Chapter 9

Markus stared at the large herd of Wallumpus in front of him. They were not attractive creatures. They had a head similar to a walrus and big fat bodies like an elephant. The front of their body sported short, stocky legs while the latter half became a thick tail for swimming. They looked like something Doctor Hogback would create and were unpleasant on the eyes. Every step the adults took caused their fat blubbery bodies to shake and the ground to quake.

He turned his head to give Jacob a bland look, "Your ancestor actually thought of using the skin of these things?"

Jacob looked beyond proud as he nodded his head rapidly, "Yeah! He's a real genius right?!"

Markus didn't answer. Instead, he simply looked on the opposite side of himself toward Bonney. The look on her face as she examined the Wallumpus creatures was priceless. It was a mix of disgust and horror at the sight of the weird animals and the concept of wearing their skin. Markus didn't have much of an issue with it, he liked leather after all.

Noticing his look, Bonney turned to face him, "I'm not going to even get close to those ugly ass things. Have fun, I'm leaving."

True to her word, she turned around and immediately left. He didn't blame her. He was only here for his own curiosity about the exceptional insulating properties of the creature's skin. As Bonney walked back toward the town, he turned to face Jacob once again, "So, is the skin the only thing you use?"

Jacob immediately shook his head, "Not at all! Most of the body of a Wallumpus can be used for various things. Aside from its skin, its blubber can make a variety of products. Its small ivory tusks can sell for a decent price, its meat is pretty tender, and its bones are pretty durable. We use as much as we can and sell the rest to support the town."

Markus nodded to himself, at least they were efficient in their use of the animals. Jacob then continued as he gestured to a woman next to him, "Rei here is our best and strongest hunter. The Wallumpus need to be carefully hunted so as to not damage their skin. We usually go for their eyes since they can't see very well when they're on land. However, it's the exact opposite when they get into the water. In the water their vision is astounding and it turns them from lumbering beasts into apex predators. We can only hunt them on the land and only at specific times of the year. The rest of the time they stay mostly in the water."

Markus nodded while he examined the woman, Rei. She had a normal human height a little under six feet, a strong mostly well-proportioned body, dark purple hair down to her shoulderblades, and bright blue eyes. Why 'mostly' well-proportioned? Well, her chest was exceptionally large for her frame and stuck out like a sore thumb. It didn't detract from her beauty, but it did cause many male gazes to focus on just that part.

As for her weapon, she carried a long spear with a very small spearhead. It was clearly meant to go for the small eyes of the Wallumpus and pierce into their brains. Though with its small size, if she was forced to stab the creature somewhere else on its body, the damage would be minimal to the skin. No big gashes or gaping holes would be made with a thrust from that particular spear. As he observed her, she turned to look at him with her blue eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Markus looked into her eyes for a moment while scanning her. Her level wasn't anything special, but still higher than the majority of civilians at 78. Nothing else about her seemed particularly special. Without anything else to observe and no desire to stare at her chest like a virgin moron, he turned his attention back to Jacob, "So, how do you want me to help?"

Jacob awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, "Well, I don't really know. I just figured that you're strong enough to take out a pirate with a high bounty so there should be something you can do? No one saw what you did so..."

Markus nodded to himself and looked at the animals once more, "Which ones do you want to hunt?"

"Ah! We just hunt a few of the older, larger, ones to keep the population in check and for supplies." He looked over the large herd and started pointing out some of the creatures that towered over twenty feet tall, "A few of the bigs ones like them should be more than enough and prevent a territory war."

Markus looked over at the large group and marked a few of the larger ones, about ten of them. With a wave of his hand, all ten of his targets started to float into the air. All of the Wallumpus creatures began to panic. Strange honks came from their short trunk-like noses as those not captured by him stampeded toward the ocean. Watching the things 'run' was... weird. Their front legs worked as one would expect but their walrus-like tails flopped around awkwardly behind them. This gave them an odd looking sort of bouncing gait.

While the free ones ran to the ocean, the ones Markus had captured churned their legs in the air while letting out honks of fear and anger. It was utter chaos for the Wallumpus herd. Jacob, and even the stoic looking Rei, had their mouths hanging open in surprise at the sight before them. Markus didn't pay much attention to them as he floated the animals closer. Once they were nearby he lined them up and used The Devil's Flintlock to shoot each one in the head through their eyes.

It wasn't pleasant but it wasn't something to feel bad about either. They were animals and would be used for food like so many others. He never felt bad about killing anything for his food. Sea Kings, fish, cows, and whatever else he ate.

With the animals dead, he set their bodies down on the ground and smiled at the still gawking duo. They weren't the only ones staring at the sight before them, everyone from the village that had come to help with the hunt was also staring with their jaws dropped. Markus waved his hand in front of Jacob's eyes to get his attention, "All done."

His words jolted everyone out of their funk. Jacob looked at Markus with a mix of fear and respect. Seeing someone effortlessly kill creatures that required them hours and lots of teamwork would do that to someone. Rei, though, looked at Markus as if she'd discovered a new rival that she needed to surpass. He supposed that was her 'warrior' mentality. If she knew just how little effort hunting these large creatures took for him, she would likely become completely depressed.

Jacob shook his head, "Thanks, that was... a lot easier than I imagined it would be."

He quickly turned around and began giving orders to the townspeople. Like a swarm, they approached the dead creatures and began their work dismantling them into useful and managable pieces. Each Wallumpus that Markus took out weighed at least a couple of tons and took a lot of effort to take apart. The townsfolk were experts though. They went about their jobs with practiced ease and teamwork.

The only people not rushing over to the corpses were Markus, Jacob and Rei. Rei still had a complicated look on her face as she watched over the people working. Markus had basically nullified her entire job at this point. He glanced at her and spoke, "Don't worry Rei. I just helped this once because I was here and curious. I'm not about to take your job from you."

She looked a little startled but nodded shortly after. He wondered if she didn't speak much in general or if it was just because he was here. Well, it didn't matter. He wouldn't be here much longer. He just wanted to try some of the Wallumpus meat and see if he could get a pair of outfits made from its skin. One for himself and one for Bonney. They had a winter island as one of their destinations so having comfortable, thin, yet warm clothing would be nice.

He continued to watch for a bit longer before deciding to take his leave and head back to the town. When he arrived he started to look through the few small stores on the island. They didn't have much and didn't seem to do a whole lot of trading with other islands. Not surprising for a small winter island really. It's not like they could grow crops and it didn't seem like they had any interesting or useful resources aside from the Wallumpus. Still, he went to the clothing store and checked it out.

Unfortunately, they didn't sell anything made from Wallumpus skin. He would need to speak to Jacob to get some custom made. Because the skin didn't stretch much and was a limited resource, all clothing made from it was custom made. They couldn't afford to make a bunch of different sizes in the hopes of selling it randomly to a customer. They also couldn't hunt enough of them to runa business like that. Doing so would push the Wallumpus to extinction and leave them with nothing.

While he was shopping, he spotted Bonney doing the same. She still had money left over from what he'd given her back at Sabaody. Even if she didn't, she could always get more from him. Money held little value to him with how much he has already combined with the sheer amount of gold still sitting inside of his inventory. He could toss her a couple of billion Belly and not even feel the loss.

Speaking of tossing money. He needed to find an artist to draw at least a sketch of the ship he wanted the old coot in Water 7 to make. Without even an image the old man wouldn't know what he was talking about. He highly doubted he could properly describe the image of a destroyer battleship.

While he was thinking about the issue, Bonney walked over to him with a couple of small bags. She'd bought a few pieces of clothing to add to her growing collection. Seeing Markus not paying attention to her, she poked his shoulder, "Done with the hunt already?"

With the poke drawing him out of his musing, Markus focused on Bonney and nodded, "Yeah. It really wasn't an issue at all."

Bonney just smirked. She had no doubt about him being able to handle simple beasts. A man who could fight on par with admirals and Yonko. Who could crush someone like Blackbeard in seconds. Yeah, there was no way any simple beast would give him trouble. So, she nodded, "Then we're leaving?"

He shook his head, "Not just yet. I want to see if I can get an outfit for each of us made from the Wallumpus skin. Drum Kingdom is on another winter island and I'm sure we'll run into more in the future. So, I figured a nice set of simple but warm clothing would work out for us."

Bonney thought about it and nodded. She preferred lighter clothing to the thick bulky clothing that needed to be worn on winter islands. Especially during the winter season on a winter island where it became unbelievably cold. Being able to wear something thin and flexible while still being nice and warm seemed heavenly. Generally she would prefer to wear something skimpy that would still fit when she shifted her age and changed to various sizes. Her clothing wasn't revealing just for the sake of being revealing. It also had some practicality to it.

The two of them walked toward the towns inn together to have their lunch. Markus still continued to provide food for Bonney at all of their meals so she could enjoy being full. Meanwhile, he ordered extra food at the inn to keep from getting the stink eye for bringing his own. Though the sight of him pulling food out of thin air did intrigue people, no one asked about it.

As they were eating, Markus looked around and wondered something he hadn't really thought about before. Why didn't anyone on this island recognize him? His bounty was massive and the war at Marineford was big news. He hadn't really thought about it before since he was still getting used to his new 'status' in the world but it was striking him as odd. He wasn't going to ask or complain about it, but he was definitely curious. Maybe they just didn't pay much attention to such things? Which pirates had the biggest bounties probably didn't matter to them in their daily lives. That was the only thing he could think of.

As they were finishing up their lunch, Jacog and Rei entered the inn. Rei still had a stoic look on her face while Jacob smiled brightly when he spotted Markus, "There you are! Thanks to you the hunt went wonderfully! If there's anything we can do to repay you, please let me know right away!"

Markus smiled brightly, "As a matter of fact! I was hoping that me and my friend here could get one outfit each made from the Wallumpus skin. We're both really interested in having some for the next time we visit a winter island."

Jacob looked surprised, "Is that all? The help you provided is worth a lot to us."

Markus shook his head, "That'll be more than enough. It's not like I strained myself or anything."

Jacob smiled and nodded, "Then we should head to Madam Pomfee's to get you two measured."

The group of four made their way to one of the few clothing stores on the island. The entire way, Rei kept glancing in Markus's direction. There was determination in her looks so it was clear she wasn't just looking because she found him attractive. Bonney noticed these looks and elbowed Markus in his side, "What'd you do to her?" Her smile became playful, "You planning to steal maidens hearts wherever we go?"

Markus gave Bonney a playful smirk, "Jealous?"

Bonney scoffed and looked away from him. He looked ahead and simply said, "I just kind of made her job hunting the Wallumpus obsolete this time around. I don't think she's very happy with me."

Bonney nodded in what seemed to be understanding. Markus didn't bother trying to explain himself any further. Still, the looks from Rei were growing more annoying over time. Thankfully, it didn't take long to arrive at the small store run by Madam Pomfee. As they stepped inside, Jacob walked up to a woman with a normal height and a bit of extra girth. With a bright smile on his face, Jacob hugged the rotund woman, "Madam Pomfee, I'm sure you know but just in case, these two are the ones that protected us from the Ruff Riders."

Madam Pomfee turned to face her new guests with a bright smile while her brown eyes practically glowed in delight, "Is that so? Well then, thank you very much for dealing with those 'men' for us."

Everyone present could hear the cold derision in her voice when she said the word 'men' and it was not pleasant. Still, she seemed like a happy and pleasant woman as she scuttled over to Markus and Bonney to look them over a bit more closely. After her quick examination, she held her hand out to Bonney, "Ladies first, you men can just wait right here while I get her measurements and discuss the style she wants."

After speaking to them, Madam Pomfee seemed to disregard their presence as she took Bonney into the back of the store while jovially whispering to her. Markus smiled a little to himself. Madam Pomfee was the kind of person he felt he could like. Older, wiser, a bit no-nonsense, and still kind to people. At least, that was the impression he got during their brief encounter. He turned to face Jacob and smiled, "Tough woman eh?"

Jacob laughed and pat Markus on the back, "You have no idea! Madam Pomfee is something like the mother of the village. She never had any kids of her own so she treats anyone younger than her as if they were her child. She even yells at me sometimes and I'm the Mayor!"

Markus smiled at that while Jacob had a wry grin and Rei remained stoic. Still, she kept glancing at him and it was really getting on his nerves. Markus turned to look directly at Rei, "Can I help you?"

Rei immediately looked away from him and didn't say anything. Before he could press for an answer, Madam Pomfee and Bonney returned from the back room. Bonney looked a little irked but wasn't verbally complaining. It made Markus wonder what happened in the back room. He'd deliberately not paid any attention to what was being said. In a place like this a woman deserved her privacy. Plus, it helps a lit with his control and he could use all the help he could get. His Observation Haki had stopped leveling and he had the impression he needed finer control over it to get it to level up the last little bit.

Madam Pomfee moved up to Markus, "Follow me, young man."

Markus nodded and happily followed behind the older woman as she led him into the back of her little shop. While they walked, he put on his Seastone bracelet to make sure he wouldn't accidentally electricute the lady as she took his measurements. As she measured every inch of her body, Madam Pomfee asked, "So, what kind of design would you like? Keep in mind that for it to work properly it needs to cover the majority of your body."

Markus nodded, that made sense to him, "I'd like a skintight outfit that I could wear under normal clothing if possible. It doesn't need to be a complicated design or anything. this way I can wear whatever I want over it."

Madam Pomfee nodded as she listened, "That's not a problem, but I will warn you that you should not wear the Wallumpus skin outfit in warmer weather on spring and summer islands. In fact, you shouldn't even wear it on a fall island during its summer season. We wouldn't want you to give yourself heat stroke now would we?"

Madam Pomfee finished her measurements with practiced ease, making note of them all in a little book, "Alright dear, we're done here. Once the Wallumpus skin is processed I can have the two outfits done in a couple of hours with how simple the two of them are."

Markus gave Madam Pomfee a polite bow before heading out to the main room once more. It looked like they would be on this island for a tiny bit longer. Good, he wanted to talk to Jacob about protecting the island from pirates. The more of them he became the protector of, the more likely he was to recieve special rewards from the system, not that he really needed them at this point.