Uchiha Puppet Master, Starting from One Piece.

Seeing that the lizardman was no longer fierce, Kanna jumped down from Bai Yu's arms and carefully walked to a small lizardman. She reached out her little hand and gently touched its scales. The scales were smooth, cool, and felt exceptionally good.

The little lizardman stiffened for a moment after Kanna touched his scales, then turned his head and rubbed his little head against Kanna's palm, as if he were being affectionate.

Seeing this, Kanna smiled so much that her eyes curved into crescent moons. She took out a candy from her storage bag, unwrapped it, and handed it to the little lizardman. The little lizardman smelled it, opened his little mouth, and put the candy in his mouth. The sweet taste made him instantly show a happy expression, and he started circling around Kanna.

"These lizardmen are quite interesting."

"That's what Matsumoto Rangiku said."

"Um……"

Unohana squinted and responded with a half-smile.

Chapter 102 Slaughter

The lizardmen, carrying the remaining dried fruit, trudged through the fine sand and disappeared into the crevices of the dunes, leaving only a few winding sand tracks behind.

"How did they run so fast?"

Kanna was a little curious.

Rangiku patted the sand off her body and laughed, "I didn't expect that even the desert natives couldn't resist Sister Hana's friendliness. She was so fierce just now, but she turned into a little foodie in the blink of an eye."

Unohana Retsu gently closed her empty palm, her smile undiminished: "All things have a spirit. They are just little creatures trying to make a living. They may have bad intentions, but they do have some wisdom for survival."

As soon as he finished speaking, several dark shadows suddenly swept across the distant sky, accompanied by a sharp cry, like the cry of some kind of bird, but with a deliberate hoarseness.

Bai Yu looked up and saw more than a dozen strangely shaped creatures swooping down from the top of the sand dune.

They have wings like eagles, but their feathers are white, which doesn't match the desert at all.

At the same time, his hands and feet are slender, his fingertips have hook-like claws, and when he grins, he reveals small, sharp teeth.

"What a strange design."

Robin adjusted his straw hat, his voice calm.

"Could you please give us some water?"

One of the birds saw the bundle on the doll and its eyes lit up. It then spoke in broken human language.

This is actually not easy. Birds' vocal cords are not similar to those of humans, but they still managed to learn how to do it.

"I can't give you too much, but I can give you a little."

Matsumoto Rangiku, seeing the talking bird, couldn't help but feel a little curious.

Before she could finish speaking, a deceptive bird suddenly pounced on the water bag in Rangiku's hand, its sharp claws pointing straight at the knot at the bag's opening.

Rangiku reacted extremely quickly, dodging to the side while her Zanpakuto, Gray Neko, was instantly drawn from her waist, severing the wing of the robbing bird with a single strike.

"Since you're here to steal, don't blame us for being impolite!"

Rangiku snorted coldly, her sword-wielding movements becoming even more ferocious.

The Zanpakuto's blade traced graceful arcs under the desert sun, each swing creating a gust of wind that knocked down any swarming Deceptive Birds.

When the deceitful birds realized their disguise had been exposed, they stopped pretending to cry for help and instead let out sharp cries. They attacked in flocks from all directions, their claws and fangs aimed at the supplies and camels in the hands of the group.

Retsu Unohana stood still, her pale fingers gently resting on the hilt of her Zanpakuto, Minazuki, but she did not draw the sword.

She simply turned slightly to the side, dodging a swooping dart. The sand beneath her feet gently bulged with her movement, forming a small earthen wall that tripped another swooping dart.

“You little guys are much greedier than the lizardmen.”

Robin's arms suddenly transformed into countless vine-like arms that emerged from the sand, like nimble whips, firmly binding the three deceptive birds that were trying to attack the camel.

As the vines tightened around the arms, the deceptive birds struggled and cried out pitifully before finally drooping helplessly and being dragged aside.

Their claws are very sharp, but they are really weak.

Bai Yu looked at the entangled deceitful bird: "These creatures that survive by deception and plunder will only harm more travelers if left alive. What's more, they actually dared to make a move."

He gathered chakra at his fingertips, and several Wind Release ninjutsu, "Wind Release: Wind Cutter," shot out instantly, the invisible wind blades precisely slicing through the necks of each of the Deceptive Birds.

The screams stopped abruptly, and the corpses of those deceitful birds were quickly covered by the flowing yellow sand, as if they had never existed.

Kanna watched the deceitful birds disappear, somewhat puzzled: "Why do they deceive and rob people in the desert? Won't those people without food die soon?"

"The survival rules in the desert are inherently cruel."

Unohana Retsu handed her a new candy, her voice gentle: "But no matter what, there will always be a price to pay for robbing others of their means of survival."

After reorganizing the supplies, the group continued their journey, leading the camels.

As night fell, the desert temperature plummeted, and the cool evening breeze made people wrap themselves up tighter.

The distant sand dunes, outlined in the moonlight, resembled undulating giant beasts.

Kanna had fallen asleep in Bai Yu's arms, her breathing even, her little face still smelling of candy.

Just as everyone was preparing to find a sheltered sand dune to set up camp, the ground suddenly began to tremble slightly, as if some huge creature was moving underground.

Immediately afterwards, a patch of pale purple flower buds suddenly sprouted from the sand ahead. The buds grew rapidly, reaching over a meter in height in the blink of an eye. The flower stems were thick and covered with fine hairs. When the buds bloomed, they revealed deep purple stamens in the center, emitting a sweet fragrance that made people feel dizzy.

"It's a giant man-eating plant, somewhat similar to the one in the West Sea!"

Robin's expression changed slightly, and he immediately warned, "These flowers emit a bewitching fragrance. Once you get close, you will be entangled by the flower stem and dragged into the flower's pistil to be digested. It's very fast, and they are also very brutal, actively attacking humans."

As soon as he finished speaking, the foremost carnivorous flower suddenly stretched out its stem, whipping towards the nearest camel like a long whip.

The camel was startled and let out a neigh, trying to retreat, but its limbs were firmly entangled by the flower stem, and the huge pull dragged it towards the pistil.

The flower's stamen secretes a viscous liquid that drips onto the sand, making a hissing sound; it is clearly highly corrosive.

"not good!"

Rangiku immediately swung her sword and cut off the flower stems that were entangled around the camel. While saving the camel, she also noticed that more flower stems were attacking from all directions, densely packed, like a huge net.

"There are just too many of these flowers; we can't possibly cut them all down!"

Bai Yu quickly formed hand seals: "Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"

Two thick earthen walls instantly rose from the ground, blocking the oncoming flower stems. However, the stems of the man-eating flowers were extremely resilient; they did not break after hitting the earthen walls, but instead climbed up them, trying to bypass them from above.

The flower stems on the earthen wall were still climbing wildly, and the dark green sap flowed down the earthen wall, corroding marks of varying depths.

Kanna was awakened by the noise. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Rangiku swung her sword and cut off several flower stems that had climbed over the earthen wall: "These things are too stubborn."

Robin's Flower-Flower Fruit darted swiftly through the sand, constantly entangled and pulled at the main root of the man-eating flower, yet new flower stems continued to emerge from beneath the sand, densely packed like a tidal wave surging towards the group.

At this moment, a powerful aura suddenly burst forth from Bai Yu's body.

The oppressive aura, requiring no hand seals or ninjutsu enhancement, swept out like an invisible storm.

Despite the lack of any real attack, the wildly growing carnivorous plants seemed to have been drained of all their vitality. Their climbing stems suddenly stopped, and then began to tremble violently.

Instead, there was a chilling, deathly silence.

This is Conqueror's Haki, a great way to clear out mobs, and an entry ticket to high-level battles.

Chapter 103 Super Spotted Duck Army

"I didn't expect Conqueror's Haki could affect plants? Or should these carnivorous plants be considered plants?"

Under this force, the man-eating flowers, which were taller than a person, withered rapidly. Their thick stems shriveled and turned black at a visible speed, and their originally resilient branches became brittle and broke off, falling to the ground.

The main root, deep underground, seemed to be scorched by a raging fire as it surged out of the sand, quickly losing all its vitality and turning into a pile of charred humus.

In the blink of an eye, the carnivorous flower bushes that had been so menacing just moments before withered and died, leaving only blackened remains and a pungent smell of decay.

"This is too exaggerated! Are these carnivorous plants so powerless against Conqueror's Haki? They all died instantly?"

Seeing the scene before her, Nico Robin couldn't help but ask a question.

Bai Yu's aura gradually subsided, and he raised his hand to ruffle Kanna's hair: "These should just be creatures that do evil based on instinct, there's no need to waste too much time on them."

Rangiku breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed her Zanpakuto: "Goodness, that was so convenient! If I had known that Conqueror's Haki would be so useful, I wouldn't have had to go through all that trouble."

Just as everyone was packing their gear and preparing to set up camp again, a series of quacking sounds suddenly came from behind the sand dunes in the distance. Immediately afterwards, a neat flock of little yellow ducks ran down from the top of the dunes.

They are golden all over, with glossy feathers, and are much, much larger than ordinary ducks. They have long necks and a tuft of downy feathers on their heads, making them look exceptionally cute. They even seem like they can be ridden.

Most notably, they also had small backpacks woven from hay hanging on their bodies, and when they ran, their movements were uniform and without any chaos.

"That's... a giant rubber duck?" Rangiku's eyes widened as she watched the flock of ducks getting closer and closer. "There are actually flocks of ducks in the desert?"

There were about ten little yellow ducks. They ran to a spot about ten meters in front of the crowd and stopped, forming two neat rows.

Leading the group was a slightly larger little yellow duck. It tilted its neck back and quacked a few times at Bai Yu and his group. Its voice was clear and crisp, carrying a strange sense of solemnity.

Although they couldn't understand the specific words, the sincere tone, coupled with its occasional nods towards the remnants of the man-eating flower, made it easy for everyone to guess its meaning.

Kanna jumped down from Bai Yu's arms and cautiously approached the lead rubber duck, reaching out her little hand to touch its feathers.

The giant rubber duck didn't flinch; instead, it obediently lowered its neck, allowing Conna to gently stroke it.

"They're so well-behaved!"

Kanna smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents: "Are they thanking us?"

Robin observed the little rubber ducks' movements. They were lined up in neat and orderly rows. When the lead rubber duck spoke, the other ducks remained quiet, and none of them moved around randomly.

"Judging from their posture, it seems like they are expressing gratitude."

Robin said, "The man-eating plants must have been the bullies in this area, constantly harassing us. They came to thank us after we eliminated them."

Sure enough, the lead little yellow duck called out a few more times, then turned and flapped its wings towards the depths of the desert. It then turned back and gestured for the group to proceed. Its movements were fluid and respectful, and the larger yellow ducks behind it nodded in agreement.

The "cawing" sounds rose and fell, as if echoing the leader's words.

"Are they trying to get us out of the desert?"

Rangiku suddenly realized, pointing in the direction the giant rubber duck was indicating: "The meaning is way too obvious!"

Bai Yu looked at the group of rather intelligent rubber ducks, a smile flashing in his eyes: "It seems so. With them leading the way, we should be able to avoid many detours."

Bai Yu knew that these were ducks from the same species as Karu, the future Princess Vivi's duck.

Seeing that everyone understood what it meant, the lead rubber duck immediately quacked excitedly twice, then turned around and waved its wings at the group.

The entire flock of giant rubber ducks immediately turned around in unison, with the lead duck taking the first step, followed closely by the ducks behind, their steps synchronized, like well-trained soldiers.

As they run, their feet tread on the sand, making a rhythmic, rustling sound.