Chapter 185: Akainu — Relentless Pursuit
"Won't we lose our way after traveling so far underwater?"
"It's fine. If we follow the ocean currents, we'll definitely end up in a naval ambush."
Eric spoke seriously: "Those pirate ships with sails can't control their course underwater. They can only float along with the currents and the buoyancy of the super buoyant wooden blocks, typically floating to a specific area, and the navy will be waiting for them nearby."
'It seems Smoker was waiting here for the Straw Hats, and then Luffy narrowly escaped by entering the White Dragon. Lucky for him.'
Eric took out the log pointers he had bought from Fish-Man Island.
"Aren't you someone who never uses log pointers? Why did you buy several this time?"
"I realized that many islands need the directional information the pointers provide. Jack's compass can't give us 3D information about the islands."
"These log pointers are different from the ones from the first half of the journey. There are three of them."
"These three pointers each track different magnetic fields of various islands. We can rely on them to choose a path based on the sensitivity of the needles. The more erratic the needle shakes, the more dangerous the island ahead is."
"This is good. We can choose our path based on preference. Let's pick the one that's shaking the most."
Esdeath pointed to the needle shaking the most with her delicate, jade-like finger.
"You forgot we're heading to mess with BIG MOM? Charlotte Linlin 's strength should be enough to attract you."
"Oh." Esdeath snapped her fingers. "Looks like I need to start gathering energy."
"We've been traveling underwater for three days. Time to surface. Let's throw the super buoyant wooden blocks out."
Several ropes were tied to square wooden blocks, pulling the Fearless up.
"Splash!"
The bow of the ship broke through the surface of the water, sending a spray of waves.
"Good, it's a clear and sunny day, a good omen. Let's head to the world."
"Eric." At this moment, Akame reminded him, "We're running low on supplies…"
"The deep-sea fish we caught three days ago?!"
"We ate it already."
"Did you finish such a huge fish already?!"
…
"Is this Punk Hazard?" Eric asked in surprise.
As they neared the island, the Fearless was immediately spotted by the local navy, and multiple warships were dispatched to intercept.
After sinking them one by one, they fished a marine from the wreckage for questioning. To Eric's surprise, the marine refused to speak and was willing to die instead. He had no choice but to let Esdeath give him a lesson.
"Y-Yes… this is the navy's research base, and we were ordered to protect it," the marine answered, crying.
"Forget it. Toss this marine back into the sea. Let's see if he's lucky enough to survive."
Splash The sound of a heavy object hitting the water.
"Since this place is heavily guarded, I don't want to cause friction with the World Government before facing BIG MOM. Let's head to Dressrosa; these two islands are relatively close." Eric's compass moved freely, and the needle pointed elsewhere.
'Doflamingo received a call from Monet and rushed from Dressrosa to Punk Hazard the same day. It shouldn't be too far...'
…
Akainu, leading the fleet, finally arrived. Seeing several half-destroyed navy ships floating on the sea, his teeth ground together with frustration.
"Admiral Sakazuki, there's a marine, badly wounded, who claims to know where the Dawn Pirates are."
"Take me to him!"
"Cough, cough," the marine spat out seawater, weakly saying, "I overheard them saying they're heading to Dressrosa."
"Hm?!" Akainu asked cautiously, "Is that what they said?"
Akainu's hoarse voice was menacing, and the limp marine shuddered.
"Y-Yes… they said they're low on supplies and are heading to Dressrosa to resupply."
"Good. Full speed to Dressrosa!"
"Ad-Admiral, I still need treatment…"
"The navy won't forget your sacrifice."
"I'm not dead yet. I can still be saved…"
The marine was carried to the ship's medical room, lucky to survive.
…
"Dressrosa, a tropical island with a vacation vibe, is well-known for its young women and the hot, passionate dance moves, earning it the nickname 'Island of Love and Passion.'"
"The obsession with love has caused women to have a powerful sense of jealousy. If betrayed by a man, they might attempt to assassinate him. The more beautiful the woman, the more ruthless she can be, making emotional conflicts and physical altercations common."
Eric was reading a travel magazine about the country.
"If Kurumi and Esdeath were like the women here, Eric would have died by now," Akame said seriously.
"My, indeed. Eric-, what do you think?"
"Kurumi-chan, please spare me."
"Don't worry, Eric. I'd rather kill off my love rivals than hurt you in the slightest."
"You didn't do that when you fought me."
Gin looked at the exotic-looking girls walking around the street and muttered under his breath, "'Island of Love and Passion,' huh…"
Kurikai puffed out smoke, "Gin , are you looking for a romantic encounter?"
"No, no, no. It's more important to finish Captain Eric's task."
"True, women are troublesome. It's better to set sail in search of the romance of men."
"Eric-, please stay away from that old man with the chestnut hair, or he might teach you bad habits."
The well-tempered old man had a # mark appear on his forehead.
"No wonder he's still single at his age; he's a hopeless romantic."
Another vein popped up on his forehead.
"Hmm~" Kurikai exhaled a final puff of smoke and crushed the cigarette underfoot, his face full of melancholy as he gazed up at the sky.
Kurikai: "Hey, stop making random speeches over there!"
Perona playfully stuck out her pink little tongue and made a silly face.
"Enough playing around. Let's finish purchasing the supplies and head to the World. The longer we wait, the more uncertain things will get."
'This country will experience a huge transformation in the future. Doflamingo will overthrow the country, and I'll step in as a hero to save it.' Eric thought carefully about his future plans. 'But is this a bit too manipulative?'
Just before the Fearless docked, the kingdom's army stationed at the port had already spotted the Dawn Pirates' flag.
"Your Majesty, we've spotted the Dawn Pirates at the port!" A soldier rushed into the room where King Riku usually handled matters.
"!" Monet, who was now working as a palace maid, froze in surprise at the news, then quickly returned to her usual calm expression.
"What?" King Riku was also surprised. "Did they attack the citizens?"
"No, they didn't," the soldier hesitated before continuing. "After disembarking, according to the soldiers who were secretly tailing them, they were only buying supplies."
"..." The soldier paused again. "Also, the soldiers reported that Eric and his crew had already noticed them but didn't make any further moves."
"Hoo~" King Riku sighed in relief. "Looks like they're just here for ordinary shopping. Don't disturb them, and don't let the navy find out. If they fight, it'll Dragon the innocent civilians into it."
At that moment, Monet, pretending to be innocent, chimed in: "But according to the news in the papers, they're a bunch of notorious criminals. Is it really okay to let them roam freely in the kingdom?"
"Your Majesty, the Dawn Pirates have finished purchasing supplies and have already left Dressrosa." Another soldier entered with the report.
"As long as they've left…" King Riku finally relaxed.
However, Monet's thoughts were racing. No matter what, I must report the Dawn Pirates' whereabouts to the young master!
(END CHAPTER)
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