Chapter 254: Musician (Two-in-One)
"Pa, pa, pa"
In the training room at night, the sound of bamboo swords striking wooden posts echoed clearly, rhythmic and crisp, like a musical piece being played in the open space.
"Clash!"
The door was suddenly pulled open, and Eric , Kurumi, and Wendy entered.
The training continued without interruption, and in Kuina's eyes, it seemed like the only thing in her world was the wooden post. Her bamboo sword struck with perfect precision each time.
"Crack!"
Unlike the previous sounds, the bamboo sword or the wooden post had taken too much damage and finally cracked. Kuina exhaled, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
"Ah, if only Eric -nii could train as hard as Kuina, he'd have already become the world's strongest by now~"
"Are you implying I don't work hard, or are you complaining about my goals?"
"Guess?" Kurumi playfully winked, closing one eye. Cute and alluring, she was truly a mischievous little devil.
"Ha..." After calming her breathing, Kuina asked, "It's so late, aren't you all going to sleep?"
"This isn't for you to say," Eric rolled his eyes. "Wendy saw you still practicing swordsmanship so late, worried about your health but not wanting to disturb you, so she came to find me to check on you."
"Really?" Looking at Wendy, who was clearly worried about her, Kuina asked in confusion, "Since Wendy only came to you, why did Kurumi-nee come along too?"
Eric blushed and quickly changed the subject. "Why are you asking so many questions? You won't understand grown-up matters yet."
"That's suspicious..." Kuina's suspicion grew even stronger.
She had been apologizing in Kurumi's room but, upon sensing Wendy knocking on her door via [Heart Network], she had to teleport back to her room, with Kurumi following her.
How could she say that out loud?
Eric ignored the dust on the ground, sitting cross-legged, smiling as he asked, "At your age, you're still just an elementary school student. How can you be more hardworking than a Japanese high school student?"
"Elementary school student, Japanese high school student?"
"Mm, besides studying, what do Japanese high school students do? Like crossing into another world to fight a demon king, or battling to save the world with wild animals, or saving the world and sucking the blood of various beautiful girls to liberate their followers, and so on..."
Kuina gave him a look of disbelief, "What are you even talking about?"
"Ha!" Kurumi couldn't help but laugh, her large eyes forming crescents, filled with mischievousness.
'Wait until we get back. I'll smack your behind.' Eric gave her a threatening look, sitting on the floor, lost in thought.
"You didn't come here to just daydream, right?" Kuina changed to another bamboo sword, looking ready to continue training.
"I was just thinking about how to overthrow the world government and become the king of the world."
"Huh, no plan at all?"
"The first step is to recruit enough companions and gather sufficient power, but now I feel: just having power isn't enough."
"Mm? After becoming the strongest in the world, you just fight anyone who refuses to submit, isn't that enough?" Kuina, at the end of the day, was just a thirteen-year-old girl.
"Hahaha..." Eric and Kurumi laughed cheerfully, with the innocence of children.
"Even when standing at the peak, there will always be challengers. Don't you think, Kuina? You've been challenging the swordsmanship peak—'Hawkeye'—haven't you?"
"...!" Kuina's eyes widened, realizing, then smiled, "You're right!"
"So, I not only need overwhelming military force, but also the power of virtue. Have you heard the story of 'The North Wind and the Sun'?"
Kuina and Wendy both shook their heads.
'Looks like there's no 'Aesop's Fables' in this world...'
"Ah, I know that story! Let me tell it." Kurumi, with a knowing look shared with Eric , began to tell the story in a soft, pleasant voice:
"The North Wind and the Sun bet on who could make a traveler take off his clothes. The North Wind blew fiercely, but the traveler only wrapped his clothes tighter. The Sun shone warmly, and the traveler took off his outerwear."
"Eric doesn't just want to use force to overthrow the world government; he also wants people to willingly accept his rule. But the second part is the hardest."
"You've all seen how lawless pirates and criminals can be in this world. Compared to these past experiences, I'm sure you all understand how difficult it can be."
Silence fell again. Kuina quietly swallowed, realizing the goal Eric was pursuing was far more difficult to achieve than her own.
"Eric -nii..." Wendy looked up, Speaking seriously. "My strength is your strength, please let me offer my power to help you achieve your goal."
Wendy's dark eyes were like the night sky, sparkling with a divine radiance, gentle yet brilliant.
"Thank you, Wendy." Eric responded seriously, smiling as he extended his right hand, and they high-fived in agreement.
"Smack!"
The loud sound of their high-five echoed in the room, and Wendy, receiving the response, revealed a heartwarming smile.
Her pure, innocent smile bloomed like a lily. Having a sister like this was truly a blessing...
[Wendy's affection increased, bond level raised from 2 (Close Friend) to 3 (Trusted Friend), gained 2 bond points]
Influenced by Wendy, Kuina also crossed her arms. "Since your goal is so difficult to achieve, I'll help you out."
"Really? Thanks, Kuina." Eric extended his pinky.
"..." Kuina stared at Eric 's pinky. "Why did you use a high-five to make a pact with Wendy, but a pinky promise with me?"
"..." Eric silently changed his gesture to a palm.
"Answer me, Eric , you big jerk! Are you treating me like a child?!"
"It's a habit, it's just a habit, Kuina! Put down that bamboo sword, ah!"
"Hey, I'm lightning, you can't hit me, aren't you mad?"
...
Originally intending to continue training on the ship, Kuina was forcibly dragged off the ship by Eric and followed the others to Food City—a paradise for food lovers.
Eric smiled and said, "Akame has been talking about the food here for a long time."
Akame, with Kurome and Porche, was stuffing her face by the street. Sauces stained her lips, and her cheeks were bulging with food, still holding a delicious meatball in her hand.
"Seeing Akame-nee eat so happily... I'm already full just watching her," Kuina's eye twitched.
Eric glanced at Kuina. "Have you heard this saying?"
"What?"
"Strength and appetite are proportional."
"Huh?"
"If you can't fill your stomach, how could you have enough strength to fight?"
Kuina skeptically looked at Esdeath and Scáthach , both of whom were elegantly nibbling on their food, not eating ravenously. "You're lying to me!"
As for Perona, she still had some lingering trauma from being kidnapped in Food City with Mont Blanc Cricket. Returning to the same place made her uneasy, so, unlike her usual loud self, today she stayed close to Eric .
Eric joked, "You've been so close to me, I thought you fell in love with me."
"Huh?" Perona suddenly got angry. "Don't joke around, do you think I'm like them..."
"Mm?" Several eyes turned toward her.
"...I'm not worthy of you, Captain Eric ," Perona said with a hint of tears in her voice.
"Mm." Faint murmurs of agreement came from others.
Having been through the ordeal of deathly glares, Perona lowered her head completely.
"Is it really that bad? I was just joking." Eric felt a little speechless, thinking his joke had made Perona so upset.
Perona didn't respond, just continued to think deeply about her life.
Anyway, women always have some bad days every month, right? Girls should be similar, right? Eric turned his attention to Carla . From now on, he was going to focus on pampering the cat!
With Wendy's bond level reaching 3, the system prompted him that the summon icon was still dark.
Thus, raising Carla 's affection and improving her bond level became Eric 's top priority.
As for the date from the other day, Eric really didn't want to think about it—it was painful and...
"Carla , here, eat this?" Eric purposely bought catnip from the pet shop.
"How annoying, you treat me like an ordinary cat," Carla said arrogantly, though her large eyes kept stealing glances at him, quickly averting her gaze when he looked at her, acting aloof.
"How about this?" Eric waved the newly bought cat teaser.
"Hey!" Carla got caught, her hind legs off the ground as her front paws reached for the furball...
"Ah..." Realizing she'd been tricked, Carla became angrier, scratching several times but getting shocked by Eric 's electric powers, her fur standing up like a golden lion.
...
"Carla , are you still mad?" Wendy asked, brushing Carla 's fur to straighten the mess.
"...Wendy," Carla didn't answer her question, but instead asked, "Are you going to stay in the Dawn Pirates forever?"
"Mm." Wendy replied seriously, "At first, I was scared when I heard they were pirates. But after spending some time with them, I realized they're all good people, kind and with a sense of justice. I believe they're companions I can spend my life with."
"Wendy..." Carla turned around, finally making up her mind, "I understand. Since it's your decision, I'll stay here too."
"Carla !" Wendy happily hugged Carla , who closed her eyes, feeling Wendy's warm embrace.
[Ding... Carla 's affection increased, bond level raised from 2 (Close Friend) to 3 (Trusted Friend), gained 2 bond points]
Upon hearing the system prompt, Eric couldn't help but smirk, 'Does the cat's reaction time really take this long? This tsundere.'
"Now, finally, I can summon new companions."
He then glanced at the invisible system panel:
[Annual Task 2: Recruit Companions]
[Objective: As someone aiming to conquer the world, you need more power. Your current forces are still too weak, so recruit more people to join your crew! Before September 1513 of the Sea Circle Calendar, recruit 15 companions and fill all positions on your ship. The current missing positions: Helmsman, Musician]
[Task Reward: 10 bond points/Devil Fruit (Zoan-type, Mythical Beast)]
[Progress: Ship Doctor summoned, 11/15]
'Time to speed up. Nine months left... And which Devil Fruit should I use to summon a musician?'
'The Sound-Sound Fruit or the Wave-Wave Fruit could both work for a musician,' Eric thought carefully about the pros and cons of both fruits. 'The Sound-Sound Fruit has caught Luffy and Zoro off guard before, making it hard to defend.'
'The downside is that part of the body turns into an instrument, which greatly reduces one's appearance.'
'The Wave-Wave Fruit shoots soundwave cannons from the mouth...'
After comparing the two, Eric finally decided on his goal and took out the Jack Compass. The needle turned halfway before stopping, pointing north.
"It's settled then, Squirtle!"
"Ah, Eric -nii, have you decided on our next destination?"
Kurumi, dressed in a cool outfit, appeared by Eric 's side, her bare arm radiating a dazzling white light.
The saxophone BGM started playing, with a seductive and ambiguous atmosphere...
Stop, stop, stop!
Eric quickly interrupted the imaginary music in his head, smiling and extending his hand. "Let's start our date today."
Kurumi extended her right hand, elegantly like a medieval noblewoman, then suddenly asked, "How was your date with Scáthach and Esdeath the other day?"
"..."
"I don't want to talk about it," Eric shuddered, remembering the unpleasant memories.
"If you don't want to talk about it, then don't." Kurumi, for once, pouted in a rare childish way. After playing rock-paper-scissors with Esdeath and Scáthach , Esdeath had guessed her choice through muscle movement, but still lost to Scáthach 's eagle-eyed punch.
Kurumi, who had been the last to date Eric , was really unwilling.
"It wasn't anything special," Eric sighed. "The first day, I spent it fighting with Scáthach ."
"Eh?"
"The second day, Esdeath suddenly got excited and played an S game..." Eric trailed off.
"..."
Kurumi was stunned, then turned away, covering her mouth as her shoulders shook, until she finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
"I was so jealous of those two." Kurumi was in a good mood as she linked her arm with Eric 's. "Let's go, today, I'll let you experience a normal date."
'But I might be a little addicted to the Queen's games... Am I in trouble?' Of course, Eric didn't dare say the truth.
Standing in front of the women's lingerie store, Eric skeptically asked, "Is this what a normal date is?"
"Of course," Kurumi stood on tiptoe, her warm breath brushing Eric 's ear, "Let me have you pick out my 'final' lingerie. Isn't this the best date?"
Eric took a step back, looking at Kurumi, whose seductive charm was like a little succubus, her pink lips slightly parted, her face faintly flushed.
"Glup."
"Just kidding~" Kurumi gave him a mischievous look, "How could I let you know about my 'final' lingerie in advance? There'd be no sense of anticipation. Wait for me outside for a bit~"
Kurumi pushed open the door, leaving Eric , filled with regret, standing there.
What a little devil...
(END CHAPTER)
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