Infinite Anime [140-142] (Patreon)

Chapter 140: Seimei Kikan

Gusion turned around and left, leaving Yamato standing there, lost in the wind.

Far away on Onigashima, Kaido was slapping his leg in delight, his dragon face beaming with joy.

“So, when you were young, did you really attack warships just because you didn’t have enough to eat?”

Black Maria was curious as well. She’d heard that rumor, but hearing Gusion say it in this context made her want to confirm it.

“After all, the corrupt World Government had great food. The first time I was on a warship, I ate really well and thought it was a nice place.”

Kaido laughed heartily, not caring at all that people brought up his being captured.

Because, as he said, if he hadn’t gotten caught on purpose, those people would never have captured him.

Back then, his country betrayed him and sent him onto a warship at age ten. After he stuffed himself, he sank the ship and escaped the next day.

But facing the unfamiliar, endless sea, he quickly realized that drifting alone made even getting enough to eat a problem.

So, when he saw a warship out at sea, it was like seeing a moving cafeteria—he’d charge right up, eat his fill, and leave.

Back then, he wasn’t even a Devil Fruit user, so even if they cuffed him with Seastone handcuffs, it didn’t matter much. He’d beat everyone, then use the stolen keys to unlock himself.

“Never thought you had such a tough past. It really hasn’t been easy for our Beast Pirates to get where we are today,”

Black Maria sighed. Actually, the Beast Pirates only truly started rising after the Rocks Pirates split up. Kaido got the Azure Dragon Fruit from Big Mom, and things took off.

Then Kaido caused havoc in the World Government’s research facility and freed King. The two of them swept across the seas and slowly formed the Beast Pirates.

Compared to King, she and the others were latecomers to the crew.

“Maria, what do you think Yamato is thinking right now?”

Kaido smiled as he watched Yamato standing there on the screen, clearly in a good mood.

“Marveling at your heroics when you were young?”

Maria guessed. Actually, she couldn’t figure out what Yamato was thinking—normal people can’t really guess what goes in this girl’s mind.

Kaido didn’t reply, just kept watching Yamato on the screen, lost in thought.

…

Meanwhile, in Udon Prison, after delivering ore and exchanging for food coupons, Gusion went to get his meal.

Because he and Yamato were so efficient, his breakfast was especially hearty: red bean dumpling soup with pancakes, and a generous portion.

You had to know, Gusion already ate more than most people. As his body became more superhuman, his appetite grew even more—he could eat enough for twenty people. Even so, after exchanging for food, he still had coupons left.

This made Gusion realize two things. First, under Kaido’s “the more you work, the more you get” policy, hard work really paid off.

Simply put, in Udon Prison, as long as your overall attributes were above 10, and you worked hard mining, you could eat your fill.

If you were strong, you could eat until you burst.

Though these people were prisoners, if you compared this place to a company, it was actually a pretty fair work more, get more business in this world.

Even in Wano, many people were still hungry, but in the prison, if you worked hard, you got to eat.

The second thing was that, judging by the prison’s unlimited food, Gusion realized Wano didn’t actually lack food.

He didn’t know if all the Beast Pirates' food came from Wano or if some was trade or plunder, but based on his knowledge of the canon and what he saw, he felt Wano’s food could easily feed everyone.

At every feast, the Beast Pirates always had more food than they could eat. The pirates played with the food.

Because the food they wasted was what so many people in Wano desperately needed to survive.

Of course, Wano’s poverty and some areas’ severe shortages weren’t all because of the Beast Pirates—they weren’t the direct rulers.

Wano’s ruler was Shogun Kurozumi Orochi, a thoroughly vile man who took pleasure in tormenting his people. So even though Wano didn’t lack food or clothing, he made the people of Kuri suffer because he liked seeing them in pain.

He claimed he hated seeing people look miserable, so he forced them to eat used SMILE fruits, making them into pitiful fools who could only laugh.

Compared to Kuri, even the prisoners in Udon Prison were treated better—at least if you could work, you could eat.

“Yamato, you really can eat!”

Gusion marveled at Yamato, who was clearly a naturally cheerful person. Even after an existential crisis, her answer was always eat first, as if there were never any troubles.

After she finished getting her food, Yamato came over with a giant pot full of red bean dumpling soup and several pancakes.

Oh, and by the way, red bean dumpling soup was considered a luxury food here, usually reserved for Queen, the All-Star who occasionally visited. Regular prisoners never got something so fancy; there were cheaper meals for them.

But Gusion and Yamato were mining machines. In just one morning, they’d dug out a mountain of ore, so they were flush with coupons.

Yamato rolled up a pancake and stuffed it in her mouth, swallowing it in a couple of bites, then took a drink of red bean soup. “What are you talking about? A strong person has to be able to eat and drink! But Gusion-dono, your appetite is a bit small.”

Gusion’s expression was odd. It was the first time someone told him his appetite was small—such a strange feeling.

Thinking back to his childhood, his master always called him a rice bucket because they were poor and he ate so much.

He often ended up eating his senior’s leftovers, supposedly because she was dieting.

He didn’t get it at the time, but now he realized his senior was only a teenager, training every day and still growing—she didn’t need to lose weight at all.

“How do you eat so much?”

Gusion, curious, looked at Yamato’s belly. She was tall and fit, a slim woman—her stomach didn’t look like it could hold so much.

Yamato ate heartily, directly picking up the half-man-high pot and pouring it into her mouth. By volume, Gusion figured she’d already drunk dozens of liters, but her stomach was still flat.

“Huh? Isn’t good food digested quickly?”

Yamato looked confused. “Can’t you do that?”

Gusion suddenly understood why Yamato could eat so much. It wasn’t that she had a bottomless stomach, but that she’d mastered Seimei Kikan—she could rapidly digest food, turning its energy into reserves.

While getting food, out of habit, he’d used his appraisal skill to check the food. Even the seemingly ordinary red bean soup was a fine-grade recovery item.

Maybe because of the world’s energy level, plants and animals grew bigger, and food contained more energy—so even regular rice here was extraordinary.

Because Gusion wasn’t injured, the soup just replenished his nutrition and hunger.

But in the original story, when Luffy and Kid were imprisoned in Udon, they gorged themselves and ballooned up, only to instantly shrink back, healing their injuries.

This was the wonder of Seimei Kikan, and why, after every big fight, Luffy’s first priority was to eat—a full meal meant rapid recovery.

“Is there a trick to rapid absorption? Can you teach me?”

Gusion asked. He was interested in Seimei Kikan. Even if it didn’t save on recovery items, being able to enjoy more food was worth learning.

“A trick? You need to be taught how to eat?”

Yamato looked at Gusion, totally puzzled. “I’ve eaten like this all my life.”

Gusion found this a bit hard to take. “Don’t you think digesting food instantly isn’t normal?”

Yamato looked at the few prisoners who’d earned a good breakfast, noticing most ate slowly and patted their slightly bulging stomachs in satisfaction. “Now that you mention it, I do remember getting full as a kid.”

“So how did you develop this ability?”

Gusion pointed to Yamato’s stomach. This eat whatever you want and never get fat ability would drive women in the real world crazy with envy.

“Let me think…”

Yamato put down her pot and thought. “I think it was when I was eight or nine. Kaido kept me locked up, so I was often hungry. When I got the chance, I wanted to eat as much as possible.”

“But I found that after a point, I was too full. Since I was sneaking food and couldn’t take it with me, it felt like a waste, so I wished I could eat more and store it.”

“So I tried forcing my stomach, hoping to digest faster and keep eating.”

“And then?”

Gusion asked.

“And then I digested it, and kept eating. Even when I went hungry again, I could last a long time.”

Yamato said innocently, “It’s a simple trick. Just eat more and you’ll get it.”

Gusion was speechless, but Yamato’s explanation helped him further understand why people in this world were so durable.

Like Sanji’s mentor, Red-Leg Zeff, who survived months after a shipwreck without starving, or Zoro’s crazy hunger resistance early in the story—probably, most strong people here had some degree of Seimei Kikan.

They may not have systematically trained, but the strong naturally absorbed more, and stored up energy, letting them survive tough times.

To analyze further, if you mastered Seimei Kikan and kept eating and drinking well, your body would gradually get stronger—your physical stats would rise.

So, learning Seimei Kikan was definitely a must—it gave you long-term physical benefits.

“Can you show me slowly? I want to observe carefully.”

Gusion asked. He wasn’t from this world, but he thought this skill should be learnable.

Yamato laughed. “Of course, but just watching might not help. Here, feel the change yourself.”

She grabbed Gusion’s hand and placed it on her smooth stomach, then, as he was still confused, grabbed her pot and chugged it.

Chapter 141: Let Me Touch You Tonight

At first, Gusion felt the smoothness of Yamato’s skin under her thin clothes, then noticed her stomach slowly swelling. Apparently, this time Yamato wasn’t using Seimei Kikan as she drank, but just letting the red bean soup pile up in her stomach.

As Yamato gulped it down, her stomach swelled rapidly, soon looking like a ball.

Again, Gusion marveled at the elasticity of people in this world. Early in One Piece, he wasn’t surprised when Luffy ballooned up—after all, Luffy was a rubber man.

But later, lots of people would get fat after eating, like Kid—their bellies were as elastic as rubber, able to hold huge amounts without bursting.

Of course, Gusion thought this was also due to personal constitution—only the strong could be that elastic. If your body wasn’t tough enough, overeating would still make you burst.

As Kaido's daughter and an oni, Yamato was born with a strong body, and years of growth had made her even tougher. So even with her stomach like a ball, she didn't look uncomfortable.

In fact, she seemed satisfied, patting her round belly. "I'm a bit full."

Just then, there was a tearing sound as Yamato's clothes split at the side, unable to take the pressure and ripping wide open.

Yamato, who identified as male, didn't care at all about such details, just a bit annoyed. "Haven't eaten like this in a while—my clothes are ruined! I really liked this outfit."

With her shirt burst, Yamato's massive, perky breasts bounced free, her rosy nipples hardening in the cool air. Her ample cleavage heaved with each breath, drawing Gusion's wide-eyed gaze.

Gusion, sitting at her side, saw everything. He quickly grabbed the edge of her clothes to cover her up. “Demonstrate first. I’ll fix it for you tonight.”

Yamato nodded, then took a deep breath. Gusion, through his hand, could feel some kind of rhythm starting inside Yamato’s body.

Then, as Yamato slowly exhaled, she shrank like a deflating balloon, her stomach flattening back down.

During this, Gusion kept his eyes closed, trying to sense it, but honestly, just touching wasn’t enough to really get the feel of this power.

When Yamato was back to normal, she looked at Gusion. “How about it, did you learn?”

Gusion was silent for a while, then shook his head and withdrew his hand. “It’s a bit abstract, but I think I faintly caught something. I’ll try it myself.”

He started eating, soon ballooning up his own belly.

Imitating Yamato, he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

And… nothing happened.

A bit awkward, but Gusion didn’t give up—he kept trying.

After several failed attempts, Gusion fell into thought.

In the original, the people who could use Seimei Kikan never explained how to train for it—it was just a given skill, so Gusion thought it’d be easy.

But now he realized it was hard precisely because the original never showed the process; everyone just naturally used it.

Like Yamato, who had just figured it out on her own. What could he do—just try to figure it out too?

Gusion kept trying for a bit, but though his belly didn’t shrink instantly, he did notice that copying Yamato’s breathing and muscle use did speed up his digestion—he didn’t feel as stuffed.

“Let’s get back to work. There’s always tomorrow. I’ll try again at lunch.”

Gusion stood up, knowing he couldn’t eat more now, so he decided to train and give Yamato some coaching.

“Gusion-dono, didn’t you say you’d tell me a story? Tell it now!”

Yamato caught up, her worries gone as quickly as they came as if she’d forgotten about breakfast.

Gusion smiled. “Then let me tell you a story about a monkey…”

…

Time flew by. After a morning of work, Gusion and Yamato each carried a giant pot, sitting on a big rock in the mine, ready to eat.

“Gusion-dono, hurry up! What happened after the Monkey King was trapped under Five Finger Mountain?”

Yamato asked eagerly, like a reader urging the author for the next chapter.

“Don’t rush, finish your food first and I’ll continue.”

Gusion smiled. He’d casually started telling her Journey to the West, and now Yamato was hooked.

Understandably so—Yamato was the type to get high reading Oden’s diary, having grown up isolated in Wano with little entertainment.

Plus, the early story of Journey to the West was full of adventure, freedom, and color, perfect for Yamato, whose heart longed for adventure and freedom.

“Alright… By the way, Gusion-dono, how’s your Haki training? When we get out, we have to team up to beat Kaido.”

Yamato remembered that, as payment for hearing stories, she was supposed to help Gusion get stronger.

“My Ryuo is pretty skilled now. Observation Haki is just so-so, but what I really want to master is your fast-eating technique.”

Gusion said. His Observation Haki wasn’t low-level, but he felt far from the future sight level.

With Ryuo, his attack power had jumped a level, and combined with the Origin Seed giving him passive buffs, he was a long-lasting powerhouse.

“Then try again, Gusion-dono! My clothes are already ruined anyway.”

Yamato picked up her bucket, baring her side, making Gusion almost avert his eyes, but he put his hand on her stomach anyway.

If he couldn’t learn it at once, he refused to believe he’d never get it.

After another round of Yamato’s wild drinking, her belly swelled again.

…

Meanwhile, in the Udon Prison surveillance room, Queen’s forehead veins bulged as he watched. “They’re going to finish all the red bean soup!”

Nearby, Warden Babanuki, with his elephant trunk belly, wiped sweat from his brow. “Queen-sama, please don’t be angry. I’ve arranged for new supplies. You’ll be satisfied, I promise.”

Everyone in Udon Prison knew that Queen, one of the All-Stars, loved red bean soup. Anyone who dared take his soup was in for a bad end.

So even if prisoners had a lot of coupons, they wouldn’t exchange for red bean soup. They didn’t want to make Queen mad.

At the same time, on Onigashima, Kaido was also fuming after seeing this on the monitor.

“That brat—what exactly is he doing with Yamato!?”

Kaido glared at the screen, already pissed off from seeing this in the morning, and now even more so.

“Oh, don’t be so angry. Yamato said she’s just teaching him how to digest food quickly.”

Maria laughed, surprised to see this side of Kaido.

“Hmph.”

Kaido snorted and said nothing more, but he was still annoyed.

Mainly, he’d spent the whole morning listening to Gusion tell silly myths and legends, never getting to the educating Yamato scenes he expected.

Plus, he suspected Gusion made up his stories—wasn’t the Bull Demon King a bit too much like him? Kaido was not amused.

Still, seeing Gusion seemingly guiding Yamato toward normalcy, Kaido decided to let it slide.

…

Back in Udon Prison, Gusion withdrew his hand, looking thoughtful.

“Well? Did you get the trick?”

Yamato wiped her mouth with her wrist, asking.

“I think I get it. This strange absorption isn’t just your stomach working.”

Gusion mused, “It’s like, in that instant, your whole body absorbs the food, with the stomach as the central hub.”

Yamato grabbed a pancake. “Didn’t really get that, but as long as you learned something.”

Gusion’s analysis wasn’t wrong. After two sessions of observation and touch, he concluded Seimei Kikan was a whole-body absorption ability.

Normally, people digest food in the stomach and then send the nutrients throughout the body.

But with Seimei Kikan, it’s way faster and more intense. In that instant, every cell in the body links up with the stomach and absorbs energy, as if every cell was digesting.

This made digestion super fast, and because the cells got the nutrients directly, rapid metabolism could heal injuries.

If, like Yamato, you weren’t injured, every cell would act as a mini-warehouse, storing energy to be released when needed.

Once the energy exceeded storage, the body would transform to hold more, using the excess for that transformation.

The result: boosted physical stats.

Since the body naturally seeks balance, increasing physical stats also slightly boosts strength, agility, etc.

So Gusion felt he’d discovered the leveling scale in the One Piece world: eat!

Luffy’s stats definitely increased throughout the story—not just from combat, but from the long-term benefit of Seimei Kikan.

After some thought, Gusion recalled the feeling from earlier, took a deep breath, and tried to get his whole body to absorb the food in his stomach.

Even after several deep breaths, he didn’t succeed, but it wasn’t a total failure—his stomach felt less full.

Gusion’s eyes lit up. “Yamato, let me try again tonight. I think I’m close to figuring it out.”

Yamato agreed without hesitation. “I hope you learn it soon. I’m counting on you to get stronger so we can beat Kaido together.”

On Onigashima, Kaido’s forehead veins bulged even more as he watched.

After eating his fill, Gusion looked at the old, weak prisoners who couldn’t get enough to eat, then turned to Yamato, a new question forming in his mind.

Chapter 142 Adjusting Yamato

Yamato felt uneasy under Gusion’s gaze.

She realized that every time Gusion looked at her like this, he’d ask something weird, and her worldview would be shaken, making her want to shut down.

“Gusion-dono, about the Monkey King…”

Yamato started.

But Gusion raised his hand to interrupt. “Yamato, I just thought of something.”

“But I don’t want to hear your questions, Gusion-dono…”

Yamato looked pained. She was starting to doubt whether she was really Kozuki Oden.

“Don’t you want to hear the Monkey King’s story?”

Gusion smiled, like an uncle tricking a little girl.

Yamato’s face was conflicted. She wanted to hear the story, but not Gusion’s questions.

After a bitter struggle, her desire to hear the story won out, and she nodded reluctantly. “Fine, ask.”

Gusion pointed to the suffering, hungry prisoners. “Yamato, these are Wano’s people, right?”

Yamato hadn’t expected such a simple question and nodded. “Of course—otherwise, why would they be imprisoned?”

Gusion smirked. “So, Yamato, do you think they’re pitiful?”

“Pitiful?”

Yamato tilted her head. “Not really. At least here, they get to eat. People outside have to work for food too. The old, weak, and sick can’t eat their fill here or outside.”

Gusion was stunned. He hadn’t thought Yamato’s simple mind could be so insightful.

Maybe it was because Yamato was an innocent girl, able to see through to the heart of things.

Thinking it over, she was right—people in Kuri had no way to work for food, and in Wano, ordinary people just sold their labor or whatever they had to survive.

“Do you think they’re pitiful, Gusion-dono?”

Seeing Gusion pause, Yamato asked back.

“My opinion doesn’t matter. Yamato, did you feel bad when you were hungry?”

Gusion changed the angle.

Yamato thought for a moment. “Yes, it was awful. So, yeah, those hungry people are pitiful.”

Now, when she looked at the old, weak prisoners, her gaze changed. She’d always thought Udon Prison was a place to get food.

Every time she came, she focused on healing and eating, then escaped when better, never noticing the many still going hungry.

Using her own experience, Gusion made her recall her own hunger, triggering her empathy for these prisoners.

“Yamato, aren’t you always calling yourself Kozuki Oden? What was his status?”

Gusion continued.

“He was the man who would become shogun of Wano, open the country, and overthrow Kaido—a hero.”

Yamato replied without thinking.

This time, Gusion didn’t argue, just nodded. “So he was Wano’s hope. You said he was loved by the people, right?”

“Of course!”

Yamato nodded excitedly, thinking Gusion finally agreed with her.

But Gusion’s next words left her stunned. “Then, as Wano’s leader, if you think these people are pitiful, why don’t you help them?”

Yamato went blank, completely lost.

After a while, she pulled out Oden’s diary and flipped through it quickly, her eyes growing more confused.

“I am Kozuki Oden…”

Yamato mumbled. “So I don’t have to help them.”

“Yamato, do you know what you’re saying?”

Gusion’s expression turned serious.

Yamato shivered, dropping her diary but not picking it up, looking at Gusion in fright. “I… I don’t know. I… I’m Oden, but Oden never personally helped pitiful people, or helped the country in times of trouble. I just need to be loved by the people.”

Gusion saw Yamato’s mental defenses crumbling and pressed on: “Doesn’t it feel strange? Oden left his people in crisis to go adventuring. Even after returning, he never did anything for them. Do you think that’s right?”

Yes, the original manga kept painting Oden as a hero, but in fact, he never did anything for the people.

Hungry people didn’t get fed, those freezing didn’t get clothes, and not to mention his wild youth. After returning, he compromised with Orochi and danced like a clown for years.

He wasn’t secretly organizing a rebellion—he just wasted six years, dancing in the street, giving Kaido time to grow.

Even when he was clowning, he didn’t help the poor, not even by hunting for food for starving kids. During this time, the people hated Oden.

They’d suffered for years, waiting for Oden to save them, but he compromised and danced in the street.

When he died, people said he’d endured because Orochi had hostages, and everyone was moved…

Frankly, Gusion found it all a bit ridiculous. Both Oden and the people of Wano were pretty abstract.

He could only admire Oden’s strength and straightforwardness.

“But… but Oden always acted that way.”

Yamato’s voice grew smaller, feeling something inside her crumbling.

“Just because he always did, does that make it right?”

Gusion pointed at the old prisoners grateful for leftovers. “Yamato, you feel sorry for them. You say you want to defeat Kaido and liberate Wano, but all these years, besides fighting your father, have you helped any of Wano’s people?”

Yamato was at a loss, her eyes filling with tears. “I… I feel like I should help them, but Oden’s diary never says he did.”

“If it’s not written, you won’t do it? Do you think people will love you if you don’t do anything for them?”

Gusion said. He actually thought Oden probably did nothing, but people still loved him.

Wano’s people weren’t so much worshipping Oden as hating Orochi and Kaido. Compared to them, the Kozuki clan seemed great—they were loyal to the bloodline, not just the man.

In short, it was bloodline worship. Wano was a feudal society, and people naturally thought Kozuki rule was right. So even a kid like Momonosuke could be shogun, and people would weep with joy.

But if Oden really ruled Wano, would he do a good job?

Not necessarily…

Given his life of brothels and kidnapping women, with no management experience, he might have been a lousy shogun.

“Isn’t that how it works? I’m Oden, so of course the people will love me.”

Yamato said uncertainly.

Gusion smiled. “Then go out and shout that you’re Oden. See if anyone loves or admires you.”

Yamato fell silent. She’d tried that before, but people looked at her like she was crazy.

“Wake up, Yamato. You’re not Oden. They’re just numb people in a feudal system. Even if you perfectly inherit Oden’s spirit and do as he did, no one will love you.”

Gusion’s words pierced Yamato’s heart. “In a way, over the long run, he may have done less for this country than your father.”

Yamato, shaken, tried to argue. “How could Kaido be better!? He only brought pain!”

Gusion looked into the distance at the factories and the smokestacks. “Kaido’s environmental damage is huge, but he did bring Wano into the industrial age—a kind of progress. He’s just too brutal and bad at management, which made the country this way.”

From his observations, Gusion felt that while some places like Kuri were poor, the main cities were doing okay.

The country didn’t lack food, just had massive distribution issues.

Overall, Wano under Kaido might be economically better than under the Kozuki clan.

Kaido wanted a whole country, so he didn’t destroy Wano—he was its ruler and protector.

After Kaido arrived, weapons factories were built, SMILE fruit business, Seastone crafted goods—these brought profits to both the Beast Pirates and Wano.

Kaido was a villain, but he opened Wano’s borders and pushed this closed, backward society forward.

After decades or a century, when the Beast Pirates are gone, the country will develop rapidly, thanks to its industrial and economic foundation.

If Kaido understood management, he could have made Wano great—happy people, higher factory output.

But Kaido was an uncultured pirate, only thinking short-term.

Kaido’s two worst crimes were: letting Orochi rule Wano, enabling his cruelty, and building factories without any environmental care, ruining rivers and farmland. In ten years, famine and water shortages would follow.

As for the products—Seastone, weapons, and SMILEs—the latter were defective, but there were plenty of people willing to risk it for power, so they sold well.

Kaido didn’t force people to eat defective fruits—Orochi’s perversion caused the Kuri disaster.

Even without the SMILE business, weapons and Seastone would bring plenty of income.

One more thing: the SMILE fruits were terrible compared to Vegapunk’s real Devil Fruits. They were ugly, full of side effects, and barely increased power. Most of Kaido’s subordinates who ate them were useless, easily swept away by Conqueror’s Haki.

Gusion suspected Kaido had been tricked by Doflamingo into this bad business, wasting money and ruining potentially good crew members.