Night enveloped Zou, and everyone around was asleep. The tranquil atmosphere, like a soft veil, gently soothed Orochimaru's heart, making his mood peaceful.
He didn't want anyone to break this tranquility; besides, Nekomamushi and the others were still recuperating and needed this peace even more.
Orochimaru walked aimlessly around Zou, his gaze wandering across the mysterious island.
He tried to communicate with Zunesha, but ultimately gained nothing. Was external stimulation needed?
It seemed there was no hope for now. Jack had already received orders to rendezvous with Doffy.
Given the current situation, Doffy hadn't been captured, so Jack would most likely escort him back to Wano Country.
In that case, Jack probably wouldn't return to attack this place again, Orochimaru thought with a hint of regret. He really wanted to communicate with such an ancient creature.
Anyway, Jack wouldn't die from falling into the sea. Sigh... couldn't he just come over and sacrifice himself?
Moreover, Sanji's wedding party wouldn't arrive for a few more days. Who knew what new variables that would bring?
Orochimaru pondered silently, unconsciously pacing to the edge of the cliff.
Seeing the three people sound asleep, his movements were uncharacteristically gentle. He slowly walked forward and carefully covered them with blankets.
"Sigh, it always falls to me to do these things," Orochimaru muttered softly, his gaze sweeping over the sleeping trio, a slight smirk playing on his lips, revealing a mischievous smile.
"What's the point of guarding them? Wouldn't it be better to just throw them down? Those two guys won't die anyway."
Thinking this, Orochimaru quietly walked to the edge of the cliff, and instantly, a giant pumpkin coconut materialized in his hand.
He slightly raised his arm, and the pumpkin coconut left his palm, arcing through the air before falling freely.
In a moment, familiar screams came from below. Orochimaru clapped his hands in satisfaction, a smug expression on his face. "Doesn't this just buy us another day?"
Orochimaru turned around, content, only to suddenly see Franky, Robin, and Brook staring intently at him, their gazes making him uncomfortable.
For a moment, an awkward atmosphere permeated the air.
Before Orochimaru could speak, he saw the corners of their mouths twitch uncontrollably at the same time, as if they had witnessed something incredible yet logical.
Immediately after, as if reaching some unspoken understanding, they all quickly closed their eyes (though skeletons don't have eyelids).
It was as if if they couldn't see it, that scene just hadn't happened.
But this time, they could sleep peacefully... not bad, right?
The next day, as the first rays of sunlight fell upon the land, the Mink Tribe gradually awoke from their sleep, and the entire tribe resumed its usual hustle and bustle. Everyone went about their duties, carrying out their daily lives in an orderly fashion.
Luffy and the others' relationship with the Mink Tribe grew deeper each day.
Time passed quietly, and by the third day, Duke Inuarashi and Boss Nekomamushi showed signs of waking up.
The tribesmen carefully moved them to their respective exclusive residences, as these two had developed a habit of not appearing simultaneously over many years.
They had expected such peaceful and busy days to continue for a while, but unexpectedly, on the fourth day, Orochimaru came to the familiar spot as usual, weighing a pumpkin in his hand, and with some anticipation, threw it down.
However, the anticipated screams did not sound; there was only silence. Orochimaru couldn't help but click his tongue in disappointment, muttering softly, "Did they figure it out in just three days? What a shame."
Luffy and his crew, hearing that Nekomamushi and Inuarashi had woken up, all went to visit them. These days, Orochimaru would occasionally disappear, which everyone was used to, and no one specifically mentioned it.
Inuarashi had just woken up and still felt as if he was dreaming. He was about to gather his thoughts and ask something when his gaze was drawn to Brook.
As soon as Inuarashi saw Brook, his throat uncontrollably rolled, and his saliva flowed endlessly. He looked so drooling, as if Brook was a rare and top-tier delicacy in the world.
Wanda stood by, her cheeks flushed, covering her face shyly, and said with a drooling voice:
"I understand... it's really hard to control. We can't imagine there's such a delicious benefactor in the world. At least wait until your wounds are completely healed before tasting..."
As soon as these words left her mouth, Brook's mind was instantly filled with the terrifying experiences of being chased and gnawed by the Mink Tribe these past few days. Tears uncontrollably streamed from his eyes, and he silently thought: Maybe I should just go guard the cliff; it's better than being treated as a bone here, even though he is a bone.
Night soon fell, and Duke Inuarashi, like clockwork, fell into a deep sleep on time.
Seeing this, everyone made their way en masse to Nekomamushi's residence.
Nekomamushi, true to his cat nature, really couldn't stay still for a moment.
His wounds had barely healed a little, but as soon as he moved, they reopened.
Even more absurdly, he started clamoring to take a bath. Chopper's little face turned crimson, and he roared, chasing after him to re-bandage him: "You're moving around again! Can't you just behave? If this continues, your wounds will never heal! Stop running! Your arm was just reattached!!!"
But Nekomamushi acted as if he hadn't heard, continuing to do as he pleased, making Chopper tremble with anger, almost transforming on the spot.
When Luffy and the others arrived, what greeted their eyes was the scene of Nekomamushi being chased around the room by Chopper.
Nekomamushi was jumping up and down, skillfully dodging Chopper, while Chopper's little face was flushed crimson, chasing him frantically and shouting, "You stop right there!"
Everyone instantly froze, falling silent at the same time. Very good, very energetic; not many people can make Chopper this angry.
Time passed silently, and another night of complete stillness descended.
As the faint light of dawn slowly broke through the sky, the morning of the fifth day quietly arrived.
Just then, Kin'emon, Kanjuro, and Momonosuke, dragging their utterly exhausted bodies, laboriously climbed up the cliff.
These past four days, their lives had been unbearable. Every day, a pumpkin would fall from the sky, mercilessly smashing them back down the cliff.
To climb back up again, they had to change into different animal forms every day, expending a great deal of physical and mental energy.
Not only that, their food every day was drawn by Kanjuro. By the end, Kin'emon and the other were almost throwing up.
Kin'emon even had the illusion that Kanjuro's drawing skills seemed to have improved significantly these past few days.
Kanjuro's heart was on the verge of collapse, looking at Kin'emon still muttering beside him, filled with annoyance.
"This Kin'emon must be an idiot!" he roared internally. For four whole days, he was smashed by pumpkins falling from the sky every day. Kin'emon, sitting behind him, was dragged down with him every time. Anyone would find such bad luck unbearable.
Kanjuro really couldn't take it anymore. Today, he subtly swapped positions with Kin'emon and finally knocked away that damned pumpkin. What was so hard about that!
The reason Kanjuro was still enduring was simply because, as an undercover agent, he needed to continue playing the role of one of the Nine Red Scabbards.
If it weren't for this identity restraint, based on Kin'emon's performance throughout this journey, Kanjuro would have long since drawn his sword and killed him.
The brainwashed, two-faced Kanjuro expressed, "When will the Kozuki Clan produce a proper heir! I'm fed up with this life!"
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