Although Conan had fallen for Eiji's obvious provocation, his pride was wounded, not his intelligence. Back at his tent, he rummaged through his carefully packed supplies until he found exactly what he needed: a lighter and a small fuel sprayer he'd brought specifically for outdoor cooking.
The memory of a lesson from his father came flooding back. During one of their trips to Hawaii, Kudo Yusaku had explained how beekeepers around the world used smoke to pacify bees, putting them into a drowsy, docile state that made honey collection safe and efficient.
There's no way I'm doing something as primitive as running around trying to distract angry bees, Conan thought with determination. Today, these middle schoolers are going to learn what real strategy looks like.
He packed the lighter and fuel sprayer into his small backpack, grabbed a utility knife for good measure, and emerged from the tent with the confident stride of someone who held all the cards.
"Let's go," he announced coolly, gesturing for Eiji to lead the way.
"Uh, what's with all the gear?" Eiji asked, eyeing Conan's preparations with confusion.
"Today you're going to experience the power of proper planning and scientific method," Conan replied with barely concealed smugness. "No more crude, inefficient tactics."
He strode forward with his hands clasped behind his back, looking for all the world like a young general surveying a battlefield.
Eiji didn't understand the change in dynamic, but he hurried to collect Sengoku, and soon both tennis players were following behind Conan, each carrying one of the large honey buckets. From a distance, the scene looked almost comical - a seven-year-old leading two athletic teenagers like some kind of diminutive expedition commander.
The trio made their way through the forest until they reached the massive tree that housed their target.
"So that's where the hive is," Conan observed, studying the structure high in the canopy.
"Wait, have you been here before?" Eiji asked, surprised by the boy's matter-of-fact tone.
"No, but I noticed this tree during our hike to the campsite," Conan explained with the patient air of a teacher addressing slow students. "A good detective always pays attention to unusual landmarks and potential points of interest."
"Okay, okay," Sengoku interrupted impatiently, his eyes fixed on the prize above. "You said you could get the honey without needing someone to distract the bees. So what's your brilliant method?"
Conan handed his utility knife to Eiji with businesslike efficiency. "Cut down a small sapling - something about two meters long should work perfectly."
He turned to Sengoku. "You collect fresh grass and gather up dry leaves. We're going to make a proper smoking torch."
Both teenagers looked skeptical, but they'd committed to following his lead. Eiji headed off to find a suitable tree while Sengoku began gathering the requested materials.
When they returned with their supplies, Conan set to work with the focused precision of someone who'd watched professionals at work. He had Eiji trim the sapling into a sturdy handle, then carefully layered the dry leaves and fresh grass around one end, securing them with strips of bark.
The finished torch was an impressive construction - nearly two meters long and thick with combustible material.
"Now comes the tricky part," Conan said, trying to lift his creation and immediately realizing his child-sized body wasn't up to the task. "Sengoku, you'll need to carry this. You're stronger than Eiji."
"What exactly am I supposed to do with it?" Sengoku asked as he hefted the makeshift torch.
"Eiji, spray some of that fuel onto the leaves and grass," Conan instructed, pulling out his lighter. "Then I'll ignite it. The fresh grass will create lots of smoke without much flame - perfect for our purposes."
Following his directions, they soon had the torch producing exactly what Conan had hoped for: thick, billowing smoke with minimal fire.
"Now, Sengoku, put that plastic bucket on your head for protection and crawl under the hive with the torch. The smoke will make the bees drowsy and docile."
"Are you sure about this?" Sengoku asked nervously, but he was already moving toward the tree.
"Trust me," Conan replied with complete confidence. "This is a tried-and-true method used by beekeepers worldwide."
Sure enough, after several minutes of steady smoking, bees began dropping from the hive in various states of stupor, some falling completely unconscious while others buzzed weakly on the ground.
"It's working! It's actually working!" Eiji exclaimed, grabbing Conan in an enthusiastic hug. "I can't believe we got past those terrifying bees so easily! Last time it took everything we had just to get a little honey."
"Speed is essential now," Conan warned, though he couldn't quite hide his satisfied expression. "We need to collect everything before they start waking up."
"Right!" Eiji scrambled up the tree with impressive agility while Sengoku tossed aside the still-smoking torch and joined him in the canopy.
Watching the discarded torch land near some dry brush, Conan felt a spike of alarm. "Are you insane? You could start a forest fire!"
He rushed over to stamp out any visible flames, then quickly dug a small pit with his knife. After cutting off the burning end of the torch, he buried it completely and packed the earth down with his feet, making sure no embers remained.
Sengoku definitely knew better than to just throw that thing around, Conan realized with annoyance. He did that on purpose to make me clean up his mess.
By the time he'd properly disposed of the fire hazard, both tennis players had climbed down with buckets brimming with golden honey. They immediately snapped the lids shut, sealing away their precious harvest.
"Look at all this!" Sengoku marveled. "We got twice as much as last time, and with half the effort!"
"Conan, you're a genius!" Eiji declared, then playfully smeared his honey-covered fingers across the boy's cheek. "Now you look like a proper honey thief!"
"What are you doing?!" Conan sputtered indignantly, wiping at the sticky mess. "I'm the one who made this whole operation possible!"
"Relax, you look adorable when you're angry," Eiji laughed. "Finally acting like a real seven-year-old!"
Conan was preparing a cutting retort when Sengoku's voice cut through their banter with urgent concern.
"Guys... I think the bees are starting to wake up."
"Impossible," Conan said automatically, glancing back at the base of the tree. "With the amount of smoke we used, they should be out for at least..."
His explanation died as he watched one bee, then another, shakily rise from the ground and take to the air.
What Conan had failed to account for was that this wasn't his world. In the One Piece universe, even ordinary creatures possessed enhanced physical capabilities far beyond their Earth counterparts. The smoking technique that would have worked perfectly in his experience was simply insufficient here.
"RUN!" he yelled, his detective training instantly recognizing the magnitude of their miscalculation.
The boy took off at a pace that would have seemed impossible for someone his apparent age, his adult mind overriding any concerns about maintaining his cover.
Sengoku and Eiji turned to see the entire colony stirring to life - dozens of bees shaking off the effects of the smoke and looking around for the thieves who had raided their home. When the insects caught the lingering scent of honey in the air, they rose as one with a sound like an approaching thunderstorm.
"OH NO!" both teenagers screamed in unison, clutching their precious buckets as they sprinted after Conan.
The pursuing swarm sounded like a squadron of tiny aircraft, growing louder by the second. When the fleeing trio risked a glance back, the sight of countless angry insects bearing down on them unlocked reserves of speed that would have impressed Olympic sprinters.
Terror, as it turned out, was an excellent motivator for athletic performance.
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