Chapter 278: The Jade Ice Bed
Seeing Eric suddenly fall silent, Reiju curiously asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing." Eric was interrupted by a sudden system notification and quickly came back to his senses. "If you can't find a goal, you could ask Kuina or Wendy. They're both younger than you."
"..." Reiju chuckled softly. "I saw it. In the training room, Kuina practices swordsmanship late into the night, and Wendy stays by her side, training with her."
"Kuina's goal is to become the world's greatest swordsman, and Wendy's dream is to protect the crew of the Dawn Pirates." Eric looked into Reiju's eyes. "Do you think such goals and dreams are laughable?"
"No, they're truly admirable dreams." Reiju shook her head, muttering almost to herself, "I really envy them for having their own life goals. I envy them for having companions they can cherish."
"No…" Eric smiled. "You don't need to envy them, because—you're one of us."
Eric 's words rang like thunder, striking deep into Reiju's heart, stirring the emotions of her desire for family.
"The rest, you'll have to create your own dreams. Humans can't just dwell on the past; they need to look up and gaze at the future." Eric stood up from his chair. "Ordinary people believe because they see, but the strong reach their goals because they believe."
"You, who have broken free from the cage of your family, possess a superhuman body that ordinary people can't have. You won't fall into the trap of obsessing over the past like those who are disillusioned, will you?"
"Even if it means slapping Vinsmoke Judge in the face! Let your father clearly realize his mistakes. Humans—are creatures who need emotions!"
Eric opened the door, then turned and said, "Let me see the strength in your heart."
Click
The door shut tightly, and Reiju, now alone, sat quietly on the bed for a long while.
"Hahaha… Is this what it feels like to have a family? It's so warm…"
She did something she would never normally do—holding a pillow tightly, she rolled around on the bed. Her blue, mesmerized eyes grew more determined.
'Father and my three unreliable brothers, sooner or later, I'll need to save them… No choice, I guess the eldest sister will have to take responsibility for looking after them!'
'And Sanji, one day, I will meet you!'
◇
Back in his room, Eric focused his attention on the system mail he had just received.
[Temporary Mission: Acquire Research Funds]
[Prerequisite 1: Eric 's crew, who helped resolve the centuries-old conflict between the Sky Island people and the Sandia, are thanked by the Sky Island people. As a reward, all the gold in the Golden City "Xandora" is available for Eric to take, even if he takes it all.]
[Prerequisite 2: The current pillar of the Eight Treasure Navy, "Pepper," had his once-proud spiked head flattened by Garp 's iron fist and has long since lost the ability to unlock the Jade Ice Bed. The vast treasure accumulated by their clan over centuries quietly lies there.]
[Content: Having just obtained [Bloodline Factor] data, you now need a large sum of research funds to help Da Vinci crack the secrets of [Bloodline Factor]. Should you go to Sky Island to claim your reward, or raid the treasure accumulated by the Eight Treasure Navy over centuries? Choose now!]
[Result 1: Within 30 days, return to Sandia on Sky Island and acquire all the gold there. You will earn the title "I Only Take What Is Mine." Mission rewards: Holy Sword in the Stone / Bond Point 1 / "Transformation" Blueprint from the Life Design Chart]
[Result 2: Within 30 days, raid the Eight Treasure Navy's treasure and claim all the riches. You will earn the title "Since You Stole It, Why Not Let Me Use It?" Mission rewards: Corrupted Holy Sword / Bond Point 3 / "Metamorphosis" Blueprint from the Life Design Chart]
Even the yearly helmsman candidates for Mission 2 were prepared, along with the famous Sword in the Stone and the corrupted Holy Sword, with summoned characters being "King of Knights" Artoria Pendragon and Artoria Pendragon [Alter].
Both of them have a B-rank Riding skill, allowing them to expertly ride all types of mounts. When releasing their Noble Phantasms, one maid even rides a motorcycle across the sea…
So, opening a warship at sea would be no problem!
Eric muttered quietly, "Looks like I need to go lick up some Ghost Shark…"
A certain spirit who had just passed through the wall shuddered.
The two exchanged glances in silence, "…"
Perona, retreating while shaking her head, muttered, "I… didn't hear anything. I just came to tell you it's time for lunch…"
"Perona! Get back here! If you dare talk nonsense, I'll shark you!"
◇
Soaring over the Red Line, they soon arrived at the "Flower Kingdom" in the West Blue.
Beneath their feet was a vast glacier, countless ice spikes jutting up toward the sky, the thick, hard ice surface reflecting a bluish glow, and underneath…
"Wow!"
Perona's eyes widened as beneath the thick ice layer, an astonishing amount of treasure lay beneath. The little creatures shouted excitedly, "Hey, masters, come quick!" Their round eyes turned into shapes resembling Berries.
A semi-transparent spirit entity emerged from her body, passed through the hard ice, and dove into the ocean of gold below, swimming freely.
Bang! Bang!
At Eric 's signal, Gin relentlessly hammered the ice with his spherical al staff, each mighty impact sending immense force through his arms. Despite his hands going numb and his tiger's mouth cracking, no trace was left on the impenetrable Jade Ice Bed.
"So hard!" Gin panted, blood dripping from his cracked hands onto the icy surface.
Holding the Samehada sword, Ghost Shark struck the Jade Ice Bed with all his might, but the ice was too hard, making Samehada hiss in protest, using the hilt to show its discontent.
"Using this hard glacier as a security gate?" Scáthach tried poking at it with the tip of her spear. "It's indeed very hard."
Eric explained, "This is the Jade Ice Bed. To shatter it, you need to concentrate all your strength in one spot and deliver an enormous amount of power."
Eric glanced at Perona, who was swimming below, then continued, "The 12th generation pillar, 'Pepper,' could break this entire continent with his spiked head."
The proud Scáthach closed her eyes. "Is that so? Since others can do it, my spear can do it too."
"Hey! What are you doing here?!" Suddenly, several men with long knives shouted from afar, "This is the Eight Treasure Navy's territory. Unauthorized people, leave immediately!"
Even if the Jade Ice Bed couldn't be opened, the Eight Treasure Navy would patrol frequently, capturing thieves attempting to steal their treasures.
Scáthach , eyes closed, began to gather the intent for her spear. Red light enveloped her body, and with a heavy stomp of her purple steel boots on the ice, she leaped into the air, her body aligned parallel to the ice surface.
Her Akame locked onto the ice as her magical spear exploded with crimson light, especially at the tip, which was particularly dazzling!
"Hey! What are you really doing?!" The Eight Treasure Navy, noticing something amiss, quickly approached.
Focusing all her energy on this strike, Scáthach ignored the voices around her, the intense spear intent even prompting Esdeath to act.
At this moment, everyone's attention was fixed firmly on one figure—the dazzling Scáthach !
"Ha!"
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, the glacier that had been closed for over 20 years split open!
(END CHAPTER)
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