in Hughes's mind.
The ambiguous phrasing left Hughes completely bewildered, forcing him to open the interface and check the task description.
A moment later, Hughes closed the panel, looking somewhat speechless.
This system is ridiculous! It's making fun of Boss Zoro! Three-Sword Style Zoro is Three-Sword Style Zoro, why are you calling him "Three-Sword Liu Zoro"?
Then Luffy must be called Pirate King Luffy; Sanji must be called Ger Sanji.
Hughes's inner monologue was a torrent of complaints!
But is the person corresponding to Zoro nearby? Could it be someone from Sabertooth?
I've never heard of a mage with exceptional swordsmanship in the Sabertooth guild!
As Hughes looked on in confusion, Mira, who was walking behind him, nearly bumped into him. "Why did you suddenly stop? Is something wrong?"
"No, Mira, we should explore the forest first before we set off."
Please keep an eye out for anyone or any animal carrying three knives, especially those with green hair!
Mira didn't understand what she was hearing, but she nodded nonetheless.
Hughes closed his eyes, unleashing his Advanced Observation Haki, and the entire forest instantly came into his perception.
Hughes knew exactly where the humans were and where the powerful creatures were.
"Let's go check out the nearest place first!"
The system's mission objectives correspond to a wide variety of entities, such as Jose corresponding to Blackbeard and Granny Porlyusica corresponding to the Celestial Dragons.
Hughes wasn't sure whether the self-identification of Zoro in the forest was that of a human, a wild beast, or a monster.
He planned to go and try them one by one.
Coincidentally, the reward for defeating Zoro is a significant boost to physical attributes, equivalent to three normal physical attribute boosts.
This is exactly the reward he needs right now.
With this reward, I might be able to boost the Awakening level of the Flame-Flame Fruit to over 90% on my own, without relying on Granny Porlyusica's mental medicine to stabilize my mind!
Therefore, Hughes accepted the mission immediately after reading the mission description.
Half a day later, after knocking out another dinosaur-like beast with a hammer, Hughes shook his head speechlessly.
This was the tenth dinosaur he had knocked out. This forest was like Little Garden Island in the world of One Piece, teeming with prehistoric behemoths.
I should have brought Elfman along; dinosaurs are definitely stronger than wild beasts like black bears.
"Mira, let's go to the next place!" Hughes waved to Mira behind him. Time was of the essence; the sooner they finished the mission, the sooner they could have peace of mind.
"Wait, Hughes, look ahead, isn't there a frog with a cat's face?"