Chapter 83: Sabaody Archipelago – The Warlord Invitation (Part 1)
"Haha!" Eric laughed heartily. "Alright, no more playing around, Miss Tashigi~"
"What?" At that moment, Tashigi felt a sudden lightness in her hands and her heart skipped a beat. 'He got caught on purpose to get close enough for an attack?!'
Eric transformed into a flash of blue lightning and slipped out of the iron restraints created by Tashigi's power. He then slowly reformed into his normal appearance right in front of her.
"Logia type!" Tashigi was stunned. Logia users were already rare, and the most troublesome thing about them was that their bodies could become intangible elements—making it nearly impossible for ordinary people to land an attack. That alone made their combat power skyrocket. While her friend Smoker was also a Logia user, his smoke was one of the least offensively powerful types, so he often used a jitte tipped with seastone.
Although the three admirals were all Logia users, as a fresh recruit, Tashigi had never even seen one in person. She didn't expect to face one today—especially someone wielding the highly destructive Rumble-Rumble Fruit. And the worst part: he was her enemy.
"What's wrong? You look pale." Eric spoke casually. "I told you I wasn't going to do anything to you or Smoker. But could you not follow us anymore?"
Then, changing tone, he added, "But if you do keep bothering us, I won't be so polite next time." He pressed his thumb against his middle finger and flicked Tashigi's forehead with a loud pop.
Unfortunately, he didn't properly control his power. A small burst of electricity leaked through the contact and coursed through Tashigi's body. The tingling sensation spread head to toe, and she couldn't help but… leak slightly.
"Well then, we'll take our leave." Eric , completely unaware of Tashigi's quivering figure and bowed head, turned and said to his crew, "Let's go!"
Kurumi, smiling dangerously, added, "Ara, flicking another woman's forehead? I won't let that slide."
Esdeath also smiled brightly. "Tonight, I finally get to enjoy some proper bondage fun with Eric …"
...
Just ten minutes later, Smoker regained consciousness. His aching face told him he was in bad shape. He forced himself up and turned to see Tashigi standing beside him, her head lowered so that her face was hidden.
"This was my mistake. I didn't expect them to notice us, or for their strength to be so overwhelming." Smoker, rarely one to apologize, bowed his head. "And I dragged you into it… I'm sorry."
Tashigi remained motionless. It was unclear if she even heard him.
"What's wrong? They didn't do anything to you, did they?" Smoker's question triggered a response—Tashigi lifted her head just slightly, revealing flushed cheeks, an expression of embarrassed fury, and eyes brimming with tears.
Through gritted teeth, she hissed, "I'll never forgive you, Eric !"
...
"Achoo! Achoo!" Eric sneezed twice in a row.
Kurumi looked at him with concern. "What's wrong? Catching a cold?"
"Of course not," Eric denied, though he refrained from joking about some beauty thinking of him.
"You weren't just thinking, 'Some beauty must be thinking of me,' were you?" Kurumi, ever sharp, saw straight through him again.
"Of course not." But Eric 's dodgy eyes gave him away.
The crew collectively thought: 'Captain really is easy to read.'
...
A Marine encountering wanted criminals on Sabaody Archipelago obviously had to report it. Though Smoker had a rebellious streak, he never neglected his duties—though this time, it was Tashigi who made the call.
"Hello? Marine Headquarters? This is Tashigi. I have a target to report."
"Lieutenant Tashigi? What do you have to report?"
"We've found the pirate crew that attacked the 16th Branch in the East Blue—led by the 'Fierce Pirate' Eric . Also, the 'Ice Queen' Esdeath, who defeated Gecko Moria, is part of his crew!"
"What did you say?! Hold on."
Footsteps could be heard retreating rapidly, then returning in a crowd.
This time it was Fleet Admiral Sengoku's aide. He had previously instructed the comms room to alert him immediately if there was any word on Esdeath.
"Go ahead. Where did you encounter 'Ice Queen' Esdeath?"
"Yes sir. Tashigi and Smoker encountered her and Eric 's crew at a bar in area 24 of Sabaody Archipelago."
"You're saying she's just a member of a crew that attacked a Marine base?"
"Forgive me, but I must correct you. I believe Eric is the captain of that crew—I saw him giving orders to her directly."
"...Anything else to report?" The sheer volume of information left the aide reeling.
"We saw at least seven members under Eric 's command. It's no longer a small, three-person crew. Also…" Tashigi paused, then added, "I discovered that Captain Eric is a Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit user."
Both the aide and Smoker, who was listening nearby, exclaimed in shock: "What did you say?!"
"I used my Cage-Cage Fruit to bind him, but he turned his body into lightning and escaped. He even discharged electricity… I'm certain he's one of the strongest Logia users—the Rumble-Rumble Fruit." Tashigi, of course, left out the part about… getting shocked into wetting herself. That detail was going to the grave with her.
"...Anything else?" The aide was still stunned, left repeating himself.
"That's all. Despite being far stronger than Smoker and me, they didn't harm me… Smoker did get beat up pretty badly, but his life isn't in danger."
Smoker protested angrily, "What do you mean 'beat up badly'? That's not—OW!" Tashigi poked one of the large lumps on his head, making him cry out in pain.
"I'll bandage you later. Just wait."
"Even though they may not pose an immediate threat to the Navy, I recommend deploying a large force to eliminate them now! I want to personally throw Eric into Impel Down!"
Even the aide at HQ could hear the rage in Tashigi's voice—Smoker could definitely feel it right next to him.
Smoker thought to himself, 'What the hell did that bastard Eric do to Tashigi to make her this furious…?'
"Alright, I'll report all this directly to Fleet Admiral Sengoku. You two are fresh out of the training camp. Return to HQ when your leave ends."
Smoker and Tashigi reluctantly replied, "Yes, sir!"
...
"You're saying Esdeath is part of the 'Fierce Pirate' Eric 's crew?" Sengoku asked, stunned.
His aide replied seriously, "Yes. According to reports from Lieutenants Tashigi and Smoker, she follows Eric 's orders. And Eric himself is a Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit user."
Sengoku's expression turned grim. "When Vice Admiral Onigumo pursued him last year, Eric wasn't even a Devil Fruit user. In just a few months… he really landed a powerful ability…"
Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Grand Strategist, added, "To think he was the leader of the group that attacked a Marine base… So what now? We can't issue a Warlord invitation to Esdeath, can we? Should we try inviting Eric instead?"
"No," Sengoku shook his head. "We should still invite Esdeath to become a Warlord."
Tsuru's eyes lit up with understanding. "You're trying to drive a wedge between them. Not just splitting their crew—but getting Esdeath to turn on Eric ?"
"Exactly," replied the tactician known as Sengoku the Buddha. During the Paramount War, he had manipulated Squard into stabbing Whitebeard. Clearly, he was no stranger to using underhanded tactics.
"Send a Warlord invitation to Esdeath—but include the condition that she must be a captain to qualify."
"Even if she refuses, it'll plant a seed of discord among them. Pirates—selfish as they are—will surely grow suspicious when someone gets offered a deal like that."
(END CHAPTER)
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