I Am In One Piece Summit

Chapter 6: 006 Sudden battle! · Chapter 6: 006. An Unexpected Battle! · "Messer, you're a big boy now. Since you want to study medicine, you must first learn how to harvest various medicinal herbs independently." · "That small valley ten kilometers to the east—you know the one—it's a frequent haunt for reindeer. It's the season for them to sprout antlers." · "I’d love to say I won't be coming with you, but you have Observation Haki, so you'd definitely find me. Therefore, I will only intervene if your life is in danger." · "As long as you’re not dying, I won't lift a finger, even if you break an arm or a leg." · This was Dr. Kureha’s final bit of stubbornness. · With Kureha's words echoing in his mind, Messer trekked through the snow with Winter following close behind. · Before long, Messer was sent stumbling by a headbutt from the little creature. He turned around, casting a helpless glare at the round ball of fluff currently rolling around and acting cute. · Given that size and those rounded curves, one could hardly tell the bear was nearly a year old; he was already as big as Messer and even more spherical. · It had been nearly half a year since Garp smashed through their ceiling. It was now mid-May. · Messer wore a white Lapin-style hood, white fleece trousers, and a fur coat of the same material and color. · A pair of polarized sunglasses sat on his face. · White cotton gloves covered his hands. · Bundled up tightly from head to toe, he looked exactly like a giant rabbit. · A Lapin cub? · "No, no, no, how could I be a rabbit?" Messer shook his head, clearing the terrible thought from his mind. "Not a chance." · Snowflakes as large as goose feathers drifted down from the sky. · Stepping unevenly through the deep snow, a soft "Ying~" rang out. Winter bit down on Messer’s trouser leg, tugging to stop him from moving further. · Messer knelt and pinched the bear’s ears. Through long-term Domestication and living together, he could clearly sense the unease in Winter's cry. · He stroked the bear's head with his left hand to calm him. Simultaneously, within the range of his Observation Haki, he sensed a chaotic flurry of presences just beyond the small snow slope ahead. · Yo, yo~ · Quietly, the crisp cries of deer drifted over. Messer’s heart leapt with joy—target located. · He looked down and met Winter's bead-like eyes. Messer’s gaze held a look of approval. · Winter took the cue, sticking out his tongue and blinking. · Disgracefully cute. · Messer said, "Since you're scared, wait here. Remember to burrow into the snow and hide well." · Messer stood up and checked his gear: an axe, several stones, and a bolas made of rope with stones tied to both ends. · He also had his "Iron-Eating Beast" mount, though it was still just a cub. · He crawled up the snow slope. Peering over the crest, he saw a herd of reindeer happily foraging in the snow-covered bushes nearby. · Based on the count, there were at least fifty or sixty of them, ranging in size. · A small herd. · Messer’s lips curled into a smile. He reached out and stroked Winter, who had crawled up beside him, and whispered: · "Do you see them? Oh, I forgot, you're a little blind bear; you can't see that far. But you can hear them, right? Since you followed me up here, you'll go attract their attention in a moment while I hunt from the rear. Got it?" · Winter tilted his head at Messer, then promptly covered his ears with his paws and buried his head in the snow. His short tail gave a little wiggle as he shook his rump. · Messer laughed in exasperation. Since the bear had come this far, he wasn't giving him a choice. · Messer grabbed the base of the bear's hind leg and effortlessly tossed him out. Mid-air, Winter let out a sharp "Awooo!" that instantly caught the attention of the herd. · Plop! · A mound of meat slammed into the snow. Feeling no pain, Winter pulled his head out and shook it vigorously. His nearsighted eyes glared at the deer herd as he bared his teeth in a fierce, adorable roar. · A series of intermittent roars lasted for over ten seconds. · It successfully provoked the herd. Led by an adult reindeer with a scarred face, several stags lowered their heads, brandishing their powerful antlers as they closed in on Winter. · Amidst the swirling snow... · After tossing Winter, Messer had already rolled down the slope. While the herd was distracted, he circled around to their flank. · He watched as the herd grew restless. · Even a small bear was still a bear, regardless of whether it ate meat or plants. · He noticed that, under the lead stag's direction, several reindeer were forcing Winter to retreat. · Hiding behind a gnarled tree... · Messer observed the herd less than a hundred meters away, searching carefully. A few seconds later, he found his target: a plump stag whose antlers had not yet calcified. They were still velvet. · He glanced at Winter's position and estimated the bear could hold out for another minute. Messer began forming snowballs, piling up snow and packing palm-sized, high-density spheres. · As the silent countdown in his head hit zero, a pile of over twenty "hardened" snowballs sat before him. · Swish! · Messer rose to a half-kneeling position. His left arm extended to aim while his right hand gripped a snowball behind his head. He locked onto the lead stag with Observation Haki. With intense focus, he whipped his right arm forward. · Whoosh! · A spinning snowball became a blur of white, thrown with utter Precision. Through the whistling wind came a sharp crack as the snowball struck the lead stag's head, hitting it right in the eye. · "Yo!?!?" · A panicked cry erupted. The lead stag jumped two meters into the air. A second later, another snowball slammed into its head while it was still airborne. · It did no real damage, but it stung. · The moment it hit the ground, the lead stag bolted in a frenzy. · When the leader panicked, the entire herd followed suit. In the next instant, a barrage of snowballs mixed with stones began striking the deer. Under the predictive power of Observation Haki, even these adult four-legged beasts could not escape the simple schemes of a human child. · Driven by the constant bombardment and Messer's predictions of their movements, one specific reindeer was pushed out of the herd. Messer knew the moment had arrived. · His right hand snatched the bolas. He swung it over his head, rotating it rapidly as his shoulder, forearm, and wrist moved in perfect harmony. The moment the reindeer turned its head, the bolas flew. Through the wind, the rope—stretched taut by the stones at each end—wrapped firmly around the reindeer's front legs. · With a heavy thud, the reindeer face-planted into the snow and tumbled. This sight sent the already scattered herd into an even greater frenzy. · Clad in his Lapin furs, Messer sprinted out with his axe in hand. He threw his last few stones to drive the rest of the herd away. · Messer reached the fallen reindeer. Without hesitation, he swung his axe. The pick-like end sank into the deer's neck like a dagger, instantly carving a long, narrow gash. · Yo!!! · Following a mournful cry, Messer pulled the axe out and stepped back to avoid the prey's death throes. · This stag was nearly 1.6 meters long—almost fully grown and powerfully built. Its hind legs were currently kicking wildly. · Seconds later, the stag’s head slumped into a pool of blood as its throat gave out. The herd watched anxiously from a distance. · As the stag breathed its last, an irregularly shaped crystal shimmering with a mysterious glow appeared above its corpse. · Messer knew this was a sight only he could see, or perhaps something invisible to the "mortal" eye. · With a calm gesture, the grain-sized Soul Crystal was drawn into Messer’s palm. · Thought flashed through his eyes as a notification appeared on his retina. · [Obtained F-Grade Soul Crystal 1] · Soul Crystal: Obtain Soul Crystals of varying quality through slaughter. These can be used to strengthen attributes and Gift abilities. (Soul Crystals are refined and forged from the source of a life's essence.) · A line of small text floated behind the item's name. Messer wasn't surprised; this was a property of his "Light Orb." · Messer called it "Appraisal." · After focusing on an object for a few seconds, a detailed description would appear. · It worked on living beings or inanimate objects—a form of fundamental insight. · It was an exceptionally convenient ability, a perfect support tool. · What made it perfect was its utility in investigating the unknown—for instance, a newly developed potion with unknown effects. With the appraisal results, he would know exactly what it did. · He absorbed the Soul Crystal into his body—specifically, into the Soul Crystal slot on his interface. · Soul Crystals: [F-Grade 1] · Messer looked at the deer and swung his axe. With a crunch, a thirty-centimeter branch of velvet antler was severed at the base. · Another swing, and the second, slightly shorter antler was taken as well. · He packed them into his bag. · His first hunt was a grand success. · Just then, a black-and-white furball waddled over, letting out soft, aggrieved "Ying ying" cries. · It made sense; even if he was a bear, a cub less than a year old would be terrified after being threatened by several large, horned creatures. · Messer cupped Winter’s fleshy face in both hands and rubbed vigorously. Immediately, Winter began making happy "Gugu" sounds. · As he played with the bear, Messer remained wary of the herd, which was still lingering and looking back. He didn't immediately butcher the stag, fearing the herd might charge back. · At that moment... · Bang! Bang! Bang! · A series of gunshots rang out from the woods to the left of the herd—Messer’s front-left. Loud shouting and hollering followed. · Almost instantly, the herd left behind a few carcasses and fled in terror toward the right, kicking up a storm of snow. · Messer quickly grabbed Winter by the scruff of the neck and ducked behind the stag’s corpse to avoid stray bullets. He looked toward the newcomers with a face full of annoyance. · They were armed with swords and guns. · Fifteen people in total. · Leading them were two youths protected in the center. One was about thirteen or fourteen, the other seven or eight. From their appearance, they were brothers. · The elder brother had a purple-red bowl cut and a long, horse-like face. He held a flintlock pistol, his face twisted with arrogance and fury. · "You useless trash! You can't even kill a herd of deer? You only got a few! When I become King, I’ll have you all exiled!" · The younger brother, with deep purple hair, was equally cruel. His fat face looked hideous as he sneered. · "That's right! You trash, go kill all those reindeer right now! I want a full venison feast tonight!" · The thirteen guards looked miserable, their anger suppressed. The lead guard, possessing some backbone, said calmly: · "Our apologies, Your Highnesses. The soldiers have just come out of those ruins and are very tired. Furthermore, the herd is very alert, and the snow is currently—" · Mushuru waved his hand impatiently, his horse-face stretching even longer as he mocked them. · "If it weren't for the spoils we found in the ruins, do you think I'd settle for just insulting you?" · Wapol picked his nose and wiped the mucus onto a guard’s coat. He puffed out his cheeks, his fat face looking even more bloated with displeasure. · "My Big Brother is right. You really are useless." · "Eh?" Wapol suddenly spotted the dead reindeer in the snow to the right, and he saw Messer watching them. "A Lapin?" · In the next second, the guards raised their guns, faces full of caution. · Lapins. · A species of pack-hunting carnivorous rabbits on Drum Island. They had the agility of a rabbit and the physique of a bear. They were extremely fierce, only respecting the strong. Any other creature they encountered was met with a "friendly" group beating. · Even with the heavy snow, visibility was still about a hundred meters. · The guards looked again. There were no Lapins nearby. In the direction Wapol pointed, there was only a dead reindeer and... a hunter? · "Who's there?" · The lead guard shouted, frowning. "We are the Royal Guard! Stop playing tricks. I'll count to three; if you don't come out, we open fire!" · The King's only two heirs were here. He couldn't afford to be careless. · The safety of the royal family was paramount. · Messer’s expression soured. He recognized these people. They were the future "tyrants" of this country. · The snow began to fall even more heavily, and the cold wind howled. · Messer already wanted to retreat. He was still small; there was no need to take on firearms with a body that wasn't much stronger than an average person's. · He patted Winter and leaned down, whispering into the bear's ear: "You go first. I'll cover you. We meet at that snow slope from earlier." · The bear was young, but he was smart. Following Messer's hand signals, the clever Winter turned and crawled away. Opposite them, the insults and shouting continued. · Messer used Observation Haki to lock onto Wapol’s group, sixty or seventy meters away. · His hands were already back in the snow, molding snowballs. If he wanted to withdraw safely, he had to break their formation. · Otherwise, if he turned his back on them, he couldn't guarantee they wouldn't take a potshot. · One, two! · Five, six... · At that moment, urged on by the two brothers, the guards began to close in on Messer's position. · Fifty meters... forty-five... thirty. · Prince Mushuru urged from the back, "So slow! Move faster! I want to see who’s playing ghost out there. Just fire!" · The lead guard hesitated, "But—" · Messer knew he couldn't wait any longer. Gripping a snowball and relying on his Haki's perception, he shifted slightly and hurled it with all his might. · The next moment. · "AAAH!" Mushuru screamed in pain. "My eye! Protect me! Quick, protect me! Fire! Open fire!" · The guards panicked, immediately forming a circle around the two princes and raising their guns as they retreated. · Sensing their movements through Observation Haki, Messer gripped a snowball in each hand. He took a deep breath, mustered his strength, and kicked the reindeer carcass to the right. · Simultaneously, he rolled to the left. · Thud! · The carcass hit the snow, followed immediately by a volley of gunshots aimed at its position. · Messer scrambled to his feet and lunged forward. He threw both snowballs with a whistling whoosh. Two claps followed, and then Wapol howled in pain. · Bang! Bang! Bang! · More shots rang out. Messer could clearly perceive the ripples in the air caused by the bullets. Since he sensed them in advance, he could naturally dodge. · He had baited out a wave of fire. Their guns weren't semi-automatic, so this volley only consisted of a few rounds. · Messer dodged the lead bullets and unclipped the bolas from his waist. He spun it rapidly and threw. In the wind and snow, the distance of less than twenty meters vanished in an instant. Two guards had their legs swept out from under them, tripping over each other in the chaos. · By then, Messer had already charged into the group. He kicked the lead guard square in the groin. As the man buckled, Messer drove a knee into his chin, flipping him backward. · Within the remaining crowd, he moved like a whirlwind—axe swinging, fists and feet flying. The sound of tearing fabric was accompanied by splashes of blood as he struck the arms holding the guns. · Dull impacts, screams, and cries of pain filled the air. · Messer moved fluidly through the crowd. Despite his small stature, his strength was formidable, and his strikes were ruthless. He sensed their every move before they made it. · It was a slaughter. · In less than ten seconds, a squad of fifteen was dismantled by Messer alone. · As for the cowardly Wapol brothers, Messer gave both of them a vicious blow to their right arms. · He severed their tendons cleanly.Please support the story with your recommendations and keep reading! · Even a young seedling needs time to develop. · Enough small talk. · Seeking recommendations, bookmarks, follows, and investments! · PS: [Basic Power Level Classifications] (Approximate) · Average Adult: F- Rank · Soldier / 100,000 Berry Level: F to F+ Rank · Officer / 1 Million Berry Level: E- to E+ Rank · Field Officer / 10 Million Berry Level: D- to D+ Rank · Commodore & Rear Admiral / Supernova / 100 Million Berry Level: C- to C+ Rank · Elite Vice Admiral / Admiral Candidate / Yonko Commander / Warlord (1 Billion Level): B- to B+ Rank · Admiral / Four Emperors (3 Billion+ Level): A- Rank and above... · PS: (In the world of pirates, one usually reaches these ranks by excelling in specific areas; few are perfectly balanced "Hexagon Warriors.") · A- Rank: Zephyr, for example. · A Rank: Mihawk, Blackbeard, Old Garp. · A+ Rank: Prime Whitebeard (attaining this level in certain aspects), Peak Shanks (attaining this level in certain aspects). · B+ Rank: Marco, Katakuri, Crocodile, Empress Hancock, Jinbe. · B Rank: Doflamingo. · The above is a general outline. Specifics will depend on the narrative, as the world is constantly in flux. · (End of Chapter) · [END]