Chapter 23: Drum Island
Eric only needed half a day to recover—after all, it was just exhaustion. Maybe everyone in the One Piece world had monster-tier stamina, or maybe the food here was packed with enough nutrients to support massive energy output. Eric didn't know for sure—what mattered was that he had fully recovered.
While lying in bed, Eric noticed that his stats had improved:
[Constitution: 3.5 Stars]
[Martial Arts: 1.5 Stars]
[Swordsmanship: 3.5 Stars]
[Firearms: 1 Star]
[Armament Haki: 1.5 Stars]
[Observation Haki: 0.5 Stars]
'Not only have Constitution and Swordsmanship gone up, even Haki has improved. Is it because I burned through too much energy and Haki—almost died? I'm not some tailed-beast race! Maybe near-death experiences push up your stat ceiling. Or maybe it's the massive depletion of stamina and Haki that raised the upper limit. I'll need to study this more later.'
'And the jump in Swordsmanship… is it because Sovereign Nation is a type of flying slash? Using a successful flying slash might've broken the Swordmaster barrier, so the system now considers me capable of that class. I should test that later.'
...
Snowflakes began to fall, and the temperature dropped.
"We've entered winter island territory. Make sure to dress warmly, Akame, Chiron."
"Already done."
"That was fast!" Eric muttered, turning back inside to dress himself.
Even though the Grand Line's weather was chaotic, the climate around each island remained mostly stable. So when the sea calmed down, it usually meant land was nearby.
"We must be close to Drum Island," Eric said, checking Captain Jack's Compass—still pointing in the right direction.
'Everything's going smoothly. No unexpected events. Haven't bumped into that gluttonous idiot yet. Then again, he hasn't eaten the Munch-Munch Fruit. Blackbeard hasn't gotten the Yami Yami no Mi yet either—it's still with Whitebeard. So Wapol must still be tormenting his people.'
Eric checked the Devil Fruit section of the system shop. Both the Munch-Munch Fruit and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit were still available.
"There's an island ahead!" Akame called from the Karasu's nest as she jumped down to report.
"Alright, let's circle it first to find a good landing spot," Eric said, taking another look at the compass.
Not knowing if the Munch-Munch Fruit was on this island or somewhere beyond, they sailed about an eighth of the way around. As their path shifted, the compass needle also moved. When Eric mapped the needle's angles on a chart, it converged inside this very island.
"Reel in the sails and drop anchor!" Eric commanded.
Cocoa Weed Village
"Did you hear? The new king just passed another law!"
"Yeah, I heard. He kept only the twenty best doctors and exiled all the others! What are the sick supposed to do?!"
"Outrageous…"
In the tavern, the locals were buzzing with outrage over the king's new decree. None of them noticed the unfamiliar newcomer sitting quietly among them.
"That bastard's finally taken the throne," Eric muttered. From their chatter, he already knew Wapol had become king.
"What's going on?" Akame asked between bites, intrigued by the growing commotion.
"A scumbag became king. His first decree? Only twenty top doctors are allowed to remain. The rest were exiled. Now, if anyone gets sick, they have to beg his private team for help. And those afraid of getting sick won't dare oppose him."
"There are people that despicable? I'm going to execute him," Akame said, unable to hold back her disgust.
"He's a piece of work, no doubt. But the people here will put up with him for a few more years," Eric said, unsure if that was comforting or just plain honest.
"You might be able to kill Wapol and bring peace to this island," Eric added. "But Akame, what if the people get another tyrant in the future? Will you stay here forever to protect them? Have you thought about that?"
"You're right. Killing one bastard doesn't fix the root problem," Chiron agreed, his vast knowledge reinforcing the point.
"That's why they need to reach a point where they rise up on their own and overthrow him. Only they can truly save themselves—we can't do it for them."
"If they do decide to rise up someday but lack the strength, they can reach out to us. I'll lend a hand," Eric said, offering a plan to the still-silent Akame.
"Mm." Akame had nothing but contempt for corrupt rulers.
"So… done eating?"
"Yeah."
"That'll be 980,000 Berries."
"…"
"Thank you for your patronage!"
Prices in the Grand Line really were outrageous. Almost a million for one meal.
"Hey, boss—know any place to exchange treasure?"
"There's one just down the street."
"Thanks, uncle!"
"Uncle?! I'm only thirty!"
"They only took half of it?" Eric muttered.
Even though he still had the 50–60 million in treasure from Krieg, Little Garden had no people, so Drum Island was their first chance to exchange it. But the shop didn't have enough cash. To avoid future shortages, they only exchanged 30 million.
"Should we go to the next town with our treasure, or hunt for the Fruit first, Captain?"
"Hmm… Let's follow the compass. Maybe the next town is in that direction. Hand over the rest—I'll train with it on the way."
Maybe it wasn't enough weight for real training, but the mindset to get stronger anytime, anywhere was the right one.
On their way to the next town, they encountered a strange creature—Lapahn. It looked like a rabbit but was bigger than a brown bear. These aggressive, herd-based beasts would attack anything in sight. Dalton, after eating the Ox-Ox Fruit, once dismissed them as "just rabbits."
You could say they deserved a good beating. Not only did they attack people, they caused avalanches—burying whole towns. But they also knew how to repay kindness, which was more than some humans could say.
"Yeah, I'll beat them up," Eric decided. "You two stay out of it—this is my trial."
He set the treasure down and charged the nearest Lapahn. The rabbit leaped at him, claws that no rabbit should have flashing in the snow.
"Rising Dragon Fist!"
Eric ducked under the strike and uppercut the beast into the sky.
Suddenly, the entire herd charged. Eric drew his sword. "Hasshake!"
A small blade of air burst from his sword, slicing into the snow ahead and sending it flying, blocking the enemy's vision.
"Shave!" Eric used his sole movement skill, dashing across the snow without sinking in. With his Haki-hardened sword's blunt side, he struck Lapahn after Lapahn in the back, knocking them unconscious.
"They're tough… Huff… but with Haki, they won't wake up for a while," Eric said, panting. Though the fight was short, the cold drained stamina and Haki fast, and there had been a lot of Lapahns.
"Your swordsmanship has improved, but…" Akame trailed off.
"But what?" Eric asked, seeing her hesitate.
"…Nothing," Akame replied, dropping the topic.
Chiron saw the issue too but chose not to speak. "It's best if the captain figures this out on his own."
"Always stopping halfway… Forget it. Let's keep moving," Eric said. He was curious, but he wasn't going to push them.
(END CHAPTER)
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