"This is Merluse Town. It's truly a prosperous place."
Rorschach and Hibari walked down the busy streets of the port, their expressions somewhat complex as they looked at the merchant ships filled with goods anchored on the sea and the endless stream of people coming and going.
He had heard of Merluse Town many times since he was a child, from his parents and the villagers in Red Leaf Village. In the minds of the villagers, Merluse Town was the most prosperous place in the North Blue. It had complete medical resources, abundant mineral resources, plenty of food, and a powerful army. It was the capital of the Rubuniru Kingdom and a place all the villagers dreamed of moving to.
The night before his mother, Elizabeth, died, his father, old John, cried and said that if they could have gone to Merluse Town, his mother's illness would have been cured. In the eyes of the villagers of Red Leaf Village, this place was simply heaven.
Unfortunately, everything had changed, and the past was too painful to recall.
A soft little hand suddenly took his, causing Rorschach to turn his head. He saw Hibari looking at him gently. Clearly, she had sensed the sudden sadness and loneliness in Rorschach.
Rorschach smiled, pulled his hand away, and ruffled her hair, saying gently, "I'm fine."
Hibari could always sense his emotional changes in an instant and would tenderly give him the most direct warmth. This feeling was like a meeting of two minds.
After walking a few hundred meters along the wide street by the sea, Rorschach's steps halted. He turned back and looked at the distant sea outside Merluse Port.
Hibari followed his gaze but saw nothing.
"Big Brother Rorschach, is... is the Germa army here?"
Hibari knew that Rorschach's Observation Haki had a very wide range, more than ten times her own. With the enhancement of his lightning ability, this range would be even more exaggerated, easily covering a hundred kilometers.
Rorschach nodded. "Yes, I see Judge's eldest son leading twenty Warships. The total force is about five thousand."
"Five thousand Germa clone soldiers." Hibari's heart jumped. She said softly, "If these clone soldiers are all at the same level as the ones we encountered before, then the Rubuniru Kingdom definitely won't be able to stop them."
"There's no need. Ichiji alone is enough to sweep half of the Rubuniru Kingdom clean," Rorschach said, shaking his head. He hadn't expected Ichiji's strength to have increased so quickly.
From a distance of a hundred miles, he could already feel the powerful physique and the strength of the two types of Haki contained within Ichiji's body. Compared to when he encountered Ichiji more than a year ago, when he had just left the North Blue and shocked him with the lightning he had just learned, the current Ichiji was at least ten times stronger.
However, in Rorschach's opinion, Ichiji's body seemed strong, but it wasn't something that had been tempered through hard training. Instead, it was as if he had suddenly become stronger, like when one awakens Busoshoku Haki.
"Is this the awakening of the lineage factor that Judge was researching?"
As he was thinking, he suddenly heard Hibari's surprised cry.
"Huh! Why is Chestnut Head Uncle back in the North Blue? Didn't he stay on Sky Island?"
Rorschach withdrew his focused Observation Haki and looked ahead to the street. He saw a tall and burly chestnut-headed man in heavy armor, holding a broadsword. He was shouting and commanding a thousand soldiers, marching into the port in a mighty procession. He was telling the merchant ships in the port to leave quickly while also having people set up cannons and muskets everywhere, making nervous but orderly war preparations.
Rorschach couldn't help but shake his head and smile. "Look more closely. That's not Uncle Cricket."
"Oh? It's not Uncle Cricket?" Hibari tilted her head, her gaze falling on Clyde's chestnut head.
A few black lines appeared on Rorschach's forehead. He said with a headache, "I'm telling you, what do you use to tell people apart?"
With his Observation Haki covering the entire area, Rorschach quickly learned Clyde's identity and name.
"His name is Mont Blanc Clyde. He's a descendant of Noland. Uncle Cricket might be his relative."
Hibari suddenly understood. "No wonder he also has a chestnut head. But last time on Sky Island, Uncle Cricket said he had no one to worry about and no relatives left in the North Blue, right?"
"Who knows? Maybe there's a hidden story we don't know about."
"He looks pretty strong," Hibari said, looking at the busy Clyde.
"His physical fitness is okay, but his fighting ability is average. He hasn't learned any advanced fighting skills or swordsmanship; he just has brute strength," Rorschach commented.
Hibari turned to him in surprise. "How do you know all this, Big Brother Rorschach?"
Rorschach smiled. His Observation Haki was too powerful. He could clearly perceive all of Clyde's physical conditions and deduce his technique for exerting force from his every move.
Although Clyde hadn't made a move in front of them, Rorschach had already seen through him. Because a person who had learned advanced fighting skills and swordsmanship would have a special rhythm for exerting force, even in their most instinctive body movements. This included all aspects of body movement, such as muscles, joints, and blood flow, which were completely different from an ordinary brute.
Brute force alone was useless. For example, the Oars family of demons are huge, over fifty meters tall—five times the size of an ordinary giant—and strong enough to easily lift warships or even islands. But if it came to a real fight, a Marine Headquarters Vice-Admiral could easily defeat them.
"Hey! You two, get out of the port quickly. Either get on a ship and leave as soon as possible, or retreat to the town center. There are guards to protect you there."
A guard ran up to them and shouted.
"You guys just do your thing. Don't worry about us. We'll be responsible for our own safety."
Rorschach waved his hand. Not only did he not leave, but he also pulled Hibari and sat leisurely on a chair on the side of the street. His composure and tall, straight figure made the guard in front of him unsure of Rorschach's identity. He had no choice but to retreat and run to Clyde, telling him about the situation.
Clyde looked over from a distance. Rorschach noticed that the moment Clyde saw him, his pupils suddenly contracted.
But he quickly regained his composure and told the guard to evacuate the others, not coming over to drive them away as Hibari had expected.
This made Rorschach can't help but rub his chin. Had this Clyde recognized him?
"Hibari, use your Mirage Cloud ability to disguise our appearances."
Sensing the Germa fleet getting closer and closer, Rorschach spoke to Hibari beside him.
"Should we not interfere in this war?" Hibari obediently created a layer of mist and attached it to their bodies, simulating their skin and clothes.
In the blink of an eye, Rorschach, who was originally wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and capri pants, and Hibari, who was wearing a red dress, were disguised by the mist she had created. They now looked like two Alabastan residents with headscarves and white robes.
"No rush. Let's see first." Rorschach looked at the altered clothes and appearance on his body, then at Hibari, who was dressed as a desert dancer with a transparent veil over her face. He couldn't help but stare in a daze.
Hibari's face turned slightly red from his blank stare. She said in a soft, muddled voice, "Is there something wrong with my disguise, Big Brother Rorschach?"
"No..." Rorschach laughed dryly. After a moment of hesitation, he asked tentatively, "I was just thinking, your ability to disguise your appearance and clothing seems quite strong. If you remember some people's appearances more clearly, wouldn't you be able to directly disguise yourself as others, just like the ability of the Copy-Copy Fruit?"
"Huh? Is that possible?" Hibari blinked, thought for a moment, and then, in front of Rorschach, created some more mist, wanting to cover herself with it. But she tilted her head and thought for a moment before dispersing the mist.
Just as Rorschach thought she had given up, he saw the girl's body begin to change directly. The curves of her face became round, as if she had returned to her former self. Her eyes turned brown, and her black hair became wavy and sky blue. The roundness on her chest, which could not be restrained before, shrank, and her height also dropped by more than twenty centimeters. She became a short, flat-chested, but sweet and lovely desert girl.
Rorschach's mouth slowly opened. He stammered, "V... Vivi?"
"This is amazing! I really look like Vivi! Big Brother Rorschach, you're right. Clouds are shapeless and formless. I was too fixated on developing their external forms. Just as you thought, I might really be able to use my ability to disguise myself as anyone."
The "Vivi" who suddenly appeared excitedly hugged Rorschach's arm, a joyful smile on her face.
"And not just Vivi. I'm also very familiar with Big Sister Hina's body. We've bathed together. Oh, and Big Sister Peacock and Big Sister Gion... Look."
As she spoke, Hibari, who was in Vivi's form,'s small body rapidly filled out, like a balloon being blown up. Especially her flat chest, which in the blink of an eye expanded to an astonishing size right under Rorschach's nose, stretching the uniform that had morphed with her and revealing the white and delicate deep cleavage.
Her originally thin body instantly became incredibly voluptuous, and her two legs were long and straight. Her pink hair spread over her shoulders, and her face, which was an exact replica of Hina's, was flawlessly changed.
Then, this "Hina" grabbed Rorschach's arm and hugged him. She deliberately pressed her mature body against him, tilted her face, which was full of charm, and whispered mischievously into Rorschach's ear:
"Rear Admiral Rorschach, this is your warship. You can do whatever you want to Hina."
"Cough, cough...!"
Rorschach suddenly started coughing.
End of Chapter)
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