Chapter 55: Pirate Scavengers (Part 3)
Eric suddenly remembered his original mission—but still didn't go through with it. He figured he'd let them enjoy themselves today and start tomorrow instead. However… things didn't go as planned.
[Ding… Bounty target "Blood Axe" Zul Mata eliminated. Bounty: 11 million Berries]
"??" Hearing the system notification in his head, several question marks popped up over Eric 's head. The three of them were in a clothing store, so it could only be one person...
"Was it Akame?" Eric shouted toward the changing rooms where the other two were still trying on clothes. "Akame might be in trouble, hurry up!"
"Done." The two of them stepped out of the fitting rooms almost simultaneously.
"So fast!" Eric was impressed. He quickly turned to the clerk. "Please pack all the clothes we picked earlier. We'll be back to pay in a bit." Then he rushed out of the store with the two girls.
"Got it!" the clerk called out from behind. Such dedication.
There was no need to guess the direction—the sound of explosions and rising smoke in the distance made it almost certain that Akame was the cause.
'Why does everything she does with cold weapons end up looking like gunpowder effects?' Eric wondered while running.
"Ah…" When they arrived at the scene, over a dozen pirates were already lying on the ground.
"Damn Akame, how could you just attack out of nowhere?! You dared to kill Zul Mata…" a pirate leader on the other side shouted furiously.
"He cut in line at a food stall, ate without paying, and then flipped the vendor's table. So I cut him down," Akame explained simply. Clear and concise.
"All that over something so minor?! Are you kidding me!" the leader raged, then shouted to his men, "Get them! Just a 23-million-Berry punk—what's she got to be so cocky about?!"
"Yeah!" the subordinates roared as they charged, sounding more like apes than men.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Three shots rang out, blasting open the skulls of the three leading pirates.
"Who's there?!" The rest panicked. A hidden sniper always brought immense pressure—and the intel had warned that this crew had a dangerous sharpshooter.
"Ara ara, good day to you all," Kurumi said with a graceful bow. "And what, may I ask, do you intend to do to my companion?"
"Kurumi!" Akame, who had been surrounded, called out happily.
"Weren't they just a three-person pirate crew? Where'd this extra woman come from?" one of the enemy pirates—clearly the intelligence guy—asked suspiciously. It wasn't clear whether he was asking his own men or Akame and the others.
'Dude, your voice is way too loud. Isn't that something you should be whispering to your teammates? Why say it out loud and expect us to answer?' Eric complained inwardly. 'You think we're dumb enough to reveal our crew's info?'
"Interrupting my date with Eric … unforgivable." Esdeath's voice was frigid as death, and the enemy pirates suddenly felt like they had stepped into a frozen tundra.
No, it wasn't just a feeling—the scene actually turned into a tundra. The remaining pirates realized their lower bodies were frozen to the ground, and white frost was creeping up from their waists. Some tried swinging swords or axes to break the ice—but discovered they couldn't move their arms. Looking closer, they saw their arms and weapons had already turned into frozen popsicles.
"Devil Fruit… user…" That was the last thing they said.
[Baruch Pirate Crew eliminated. 4 wanted criminals defeated. Total bounty: 75 million Berries]
"All done. Which crew were they?" Esdeath, who had wiped out the enemy in one move, asked casually. "So weak—not even a warm-up."
"...The Baruch Pirates. Total bounty, 75 million. You're just too strong."
"I really want to fight more strong people from this world. Eric , let's go—"
"No mention of the New World. It's too soon for us. Trust me, one day we'll fight the strongest this world has to offer."
"I'll look forward to that day—when Eric and I fight side by side."
"That's not going to happen. Eric will always have me by his side," Kurumi interrupted.
Bzzt bzzt—their gazes collided again, complete with dramatic sound effects.
"We should leave now and head back to the clothing store. The Marines will be coming after this kind of commotion."
…Women's clothes really aren't cheap.
The next day, the newspaper read: "Admiral Aokiji casually eliminates the Baruch Pirates. No survivors. All frozen solid!"
Accompanied by photos of the scene, the article spread worldwide via News Coo. At Marine HQ, Kuzan looked at the paper and muttered, "Ararara, I'm right here at Marineford. So who was it? Ice powers, huh…"
At a small bar in Surf Town, on Drum Wave Island...
"Hey boss, got any intel for sale?" Eric asked the bartender after ordering a drink.
"Whoa there, kid. Sailing around with three beautiful girlfriends? You're quite the playboy," the bartender joked.
"N-No, not really…" Eric scratched his head shyly—but didn't actually deny it.
"Ara, the other two are not his girlfriends."
"I'm the only one who is." The two girls, seated on either side of Eric , countered each other.
Zzzzzzt—their glares clashed again. This time, even the sound effect changed. Their clashing eyes met right in front of Eric 's face, bright enough to blind him. Akame was still the best—quietly munching away.
"It's rare to see pirates show up in town this openly in broad daylight. Most come out at night to have fun," the bartender commented. "Especially after what happened yesterday. The local pirates have all gone into hiding."
"Ahaha, I'm new to piracy—still not used to how things work. Sorry to embarrass myself…" Eric scratched his head again. "Wait—how did you know I'm a pirate?!"
"I'm thirty-five! Call me 'bro'!" the bartender slammed the counter. "Back in the day, I was a pirate too—until I took an arrow to the knee…"
"And then retired? You even opened a shop?"
"Haha, I wasn't anything special—no bounty, so the Marines didn't bother remembering me. After splitting up some treasure we found on a deserted island, I came here and opened a bar. I enjoy listening to other pirates' adventure stories now. Satisfies my curiosity."
"Not bad—better than licking knives for a living," Kurumi gave a rare compliment.
"Eh, it's alright. Most pirates are decent enough to pay for drinks. But some arrogant ones think they don't have to. And don't even mention the ones who start fights over nothing—they never pay for the damage either. That's pirate life, I guess! Hahaha…"
"So what was that incident you mentioned earlier?" Esdeath, always sharp with details, followed up.
"Admiral Aokiji. He showed up in town yesterday and wiped out the Baruch Pirates just like that. Froze everything around. Incredible! Now all the other pirates either fled early or are hiding, waiting for him to leave."
Eric , Kurumi, and Esdeath all fell silent.
"Oh right, here—" The bartender rummaged behind the counter and pulled out some wanted posters. He pointed to a few. "This guy, 'Viper' Rado Richardson, and this one, 'Schemer' Rupert Willis—both of their crews are still on the island, in hiding."
"'Wrecker' Vander Thorn and 'Gunslinger' Lisa Collin left quietly last night and early this morning. Headed to the next island. Those four are the most well-known. The others are just small fry."
"You even tracked the ones that left at night? Boss, not bad at all," Esdeath praised him in a commanding tone.
"Thank you for the compliment." As expected from the Queen herself, the bartender bowed deeply in gratitude.
"You're being a little too polite," Eric muttered, watching the man bend over to a full ninety degrees.
"W-Well," the bartender stammered, intimidated by Esdeath's aura.
"What is it? Just say it."
"T-The intel fee is four million Berries… my guys gotta eat too."
Eric paid up without hesitation. He wasn't the kind of scumbag who took things without paying. He also made sure to warn the bartender not to leak any information about them.
(END CHAPTER)
Friends, if you enjoyed the novel, you can subscribe to my Patreon channel.
Until November 30st, get 30% off both your subscription and the purchase of your novel. Thank you for your support.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/johanssen10