The guard knocked down by Lin Mo spat out a mouthful of ice shards.
His nearby comrades, seeing that he'd been taken down by a kid, didn't come to help—instead, they burst out laughing.
"Hey, Will, what's wrong with you? You can't even beat a kid? What a waste of that huge body of yours, hahaha…"
"You're useless. Totally a disgrace to our guard squad. Don't tell anyone you know me."
"Hahaha, I could beat ten kids like that with one finger. And you got dropped like that? This is killing me!"
Will—the guard Lin Mo had flattened—clenched his fists in rage, face burning red as he got up from the snow. He glared at the calm Lin Mo and growled through clenched teeth, "It's all your fault, damn brat! You humiliated me! You're dead! I'm going to kill you!"
Without hesitation, Will picked up his rifle, aimed it at Lin Mo, and pulled the trigger.
The bullet flew straight at Lin Mo.
Lin Mo simply raised a hand and caught it mid-air. Then, using Armament Haki, he crushed the bullet into fragments and let them fall to the ground.
Will, who moments ago looked fierce, suddenly froze—his face now overwhelmed with shock and fear.
Even the others who had been mocking him were stunned speechless.
"No way… That kid just caught a bullet with his bare hand… and crushed it?"
"Impossible! I must be seeing things—yeah, must be a cold-weather hallucination!"
But when they rubbed their eyes and looked again, the crushed remains of the bullet lying in the snow were still clearly visible, forcing them to instinctively take a few steps back.
Lin Mo silently began walking toward Will.
Terrified, Will's legs gave out and he collapsed back onto the snow.
This boy, who looked thin and weak, now seemed like a walking demon to him—paralyzing him with fear.
Standing in front of Will, Lin Mo expressionlessly asked, "How do I get to the next town?"
From what Lin Mo remembered, Drum Island wasn't just the port town—there were a few others scattered inland.
Will paused in surprise before stammering, "Y-you mean Cocoa Weed Town?"
Lin Mo gave a vague "Mm."
Will trembled as he pointed in the direction of Cocoa Weed.
Without saying another word, Lin Mo walked past him and headed off.
Before he could get far, a few other guards—ones who hadn't witnessed the bullet-crushing scene—arrived.
Seeing Will and the others just standing there watching a kid walk away, one barked, "Hey! What the hell are you doing? Did you forget what we're here for?"
"N-no," Will stammered, pointing at Lin Mo. "That kid… he's a monster…"
"A monster?" The guard blinked and then burst out laughing. "You've lost your mind. He looks like a normal brat to me. Nothing monstrous about him."
"It's true!"
"Yeah! He crushed a bullet with his bare hand!"
The guards who had witnessed it pointed to the nearly snow-covered fragments.
The newcomers squinted at the snow but saw nothing remarkable. They laughed even harder.
"You're telling me those tiny bits are a bullet? Come on, if you're going to slack off, at least come up with a better excuse!"
"It's true! I swear it is!" Will insisted, voice trembling.
Growing annoyed, one of the guards raised his rifle and aimed at Lin Mo's back. "Pathetic. Getting scared by a kid. Let's see if this brat is really that tough."
He fired.
The bullet screamed toward Lin Mo's head—but just before impact, Lin Mo tilted slightly, letting it graze his hair and strike a pine tree behind him, punching clean through the trunk.
"Huh?" The shooter blinked in disbelief. He thought it must've been dumb luck. He fired twice more.
Lin Mo casually shifted his body again, dodging both bullets with ease.
"This… this can't be happening!" the guard gasped. "Everyone, fire! Let's see him dodge a whole storm of bullets!"
Aside from Will and the others who had already seen Lin Mo's power, the rest raised their rifles and opened fire.
A barrage of bullets flew toward Lin Mo.
Without a word, Lin Mo stopped walking and turned to face the incoming rain of fire. He closed his eyes briefly and summoned his power—manifesting a glowing golden energy sphere that enveloped him.
It was Fairy Sphere, a skill he hadn't yet used since acquiring it.
Every bullet that struck the barrier lost all force and clattered harmlessly to the ground.
Once the last bullet hit the snow, Lin Mo calmly dispelled the shield. His cold eyes swept over the dumbstruck guards, their jaws slack.
Then he unleashed his Conqueror's Haki.
All of them—ignorant and unprepared—collapsed on the spot.
Without sparing them a second glance, Lin Mo turned and resumed his journey toward Cocoa Weed Town.
Only after he had disappeared from view did the terrified townspeople hiding behind buildings begin to cautiously peek out.
After walking another half-hour through the snow, Lin Mo finally saw the town.
But Cocoa Weed wasn't in much better shape than the port town. The kingdom's guards had already ransacked the place. The remaining townsfolk were cleaning up, most looking both angry and utterly hopeless.
Lin Mo entered the town without expression.
As he passed a modest home, a man rushed out carrying a feverish little girl, tears streaming down his face. He shouted, "Is there any doctor still hiding?! Please, someone—anyone—save my child!"
But the only answer was the sorrowful silence of those around him.
The man collapsed to his knees in the snow, cradling his daughter in despair.
"Is there a tavern in this town?" Lin Mo asked flatly as he walked up to him.
The man looked up at him through tear-filled eyes. He looked like he wanted to scold him—but instead, with a sob, he said, "No… only the port town has one."
Though the man held back, the townspeople around them did not.
"What's wrong with that kid?! Can't he see the man's in pain? And he asks that?!"
"Exactly. Where did he even come from—so inconsiderate."
"Such a rude child…"
Lin Mo ignored them all and instead pointed at a shelf inside the man's house, where two bottles of liquor sat. "Can I have those?"
The man bit his lip, tears still falling. "What's wrong with you… ugh, fine, whatever, take them if you want…"
Lin Mo nodded lightly.
Amid the townspeople's scolding, he walked into the house, took the bottles, and came back out.
He stood in front of the man, lifted one hand, and hovered it about half a meter above the girl's forehead.
A soft green glow spread from his palm, slowly enveloping her.
The man looked up in shock, ready to yell at him for doing something strange.
But then, the girl stirred.
The man quickly looked down and gasped—the feverish red in her face was fading, replaced by a healthy flush.
He reached out and touched her forehead, eyes wide in astonishment.
"Ah! The fever… it's gone!"