Uchiha Puppet Master, Starting from One Piece

"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 very resilient branches became brittle and broke off and fell 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 outrageous! Are these carnivorous plants so susceptible to Conqueror's Haki that they all died instantly?"

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

Bai Yu's aura slowly subsided, and he raised his hand to ruffle Kanna's hair: "These are probably just creatures that do evil 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 much easier! If I had known 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 on their backs, 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 approach. "There are 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. We eliminated them, and they came to thank us."

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 gesturing: "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.

Over the next few days, the giant rubber duck team became everyone's guide.

They seem to know the desert terrain like the back of their hand, always finding the safest and flattest routes, avoiding hidden quicksand and unknown dangers.

During the day, when traveling, the lead yellow duck will send out two small teams to explore ahead. If they find anything unusual, they will immediately return to report. Their actions are swift and orderly.

During rest periods, the little yellow ducks will neatly gather around the campsite, some on guard, while others take out stored food and water from their backpacks and eat quietly, never disturbing anyone.

Unohana Retsu often observed the group of giant rubber ducks, watching their neat formations, clear division of labor, and mutual cover when encountering danger, and couldn't help but nod in approval.

"These giant rubber ducks are quite well-organized."

She said to Robin beside her, "Their teamwork and discipline are comparable to those of well-trained soldiers; they are far from ordinary wild animals."

Robin nodded in agreement: "The Alabasta desert certainly holds many secrets. These giant rubber ducks may be descendants of an ancient tribe, inheriting unique ways of life and rules."

Connor became friends with the giant rubber ducks, following the lead duck around every day and sharing her candy and pastries.

The giant rubber ducks also adored this cute little girl, often taking out sparkling pebbles from their backpacks to give her. Those pebbles shimmered with iridescent colors in the sunlight, like treasures in the desert.

Rangiku, watching this harmonious scene, couldn't help but laugh and said, "With these little guys leading the way, this desert trip is going much more smoothly than I expected."

"This is a Super Spot-billed Duck, it runs incredibly fast, it's definitely a very interesting species."

"A super spotted-billed duck? Wow, the world is really big!"

And so, escorted by the little yellow duck troops, the group traveled smoothly without any obstacles.

A few days later, when a green outline and towering city walls appeared on the distant horizon, everyone knew that they had finally left the vast desert and were about to reach Albania, the capital of Alabasta.

The Super Spot-billed Duck army took everyone to an oasis on the edge of the desert and then stopped.

The lead yellow duck turned around and lined up neatly again in front of Bai Yu and his group. It raised its neck and let out a long and solemn quack. Then, all the yellow ducks straightened their necks at the same time, folded their wings to their sides, and bowed their heads deeply to the group, making a standard salute. Their movements were uniform, their eyes sincere, and full of respect.

Seeing this, everyone smiled knowingly.

Retsu Unohana nodded slightly and returned a gentle smile to the Super Spot-billed Ducks: "What an interesting and respectable bunch of little guys."

"Thank you so much. With you all, things have really been much easier."

Following the white feathers, some food and water were placed into the backpacks of the Super Spot-billed Ducks.

The lead Super Spot-billed Duck raised its head, quacked a few times at the group as if saying goodbye, and then led the flock to turn around in unison and run into the depths of the desert, quickly disappearing into the silhouette of the dunes.

"They really do run fast."

Rangiku Matsumoto sighed as she watched the Super Spotted Duck speed away.