"You dare to push your luck with me? You even want compensation? I'm a bandit, for god's sake!"
Higuma's anger was finally fully ignited. Furious, he drew his long sword and placed it directly against Zyhark's neck.
"Do you believe I could kill you right here?!!!"
The sharp blade cut through the skin, and a trickle of blood seeped from the cut.
The intense pain and the thick scent of death instantly enveloped Zyhark. Yet, even so, he did not back down, staring straight at Higuma in silence, without uttering a word.
His attitude was clear: if you have the guts, then go ahead and chop, see who else will compensate you! The greedier people are, the more cunning they become. If Higuma really wanted to act, he would have swung his sword already, why the need for so much talk?
"Very well, very well, Zyhark, I'll remember you!" Higuma was so angry he was grinding his teeth.
Just as Zyhark had predicted, Higuma really couldn't bring himself to just chop down.
His head was worth eight million Berries, but Zyhark's head, who had no bounty, was worthless.
"Pay up!"
The subordinate behind him was stunned: "Huh? Boss, are we really going to pay?"
They were bandits, infamous bandits at that! "Can't you understand what I'm saying?!"
Already frustrated and finding nowhere to vent, Higuma slapped his subordinate across the face.
Slap! The subordinate, feeling wronged, reluctantly took out a stack of Berries from his pocket and laid it down.
"Let's go!"
After casting a deep glance at Zyhark, Higuma, with a twisted expression, took the lead and left the shabby diner that had made him suffer a setback.
His subordinates silently followed, with no one daring to speak.
Soon, the formidable bandit group disappeared at the end of Windmill Village's streets.
"Phew, dealing with these desperately poor and violent guys is indeed risky..."
Zyhark heaved a heavy sigh of relief. By the time his heart stopped racing, he realized that his sweat had soaked his T-shirt.
Just as he picked up the Berries left behind by the other party and was about to pocket them, a commotion came from the other side of the street.
It was the three carpenters who were dining here earlier, and they had brought the village's security team with them.
It wasn't until Zyhark stepped out of the diner that he was surprised to find the surroundings already crowded with villagers wielding iron rods, hoes, and even kitchen spatulas, all looking ready to help if a real fight broke out inside.
"Zyhark has come out, and he looks unharmed!"
A villager holding a kitchen spatula breathed a sigh of relief, the worry on his face slowly dissipating.
Before Zyhark could immerse himself in the warmth of being cared for by everyone, he heard the person couldn't help but sigh, "Otherwise, it would have been difficult to ask for the fifty thousand Berries he owes me back."
Brother, so that's what you were really concerned about!!
Zyhark's touched heart was firmly pressed back down.
Seeing that there wasn't any serious issue, the security team reminded everyone to try not to provoke that group of vicious bandits before heading back to their post.
"Are you okay, Mr. Zyhark? You're not hurt, are you?"
A gentle fragrance wafted over with the breeze from the coast, and Zyhark turned to see the speaker. It was Makino, the tall, slender owner of the bar across the street, with her deep green hair tied back with a yellow floral bandana, gentle and elegant.
"I'm fine. The bandits were scared off by my presence. There's no need to worry," Zyhark said casually, putting on a bit of a show in front of Makino and the others.
"Your neck is bleeding. I have some antiseptic here, let me apply it for you."
Makino, kind-hearted as she was, quickly noticed the cut on Zyhark's neck. She took out some prepared antiseptic and bandages and stepped forward to help him clean the wound.
She was just that kind of warm-hearted, down-to-earth person.
Zyhark felt a bit awkward with the pretty face suddenly so close but was too polite to refuse Makino's kindness and stood still, letting her do as she needed.
Actually, he wanted to say that such a minor injury was nothing...
"There, it should be fine now as long as you take care of it. It shouldn't leave a scar."
Makino stepped back to her original position, pleased with her work on wrapping a bandage around Zyhark's neck.
"Thank you, Makino."
Zyhark sincerely thanked her, his gaze towards Makino unusually earnest.
"No problem, we're neighbors after all. Helping each other is normal, and I'm counting on Zyhark to take good care of the bar's business," Makino replied with a soft smile, puzzled by the sincerity in Zyhark's eyes.
Sure enough, the next second, Zyhark shamelessly said, "Since Makino said so, I won't be shy. Could I possibly borrow another two hundred thousand Berries?"
Bandit Higuma turned out to be even more cunning and brutal than imagined. If he knew that Zyhark's possessions amounted to more than two to three hundred million Berries, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Anticipating potential troubles in the following month, Zyhark decided to take the initiative and summon a powerful teammate from the wishing well today!
"???"
Makino's smile froze, her mouth twitching.
Zyhark had borrowed a hundred thousand Berries from her not long ago, and with the bar planning to stock up on a new batch of liquor, she was really stretched thin.
Even so, the kind-hearted Makino tentatively asked, "Is there something very important you need to take care of?"
"Yes, very important!" Zyhark nodded vigorously.
At times like this, there was no room for pride.
After biting her nail and pondering for a few seconds, Makino made a decision and said slowly, "Alright then, just wait a moment!"
She decided to postpone the plan to purchase new liquor.
With that, Makino turned and jogged back to the bar, returning shortly with a small barrel in her arms.
Generously handing the small barrel to Zyhark, she deliberately raised her voice a few decibels.
"Zyhark, this is the rare liquor I promised you yesterday. Please make sure to take good care of it!"
Zyhark, holding the small barrel, instantly understood her intention not to embarrass him in front of everyone and expressed his gratitude solemnly, "Thank you, truly. I appreciate it a lot!"
Makino smiled and gave him an encouraging thumbs up.
With anticipation and excitement for a powerful companion, Zyhark bid farewell to Makino and the villagers and turned back to the diner.
As the gathered villagers dispersed, the sun also completely set behind the hills.
The thin darkness replaced the light, gradually enveloping the entire Windmill Village.
When the moon hung high and the crickets chirped, with most of the villagers asleep, Zyhark finally closed the diner's door tightly and found a spacious spot to sit down.
Perhaps too excited, he even went to relieve himself in advance, all the while lamenting that the restroom was a bit dirty.
Once everything was ready, Zyhark's thoughts moved slightly, and the wishing well in his mind manifested on the ground in front of him.
This was a small pool with a diameter of just over a meter, without any distinct edges.
The wonderfully splendid lights, like a galaxy of stars, slowly flowed towards the center of the pool, emitting a quite magical aura.
Rather than calling it a wishing well, it was more accurate to say it was a portal to another dimension!
Of course, Zyhark had already tested it many times before. This one-way portal to another dimension was invisible in the world of One Piece.
People from this world couldn't perceive or observe it, and it had no other special effects that could be exploited.
Next to the wishing well, an inconspicuous stone slab displayed a row of small characters.
[Current wish condition: Three million Berries]
After taking a deep breath, without any hesitation, Zyhark threw all the money he had saved and borrowed over the year into the wishing well.
The calm surface of the wishing well suddenly burst into light, forming a pale blue information panel.
[Please provide two descriptions of the character you wish to summon]
Zyhark had a clear idea of what he wanted from the moment he became aware of the wishing well's existence.
Undoubtedly, in the world of One Piece, Devil Fruit powers are the most distinctive power system. Most powerhouses, like the Three Admirals, Kaido, Big Mom, etc., have reached unparalleled heights through their fruit powers.
And the thing that naturally counters Devil Fruit users is "water"!
In the New World, even a common soldier can play around with fire-based attacks, but abilities related to water are few and far between.
With his insight into the overall power system of the One Piece world, the first description Zyhark set for the summoner was naturally [Water-based power]!
To ensure that the summoned entity wasn't too weak, its strength obviously needed to be guaranteed.
This was Zyhark's first time making a wish, and he wasn't sure to what extent the wishing well could fulfill it.
Although intuition told him that three million Berries were unlikely to summon a legendary figure, since he could write his own description and test the rules and limits of the wishing well, he decided to be bold.
After much thought, he shamelessly settled on the second description: [God-level]
Even if the entity that appeared wasn't invincible from the start and required time to grow, at least with this description as a guarantee, the wishing well couldn't give him something too poor, right?
[Water-based power user + God-level, condition confirmed, searching the dimensional library, search completed]
Buzz! As the light from the wishing well suddenly accelerated, the dazzling light illuminated the entire enclosed diner.
Eager to witness his first step into the grand world of One Piece, even though the bright light was blinding, Zyhark still squinted his eyes, refusing to miss a moment.
From this moment on, the dull and boring diner cook would become history!
From this moment on, he, Zyhark, would be unbound, freely adventuring through the world of One Piece!
The space inside the wishing well slightly distorted, and behind the intense light, the silhouette of a ribbon-fluttering beautiful girl emerged, radiating a holy and wise aura.
The surface of the wishing well rippled, and Zyhark, filled with excitement and anticipation, even found his breathing becoming rapid.
Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes!
Feeling the increasingly strong scent of wisdom, Zyhark felt reassured, convinced that the summoned companion would be as steady and reliable as himself.
Then, he watched as a face that was both idiotic and cute emerged from the pool.
The delicate and flawless face featured a pair of intelligent, water-blue eyes that were particularly striking.
The similarly transparent water-blue hair was tied into a circle, adorned with beads that seemed to model the H2O molecule, quite recognizable.
Zyhark immediately recognized the true identity of this figure, and the anticipation on his face, like ambitions tumbling into the abyss, shattered.
A roar of despair and regret erupted from him.
"Damn it! It's Aqua!!!"
(End of Chapter)