Chapter 87: Sabaody Archipelago – Purge Operation (Part 2)
A translucent ghost phased through the ground and stopped in front of the group. "The 'Lloyd' Pirate Crew. Captain: Sackray Lloyd. A few members are currently inside the casino at area 20GR. Remaining crew whereabouts unknown. Total bounty: 51.3 million Berries."
"Hmm hmm, a walking 500,000."
"Didn't you mean 51.3 million?"
"You misheard. I definitely said 51.3 million."
...
"Big, big, big!" At a gambling table inside the casino, several pirates were loudly betting on dice rolls, hoping for a lucky call.
"It's... big!" The casino dealer, wearing white gloves, revealed the dice—4, 4, 6—and announced the result.
"Yeah!"
"Boss, you're amazing! That's seven wins in a row!"
"When I cash out, you boys are getting a feast!"
"Thank you, Boss!"
Tap tap. Sackray Lloyd felt someone tapping his shoulder. "Who is it?" he asked without looking, too caught up in his winning streak to care—he wouldn't be fazed even if an admiral showed up.
Tap tap. Another tap. Annoyed, Lloyd turned around. "Who?! You got a death wish?!"
Standing before him was Eric , a head shorter, with a few women behind him.
"What? Are you here to sell me women?" Lloyd took a long look at the beautiful women behind Eric . Slim, curvy—every kind of figure imaginable. "So pretty... When I win big, I'll treat myself to—"
One of his crewmates yanked on Lloyd's sleeve hard. "What? You interested too? Which one do you like?" he asked, grinning with a knowing male smirk.
The lackey stammered, "N-No... That's... that's..."
"'Ice Queen' Esdeath!" someone shouted, stunning the entire hall.
"The woman who defeated Moria?!"
"What's she doing here?!"
"!!" Sackray Lloyd's eyes widened. He spoke in a low voice, "Tch... You're here for me, aren't you?"
"Yeah. Your bounty—I'll be taking it," Eric said calmly.
"Damn it!" Lloyd grabbed the gambling table, planning to use it as a weapon—but a flash of a blade crossed his vision, his perspective tilted, and darkness engulfed him. He knew nothing after that.
"Boss!" As their captain's head hit the floor, some crew members charged at Akame—who had beheaded him—while others bolted for the exit.
Bang bang bang. "Ara, running isn't allowed." Thud thud. The sound of bodies dropping followed.
In the blink of an eye, Captain Lloyd and his six remaining crewmates were all dead.
"Apologies for the mess," Eric said politely.
"N-No problem..." the croupier, dressed in a butler uniform, replied in a trembling voice.
"How much had they just won? I overheard something about a seven-win streak when I arrived..."
"T-They won 370,000 Berries... total."
"Tch, broke bastards. Thought they were rolling in it. Give me 300,000. The other 70,000 can go toward cleaning fees."
"They only had chips. You'll have to cash them out at the counter."
"...Fine. Give me the chips."
...
Outside the casino, Perona mumbled, "Wow, even the money of the dead isn't safe from Captain…"
"That wasn't dead men's money! It was casino money. Casinos ruin lives—how many people go bankrupt there? Besides, those chips belonged to that... what's-his-name?"
"Sackray Lloyd."
"Right, Lloyd. The chips were on him, so they're his possessions. We killed him—it's only natural I loot the body." Eric proudly justified his logic.
"Loot the body?"
"...You know, in games, you defeat monsters to level up, and they drop gold or gear. When we pick that up, it's called looting."
"Loot… that's a great word," Esdeath said with a nostalgic tone. "I remember that 'Hero of the North' guy… He was completely naked, licking my boots..."
"So enviab—wait, no. Don't let people do that kind of thing to you anymore," Eric blurted, then quickly tried to rephrase himself.
"Jealous, are you?" Esdeath smiled. "Those were just pets. I see you as my man."
She reached out her slender white fingers and stroked Eric 's neck.
"Isn't that literally petting a cat? Doesn't sound like you see him as anything but a pet," Kurumi said, slapping Esdeath's hand away.
"Little kitty, did you forget how much you enjoyed being petted yourself?"
"What part of me did you see getting petted like a cat?!" The tsundere noblewoman of course denied it outright.
Esdeath didn't want to argue over semantics. A huge island like this meant many more scumbags to hunt.
"Wanna compete, little kitty? See who can hunt more scum?"
"Fine by me. What's the wager?"
"You two using scum as game targets isn't exactly... right," Eric objected.
Kurumi, quick-witted as always, instantly adjusted. "Then let's say: we'll count who takes down more scum. What's the bet?"
"A full day at Sabaody Park with Eric , just the two of us. No following."
"I'll only agree if you promise not to push him down. Otherwise, without me, Eric would definitely stop resisting and just lie down."
"Then why not push a little yourself? He won't resist you either."
Both women had Eric 's tendencies completely figured out—strong in battle, but hopeless when it came to women.
"A lady must be reserved!" Kurumi was starting to lose her noble composure.
"Being reserved is pointless once it's stolen anyway. Fine, I accept. Just a date. Nothing more."
"Okay, then let's begin." Kurumi clearly trusted Esdeath to keep her word. Who knew if they were truly rivals in love or secretly close friends?
"Though I can't beat you right now... you picked the wrong competition." Kurumi wore a confident smile.
"Oh?" Esdeath raised an eyebrow. "If you're so confident, why insist I promise not to go further during the date?"
"Fufufu, because I tricked you into it! Still, if it's you, Esdeath, even knowing you might lose, you'd still accept the challenge, wouldn't you?"
"Of course. I never surrender without fighting."
"Um," Eric cut in, "Just don't cause too much trouble—and avoid the Celestial Dragons. Perona, send one of your mini-ghosts with Esdeath so I can keep tabs on her."
Perona replied energetically, "Got it!"
Esdeath frowned. "You don't trust me, Eric ?"
"No—it's because I trust your talent for causing chaos that I'm assigning Perona's ghost to tail you."
"Hehe... then..." Kurumi raised her right hand into the air. "We!" Shadows emerged from the red-and-black ground—all Kurumi's clones summoned with her Eighth Bullet (Het).
Real Kurumi spoke: "I'll leave it to 'us.' No need to fight tough enemies—just focus on numbers."
"Got it, leave it to 'me.'"
"'We' will win for sure."
"Better plan that date well, 'me.'"
Her many clones responded one after another—some already planning their future outings.
Scáthach complimented her, "Kurumi perfectly grasped the key to this contest: numbers. With her ability to create multiple bodies, she maximizes her odds. A brilliant strategy."
Her eyes glowed red faintly—she had foreseen the outcome again.
Seeing this, Eric muttered, "Scáthach, if you do that, it ruins the fun. Sometimes joining a contest without knowing the outcome is part of the thrill."
"Hmm, perhaps I rely on my [Clairvoyance] too much. Master, you make a good point. Then this time, I'll participate too."
Esdeath and Kurumi turned in unison. "Hm?"
"What? Afraid of losing to me?"
"Ara, bring it on!"
"I'll make you kneel and admit defeat."
Eric stepped in as referee. "Then let the first Scum Hunting Contest begin! You have until 6 PM. Whoever kills the most targets wins. Start!"
(END CHAPTER)
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