Chapter 293: Spy Mission
"Whitebeard, does your body have a problem?"
"You should be more concerned about the wound on your chest, kid. Gulp, gulp... Ha!" Whitebeard took a big gulp of alcohol. "This drink tastes quite good."
"Yeah, and it's very expensive." The high-priced alcohol bought from the system was used to bribe Rayleigh last time, and only occasionally could the ship's members enjoy it. This time, it was used to entertain Whitebeard.
"Really? Then give me more..." Whitebeard grabbed the expensive-looking bottles of alcohol and started drinking.
"You don't look like a sea emperor, you act more like a miser."
"Hey, hey, 'Qilong,' watch your words!" Marco, who was standing nearby, was displeased.
"Ha... It's fine, it's fine. This alcohol really is good." Whitebeard sighed in contentment, "Kid, you're quite the guy. Remember to bring me this kind of drink in the future."
Eric glanced at the IV drip hanging on Whitebeard's body, as well as the buzzing medical equipment behind him. He frowned. "You should drink less alcohol. Don't mess up your health."
"Who said that? Enjoy life while you can. It's just a little alcohol. It won't mess up my health. Bang!" Whitebeard slammed the bottle onto the ground.
"Hey, Qilong." Marco suddenly grabbed Eric around the neck, trying to get closer. "Where did you find all these amazing women?"
"Smelly, when was the last time you bathed?"
"What did you say?!" Marco stood up and sniffed. "There's no smell. Are you lying to me?"
"Just kidding." Eric waved his hand. "It's a secret."
"Tch, stingy."
"You can fight with Esdeath again, or even with Scáthach."
"Not gonna happen!"
While the three were talking, Miku rushed in hurriedly and jumped into Eric 's arms.
"So many men, darling~"
"Sorry, then just stay by my side." Eric wrapped his arms around Miku , pushing Marco away from him. "Sorry, Miku is a bit afraid of men."
"Is that so... Seems like she's been through a lot." Marco, as the ship's doctor, immediately noticed that Miku was trembling slightly. However, he didn't say much about Eric 's actions.
"Gu la la la... Kid, in your live stream, you killed a Celestial Dragon. What are you planning to do?" Whitebeard squinted his eyes and looked at Eric .
"What am I planning to do..." Eric thought for a moment. "Maybe it's to declare war on the World Government, or maybe it's because I can't stand the way they treat people like slaves. If I want to do it, then I'll just do it."
"Gu la la la... Your actions remind me of someone, but your personality is completely different."
"Don't tell me it's Rocks D. Xebec."
"At your age, you've heard of that name?" Whitebeard looked shocked. "The World Government didn't erase his existence?"
"I learned about him from other places. If I had fallen into the hands of the government, my end would probably be even worse than his."
"Darling..." Miku looked at Eric nervously.
"Haha, don't worry, this time the opponent is Whitebeard, not the Navy. If it were the Navy, I'd just run away if I couldn't win."
"So, come..."
"Become your son?" Eric interrupted. "Whitebeard, I respect you as a person. Using your flag to protect towns from non-member nations, adopting orphans who lost their parents in wars, but—"
"You protect them too much. If a chick never leaves the nest, it will never grow under the eagle's wings. If you die, these..."
Marco countered, "Old man won't die!"
"Are you serious?" Eric locked eyes with Marco. "Clearly, Whitebeard is getting old. That beautiful golden hair..." Pffft, sorry.
"Hey, hey, hey, why are you pointing out my hair?" Whitebeard complained. "At least I'm your elder."
"And what's wrong with a father protecting his son?!"
Eric : "..."
"Hmph, do whatever you like, Whitebeard." Eric finished the drink in his cup. "By the way, how much stronger is my power compared to Kaido of the Beast Pirates?"
"Your target is Kaido?" Whitebeard looked surprised, glancing down before Speaking, "Your strength is still a bit weaker than his. But if you add Ice Queen or Magic Spear, the two of you together should be able to defeat him."
"Defeat, not kill?"
"That bastard isn't so easy to kill. Even if I beat Kaido, the awakening of his Mythical Zoan power, combined with his already powerful physical prowess, makes him practically an unkillable monster."
Marco suggested, "If you want to fight Kaido, maybe the two crews can join forces."
"I still want to win against the Beast Pirates by my own strength." Eric politely declined. "That way, Wano will become my territory."
Whitebeard half-closed his eyes. "What do you plan to do with Wano?"
"Don't worry, I'm not as brutal as Kaido."
"Really? Gu la la la, you better think about how to defeat that bastard first." Whitebeard's mouth didn't stop—either drinking or talking. "I was able to beat Kaido because that bastard often came to challenge me himself."
"If he leads his pirate crew, with the Three Calamities and the Flying Six, animal-type Devil Fruit users as the core, facing the current strength of the Dawn Pirates, we'd probably have no chance of winning."
Whitebeard advised, "You're still young. You should gather more strength before challenging him." He was genuinely worried about this young man, rushing to challenge an opponent he couldn't beat.
"Don't worry, I value my life." Eric smiled. "While everyone thinks I'll rush into the New World, I've been training safely. Only by doing so can I keep others guessing about my movements."
"Is that so? That's good." Whitebeard drank for a while, then asked with a faint expression, "Did you kill 'Golden Lion' Shiki?"
"Yes." Eric nodded. "Because of the wheel in his head, his strength had weakened a lot. But... he truly deserved to be called a legendary pirate. When he forcefully pulled out the wheel, it took us by surprise."
"Is that so? Another one from our era is gone." Whitebeard wasn't sentimental. Although they had once been in the same crew, they weren't very close. On the Rocks Pirates, it was common for comrades to fight each other.
He only sighed about growing old, with these tubes on him making his mood even more irritated. He didn't know how much longer he could protect this family...
"I understand you want to protect me, but I don't want to keep being protected." Eric stood up, pulling Miku with him. "Thanks for the sparring, but now, we'll part ways."
"Hmph, go on, go on, leave the alcohol behind." Whitebeard waved his hand impatiently.
"We're leaving, everyone from the Dawn Pirates!"
That Muir, with a regretful look, said, "I hope to see your real face next time. I don't even know your name."
"Name, appearance, it doesn't matter. I'm just a ninja living in the shadows." Kisame rewrapped his sword, Samehada.
Many people said their goodbyes with reluctance, especially the Fourth Division Captain, Sachi, who admired Artoria's strength. He personally made a lot of food but was scolded by Artoria. In the end, at her strong request, he made hamburgers, fried chicken, and other high-calorie food.
Maybe that's how you become acquainted without fighting.
With the sound of the horn, the steel warship, the Fearless, set sail.
Leaving the Whitebeard Pirates behind to enjoy the scene of snow falling while thunder rumbled.
"Kisame." Eric entered the room of the dry-gilled Kisame. "I have a special mission that I need you to carry out."
"Finally, the mission..." Kisame's expression under the mask was hard to read, but Eric knew he was grinning.
"Only you can handle this task. To be honest, that guy, Deidara, has too obvious features, he's really not fit for this mission."
"So, what's my mission?"
"Your mission is to... join the Beast Pirates and act as a spy."
(END CHAPTER)
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