Chapter 3: Florida the same person

Kuro closed his eyes, arms resting on the chair, silent.

"Why not run?" It was Kass speaking.

"It's not that we haven't thought about running, but as soon as we approach the edge of the island, Florida appears and brings us back," Mendel explained, pulling at his hair in pain. "No matter what method we use, we can't escape."

They couldn't leave either. For food, they had to rely on passing merchant ships. Even if merchants offered a high price, they had to buy it reluctantly and wait for the devil to show up once every half a month.

"Marine officer, you're good people, and I don't want harm to come to you. Please leave quickly; Florida is a demon, and it will soon know there are people here."

"Kass, gather the Marines, prepare for battle," Kuro suddenly opened his eyes and ordered Kass.

"Yes!" Kass acknowledged and went out to gather the Marines.

"You..." Mendel's eyes were filled with tears. "You should leave quickly. You're not a match for that demon."

Kuro scratched his head. "There's no way. It's too late."

Through Observation Haki, he sensed a life form approaching rapidly.

Kuro was proficient in Haki. After more than twenty years of practice, even though it was just a tool, he had mastered it to a level beyond the normal. 

Safety first. For this goal, Kuro had been practicing tirelessly without drawing attention.

Naturally, Haki must be learned.

Among them, his Observation Haki could cover this entire island!

"That Florida, if what the mayor said is true, she should also possess Observation Haki. Judging from her distance, her proficiency is not inferior to mine," Kuro thought.

This was the East Blue, where Haki was seldom heard of. Suddenly, there appeared a master of Haki with such profound skills. Such a person was indeed not someone the East Blue residents could deal with.

"But she hasn't made a name for herself, and I don't know what she's thinking. Staying in the East Blue will be a disaster sooner or later. Taking care of her before she becomes famous will solve the problem."

Kuro made up his mind. What he wanted was a normal and weak East Blue, not ambitious and powerful individuals lingering here.

If you're strong, go to the Grand Line!

Pursue your ambitions!

What can you do in this weak place? Seriously.

Outside, Kass led the Marines, alert and ready.

The town was surrounded by dense jungle. Although it was daytime, the depths were still shrouded in darkness, as if it could devour people.

Rustle.

The jungle rustled.

Kass's gaze focused on a rooftop.

There was an additional white figure, shining in the sunlight.

Graceful and slender, covered in white fur, like an upright wolf, overlooking below.

"It's Flo... it's Florida!"

The townspeople screamed in panic.

"Fire!"

Kass extended his hand and shouted.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bullets shot into the sky. In the next moment, the white-haired monster's figure disappeared, quickly reappearing in front of the Marines.

Bang!

The white-haired monster reached out, delivering a heavy blow to a Marine. The Marine flew backward, his body seemingly depleted of strength in that instant, unusually pale and powerless, collapsing on the ground.

"You all..."

The deep voice of the white-haired monster echoed, "You called the Marines. Unforgivable. Punishment must be imposed!"

With a swift movement, it darted past the Marines. A mere touch from its hand caused the Marines to collapse just like the previous ones.

In an instant, dozens of Marines lost their combat capabilities.

Kass's hand holding the gun trembled. This monster was too powerful, so powerful that he couldn't summon the will to resist.

At this moment, the door of the mayor's house opened, and Kuro walked out with a sword slung over his shoulder.

"Officer Kuro is here!"

The Marines became excited. "With Officer Kuro leading us, we can win!"

"We can't let Officer Kuro down!"

Those fearful Marines, upon seeing Kuro come out, seemed to be injected with adrenaline, gritting their teeth and rushing towards the white-haired monster.

"A little officer from a branch, what use could he be?"

The white-haired monster reached out, vanished, and swiftly reappeared behind the Marines.

Without a sound, the Marines fell one after another.

Seeing this, Kuro's eyes flashed with surprise.

"You, monster!"

Kass roared and fired his gun.

Bang!

The bullet didn't even graze the edge of the white-haired monster. In an instant, it appeared and struck Kass in the abdomen, causing him to collapse.

"The Marines, the Marines are gone!"

Mayor Mendel's teeth were almost shattered as he picked up a pair of scissors, tremblingly rushing out and shouting at the white-haired monster, 

"You monster, do you just want us to die? I'll tell you, even if we die, we won't submit to you anymore!"

With the old mayor's shout, the despairing villagers gathered and glared at the white-haired monster.

Even if they were to die, they would die standing!

The white-haired monster stood still for a moment, and then its voice became even deeper, "So be it!"

Whoosh!

The Marines weren't opponents, and unarmed townspeople were certainly not either. Soon, under the rapid rotation of the white-haired monster, the townspeople fell one after another.

Among the fallen, only it and Kuro remained standing.

"It's just you now."

It pointed at Kuro and chuckled, "Speaking of which, I've seen someone like you before. A red-nosed pirate, clearly not strong, but acting all tough. It's just you now. How will you handle yourself?"

In its eyes, the young officer seemed stunned, not daring to move.

"Well, look at this town. It's all because of you that it's in such a state! Go to hell with remorse!"

The white-haired monster instantly charged forward, punching Kuro.

"I mean, why is a girl like you doing something so evil? Didn't you say you hadn't killed anyone?"

Snap.

The fist was caught.

Kuro held its fist, speaking calmly.

"What? You... blocked it?!"

The white-haired monster's body stiffened, instinctively stepping back. Just then, Kuro's hand turned, grabbing the white fur on its hand and giving it a strong pull.

Revealed underneath was an extraordinarily beautiful girl with waist-length white hair.

"Haki?!"

The girl stared at the black color on Kuro's hand, her eyes widening. "Why do you have Haki?!"

Kuro tossed away the white fur in his hand. "My subordinates had their strength drained by you, right? You must be a Devil Fruit user."

"Damn it!"

The girl bent her body, arms spread wide, and began covering her elbows with Armament Haki. A hint of red filled her bright eyes. "Busoshoku: Deadly Punch!"

Boom!

The ground under the girl's feet was plowed into a deep trench. Her palms opened and closed as she charged directly at Kuro.

But the person on the other side seemed to have anticipated it. Faced with this move, he simply moved to the side, easily dodging it.

The girl rushed past Kuro and collided directly with a building on the other side.

Boom!

The entire building was destroyed, and the tremendous force, accompanied by a powerful aura, blasted open a huge trench in the jungle behind the building.

"What a joke!"

The girl walked out of the ruins, eyeing Kuro warily.

Her Observation Haki could cover the entire island. With the power of Observation Haki, she had never missed a shot. However, this man had evaded her attack in advance.

In other words, his Observation of Haki was stronger than hers!

And there was also Armament Haki strong enough to block her abilities.

Kuro frowned, looking at the ruins.

Such destructive power, formidable Observation Haki, and Armament Haki, not to mention being a Devil Fruit user.

"Why would someone like you be hiding in the East Blue? What's your purpose?" they both asked in unison.

Kuro gripped the hilt of his sword and slowly drew it.

"Alright, no more delays. Someone like you will become a threat sooner or later. It's time to deal with you right here."

Taking advantage of not being well-known yet, getting rid of her now would solve the problem.

The military sword he held was a standard issue, not a famous blade. However, as Kuro flicked it upward with two fingers, the girl visibly shuddered.

The blade gradually emitted a glow.

That light made her hair stand on end.

As someone who had been in the Grand Line, she wasn't comparable to the inexperienced Marines and pirates of the East Blue.

The girl wanted to escape, but she couldn't move at all. The radiance of the blade seemed to lock onto her, no matter where she tried to run, she would eventually be caught.

She was going to die!

The killing intent was palpable!

This man intended to finish her off!

"Mirage Divine Wind."

"I surrender!"

"?"

Wiping the sword, Kuro glanced at the girl. She transformed, shrinking down to a seven or eight-year-old white-haired girl.

"I surrender, okay? Do whatever you want."

The girl lay on the ground, holding her stomach. "Damn, used too much power just now, and now I'm hungry."

"This is your surrender?"

Kuro thought for a moment, abandoning the idea of killing her. He wasn't particularly interested in killing a little girl.

"Tell me, who are you, and what's your purpose in the East Blue?"

"I'm Florida, from the Grand Line, a 'Spirit Person' Devil Fruit user. I can absorb the spirit energy of others through touch."

Florida sat up, glaring at Kuro. "And who are you? With your strength, why are you still just a branch warrant officer in the East Blue? Is the Navy blind? They can't see a monster like you."

They exchanged glances, remained silent for a while, and then simultaneously said, "Of course, it's for safety!"

"Huh?"

Kuro was momentarily stunned, looking at Florida. From her expression, he saw a hint of shock and a bit of excitement.

Sheathed his sword, Kuro sat opposite her. After a moment of silence, they both said in unison, "You go first."

"There are too many monsters in the Grand Line. My strength is not enough, so I don't want to go there (escaped from there)."

"..."

"!"

We are the same!!!

Kuro exclaimed, "I have no desire to go to the Grand Line. With my strength, going there is completely inadequate. 

"What if I run into some powerful opponent from the Four Emperors or the Revolutionary Army? It would be a lot of trouble; injuries are the least of it, there's a chance I might not make it out alive."

Florida vigorously nodded, "There are too many monsters in the Grand Line. I live in constant fear. But I can't even get enough to eat there." 

"So I had to come to the East Blue, where it's weaker, and people are easily deceived. I like it here!"

"Not enough to eat?" Kuro glanced at her, suddenly enlightened, "Downside of the Devil Fruit power?"

Florida lamented, "I'm a 'Spirit Person' who ate the 'Spirit - Spirit Devil Fruit.' The downside of this power is never getting enough to eat." 

"Since I ate this fruit at the age of eight, I've never been full for ten years. There are too many monsters in the Grand Line, and I can't be too brazen about using my abilities, so I ran to the East Blue."

Florida, currently eighteen years old, hails from the Grand Line and is a Spirit Qi Devil Fruit user. She can absorb the spirit energy of anyone she touches but suffers from the drawback of never being able to eat enough.

Not wanting to draw attention as a pirate and unwilling to be noticed by the Marines, she chose the East Blue. 

Her cautious nature led her to concoct the rumor of 'Florida's Treasure,' luring greedy individuals to her location and then using her abilities to take advantage of them. 

After acquiring treasure, she found a way to exchange it for food.

"You're a bit excessive. Look at these people; you've starved them into skin and bones."

Kuro pointed to the collapsed townspeople.

Upon hearing this, Florida felt even more wrong. 

"I told them they could keep their food, but they were too scared and didn't leave enough for themselves. I can't say it outright; I'm in a hurry too."

Talking about this, Florida felt even more aggrieved.

"Every day, I have to emit Observation Haki, which is already tiring. They can't just listen a bit?"

Since becoming a Spirit Person, everything she did required effort. To conserve energy, she maintained the appearance of an eight-year-old girl most of the time, only returning to her original age during battles.

Not to mention having to use Observation Haki every day. Such consumption only made her hungrier and faster.

She never intended to kill anyone. She was just trying to get enough to eat. 

Those townspeople who wanted to escape were just incapacitated by her ability after she sensed them, causing them to lose strength and faint. 

A few days of rest would be enough for them to recover.

She was originally planning to leave because she had almost depleted the resources on the island. 

Eating more would disrupt the island's ecosystem. 

However, she sensed someone's arrival and thought of doing one more job. She didn't expect to encounter such a monster.

"I said I've surrendered. Even if you want to kill me, at least let me have a decent meal!" Florida said somewhat unwillingly.

"Why would I want to kill you?"

Kuro's eyes were filled with surprise. "If you want to eat well, it's simple; join the Marines. The World Government is so rich; you can eat whatever you want."

"What a joke, whether it's the Marines or pirates, I don't want any involvement. I just want to have a decent meal without getting into fights."

"Come with me!"

Kuro pointed at himself, "Don't you think we're a perfect match? You want to eat safely, and I want to live safely until I die. 

If we stick together, we can thrive in the East Blue. Doesn't that sound beautiful?"

He didn't have the intention of refining copper, but two heads are better than one. 

If the other person is so strong and still unknown, it indicates a strong sense of security. Kuro needs someone like that!

Florida's eyes also lit up. Yes, this man seems quite suitable. 

With a bit of status in the Marines, strong, and not seemingly obsessed with combat, joining him should mean eating and sleeping every day. 

That kind of life was exactly what Florida yearned for.

"There's only one chance. Otherwise, I'll apprehend you, announce you as a Devil Fruit user, and throw you into 'Impel Down.' You know that place, right? It'll be tough to eat well there." Kuro threatened.

"Enough said. I agree. But you have to promise to let me eat until I'm about 80%... no, 60% full!"

If she joins him, she won't have to live in constant fear, using Observation Haki every day. She can move to a new place every once in a while.

"I'll make sure you eat your fill!" Kuro solemnly assured.

Then he regretted it.

Dealing with Florida was easy. After the townspeople woke up, Kuro simply told them that the monster had received divine punishment and was struck by lightning. The ruins were the evidence.

Since they were unknown individuals, the Marines wouldn't delve deeper. 

As for Florida herself, considering her as a hostage captured by the Devil, now rescued, Kuro decided to adopt her.

Leaving half of the food and some treasures for the residents of Galmoro Island, ensuring their survival, Kuro and the Marines continued their journey amidst the townspeople's grateful farewells.

Providing the townspeople with half a month's worth of food, and having the remaining half for themselves, Kuro thought they could return to Branch 153 in two or three days. 

Even if they encountered a big eater, how much could they consume in that time?

That was Kuro's original plan.

"Florida! You finished half a month's worth of food in one meal?!"

In the office, Kuro roared at the little white-haired girl beside him.

Florida held a carrot in her hand, chewing while saying, "No choice, I'm too hungry. I've been using Observation Haki for these few months on an empty stomach. I've never been full. Besides, won't we be back soon? I left some food, don't worry."

"How can I not worry? That little amount of food won't be enough. What if we encounter a storm? What if we run into a Sea King? What if we come across one of those Seven Warlords traveling aimlessly in the East Blue?"

Kuro gestured wildly, almost going crazy. "Then we'll be drifting on the sea pitifully. We might get swallowed by a big wave, and my dream will end right there. This is no joke!"

Florida looked at Kuro in silence. She finally understood why this man was only a warrant officer.

She thought she was cautious enough, but he turned out to be even more cautious. Being a Devil Fruit user might make her less human, but he was truly overly cautious.

<End Chapter>

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