One Piece: Infinite Traveler System

The moment the words left his mouth, Crocodile immediately regretted it.

What if it really was seawater?

...Seawater, then.

It's only one basin. It'll evaporate soon enough.

With that thought, Crocodile strode over to Perona, picked up the basin, and poured it over himself without hesitation.

"It... it really is seawater..."

The instant the seawater drenched his body, Crocodile's eyes widened, and all the strength drained from him. He collapsed limply onto the ground.

"Hehehehehe... This is so much fun!"

Watching Crocodile lying there like a wet rag, Perona couldn't help but burst into laughter, looking positively devilish.

Fortunately, this was a desert.

Although Perona had prepared a large basin full of seawater, the moment Crocodile fell to the ground, the water covering his body began evaporating at an astonishing speed.

Before long, most of his strength had returned.

He sat cross-legged on the ground, looked up at Kairo as he slowly walked over, and asked,

"So... your Observation Haki can predict my attacks?"

"That's right."

Kairo crouched down in front of him and smiled.

"My Observation Haki is a little more advanced, so I can foresee all of your methods of attack."

"I see..."

Crocodile nodded in understanding before speaking decisively.

"A bet is a bet. Tell me—what is it you want me to recite?"

"Straightforward. I like that."

Kairo composed himself and put on a serious expression.

"I'll teach it to you first. Once you've learned it, all you have to do is recite it from beginning to end. Ready?"

"Come, repeat after me."

"'At the beginning of life, man's nature is inherently good...'"

Although he had no idea what Kairo was teaching him, Crocodile's mouth twitched the moment he heard the opening line.

What the hell is this 'man's nature is inherently good' nonsense? Is this guy actually a demon?

Even though every fiber of his being resisted it, Crocodile still obediently repeated after him.

"'At the beginning of life, man's nature is inherently good. Though similar by nature, habits make them different...'"

"...'If a child refuses to learn, it is not as it should be. If one does not study in youth, what can one accomplish in old age...'"

At first, Crocodile had assumed whatever Kairo was teaching couldn't be very long.

But as Kairo continued reciting without any sign of stopping, Crocodile's already stiff expression gradually twisted.

Eventually, his entire face darkened.

"Hey! Just what exactly are you teaching me? When does this thing end?"

"The Three Character Classic. Relax, we're almost done."

The moment Kairo had seen Crocodile awkwardly following him in reciting the Three Character Classic, he had already been struggling to hold back his laughter.

Now, seeing Crocodile on the verge of a complete mental collapse, Kairo finally couldn't contain himself anymore.

"Hahahahahaha!"

After all, this was Crocodile—a ruthless, self-centered mastermind who always carried himself like an ambitious overlord.

Yet here he was...

Seriously reciting the Three Character Classic alongside him.

Just imagining the scene was enough to make Kairo burst into laughter.

The Three Character Classic had been one of the traditional primers for children's education in Kairo's previous world. With over a thousand characters, it covered literature, history, philosophy, astronomy, geography, ethics, loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness, centering on virtues such as benevolence, justice, sincerity, respect, and filial devotion.

Fortunately, Crocodile understood absolutely nothing about Classical Chinese.

Had he actually understood what he was reciting...

He probably would have coughed up two liters of blood on the spot.

"I'm not doing this anymore! I'm not doing it anymore!!"

Sure enough, after only a few hundred characters, Crocodile completely broke down.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?! Where in the world did you even learn this thing?!"

"A bet is a bet. Don't think about backing out."

"Come on, keep going."

"'To study by hanging one's hair from a beam, or pricking oneself with an awl... Though others failed to teach them, they studied diligently on their own...'"

"...!!"

Crocodile had completely collapsed inside, yet he couldn't argue.

All he could do was continue repeating every word after Kairo with immense difficulty.

After finishing the entire Three Character Classic, Kairo nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright."

"Now recite it yourself."

Hearing that, Crocodile's eyes widened as he stared blankly at Kairo.

Despair filled his face.

He had seen countless gamblers and participated in many wagers before.

The stakes had always been treasure, lives, or other valuable possessions.

But making the loser memorize and recite something called the Three Character Classic...

This was a first.

If it had been something short, he could probably have remembered it after hearing it once.

But this was his first time hearing the Three Character Classic. Not only was it tongue-twisting, it was incredibly difficult to memorize.

"Come on. Your memory's still fresh."

"I'll give you the first line."

"'At the beginning of life, man's nature is inherently good...'"

"Ready... begin!"

"'At the beginning of life, man's nature is inherently good...'"

Although utterly hopeless, Crocodile relied on what little he remembered and began reciting.

As he went on, however...

His memory abruptly stopped.

He looked blankly at Kairo.

"What kind of memory do you have? You forgot after barely a hundred characters? Back in my hometown, even elementary school kids could recite the whole thing!"

Seeing Crocodile fall silent, Kairo forced down another laugh and said considerately,

"Well, fair enough. It is pretty difficult the first time."

"I'll teach it to you once more."

"This time, make sure you remember it."

With that, Kairo enthusiastically began reciting again.

Seeing Kairo brimming with energy, Crocodile's expression instantly turned vacant.

He slowly turned to Perona beside him.

"Kid..."

"Go get another basin of seawater."

"I'd rather accept the seawater punishment."

"I think this game is really fun!"

Perona blinked her big eyes, then happily crouched beside Kairo and listened attentively as he recited the Three Character Classic.

Hearing that, Crocodile's mouth twitched violently once more.

Helpless.

Miserable.

Utterly devastated.

Standing nearby, Robin wore a puzzled expression.

Even as an archaeologist, she had never heard anything Kairo was reciting before.

Driven by curiosity, she unconsciously walked over and listened just as attentively.

Thus, after spreading Confucian thought back in Foosha Village, Kairo once again began "preaching" in this world.

Whether Crocodile actually understood any of it wasn't important.

What mattered was that he memorized it...

...and recited it from beginning to end.

After finishing another full recitation of the Three Character Classic, Kairo turned toward Perona, whose little face was full of concentration.

"Did you remember it?"

"I did!"

Perona nodded happily.

"But I don't know what it means."

"It feels really hard to understand."

"I'll explain it to you little by little in the future."

Kairo smiled before looking back at Crocodile.

"Well?"

"Can you recite it now?"

"I... probably... can..."

Crocodile nodded uncertainly.

Then he furrowed his brows, put on an extremely solemn expression, and slowly began,

"'At the beginning of life... man's nature is inherently... good...'"

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