“Sorry, did I scare you?”
Gern reined in his Conqueror’s Haki, and the previously solidified air began to flow again.
He then looked around and saw Wanda and Pedro frozen in place, their pupils constricted, their tails bristling, and even their breathing becoming cautious.
Other Mink Tribe members farther away were pale, some even weak in the knees, barely able to stand by leaning on each other.
“Uh…” Gern scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, “Did I overdo it?”
Libo was the only one not stunned into immobility, but even she was shaken by Gern’s aura from earlier.
But she quickly blinked, her ears twitching slightly, then suddenly snapped back to reality, grabbing Gern’s arm and shaking it: “Gern! What was that just now?!
So amazing! Libo wants to learn too!”
Gern gave a wry smile: “This really can’t be taught.”
At the same time, Wanda and Pedro, still children, finally recovered from their shock, exchanged glances, and unconsciously took a step back.
“Pedro…” Wanda whispered, her tail unconsciously curling up, “Wasn’t that right! He just… did he scare the Steel Bristle Beasts unconscious with just a look?”
“Mm.” Pedro swallowed, his hand gripping his short sword trembling slightly: “I heard Boss Nekomamushi say that some strong people outside can intimidate enemies with their aura, but this is the first time I’ve seen it with my own eyes…”
Gern noticed the two little ones’ nervousness, sighed helplessly, squatted down, and tried to make his tone as gentle as possible: “Sorry, did I scare you?
That just now was Conqueror’s Haki, and it wasn’t directed at you.”
“Con… Conqueror’s Haki?” Pedro repeated the unfamiliar term, his eyes filled with both fear and a hint of longing.
“Mm.” Gern smiled. Since they were still children and clearly scared silly, he said softly: “You don’t have to be afraid, I won’t use this on friends.”
Wanda cautiously looked up at him: “You… you really won’t hurt us?”
“Of course.” Gern spread his hands, “I’m a hero of justice, right?”
“That’s right!!” Libo immediately nodded vigorously beside him: “Gern is a good person!”
Seeing Libo’s carefree demeanor, Wanda and Pedro’s expressions finally relaxed a little.
But clearly, the power Gern had just displayed was deeply imprinted in their hearts.
In the following days, not long after, Gern made the carrots in the field jump out on their own.
And the feat of scaring three Steel Bristle Beasts unconscious with a single glance spread like wildfire throughout New Moon Village.
The news spread wider and wider, and soon, the entire Mokomo Dukedom knew—an extraordinary human had arrived in New Moon Village.
.......
Several days later, at the edge of New Moon Village, Libo’s small house.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the wooden roof, casting a warm golden hue.
Gern stood by the field path, watching Libo gesticulate wildly in front of her carrot field, trying to imitate his previous actions.
“Rise! Rise! Rise!” Libo shouted at the field with her hands raised high, her drooping ears bobbing up and down with her movements.
However, the carrots in the field remained motionless.
“Why isn’t it working?!” Libo stomped her foot angrily, then turned to Gern, her pink eyes filled with grievance, “Gern, are you tricking me?”
“I’m not tricking you.” Gern couldn’t help but laugh at the naturally clumsy rabbit, walking over and ruffling her head.
“I already told you, this ability is my Devil Fruit ability, you can’t learn it.”
“Devil Fruit ability?” Libo tilted her head, looking bewildered.
“A Devil Fruit, something that grants special abilities when eaten,” Gern explained, “But the side effect is that you can’t swim.”
“So when you take a bath every night, Gern, you’re as weak as Uncle Goat, who’s 90 years old?” Libo seemed to think of something, stroking her chin.
“That’s right, actually, I can’t be in water for too long either…” Gern was about to explain further.
But he suddenly froze, “Wait, Libo!! How did you know I’m weak when I take a bath?!”
“Uh…” Libo whistled, “I guessed.”
“Libo~”
“Alright, alright!” Libo’s face flushed, “I was just curious, after all, it’s my first time seeing a human.
Plus, Gern, you’re different from me; you don’t have fur on your body.
So I was curious and specially ran outside, then jumped high, and from a distance, through the small window…” As she spoke, Libo suddenly turned back and smiled.
“But I still confirmed that, Gern, you’re not completely without…”
“Stop, stop, stop!” Gern instantly moved to cover her mouth tightly, “You can’t say the rest of that!”
“Okay.” Libo stuck out her tongue, “Then you said you’d teach me…”
“It’s impossible for you to freely make carrots pop out,” Gern smiled, then changed the subject, “However, I can teach you something even more amazing.”
“More amazing?” Libo jumped up excitedly, “What is it? Tell me quickly!”
“Armament Haki.” Gern raised his hand, and a black sheen instantly covered his palm.
“It can make your attacks much stronger!”
Libo, who had already seen it in the restaurant, stared at Gern’s hand, her eyes sparkling with admiration, “I want to learn! I want to learn!”
“Learning, no problem, but…” Gern deliberately drew out his words, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
“You have to become my companion first.”
“Aren’t I already your companion, Gern?” Libo blinked.
“You…” Libo’s innocent and simple answer momentarily left Gern speechless, “Aren’t you going to ask what a companion has to do?”
“No need to ask!” Libo put her hands on her hips, performing the Kamen Rider transformation signature pose she had done when Gern first met her.
“Because Gern is… a hero of justice!!”
Watching Libo’s increasingly familiar movements, Gern was amused by her words and extended his hand: “Then from today on, you are my companion.”
Libo unhesitatingly high-fived him, her smile as bright as sunshine: “Mm! Libo and Gern are companions!”
The moment their palms met, Libo suddenly felt a strange sensation in her palm.
She looked down and found a cherry in her palm, she didn’t know when it appeared.
The glowing green skin shimmered, and its surface was covered with spiral patterns.
“Huh?” Libo curiously picked up the cherry, turning it in the setting sun to observe it.
“Gern, what is this? Did you slip it to me when we high-fived?”
Gern’s expression suddenly became serious. He gently held Libo’s wrist, lifting the cherry between them: “Libo, this is a Devil Fruit.”
“Eh?!” Libo’s eyes instantly widened, and her drooping ears stood upright, “Is this the… the one Gern just mentioned?”
“That’s right.” Gern nodded slightly, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.
“The power of this fruit is very special—eat it, and you’ll gain the power to heal everything.
However…” He deliberately paused, “You’ll also become a landlubber like me.”
Libo’s hand, holding the fruit, trembled slightly, and the flowing glimmer on the fruit was reflected in her pink eyes.
She suddenly looked up, her eyes sparkling with anticipation: “So that means, if Gern gets hurt, and I don’t know medical skills, I can save you myself?”
Gern was stunned; he hadn’t expected Libo’s first thought to be something like that.
The afterglow of the setting sun cast a warm golden edge on the girl’s serious face, illuminating her snowy white fur.
“What a foolish rabbit…” Gern chuckled softly, reaching out to ruffle Libo’s head, his voice unconsciously softening.
“Shouldn’t you be thinking about your own ability at a time like this?”
“Because Gern is a hero of justice, and heroes always rush to the front!” Libo puffed out her cheeks.
“It was the same when we dealt with the Steel Bristle Beasts last time; you could have waited for everyone to join…”
“Alright, alright.” Gern interrupted her with a helpless smile, “But you need to think carefully; eating this fruit means you can never swim again.
As a Mink Tribe member, that price…”
“I don’t know what the difference is from carrots!” Libo took a bite without hesitation.
The next second, her face instantly turned green: “Ugh—what is this taste… Gern, you…”
Watching Libo retching, holding onto a tree trunk, Gern held his stomach, laughing uncontrollably.
“Gern, you knew all along, didn’t you…” Libo wiped her mouth, and was about to say something when she suddenly felt a strange power surge within her body.
She looked at her hands in surprise, and a soft green light emerged from her palms.
“Huh?” Libo also noticed the change, and curiously lowered her gaze.
“My hand, my palm is glowing!”