Uchiha Puppet Master, Starting from One Piece.

Matsumoto Rangiku smiled and bent over, but the splashing water wet her ample bosom. She chuckled softly, her eyes crinkling, the smile in them brighter than the sunlight.

Bai Yu looked at her, his tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and with a flick of his wrist, he collected the sea fish into the fish basket.

"Hmm, it weighs a little over twenty pounds, which is considered small for a sea fish."

The coolness of the splashing water still lingered on the back of Bai Yu's hand. He looked down at the frolicking fish in the fish basket, his fingertips unconsciously brushing against his skin that had just been splashed, while his peripheral vision quietly fell on Matsumoto Rangiku beside him.

At this moment, she raised her hand to brush away the fine water droplets clinging to her hair and chest. As her fingertips brushed against the ends of her hair, she exuded a languid charm, and her chest trembled slightly, making the viewer's heart flutter. This was the feminine charm of Matsumoto Rangiku at the age of twenty.

"It looks like a beautiful fish."

Rangiku straightened up, a lingering smile still on her face, her nose slightly red, perhaps from the sea breeze. She turned to look at Shiraha, her gaze inadvertently meeting his dark eyes.

Uchiha Hakuba's eyes lacked the coldness typical of the Uchiha clan; instead, they held the soft light of the sunset, carrying a gentle tenderness that women couldn't decipher.

This is the Uchiha succubus...

Shiraha's gaze made Matsumoto Rangiku's heart skip a beat, and her tone softened unconsciously: "It seems that the captain is more capable than me, who can only stand by and watch the show."

Bai Yu's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. He withdrew his gaze but did not move away. The two were so close that they could smell each other's scent.

Uchiha Hakuba had a faint scent of pine mixed with the salty dampness of the sea breeze, which was refreshing and reassuring.

"Actually, fishing isn't difficult."

Uchiha Shiraha's voice was softer than before. He reached out and gently leaned the fishing rod against the railing. He raised his fingertips slightly, as if to brush away the water droplets remaining in her hair. When his fingertips hovered in mid-air, he paused slightly, and finally gently landed on her hair: "I'll teach you next time. You don't need to hold the rod too hard. Just follow the fish's movements."

His fingertips, cool to the touch, brushed against her hair. Rangiku stiffened slightly, her ears turning a faint blush. She instinctively tried to back away, but the railing behind her blocked her, making her move even closer to him.

“Okay,” Rangiku tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling on his smooth jawline, her eyelashes fluttering gently, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible shyness.

"Then I'll have to trouble you a lot more, Captain."

As Matsumoto Rangiku spoke, her warm breath gently brushed against Shiraha's neck, causing Shiraha's body to tense slightly. Her fingertips slid slowly down her hair, accidentally touching her earlobe. The two paused simultaneously, and the ambiguous atmosphere in the air instantly intensified.

The fish in the basket were still struggling gently, and the sound of the waves crashing against the boat was still soft, but neither of them paid any attention to it at the moment.

Uchiha Hakuba lowered his eyes to look at her reddened earlobes, his smile deepening, and said in a low voice, "It's no trouble at all."

He didn't back down or move again, but stood quietly in front of Matsumoto, his dark eyes reflecting only her image.

Rangiku felt a little embarrassed by his gaze, lowered her head slightly, and looked at his forearm, which was folded up, revealing its well-defined muscles. She wanted to speak.

Before she could finish speaking, the sea breeze blew up again, making Matsumoto Rangiku's short hair fly wildly.

The two smiled at each other and said nothing more. They simply leaned against the railing, letting the afterglow of the setting sun gently bathe their figures, and letting the ambiguous feelings spread quietly in their hearts with the rise and fall of the waves.

Seeing Matsumoto Rangiku's shy expression, Uchiha Shiraha sighed inwardly, thinking how wonderful this fusion was; this was the life he wanted.

Chapter 8 The Rumors of the Devil's Son

"Is this the largest city in the Xia Kingdom?"

Matsumoto Rangiku looked around with some curiosity. As a former wandering spirit of Rukongai, she was filled with joy at the sight of this completely different environment.

As Matsumoto Rangiku's wooden clogs stepped onto the ground of Danube Castle, the first sensation was completely different from the soil of Soul Society.

It wasn't the damp, soft paddy field ridges with the smell of grass and wood, nor was it the smooth bluestone slabs paved in the town.

Instead, they were smooth, warm gray stone bricks worn by countless hooves and boots, with dark brown mud and bits of dry grass embedded in the gaps. Stepping on them made a soft "crunching" sound, like the gentle sound of withered bamboo bending in the wind in winter.

Her black men's clothing stood out starkly against her surroundings.

The houses in Rukongai are low wooden structures with finely tiled roofs. The wooden windows of every house are open, and you can see dried fish and pickled radishes hanging under the eaves, mixed with the gentle and delicate croaking of frogs in the rice paddies.

But the great city before us resembled a silent and magnificent beast, perched on the plain.

The first thing that caught her eye was the city wall, not the low wall made of mud and wood in Rukongai, but a high wall built of huge bluish-black stones. The wall was pitted and uneven, with crenellations standing at the top. She could vaguely see soldiers standing on the wall, wearing gleaming metal armor. Directly in front of the city wall was a huge city gate made of thick black wood. The door panel was inlaid with dense metal rivets, like the scales on a giant beast. The lintel was carved with intricate patterns, not the cherry blossoms, chrysanthemums, and wisteria patterns that were most common in Rukongai, but birds of prey with outstretched wings, as well as some symbols that she could not understand.

"Let's go, Rangiku, let's go buy some clothes. This outfit of mine doesn't suit you at all."

Uchiha Hakuba paid the entrance fee and then led Matsumoto Rangiku, who was still watching the city gate, inside.

Stepping through the gates of Danube Castle, one enters the city's streets. To Matsumoto Rangiku's surprise, these streets were more than three times wider than the widest town street in her Rukongai. There were rows of houses on both sides, but not a single one of them was a wooden building she recognized.

Most of these houses are two or three stories high, with walls made of light brown bricks and stones, and the walls are plastered with a layer of grayish-white plaster. Some of the walls are mottled and peeling off, revealing the bricks and stones underneath.

The residents' rooftops are steep slopes covered with red bricks, one after another, like burning flames, stretching along the street and looking from a distance like a long red dragon coiled in the city.

Most of the windows in the houses are long and narrow arched, inlaid with transparent glass. Sunlight shines through the glass and refracts into tiny fragments of light, unlike the paper sliding doors in Soul Society, which only let in soft and dim light.

On some windowsills were ceramic pots filled with flowers and plants she didn't recognize—pink, purple, and yellow—swaying gently in the cool breeze, adding a touch of vibrancy.

The streets were bustling with people, even more lively than during the Rukongai Festival, but also much more chaotic.

Some people wore loose linen robes, dark in color, with simple patterns embroidered on the collar and cuffs;

Some people wore tight-fitting leather clothing with wide leather belts around their waists, from which daggers and money bags were hung.

Some women wore long skirts with wide hems embroidered with intricate patterns, which swayed as they walked. They wore headscarves to cover their hair or adorned them with feathers and metal ornaments. Most of these women had golden or brown, curly hair and light blue or light green eyes, which gave them an air of mystery.

"Actually, we don't need to be in a big hurry. Since we're already here, we might as well take a look around. Don't worry, I got a lot of money from those pirates last time."

Uchiha Hakuba felt no remorse for the money he stole from the pirates.

As if she had never seen so many dazzling goods before, Matsumoto Rangiku found herself strolling through the streets without even realizing it.

Vendors set up stalls on both sides of the street, spreading out rough linen cloths and displaying all sorts of goods. There were mountains of grain, plump and golden in color;

There were hanging leathers, carrying a strong fishy smell; there were well-crafted metal utensils, iron pots, iron kettles, daggers, and swords, all gleaming with a cold metallic luster.

At the same time, the sound of hammering came from the blacksmith's shop, crisp and powerful, making Matsumoto Rangiku's eardrums tingle slightly.

She thought of Rukongai, a place that only made farm tools and short swords, and whose sounds were dull and uninteresting.

There were also vendors selling bread; the golden bread was steaming hot and exuded the aroma of wheat and butter.

This tastes completely different from rice balls and miso soup;

Of course, there were also people selling fruit. The fruit was round and brightly colored, unlike anything she had ever seen before. When the vendor cut a piece open, juice gushed out, exuding a sweet aroma.

"Baiyu-jun, I want to eat this!"

Matsumoto Rangiku pointed to the fruit in front of her, her voice so tight it was unbearable.

Uchiha Hakuba was truly impressed by this woman. With her looks, figure, and that coquettish voice, what man could resist her?

Shaking his head, Uchiha Shiraha still paid the money, after all, he himself was a little tempted.

"What kind of fruit is this? It's so sweet!" Matsumoto Rangiku held the bright red fruit in her hands, her tongue gently licking the juice remaining between her fingers, her eyelashes shimmering in the sunlight.

A few drops of juice clung to the corners of her mouth, standing out starkly against her fair skin.

Uchiha Shiraha's gaze lingered on her lips for a moment, then he casually looked into the distance: "The stall owner said it's called the Vermilion Bird Fruit, and it comes from the Southern Islands."

"Damn it, this is supposed to be a shonen anime like One Piece, but it's acting like hentai..."

Uchiha Hakuba tried hard to shake off the unhealthy thoughts in his mind.

A sudden commotion arose at the street corner, and the crowd automatically parted to make way.

Several knights in silver armor rode by, their iron hooves making a crisp sound as they trod on the stone pavement.

The lead knight's sharp eyes peeked out from under his helmet. His gaze lingered on Matsumoto Rangiku for a moment before he and his companions left.

"It's not that demon child. I knew there couldn't be such a coincidence. How could it be that I only just heard about the demon child being on this island, and then..."

Although the knights had already gone far away, Uchiha Shiraha, being a ninja, immediately heard the title "Child of the Devil." As far as he knew, this title seemed to be Nico Robin's title.

"Let's go, Rangiku-san, we're going to do some serious shopping today!"

Matsumoto Rangiku nodded obediently, but accidentally bumped into Shiraha as she turned around. She staggered and fell forward.

A pair of strong arms caught her steadily, and through the thin fabric, she could clearly feel the warmth of the other person's chest and the vibration of their heartbeat.

Uchiha Hakuba was speechless. Without having studied at the Shinigami Academy, Matsumoto Rangiku wasn't even as strong as Nami.

It seems we need to train this guy properly; at sea, you need a certain level of strength.

"Be careful, Rangiku. You're lacking in training; it seems I'll have to give you some pointers."

Uchiha Hakuha's fingertips inadvertently brushed against Matsumoto Rangiku's bare arm, sending a slight shiver down his spine.

Matsumoto Rangiku tilted her head back, still looking a little shy.

That's so unfair...

Chapter 9 My name is Nico Robin

"Is what we purchased enough?"

Looking at the clothes, fruit, and food carried on the backs of the five mules, Matsumoto Rangiku felt worried.

Although she was a puppet, Uchiha Shiraha's unique Mangekyou Sharingan and the miraculous combination of the Puppet Fruit made her look exactly like a real human.

Eating and drinking are no different from ordinary people.

"There's nothing we can do, Rangiku-san. Our ship's hold can only hold this much stuff. Danube is the capital, and it doesn't produce ships. We'll have to go to our next destination to change ships."

Uchiha Hakuyu shook his head helplessly. It wasn't that he didn't want to prepare more, but the conditions were simply too restrictive.

However, as long as you bring enough fresh water and about ten days' worth of dry food and supplies, you can live off the sea and not starve.

Moreover, the next destination, Char's Island, is only a seven or eight-day boat ride from here.

Many people only see the adventurous and exciting battles in the world of One Piece.

Little did they know that true seafaring often involves only solitude.

This ocean is so vast that you might not encounter another ship for ten or twenty days while adrift at sea.

"Seriously, these mules are amazing; they actually know the way back on their own?"

Matsumoto Rangiku's thoughts drifted elsewhere, and she looked directly at the mule, asking with some curiosity.

In comparison, Bai Yu didn't feel there was anything wrong with it. Matsumoto Rangiku, who had always been in Rukongai, had never been exposed to so many novel things.

That's good, much better than keeping quiet...

"There are so many amazing things in this ocean. These mules are just well-trained. If you have the chance, you will see real, amazing species."

It took the two quite a while to get back to the boat, and by the time they could see the small boat, dusk had already fallen.

At this moment, the twilight was like melting ink, slowly spreading across the surface of the West Sea.