So You’re the One Called Nezha, Huh

The tavern was thick with the mingled scents of alcohol and sweat. People gathered in small groups, murmuring about all kinds of news.

Mr. 3 found a corner to sit in and ordered a few drinks.

However, when the bartender heard that Mr. 3 was looking for Dorothy, his expression changed slightly. Lowering his voice, he said, "You don’t know yet? Dorothy was chased into the desert by a great pirate with a bounty of over three hundred million. Whether she’s alive or dead is still unknown."

Mr. 3 sucked in a sharp breath upon hearing this, secretly grateful that he had escaped disaster.

Fujitora merely nodded slightly. He showed little emotional reaction to battles between pirates.

"Keep looking for that boy’s whereabouts."

Mr. 3 hurriedly nodded in acknowledgment.

Just then, the tavern door was violently pushed open, and a buzz-cut man with a bare upper body walked in.

Mr. 3 took a closer look and shouted in delight, "Mr. 1! Are you here to save me?"

Mr. 1 gave Mr. 3 a cold glance, ignoring his excitement as he walked straight toward Fujitora.

A vicious glint showed in his eyes as he stared at Fujitora. "This trash works for our boss, Sir Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai. If you Marines don’t want to violate the World Government’s treaty, you’d better let him go. Otherwise, if we start fighting, we won’t spare the Marines any face."

The moment Mr. 1 spoke, the tavern atmosphere became tense. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look over.

Mr. 3, the Candle Man, was scared stiff!

This guy has never seen this blind man summon a meteor! Can that lousy blade of yours cut through a meteor?

The corners of Fujitora’s mouth rose slightly in a faint smile.

"All right, then. In that case, I’ll have to search for a needle in the desert. Fortunately, I have nothing better to do."

Mr. 1 frowned. He had not expected Fujitora to compromise so easily.

He had thought there would be a fierce battle, but Fujitora’s attitude left him unable to make heads or tails of the situation.

Meanwhile, Mr. 3 secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He did not want to be crushed by a meteor.

Just then, the bartender suddenly cried out from behind the counter!

Everyone turned their heads and saw a black-haired young man clutching several bottles of liquor, staring strangely in Fujitora’s direction!

The next second, the guy vanished into thin air, leaving everyone completely dumbfounded.

Fujitora frowned. "That wanted criminal came?"

Mr. 3 swallowed. "He came. Then he left."

Fujitora said curiously, "The World Government still hasn’t figured out that his Devil Fruit Ability includes Teleportation?"

After traveling far and wide for an entire evening and spending half a month’s wages, New Recruit Fang Yu arrived beneath the walls of Li Manor with a carefully prepared pile of delicacies and little toys, nervous yet expectant.

Sunlight fell across him, but it could not dispel the tension in his heart. After all, every step in this crisis-ridden Investiture of the Gods World was like walking on thin ice, and he had placed his bet on Nezha.

He carefully placed the food items one by one atop the wall. Demon Orb Nezha was lying boredly on the wall with a blade of grass in his mouth. At first, he merely glanced at them casually, not taking these delivered goods seriously, assuming they had been brought by a new servant in the manor.

A strange smell suddenly drifted through the air. Nezha wrinkled his nose, and that odd stench was like an invisible hand hooking his curiosity.

He abruptly sat upright and shouted, "Are you tired of living? You dare throw shit at Young Master’s feet?"

Fang Yu hurriedly explained with a broad smile, "Young Master, this isn’t shit. This is East City’s famous Stinky Tofu. It smells bad, but it tastes amazing!"

Since the day he was born, Nezha had rarely had the chance to wander freely through Chentang Pass. Whenever shopkeepers and vendors saw him, they immediately closed up for the day. Slow pedestrians would lie down and play dead, dive into the river and hold their breath, or climb trees and pretend to be birds.

The manor would not give him junk food either, so Nezha had naturally never seen many of these snacks.

"You dare lie to me?" Nezha narrowed his eyes.

"If you don’t believe me, I’ll try a piece for you."

As he spoke, Fang Yu swiftly took a still-steaming piece of Stinky Tofu from the cloth bundle and stuffed it into his mouth without hesitation. He chewed heartily, deliberately putting on an expression of enjoyment.

Nezha looked disgusted, as though he were watching someone perform the act of eating shit.

Fang Yu knew that success or failure hinged on this. If he could not make Nezha believe in the appeal of this delicacy, all his previous efforts would have been wasted.

So, while chewing, he mumbled, "Young Master, just trust me this once. It’s really delicious."

Nezha pursed his lips, his face full of suspicion. "Is it really that good?" Fang Yu nodded frantically. "Absolutely! If you don’t believe me, I’ll eat another one!" As he spoke, he quickly grabbed another piece of Stinky Tofu and stuffed it into his mouth.

Tilting his head, Nezha looked back and forth between Fang Yu and the pile of Stinky Tofu, then suddenly asked, "You wouldn’t happen to be Old Man Li’s son, would you? I told you, it wasn’t my fault the house collapsed. I was just…" He thought for a moment. "A little too strong."

Fang Yu froze, then quickly understood. "What are you talking about? My surname is Fang, not Li."

Nezha frowned, even more puzzled. "Did you poison this stuff? Or…"

"No poison, no poison. It’s delicious!" Fang Yu said as he ate another piece, acting as though this Stinky Tofu were the finest delicacy in the world.

Nezha was a little bewildered. He truly could not understand what this person wanted. "Then why are you giving me these fresh little things?"

Seeing that Nezha had finally taken the bait, Fang Yu was delighted. He immediately bowed slightly and launched into his praise. "The day Young Master appeared, you looked so imposing that I knew at once you were the son of Li Jing, commander of Chentang Pass! That upright bearing, those unruly eyes—even the way you walked with your hand shoved down your pants looked so dashing!"

At those words, Nezha seemed to have been struck in a sore spot. He quickly pulled his hand out of his pants and scratched his head awkwardly.

"What do you mean… you admire me?" Nezha asked.

"Of course! When Young Master kicked that shuttlecock at me that day, I felt as though my whole body had been struck by a meteor! With such divine strength, Young Master will surely become a great general even more formidable than General Li in the future! I’m getting on good terms with you now so I can get myself an official position later, right?" Fang Yu rattled it all off in one breath, watching Nezha’s reaction.

Nezha understood. Rubbing his nose, he said, "Oh? Aren’t you afraid I’ll eat you, like the rumors say?"

Fang Yu hurriedly shook his head, his expression resolute. "Those commoners are too easily swayed. What Demon Child Born into the World? I say you’re a Heaven-Sent Auspice! You are fire! What was fire in ancient times? It was heaven’s blessing that let savages bid farewell to darkness, raw meat, and cold!"

Nezha’s face burned under such praise. Blushing, he quickly turned away. "Hey! What kind of crap are you saying? It sounds so gross! Hurry up and…" The word "get lost" had nearly reached his lips, but for some reason, Nezha changed his tune and said, "Go on, then!"

Fang Yu knew that meant he was halfway successful. He quickly nodded. "Then I’ll be leaving first, General Zha. I’ll come offer you tribute again another day."

"Hey! So annoying! Go, go!" Nezha waved impatiently.

After Fang Yu left, Nezha turned to look at the fresh food piled along the wall. Unable to resist any longer, he grabbed a piece of Stinky Tofu, put it in his mouth, and chewed carefully.

After two bites, Nezha’s eyes lit up. He nodded in satisfaction. "It really does taste good and smell bad. Ah, no—tastes good, smells bad…"

Thinking of how Fang Yu had looked just now, Nezha smacked his lips. "What a strange guy."