I Am In One Piece Summit

Chapter 4: 004 Bear-like! · Chapter 4: 004. Like Master, Like Bear! · "What’s taking you so long?" Dr. Kureha walked over, seeing Messer crouching on the ground. "Huh?" · "Well, that’s a rarity." · Kureha squinted as she looked at the animal cub cradled in Messer’s palms. "A cat-bear? No, wait... it’s a panda." · Cat-bears and pandas had inverted black-and-white color patterns. The cat-bear’s facial markings looked like a bandit’s mask, making it look somewhat ugly. A panda, however, looked endearingly clumsy with its iconic black eye circles. · Though they had different names, they were essentially the same species. Real pandas were exceptionally rare—perhaps one would be born for every thousand cat-bears. · It reminded her of that famous clothing brand from the East Blue, DOSKOI PANDA. Their logo represented rarity; even their cheapest T-shirt reportedly cost ten thousand Berries. · Messer looked up, lifting the cub toward Dr. Kureha. "Can you save it?" · Kureha pressed her index finger against the cub’s chest, feeling its incredibly faint pulse. "What? You want this dying scrap? It was abandoned by its mother for a reason." · Among cat-bears, if a litter had multiple cubs, the mother would only nurse the strongest and abandon the rest. These rejects faced only one end: death, either as fertilizer for nature or a fresh snack for a predator. · "Doctor Auntie, you can save it, right?" Messer’s eyes were filled with hope. "I want this bear." · Kureha usually didn't interfere with the laws of nature, but seeing that look in Messer’s eyes made her heart soften. · Despite being a brat, this was the first time Messer had ever asked her for anything since he was old enough to remember things. Kureha chuckled. "Fine. But if you keep him, you’re responsible for him. Food, water, and cleaning up his mess—it’s all on you. I’m not lifting a finger." · After all, this little thing couldn't pay its medical fees. · Messer blinked and nodded gently, agreeing for now. Once they got used to each other, he didn't believe anyone could be immune to a panda's charm. · Kureha took the cub with her left hand and produced a needle as fine as cow hair from nowhere with her right, precisely piercing the panda’s navel. · Grinding the needle gently with a specialized technique, Kureha smiled. "The bodies of these mammals aren't much different from humans. The pressure points are interconnected. Using acupuncture on the navel can stimulate a living being’s latent vitality. Like this." · In less than a minute, even Messer could sense the cub’s heartbeat growing stronger through his Observation Haki. Suddenly, a sharp, fragile wail erupted. It was alive. · She withdrew the needle. · Tossing the revived creature back to Messer, Kureha smirked. "Keep him warm in your shirt. We still have some leftover goat milk powder at home; just feed him that." · Messer caught him quickly, ignoring the cold, and tucked the cub against his chest. Through his clothes, he could hear the cub’s weak but persistent cries. · Seeing Messer’s attention fully occupied, Kureha walked off to process a rabbit. After a few seconds, her expression soured as a realization hit her. Her face shifted through several shades of annoyance. · Finally, she looked at Messer and sighed. "What a disaster." · She realized that for the next six months, she probably wouldn't have a single night of peace. · Maybe I should just throw Messer and the panda out together at night? · She shook her head, dismissing the negative thought. · Kureha remained quiet as she finished gathering herbs. Once she had enough, she led Messer back home. · That night, as expected, a sharp "ghastly wail" woke them both in the middle of the night. Messer sat up in a daze before crashing back down into a deep sleep. · This became the routine. · Like clockwork, the cub’s persistent howling forced Kureha to get up and deal with it. She watched Messer sleeping soundly, her eye twitching. · "That old bastard was a headache, and his grandson is just as bad. Always looking for ways to make trouble. You wait until tomorrow, you little brat. I’ll settle the score then." · The next day. · She still didn't settle the score, but she looked miserable. · Messer, having some memory of the previous night’s chaos, breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It seemed Doctor Auntie still loved him. He made sure to be extra well-behaved. · Life was a performance! · To the tune of the cub’s howling, Kureha taught Messer with a cold face. From that day on, Messer’s nutritional meals became significantly more foul-tasting. The days passed in a peaceful blur. · One more mouth to feed didn't change much. Messer grew day by day, and the little panda grew from the size of a rat to the size of a basketball. Thanks to Messer’s influence, Kureha added plenty of growth "supplements" to the panda’s milk. As a medical genius, these small adjustments were effortless for her. · The cub changed daily. After three months, the exhausting nights of being woken up finally subsided. Animals in this world were remarkably intelligent and human-like. · From the first time he opened his eyes, to his first bathroom break, to his first play session—through all those "firsts," he grew. He was named Little Bear, but his formal name was Winter, named after the season on Drum Island. · Sea Calendar, Year 1502, January 1st. · Feat Points: [730] · Messer was now two years old, and Little Bear was six months old. On this day, Messer carried a basket with Winter inside, following Kureha back to the Purple Bamboo Forest. Bamboo was, after all, a panda's staple food. · In this world, however, while pandas remained omnivores, their digestive systems were extraordinary. Their hunting capabilities were far superior, and they could consume much more meat. · The snow was heavy today. · White flakes fell into the basket. Winter poked his head out, paws hooked over the rim, watching the falling snow. He opened his mouth and flicked out a pink tongue to lick the flakes. He let out soft "wuwu" sounds, occasionally nuzzling Messer’s neck or licking him. · Tickled by the tongue, Messer laughed. "Be patient. You can eat all you want once we reach the forest. Be quiet for now." · He reached back with his right hand to push Winter’s head back in, rubbing the bear's skull and pinching his chubby cheeks. · Ying~ · Winter let out a satisfied chirp. · At two years old, Messer stood nearly a meter tall. Despite carrying the fifteen-pound weight of the panda on his back, he followed Kureha over the rugged mountain terrain with feline agility. · In his hand, he carried an all-iron axe that looked like a woodcutter's tool. It was a strange weapon; the side that should have been a hammer was a sharp, jagged pick, functioning like an ice axe. The blade was razor-sharp, and the pick was lethal. The axe head had three edges, serving as a sickle, axe, and shovel. The handle was textured for a non-slip grip. · A multi-purpose survival tool. · Kureha’s voice drifted back from ahead. "Today is another first. If you want to eat meat, you’re doing the hunting." · "Are we eating bamboo rats?" Messer grinned. "I haven't tried those yet." · Kureha paused, then explained, "The bamboo rats on this island aren't fatty. The meat is very stringy. If you catch one, you’re eating it yourself." · That was a lie. · Messer had seen them in the Purple Bamboo Forest—the white-furred bamboo rats there were huge and fat, some as large as rabbits. Clearly, someone just didn't like the taste. · Messer played along. "Alright then. What about reindeer?" · Kureha didn't object this time. Venison was very nourishing. Reindeer leg stew with yams, antler bone broth, braised kidney, stir-fried heart... Chopper definitely hadn't experienced that yet. · Chopper? That kid might still be just a strand of DNA right now. · Messer felt no moral burden regarding hunting or killing. Over the past six months, he hadn't just been studying; Kureha had forced him to butcher every animal she caught. After handling enough carcasses, one became desensitized. Humans were adaptable, and "two-legged beasts" were omnivores too. · The snow crunched beneath their feet, accompanied by the sound of Kureha swigging her wine and the occasional "ying ying" from the basket. · As they moved through the familiar snowy woods in the freezing wind, Drum Mountain loomed ahead. Soon, the vast expanse of bamboo at its base came into view. · Shhh-shhh! · As they moved through the grove, Messer sliced through a thumb-thick shoot with a single flick of his axe. · As the shoot fell, he caught it with his left hand and passed it behind his back. Winter grabbed it with his right paw and immediately began stuffing it into his mouth. The sounds of breaking bamboo, chewing, and swallowing followed, punctuated by happy grunts. · The food was excellent. · Kureha watched this, long since used to the sight. Two months ago, Winter had been brought here to taste the bamboo, and he had been craving it ever since. Winter wasn't one for manners. · Once he finished his snack, he tumbled out of the basket, landing in the snow with a thump. He wiggled his black nose and began rolling and crawling forward. · Messer followed, amused. Within seconds, Winter began digging into the snow. A few swipes later, the tip of a bamboo shoot emerged. Foraging in the snow was a basic instinct. If he ever got lost, at least he wouldn't starve. · The little thing didn't hesitate. He opened his mouth, revealing tiny, pearly-white milk teeth, and crunched through the shoot with gusto. · While Kureha gathered herbs nearby, Messer surveyed the environment—looking for droppings, footprints, or irregular breaks in stems and leaves. · Everything that passes leaves a trace. In the wild, careful observation was the key to survival. The environment told you exactly what had passed through. This was a lesson Kureha had drilled into him. · Of course, Messer had a much easier way. · His breathing slowed. With every inhalation and exhalation, a faint white mist appeared. His thoughts grew still as his Observation Haki radiated outward. The chaotic signals of the surroundings flowed into his mind. The cold wind howled, but every creature had its own distinct "rhythm." · Suddenly, Messer pulled his arm back, his body pivoting as his right leg stepped back. Whoosh! He spun his body, launching the axe toward the front left. · A silver disc flashed through the air with considerable force. Thwack! The blade bit deep into the base of a thigh-thick purple bamboo stalk ten meters away. · Zip! A white shadow bolted from a snow burrow directly in front of the bamboo. Messer’s face fell. He’d missed. · Hee hee hee! · Kureha’s mocking laughter rang out. "Little idiot. Observation Haki lets you sense them, but it doesn't give you more power." · "Besides, you’ve been trying to steal my throwing techniques, but you’ve only copied the look. You haven't learned the internal mechanics—the posture, the power generation, the wrist flick, the rotation. You’re just drawing a tiger based on a cat." · Messer rubbed his nose and shook out his right arm as he went to retrieve his axe. "I learned it with my own skill! Besides, Doctor Auntie, you have to actually teach me first." · He yanked the axe out of the bamboo, scooped up some snow with both hands, and packed it into a snowball. He walked over to Kureha and handed it to her. · Seeing him looking at her with wide eyes, Kureha took the snowball and weighed it in her hand. She didn't believe in keeping secrets from him. · "Throwing is nothing more than eyesight, grip, stance, and power. Of course, the mechanics of the human body are the same; the only goal is to hit the target." · "I didn't teach you before because your body wasn't developed enough. The human body is a complex piece of engineering, and power generation is a science that is easy to learn but hard to master." · "Now, even though you’re still a brat, you can start the basic training." · Seeing Messer listening intently and even using his Observation Haki to sense her body, Kureha tapped his head with a bamboo stick. Then, she began pointing to the critical nodes of power in his body. · Toes, feet, legs, hips, waist, spine, shoulders, head, arms, wrists, palms, fingers. · Every muscle bundle. Every joint. · From breathing and stance to eye focus, arm swing, and the wrist-flick of a static throw, to the dynamic throw involving footwork—she explained the mechanics from the perspectives of kinesiology and medicine. · One taught with precision; the other listened with absolute focus. · With Observation Haki and Messer’s existing knowledge of the human body, he didn't need Kureha to repeat the fine details. He understood it on the first try. · Soon, it was time for the practical. Kureha said, "Watch," as she dropped into a perfect throwing stance. · In the next instant, under Messer’s careful gaze, she launched a snowball. It struck exactly where Winter was about to step. · The bear cub was waddling forward when the snowball hit his front paw. Winter tripped, and his momentum carried his round face into the snow, plowing a shallow furrow. · A second later, a heart-wrenching "ying" erupted from the bear. Winter wailed, running back toward the two of them on his short legs as if he’d been mortally wounded. · Messer looked at Kureha, who just rolled her eyes. "I barely used any force. The little thing is faking it. He’s got more tricks than a ghost." · Winter scrambled over and stood up on his hind legs, wrapping his front paws around Messer’s calf and hiding behind him. He was still wailing. · Messer picked him up by the scruff and held him. Immediately, the wailing stopped, though Winter kept burying his head in Messer’s neck, whimpering softly. · Kureha sighed, rubbing Winter’s fleshy ears. "Like master, like bear." · In the end, Messer’s first hunt was a failure. Mostly because there were no reindeer in the bamboo forest. He chopped a bamboo rat just to have something, but Kureha threw it away. · [END]