Although Hotori and Kotori's palm attacks were strange, after the initial surprise, they failed to land any significant blows on Chopper and Bepo.
"They don't seem to know much about fighting; they're just weak," Chopper commented dismissively.
"Chopper, we don't know Haki," Bepo said weakly.
"Well, we're also weaklings, but we should be better than them."
Chopper was slightly embarrassed but didn't lose his confidence. While his fighting repertoire wasn't extensive, it was sufficient to handle these two vice-captains.
"Impact!" Hotori charged again, his palm aimed at Chopper.
"Guard Point!" This time, Chopper didn't dodge but hardened his fur into a dense ball.
The impact sent Chopper crashing into a large tree, but fortunately, the strengthened fur provided excellent elasticity, and he stopped after bouncing around a few times.
"Bepo!"
Chopper yelled, and Bepo charged forward, understanding immediately.
Hotori, unsure of Bepo's intentions, extended his palm towards him. However, Bepo suddenly vanished in a flash and reappeared behind Kotori in the next second, delivering ten powerful punches to the back of Kotori's head.
"Kotori!"
Hotori was startled, but Chopper suddenly reinforced his wrist and lunged forward.
Hotori turned to attack Chopper, but Chopper transformed into his Horn Point form, his massive antlers slamming directly into Hotori's stomach. With Chopper continuing his charge, the antlers propelled Hotori towards Bepo.
"Ah-hit!"
Bepo leaped into the air, delivering a series of kicks that sent Hotori tumbling several times before hitting the ground with a thud.
Although Hotori and Kotori were vice-captains of the divine soldiers, they were no match for Chopper and Bepo. Moreover, Chopper and Bepo hadn't even used their more powerful transformations, highlighting the significant skill gap.
It was simply that these two animals were naive and lacked vigilance; otherwise, they wouldn't have been caught off guard at the beginning.
"Bepo, we got injured by two clueless fish. I'm so ashamed; I dare not tell everyone," Chopper said in a low voice.
"Chopper, we're also weaklings," Bepo replied sincerely.
"...Bepo, could you not be so truthful?"
"Sorry."
A reindeer and a white bear continued their trek towards the enormous bean vine.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Mari carried her large bag on her back, walking calmly in the direction of the giant bean vine. She didn't panic about being separated from her companions; instead, she appeared serene.
After walking for a while, she suddenly felt a bit peckish.
So, she spread out some mats on the ground and began preparing tea and eating snacks.
Roars echoed in the distance, but none of it disturbed Mari's leisurely and elegant demeanor. Eventually, Mari even took out a brush and drawing board, selected a scenic spot, and began to paint silently.
At that moment, a sliding sound approached.
A tall, fair-skinned woman with long black hair appeared, holding a flintlock spear in her hand, and observed Mari suspiciously for a long time.
Mari glanced at the woman and then continued drinking her tea and eating her biscuits.
"Are you from the Blue Sea? How did such a young girl get here? If you don't want to die, leave quickly." Although the woman's tone was a bit harsh, Mari could detect the kindness in her voice.
So, Mari reached out and offered a bag of biscuits. "Would you like some biscuits? They're from the Blue Sea."
The woman froze for a moment, a sense of wariness creeping into her heart. This girl was too calm, completely unlike Aisa, not at all like a typical child.
Suddenly, the bleating of sheep echoed, and five white figures appeared high in the branches of a tree.
"It's a divine soldier! Run!"
The woman yelled and immediately fired her spear at the five figures.
"It's the people of Shandora and the Blue Sea! Following the will of the omnipotent God, eliminate the outsiders! Hasshoken!"
The five divine soldiers said in unison, dodging the woman's shot. One of them rushed towards Mari, while the others advanced on the woman.
The woman grew anxious; the four divine soldiers surrounding her were proving difficult to handle.
She didn't have time to save the Blue Sea girl and could only offer a silent apology in her heart as she focused on dealing with her attackers.
Just then, an unexpected event occurred. The divine soldier who had initially attacked Mari suddenly turned around and, with a palm strike aimed at his own comrade, knocked one of the divine soldiers down.
"You're crazy! Why attack your own people?!"
The other three divine soldiers were shocked and quickly went on the defensive.
They soon noticed strange patterns painted on the body of the suddenly treacherous soldier.
"It's that little girl! That pattern seems to be able to manipulate one's mind!"
"Go kill that girl, and it should be resolved!"
The three remaining divine soldiers simultaneously thought of the same solution. However, the moment they got close to Mari, they inexplicably found themselves pointing their palms at the red patterns on the ground, unleashing both impacts and slashes towards the very patterns they were meant to be attacking.
"What's going on? Why are we attacking this pattern?!"
"...Something's strange! This girl is strange!"
"Hasso! Hasso!"
The woman with the flintlock gun was also stunned. She saw that Mari was holding a palette and colored pens in her hands, showing no urgency in the face of the four divine soldiers, even taking a bite of a biscuit with apparent leisure.
Who was this little girl from the Blue Sea?
How could she possess such a peculiar ability?!
"Adjust colors! Friends' yellow and green!"
Crack, crack! Three yellow-green patterns struck the three confused divine soldiers. Together with the soldier who had betrayed them, the four divine soldiers became Mari's allies.
Mari waved to them. "You go now. Go back and tell your god to wait. Our captain is looking for him."
As expected, the four divine soldiers departed, carrying their wounded comrade with them.
The tall, slender woman observed Mari cautiously, refraining from any hasty actions.
Mari offered another bag of biscuits, saying calmly, "Big sister just warned me to run quickly. Thank you, big sister. Would you like to eat biscuits with me?"
The tall, slender woman was taken aback for a second, and for some unknown reason, she walked over directly.
She sat down on the mat, picked up a biscuit, and ate it.
"It's delicious! Is this the food of the Blue Sea?" the woman exclaimed in surprise, covering her mouth.
"That's right, the biscuits are the best. And this tea, I got it from Xiao San. He's stingy, but he's very generous to me," Mari began chatting casually.
The woman also took a sip of tea and felt a wave of relaxation wash over her.
No wonder this little girl was so calm and unhurried; it seemed that simply drinking a cup of tea could make one feel at ease.
"No! It's dangerous here! You, a child, should leave quickly!" the woman suddenly exclaimed, snapping out of her relaxed state.
"My name is Marianne. I am sixteen years old. Everyone calls me Mari. I can't leave yet. Captain Luffy, Mrs. Carl, Sister Robin, and everyone else are here. I can't leave alone."
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