Learning mantra

"Do you know what I'm going to do in the future? I'm going to join the Marines. I'll practice my skills first to deal with guys like you who will become pirates sooner or later."

The fat kid said proudly.

As he said this, several children surrounded Enel and started punching and kicking him.

The door of the dilapidated house opened at some point. Kaizen slowly walked out, then found a stone at the door and sat down slowly.

"Hey! Stop!"

Kaizen's voice was calm but extremely penetrating and intimidating. It was like a snake silently spitting out its tongue.

Several children stopped their actions and looked up at Kaizen.

"What! Just an injured beggar. What do you want?"

The fat kid looked displeased when Kaizen interrupted, full of disdain.

Kaizen gave a pale smile. "Go home."

"You, a stinky beggar, want to command us?"

Kaizen's tone was like a father speaking to his son, which annoyed the rebellious children.

"I'm advising you kindly. I don't want any trouble with you. Go home, right away." Kaizen said firmly, sounding like an older brother.

The children ignored Enel on the ground and approached Kaizen.

"I've never seen a beggar like you before. Are you from this town?"

One child pointed angrily at Kaizen.

Recently, people seemed to be speaking to him in this tone a lot, and now even children were doing it.

Kaizen smiled and said politely, "I just arrived yesterday. Please treat me well."

"What! He's actually an outsider, just like the little beggar on the ground."

"Could he be the little beggar's father?"

"Looking at how shabby they are, they probably are father and son!"

The children started talking at once, their voices sarcastic.

"So, are you the father of the little beggar?"

The fat kid asked Kaizen seriously.

"Enel!" Kaizen said firmly.

"What?" The children didn't understand.

"His name is Enel, not Little Beggar. Didn't your mother tell you that giving people random nicknames could make you cross-eyed?"

As he spoke, Kaizen suddenly crossed his eyes and continued talking.

"Just like this."

The children stepped back in fright, then burst into laughter at Kaizen's expression.

"Hahahaha! This guy looks like a fool!"

"Laugh! If you laugh again, you'll end up like this." Kaizen said to them expressionlessly.

When the children heard this, they quickly covered their mouths and dared not laugh anymore.

"I've heard that lying makes your nose grow, but never that giving nicknames makes you cross-eyed!"

"You really believe it? This fool is just bluffing."

"Yeah! He must have lied to us. He's the little beggar's father, so he might tell any lies."

The children continued to chatter, not taking Kaizen seriously at all.

Kaizen disliked these noisy children more and more. He originally liked quietness, especially now that he was injured, his need for peace was even greater.

"Okay, you little brats, if you don't leave, I'll hang you up and dry you into small fish and serve them with sake."

After Kaizen spoke, he gave them a very vicious look.

"He'll really do it, run!" The children believed it and ran away.

After all the children ran away, Kaizen sat on the stone, quietly looked at Enel, who was skillfully getting up from the ground, and greeted him.

"The weather is pretty good today."

Enel came to him, dusted himself meticulously, and asked curiously.

"Does giving someone a nickname really make you cross-eyed?"

"I lied to them, hahaha." Kaizen laughed.

"I guessed so. They give people nicknames everywhere, but none of them have cross-eyes." Enel said seriously.

"Are you often bullied by them?" Kaizen asked, curious about Enel's situation.

"I said I came from Skypiea, but they didn't believe me. I fought them once, but lost. Since then, they always beat me. It hurts a lot."

Enel said, rubbing the wounds on his face, yet showing no sadness.

"Sooner or later, I will return to Skypiea." Enel continued with conviction.

"I can teach you a technique to ensure they can never hit you again." Kaizen said confidently, holding up a finger.

"How can you avoid all their punches and kicks with just one technique?" Enel didn't believe it.

"This technique is called Mantra. It lets you predict an opponent's attack in advance and evade it."

Kaizen was talking about Observation Haki.

"Predicting in advance sounds powerful!" Enel bit his finger, thinking for a long time before realizing it.

"It's perfect for self-defense." Kaizen recommended.

"Teach me quickly! I am Enel from Skypiea." Whenever he was excited, he introduced himself this way.

That day, Enel studied the Mantra with Kaizen. Although young, he was very smart with strong comprehension skills, possibly from being frequently beaten.

By the afternoon, when the sun was setting, Enel had basically mastered the Mantra.

"Watch my hands." Kaizen said, throwing a stone at Enel.

Just as the stone was about to hit his forehead, he tilted his head and dodged it smoothly.

Kaizen hadn't thrown the stone lightly; it was with some force, almost like a bullet.

"Not bad! You've basically understood the Mantra. With more practice, you'll get even better."

Kaizen said with satisfaction.

"Enel, Enel from Skypiea." Enel happily ran to Kaizen, his face filled with unprecedented excitement.

"Come on, let's walk to the beach before the sunset disappears."

Kaizen took Enel's small hand and walked toward the seaside.

The tide swept over and over again, rushing towards the coast, then receding quickly.

At the horizon, a dim and melancholic sunset lingered, unable to disperse!

The wind that day was indescribably comfortable, stirring the ocean's sorrow and melancholy.

"My name is Enel, from Skypiea." Enel beside Kaizen repeated his introduction, as if sighing at the scenery.

Kaizen felt particularly at ease in this peaceful silence.

It was like suddenly returning to his original life on the island.

However, before he could enjoy this peace for long, noise erupted from all directions.

"Is this the guy?"

"Yes! That's right, Dad, it's him, he's a pirate!"

"He looks injured."

"He must have been chased by the Marines and got injured, then escaped here."

"He's alone, we shouldn't be afraid of him."

"Yeah, let's rush forward together and take him down!"

...

The residents of the small town were approaching the seaside, carrying torches, shovels, and other makeshift weapons.