"What is this?" Sheila asked with the curiosity of a baby, looking at the bundle in Murphy's hands.
She couldn't help but wonder what Murphy had taken from the bookstore, since he'd walked in and out with only a package. What was in that package that had made him go all the way to the Marine base, even run into Bernard and waste so much time?
If they were in a lawless area and headed straight to the sea, they would already be on their way to Fishman Island.
"Devil Fruit," Murphy answered without any caution.
- What is this? Is it tasty?
They talked as they walked. Now they were returning the same way, passing Bernard's body - in this direction they could get to the sea the fastest.
"You can eat it," Murphy looked at Sheila's curious face and said with a grin, "But you'll never be able to swim again after that! And it's really not tasty!"
- What?! Then I don't want to! - Sheila shook her head and tail in horror, and then asked in bewilderment: - But if you went after it on purpose, there must be something important in it!
- It is a treasure of the sea, and as for its properties...
Boom-boom-boom!
Murphy's words were cut off by a loud roar, and both of them looked into the distance. Lava was erupting from the direction the soldiers had fled, filling the ground. The fleeing soldiers were writhing, rolling, and screaming in the fiery magma.
The heat wave hadn't reached them yet, but just looking at the scorched earth was enough to make it feel like you were being melted. A heavy, muffled voice could be heard from far away: "Justice does not tolerate desecration, the Marines have no use for deserters."
Murphy's face instantly distorted. He immediately realized that this was Vice Admiral Akainu. The same one who had been called a monster since joining the service, who would later become an admiral, and then a fleet admiral - Sakazuki, the owner of the Magu Magu no Mi Fruit.
According to Murphy's calculations, Akainu should have reached Sabaody Archipelago much later, and given the time to find the enemy, the delay should have been even greater. Therefore, after killing Bernard, he was in no hurry and even chatted with Sheila.
If he had seen Kizaru attacking on the monitor, he wouldn't have run for some Devil Fruit, but would have immediately gone to Fishman Island with Sheila without wasting a second. Now, although Akainu was attacking, he appeared extremely quickly, which was completely different from Murphy's expectations.
Somewhere in the chain of events something definitely went wrong!
There was no time to think much, he quickly grabbed Sheila's hand and ran quickly to the shore.
- What is this... hey, why are you dragging me so fast! - Sheila had not yet come to her senses and was still staring blankly at the suddenly appeared lava, when Murphy suddenly pulled her, and she began to move at an unimaginable speed.
Murphy didn't answer her. He was afraid that every word he said would slow them down. He just wanted to get away before Akainu found them.
He had never run so fast before.
Although the coastline was still quite far away and could only be seen in the distance, after ten seconds the waves were already visible running onto the shore. It seemed that if they maintained this speed for a few more seconds, they would reach the sea.
Unfortunately, hopes are beautiful, but reality is cruel. A piercing bird cry came from the sky, and Murphy's vision darkened - a huge shadow appeared on the ground, covering his silhouette.
He looked up and saw a swift black shadow swooping down. One moment it was in the sky, and the next it was blocking Murphy and Sheila's path.
Spread his wings, land—these simple movements created a powerful vortex aimed at Murphy. He staggered, forced to bend and brace himself against the ground to keep his balance.
Murphy was now only a few hundred meters from the sea. Such a short distance seemed to be surmountable in an instant, but at the same time - as if separated by thousands of miles, being completely unattainable...
- This one is a country bumpkin, and this mermaid is my slave! Catch them!! Ow! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! - A familiar voice was heard along with a roar full of rage.
As the storm gradually died down, two figures stood before them. One of them was familiar to Murphy and Sheila: Saint Charm, his clothes torn, a footprint on his face. The only difference from when Murphy had left the auction was that Charm was wearing his square helmet again.
Now he was covering the dent on his face, angrily shouting and cursing, and as for his facial expression... because of the damage, it was difficult to see it clearly.
They had never seen another man. He had a Marine cloak fluttering down his back, his entire body was covered in brown fur, and his eyes were sharp as blades.
He was very tall, with a sharp bird's beak, sparkling with a cold shine. Most importantly, instead of hands, he had huge wings that eclipsed the sky, it seemed that with one flap he could cover thousands of miles.
Obviously, this was the owner of a Zoan-type Devil Fruit, and an extremely rare one at that - with the ability to fly!
With an imperturbable expression on his face, he said in a resonant voice reminiscent of a bell: "Surrender, you have no escape route! You cannot escape from me!"
"Vice Admiral Eugene is the holder of the Zoan Devil Fruit - Eagle! And Vice Admiral Akainu is here too! There is no way to heaven or underground, you two have nowhere to run, so obediently kneel down!" Saint Charm growled, baring his teeth.
Looking at the two who suddenly appeared before them, Murphy's already gloomy face darkened even more. In an instant, he realized that Akainu had reached the Sabaody Archipelago so quickly because he had abandoned his ship and had been brought here directly by Vice Admiral Eugene.
Upon arriving at the archipelago, they most likely split up, with Akainu heading to the Marine base to gather information and search for enemies, while Vice Admiral Eugene flew to the auction house to calm the Tenryubito and then find them.
Now Vice Admiral Eugene was blocking their path, and the chances of escaping from the wielder of the incredibly fast bird-type Devil Fruit... were zero.
Moreover...
Murphy looked back and saw that Akainu had detected movement and was approaching quickly. At his speed, he would be there in a moment.
The situation made Murphy feel like he had fallen into an icy abyss.
It was a total dead end. No, it was a death trap.
There was a sound of sobbing - Sheila was standing nearby, her eyes filled with tears, she was clearly scared beyond belief.
"Murphy, they won't kill you, will they?" Sheila sobbed.
Murphy looked at her with a complicated expression. Sheila was worried about him. She should have been more worried about herself. Although she wouldn't be killed, being caught and made a slave of the Tenryubito would be worse than death.
"Don't worry, I won't die! And you won't be caught, we'll definitely get out of here," Murphy's voice was extremely decisive, as if he was stating a fact.
Murphy patted Sheila on the head, his gaze calm as the surface of the water again.
Panic is useless, only calmness can solve the problem.
The package was slowly unrolled, and a fruit with mysterious patterns appeared before them. Among the Devil Fruits, there are indeed strong and weak ones, even with a division into upper and lower classes, but the owner's strength is always determined by the owner himself!
So, Murphy took a bite without hesitation...