Mitsuri Kanroji, at the age of one year and two months, could effortlessly lift a pickling stone weighing thirty pounds. By the time she was two, no man in her town could defeat her in an arm-wrestling match—not even professional sumo wrestlers with extraordinary physiques.
It was said that even before she began training in Breathing Styles, her muscle density was eight times that of a normal human.
Her appetite was equally legendary; she could polish off one hundred and seventy sakura mochi in a single day, her intake far surpassing three sumo wrestlers combined.
After joining the Demon Slayer Corps, she quickly derived the Love Breathing style from Flame Breathing, becoming one of the most powerful Hashira, second only to Muichiro Tokito in the speed of her promotion.
Looking at the boy before him, Mita estimated he was around twelve or thirteen. A child who could eat forty bowls of ramen and lift a five-hundred-pound boulder with one hand was a diamond in the rough. If he were to learn a Breathing Style, the Demon Slayer Corps might gain a new Hashira within a few years.
The thought sent a surge of excitement through Mita's heart.
"Then let's go find them quickly!" Goku's excitement was even greater than Mita's. He sensed that his training in this world would be incredibly rewarding.
"Wait a day," Mita said, shaking his head. "I still have a mission to complete. Once I'm done, I'll take you to them."
Recruiting Goku was vital, but fulfilling his mission was equally important. If he failed to act, more innocent people would be slaughtered by demons. Fortunately, his mission objective was in a town not far away; he could reach it in half a day. Killing the demon and returning for the boy wouldn't take long.
"Or, you could come with me," Mita suggested, changing his mind. He felt it would be beneficial for Goku to see a real demon before officially joining the Corps.
"By the way, are you from this town? Do your parents live here?" Mita asked. The boy was a minor, and taking him away required the consent of his guardians.
The Corps was strictly a volunteer organization; they wouldn't force anyone into a life where death was a constant shadow. Showing Goku the cruelty of demons was also a way to give him a fair choice.
"My family passed away. I've been traveling and training on my own, looking for stronger people to challenge so I can grow," Goku replied.
Grandpa Dumbledore had told him to use this explanation if anyone asked about his past. Besides, it was effectively the truth.
"That's... great!" Mita blurted out, then immediately realized how insensitive that sounded. "I mean—not that your family is gone, but that you are perfectly suited to join the Demon Slayer Corps."
"What is the Demon Slayer Corps?" Goku asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Let's talk as we walk."
...
As they left the town and headed toward the next settlement, Mita explained the history of the Corps and the nature of demons.
"The Demon Slayer Corps is an organization dedicated to hunting demons. Demons are creatures that..."
Through Mita's description, Goku grasped the situation. This world was plagued by man-eating creatures that hunted humans with extreme cruelty. The Corps was formed to protect humanity and eradicate these monsters. The strongest among them were the "Hashira," of which there were currently nine.
Around noon, they arrived at their destination.
"My baby! My baby!"
Just as they entered, they saw a disheveled woman screaming frantically in the street, searching for something. A man rushed up behind her, holding her back.
"Mai, it's okay... it's okay. I'll find our child, I promise. Let's go home first." The man's eyes were bloodshot as he tried to comfort his wife, eventually leading her away.
An older woman nearby spat on the ground in anger. "Poor souls. The baby wasn't even two months old and was stolen right out of their house last night. Child traffickers deserve to die!"
Mita leaned toward Goku. "According to my intel, seven children have vanished from this town in a month. The youngest was barely a month old, the oldest was seven. The locals think it's traffickers, but we suspect a demon."
Goku's expression hardened into one of anger. "If it's a demon, does that mean he ate all those children?"
"If it's a demon, most likely," Mita sighed. "Some demons prefer children, some prefer young women. The more they eat, the stronger they become. Usually, they eat their prey immediately—rarely do they hold out until the next day."
Mita had seen this many times. By the time the Corps arrived, the victims were usually long gone.
"The lady's baby was taken last night," Goku said, clenching his fists. "If we find that demon now, maybe we can still save them."
Mita shook his head. "Demons fear the sun. Even the strongest will burn to ash in daylight. They hide during the day and only emerge at night. We have to wait until dark to find his trail."
In a town this size, if a demon wanted to hide, Mita had no way of sniffing him out.
"You said the more they eat, the stronger they are. If this demon ate so many kids, his power should be pretty high, right?" Goku asked.
Mita nodded. "Most likely."
"Then I have a way."
Goku closed his eyes and began to concentrate. If the demon was strong, its ki would stand out like a beacon compared to ordinary humans. He just had to filter through the life forces in the area.
"Follow me!"
His sensory range was fifteen kilometers—not enough to cover every inch of the region, but enough that if he walked a short loop through the town, he could scan everything.
...
Mita followed, confused as Goku walked with his eyes closed. Suddenly, in the middle of the main street, Goku's eyes snapped open.
"Found him!"
Before Mita could ask where, there was a sharp *crack*, and Goku vanished into thin air.
Goku had sensed two powerful ki signatures. One was Mita's, right behind him. The other was at the western edge of the town. Beside that dark, heavy ki was a very faint, flickering life force—the infant.
Worried the child might be eaten at any second, Goku didn't wait. He Apparated directly to the source.
"Where did he go?!" Mita stood in the street, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
***
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