A lion-like Mink stepped forward, drawing his sword and pointing it at the man standing at the center of the clearing, laughing heartily. His voice was sharp with suspicion as he demanded,
"Who are you? How did you get here?"
The laughing man gradually quieted down upon hearing the question. He turned his head toward the lion Mink, tilting it slightly with a playful grin before responding,
"Who are you?"
The lion Mink was straightforward, answering without hesitation,
"I am Shishilian, captain of the Musketeer Squad."
"Oh, I see... Nice to meet you. I'm Joy Boy. First time here—please take care of me."
Shishilian hesitated for a moment. The Minks had lived in isolation on Zou—on the back of the massive elephant, Zunesha—for generations. Their way of thinking was simple and direct. Seeing Joy Boy's friendly demeanor, Shishilian sheathed his sword and politely returned the greeting,
"Nice to meet you."
At that moment, another Mink stepped forward—this one resembling a puma. He was Pedro, leader of the Guardians who protected the Whale Forest.
His eyes swept over the damaged trees surrounding them, his tone turning harsh as he questioned,
"Human, what did you just do?"
Joy Boy scratched his head sheepishly. "Ah, sorry about that. I didn't mean to cause any damage... but I don't think my friend would mind."
Pedro frowned. "Your friend? Who here do you know?"
He turned and glanced at the other Minks behind him. Each one shook their head, signaling that they had never seen Joy Boy before.
Pedro turned back, his gaze sharp. Joy Boy, however, remained unfazed, merely shrugging as he said,
"You misunderstand. The friend I was talking about is beneath our feet."
The Minks exchanged confused glances as Joy Boy cupped his hands around his mouth and let out a long, echoing call: "Ooo—ooo—ooo!"
Moments later, Zunesha let out a deep, resonant bellow in response.
The entire Mink Tribe froze. Pedro stared at Joy Boy in shock, his voice trembling as he exclaimed,
"You... you can communicate with Zunesha!?"
Joy Boy grinned. "Of course. We've been friends for 800 years."
"Eight hundred years?! Are you joking?!"
The Minks collectively gawked at him. With his youthful appearance, his claim was absurd.
Yet they had witnessed it with their own eyes—Zunesha had answered his call. There was no denying what had just happened.
A brief silence fell over the group. The Minks stared at Joy Boy, while he, in turn, folded his arms and closed his eyes in thought.
Finally, Pedro couldn't hold back any longer. Hesitantly, he asked,
"Uh... what exactly are you? Are you a Devil Fruit user?"
Pedro's suspicion wasn't unfounded—Joy Boy was still in his Nika form.
Hearing the question, Joy Boy glanced down at himself, studying his own body before musing,
"A Devil Fruit user? At this point, I'd say I'm more like the Devil Fruit itself..."
Pedro and the other Minks were utterly baffled.
Joy Boy simply chuckled before saying, "Anyway, can I get something to eat? I'm starving."
The abrupt shift in topic left Pedro and the others speechless.
But considering Zunesha's reaction, they decided to tolerate him for now and led him toward their kingdom.
As they walked, Joy Boy admired the scenery along the way, completely at ease, chatting enthusiastically with the younger Minks.
Once they reached the residential area, Shishilian ordered some food to be prepared—mostly fruits.
Joy Boy didn't hold back. He dove into the feast, devouring the food at an alarming rate. The Minks could only stare, dumbfounded, as the once-mountainous pile of food rapidly diminished before their eyes.
As he ate, Joy Boy's muscles subtly grew more defined, and his already pale skin seemed to take on a faint glow.
Between bites, he muttered, "This body sure has an insane appetite... well, I guess that's a good thing."
Before long, every last morsel was gone. Yet despite consuming such an immense amount, his stomach remained flat.
Exhaling deeply, he released a large cloud of white mist from his mouth and sighed, "Ahh, it's been so long since I've enjoyed food like this..."
At that moment, a squirrel Mink dressed as a nurse approached, holding a large cup of juice.
"Um... you should drink something. Eating so much must be hard to swallow, right?"
Joy Boy laughed and gratefully accepted the juice, downing it in one go.
With his hunger and thirst satisfied, Joy Boy stood up, stretching a little. However, after just a couple of movements, his expression suddenly tensed, and he winced in pain.
Clutching his abdomen, he dropped back onto the ground.
Pedro and the others panicked. The squirrel Mink rushed to support him, asking urgently,
"What's wrong? Did you eat too much? Is your stomach hurting?"
Joy Boy closed his eyes briefly before waving a hand dismissively. "No... I was just in a battle earlier. My abdomen is still injured."
As he spoke, he removed his hand from his stomach, revealing a long, pale scar. Wisps of black and white energy intertwined across the mark, flickering subtly.
Pedro narrowed his eyes. "A battle? With whom? Did your enemy follow you here?"
Joy Boy shook his head. His tone was calm as he replied,
"The battle was in the East Blue. That's still quite a distance from here."
"What?! Then how did you get here?"
"That's all thanks to Zunesha. He answered my call—otherwise, I would've been in real trouble."
Pedro's expression darkened. "And your enemy... who are they?"
Joy Boy exhaled and said, "Before I tell you, let me ask—are there any Marines stationed here?"
Pedro snorted. "Are you joking? This is Zou. Aside from us Minks, hardly any outsiders make it here—let alone Marines."
"Good. At least this place remains untouched."
Joy Boy smiled, relieved. Then, his voice turned serious as he finally revealed,
"The one I fought... goes by the name 'Carl.'"
Pedro's eyes widened in shock before his expression twisted with deep-seated hatred. Gritting his teeth, he spat out,
"Carl? You mean... the current Fleet Admiral?!"
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+200 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg