"Anyway, you should change your clothes," Ayu looked at the Marine coat Carl was wearing.
"With this kind of clothing, you stand out instantly. It's obvious you're not from around here."
Carl nodded slightly, the corners of his mouth lifting. "That's reasonable."
After all, he still had three days to remain in Wanokuni. Moving around in a Marine coat, especially one bearing justice kanji on the back, would inevitably attract unwanted attention — not just from the Beasts Pirates or Orochi's samurai, but also from the people of Wanokuni who'd never seen a Marine before.
"Though," Carl glanced sideways at her, "do you even have clothes that would fit me?"
This little girl seemed to be living alone — the humble house showed no sign of other occupants. That meant it likely only had her own belongings.
"My master has some!" Ayu perked up and gestured toward a back room, then hesitated as she glanced at the now-empty bowls on the floor. "Um… what's your name, Master Magician?"
"Just call me Carl," he replied.
"Then…" She looked conflicted, "Can I tell my master that you're a magician?"
A magician who could summon food out of thin air — that kind of title was overwhelming in her eyes. In a land like Kuri, where people were starving daily, someone like Carl wasn't just mysterious — he was a miracle worker.
This place had long been referred to as a "starving floating world." Ever since Orochi took power and aligned with Kaido, villages outside the Flower Capital were left to rot. The destruction of Hat Village had only added to the suffering.
"Sure," Carl waved his hand indifferently.
With the [Gourmet Tablecloth] in hand, food was no longer a concern. Though Wanokuni wasn't under the World Government's umbrella and technically beyond the Marine's protection, Carl shared the beliefs of men like Fujitora — justice isn't exclusive. It belongs to the people.
Unlike hawkish figures like Sakazuki, Carl didn't differentiate between citizens of the world and those cast aside by the celestial elite.
"So I'm going!" Ayu beamed with excitement and darted toward the door, clearly eager to share this miracle with her master.
Just as she reached it—
"Ayu!"
A loud voice rang from outside. The wooden door creaked open, revealing a masked figure in a long cloak styled like a tengu.
"Master!" Ayu's eyes sparkled. "Why are you here?"
"Why did you bring a stranger home again?" the man — Tenguyama Hitetsu — spoke sternly.
"That…" Ayu fiddled with her fingers, then her eyes lit up. "But Master, this big brother is a magician! He can summon food out of thin air!"
"…???"
A series of question marks practically popped over Hitetsu's head. "What's a magician?"
He had never heard of such a thing. A person who could conjure food like a ninja summoning jutsu? That wasn't normal.
Stepping forward, Hitetsu moved Ayu behind him protectively. "Outsider, state your purpose."
Carl remained seated on the wooden platform, calm as ever, his back straight like a soldier at ease.
"Master!" Ayu suddenly rushed in front of Hitetsu, arms spread wide to protect Carl. "I'm telling the truth! Lord Carl really is a magician. He made miso soup and white rice appear from nothing!"
Hitetsu looked down at her sincere eyes and faltered for a moment.
"…Fine," Carl let out a small sigh of smoke and stood up slowly.
Without drama, he laid down the [Gourmet Tablecloth] and said softly, "White rice."
Shwa—
A steaming bowl of white rice appeared out of nowhere atop the cloth, the aroma spreading instantly through the wooden house.
"…!" Hitetsu's breath caught. His body trembled as he rushed forward and picked up the bowl carefully, almost reverently. With a slight tilt of his mask, he brought one grain of rice to his lips.
"…Real… rice," he muttered, dazed.
A moment later—thud.
Hitetsu dropped to his knees, head touching the floor. "My lord… forgive my blind eyes…"
"It's fine." Carl raised a hand to stop him, calm as ever. "Skepticism is natural."
After all, [Gourmet Tablecloth] wasn't a technique from this world — it was a prop from a certain blue robot cat in another realm. Its ability to manifest food directly out of nothingness was tantamount to rewriting physical law.
If the food came from a storage space, it was one thing. But if it was truly created, the science behind it was unfathomable — bordering on divine.
"Thank you for your tolerance," Hitetsu stood slowly, still staring at Carl with a complicated expression.
Despite his years of isolation, he recognized the Marine coat. Yet he said nothing — because he also knew Wanokuni was not aligned with the World Government. It received no protection, no laws, no mercy from the outside world.
And yet… this Marine had brought food. Not weapons. Not threats. Just food.
In a country ravaged by Kaido, stripped of dignity by Orochi, and ignored by the world — that meant everything.
Wano Country, a once-great nation, had long since closed its borders, forbidden to sail freely or make contact with the outside world. By the will of the Shogunate and centuries of isolationism, it naturally never became a member nation of the World Government.
"Master, do you have any clothes Mr. Carl can wear? His outfit is too eye-catching," Ayu asked at just the right time, glancing at the Marine coat with the Justice kanji boldly displayed on Carl's back.
"Ah, yes," Tenguyama Hitetsu, momentarily caught off guard, then nodded solemnly. "Sir, please come with me."
Among the towering treehouses of Kuri's Kasa Village, this was Hitetsu's secluded home — where he had forged blades and watched over Ayu in silence for years. It was the same workshop where he once kept the Ame-no-Habakiri and Enma, swords of great renown.
Carl stepped inside and calmly changed into a plain white kimono with a dark sash — the traditional garb of Wano. Compared to his prior appearance, the outfit allowed him to blend in with the villagers seamlessly.
At the very least, he looked decent.
Pushing open the sliding door of the treehouse and walking out, Carl drew the attention of both Hitetsu and Ayu. Their eyes briefly widened in surprise.
Carl nodded slightly. "As for the clothes — thank you. I can pay with food."
From beginning to end, despite witnessing his ability to summon sustenance from thin air, neither of them had made a single request for food.
"This…" Hitetsu hesitated, then let out a quiet sigh. "Thank you, sir."
As a samurai of Wano, pride and honor forbade him from asking for such charity. Yet the reality of famine in Kuri, with starving children and burning fields, made refusal impossible.
"Thank you, sir!" Ayu bowed deeply, her voice sincere.
"It's just food. It's nothing to me," Carl said casually with a wave of his hand.
Even without the Gourmet Tablecloth, he wouldn't starve — he wasn't a Devil Fruit user. At sea, fish were abundant. And with his strength, catching them was effortless.
Rolling out the familiar [Gourmet Tablecloth], Carl suddenly said, "Actually, I have a kind of food. It's not much, but it fills the stomach."
Both Hitetsu and Ayu looked at him curiously.
A small grin appeared on his face. "Compressed biscuits."
In an instant, several brick-like biscuits appeared on the cloth. Dense and grayish-brown, they looked more like building blocks than food.
Carl picked one up with a smile and handed it to Hitetsu. "Try it. Just remember to drink water."
Hitetsu quickly caught the solid biscuit. "Compressed biscuits? This is…?"
It felt hard in his hand — unnaturally heavy and solid. Could this truly be edible?
Curious but skeptical, he brought the biscuit to his lips, biting down—
Crunch!
"Ugh… so hard. It really is compressed," he muttered behind his tengu mask.
"Master, drink water too!" Ayu exclaimed, watching with anticipation.
Uncorking the gourd tied at his waist, Hitetsu took a sip of sake. The moment the liquid hit his tongue, the biscuit in his stomach reacted. His eyes widened behind the mask.
"What's going on?! It's expanding…!"
His stomach swelled with an unfamiliar feeling — fullness. Just one biscuit and a mouthful of water, and he felt as if he'd eaten an entire meal.
It was the kind of feeling many in Wano hadn't experienced in years.
Suddenly, Carl's motion stilled. His crimson right eye flashed.
"You two stay inside the treehouse. I have something to handle."
He swept all the remaining compressed biscuits into Hitetsu's arms before leaping from the platform — and vanished instantly.
"Eh?! He disappeared?" Ayu looked around in shock. His movement was faster than the naked eye could follow.
Hitetsu stood still, eyes narrowing. "This man… just how strong is he?"
He'd seen many warriors in Wano — even some of the samurai that served Kozuki Oden. But that speed… it bordered on teleportation.
Outside Kasa Village, Carl's figure raced through the forest like a phantom.
His advanced Kenbunshoku Haki, trained to a level comparable to Observation Killing, had sensed several foreign presences approaching the village. Strange auras.
In an instant, he stood before them.
"Who goes there?!"
"Who are you?!"
The intruders froze. Strange humanoid figures — one with a horse's lower body, another with a sheep's upper body, and a third with large bat-like ears.
Carl's crimson eye gleamed with a pulse of will.
In an instant, all three froze in place, fear surging in their eyes as if their souls had been grasped. Haoshoku Haki crackled in the air subtly.
"You… are Zoan users?" Carl raised an eyebrow.
Normally, Zoan-type Devil Fruits cause users to transform entirely into beasts or into hybrid forms when transformed. But these three… they were in constant hybrid states.
And yet — their auras were weak.
They didn't feel like advanced Zoan users who had mastered hybrid transformations through control or awakening.
"I—I—we're part of the Beasts Pirates! We're Givers!" the sheep-man stammered.
"What do you want?!"
Their bodies twitched, but they were unable to move — restrained by Carl's killing intent, like being weighed down by gravity.
"The Givers? Beasts Pirates?" Carl's eyes lit up. "Perfect. I was looking for you."
The Beasts Pirates certainly had access to a Road Poneglyph, and if not, they at least possessed a permanent log pose to Onigashima — the stronghold where Kaido resided.
He had been planning to steal one and sneak onto the island quietly.
And now? The prey had delivered themselves.
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