Chapter 329 Snowball Fight
"Ugh..." Bepo stood at the stern, gazing into the distance. The massive body of Zunesha was gradually vanishing into the darkness.
Law leaned with his eyes closed against the nearby cabin wall. Shachi and Penguin stood quietly beside him, waiting patiently for their companion to return from his farewell.
Bepo turned around and paused in surprise, then quickly jogged over. "Captain!"
"Finished saying goodbye?" Law asked flatly.
"Aye!" Bepo responded, having composed his slightly gloomy feelings.
"Then let's get back to the cabin and rest. It's getting late." Law pushed off the wall and stepped into the cabin first.
Shachi scratched his cheek and said, "The captain really is so unexpressive~"
"Yeah." Penguin nodded repeatedly behind him.
"You two—if you don't head back, you'll be spending the night on the deck!"
"We're coming!"
The two hurried to follow.
"Didn't expect Bepo to have an older brother."
Bepo immediately retorted, "I didn't pop out of a rock, you know. Is it really that weird for me to have family?"
"What did you say to your brother at the end?"
"It was the captain who asked me to pass on something to Brother Pedro and Brother Jebo," Bepo blurted, then quickly realized: "Wait, no! Admiral Eric didn't authorize me to explain anything to you!"
"How stingy~"
"I'll go tell Admiral Eric that Shachi called him stingy!" Bepo made a move to report him, startling Shachi.
"W-wait! My bad!" Shachi pleaded, "I apologize. What do you want? I'll buy it for you!"
"Hmm..." Bepo pondered seriously. "No need to spend money. Just introduce me to a female bear."
"How would I even know a female bear?!"
"I swear..."
Without thinking, Shachi asked, "What breed of female bear are you looking for?"
"Hahaha..." Laughter rang out among the group as their teasing came to an end.
Law spoke, "How did it feel to meet your real brother?"
"Really happy!" Bepo replied enthusiastically, then lowered his head. "Even though saying goodbye was sad... I want to become a brave warrior of the sea!"
Penguin teased, "With your fragile personality?"
"I'm very sorry."
"That's exactly why you shouldn't apologize for everything!"
"Family, huh..." Law looked up, recalling his parents, his little sister Lami, his savior Corazon, and the memories shared with his companions—finally, Eric 's help...
A rare smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Bepo noticed and blinked with wide eyes. "Ah, Captain smiled."
Bang!
Law slammed the cabin door shut, and his voice came from inside. "Go to sleep."
The three outside glanced at one another and quietly laughed.
The next morning.
Knock knock—the sound of knocking broke the quiet in the corridor.
Eric knocked on Robin's door. "Robin, are you in?"
Click—the lock disengaged, and the door opened gently.
"Didn't sleep well?" Eric frowned slightly. Robin's face practically had the word "exhausted" written on it.
"Mm..." Robin, wearing glasses, replied weakly, "I was interpreting the Poneglyphs all night, didn't rest."
"If I'd known, I wouldn't have left the rubbings with you." Eric rubbed his forehead. "You had plenty of time during the day to work on them."
"I just want to decipher them as soon as possible," Robin explained.
"You'll wear yourself out, and it won't be worth it." Eric scratched his head. "Sorry to bother you, but could you explain your findings to everyone in the meeting room?"
"No problem." Robin grabbed her notebook. "Let's go."
Only a few people were seated in the meeting room, awaiting Eric and Robin.
Robin handed her decoded content to Chiron and Da Vinci.
"Well?"
"We can definitely chart a map from this," Chiron said, pulling out a New World sea chart.
Da Vinci stretched his neck and scanned the map. "Chiron-kun, shall we check if we pinpointed the same location?"
Chiron replied warmly, "Of course."
"One, two, three!"
With Da Vinci's count, both pointed to the same spot. "Here!"
They exchanged smiles.
"Same result~" Da Vinci marked the map. "Only three Poneglyphs left now."
Robin glanced at Eric , seeming hesitant.
"No need to rush these things," Eric said with a shrug. "I just want to laugh when I finally see the One Piece."
"Huh?" Da Vinci asked curiously. "Eric -kun, do you know what the One Piece is?"
Eric shrugged. "How could I possibly know?"
Then he said to Robin, "But I do know someone who lived through the Void Century—he was a member of the Roger Pirates."
He squinted. "Do you want to pry the answer from his lips?"
Robin, visibly excited, asked, "Where is he?"
"..." Eric pursed his lips, Speaking irritably, "You'll find out when we reach that place."
"Eh?" Robin froze on the spot.
Eric stood up and gently pushed Robin toward the meeting room door. "Go get some rest. You didn't sleep at all for this."
"W-wait…" With mild resistance, Robin was gently shut out.
"Ah-la~" Kurumi smiled. "Eric 's mood soured right after Robin asked that question. I wonder why?"
"It's nothing." Eric stared up at the empty ceiling.
Akame looked at him and said bluntly, "Even if you're comparing yourself to someone..."
"You'll always be our captain and our greatest leader."
"...Thank you." Eric grabbed his hair. "Looks like I owe Robin an apology."
"Hmph, how shameless," Esdeath grabbed Eric 's arm. "Clearly, you need a proper warm-up to blow off steam."
"?"
"Let me clear your mind with some training!"
"Wait... you'll destroy the Dreadnought!" Eric struggled. "Stop!"
◇
The Dreadnought crossed the Calm Belt infested with Sea Kings and reached the frigid North Blue.
The bow cut through the icy waters, sending ripples across the ship's sides. A pale blue wake trailed behind.
Cold northern winds rushed into open collars, brushing against soft skin, but she felt no chill at all. The frosty air couldn't douse the fire in her heart.
"You'll catch a cold wearing so little," came a concerned voice from behind.
"Hoo~" Full lips parted, exhaling a puff of mist that floated away with the sea breeze.
"I won't." The pink-haired woman turned with a flirtatious smile, leaning against the railing. "Thanks to my genetically enhanced physique, a little cold can't touch my heart."
Her pink dress clung to her shapely figure. The exposed space between her thigh-high socks and short skirt emitted a tantalizing allure, tempting Eric to steal a glance.
Eric handed her a wool coat. "How's the temperature feel in your homeland?"
"Thanks." Reiju obediently took the coat, draping it over her shoulders and stroking the soft fur collar. "It's been so long since I returned to the North Blue. I'm feeling nostalgic."
"How many years has it been…"
Reiju looked ahead, her delicate chin and slender neck forming a graceful arc.
Silence fell, broken only by scattered snowflakes drifting down.
Smack!
A snowball smacked Eric right in the head, scattering snowflakes as he stood dazed from admiring the curve.
"Ha... hahaha," Reiju also froze for a moment, then covered her mouth and giggled at Eric 's stunned expression.
Eric brushed his head, the remaining snowflakes falling into his hand and melting.
"Snow?"
"So sorry, Eric -kun~" a high-pitched voice called. "Yoshino accidentally hit you during our snowball fight!"
"A-a-apologies." Yoshino bowed repeatedly in her puffy coat, fumbling nervously.
"It's fine." Eric waved it off. "Just be careful. Watch out for the ropes—don't hurt yourselves."
"My, Eric -kun is so understanding." The puppet's mouth moved back and forth. "Perona and the others said you were terrifying."
"Ugh!" Eric thought he heard Perona shriek. A pink twin-tail darted past the edge of his vision.
"Oh?" Eric raised an eyebrow, pretending not to notice. "What else did they say?"
"Hmm~" The puppet pondered, then replied, "Girls' talk must remain secret from Eric -kun."
"Hah…"
'Your breathing is too loud, Perona. I can hear you from here.'
"Made some new friends with similar interests?"
"Mm!" Yoshino nodded firmly. "Thanks to Eric -kun's help, otherwise it'd just be me and Yoshinon…"
"Yoshinon will always stay with Yoshino! But more friends are even better."
"Yoshinon…"
At a hallway corner, Perona and Porche yanked her in.
"Stop saying so much!" Perona whispered. "You almost sold me out!"
"Ahaha…" Wendy laughed brightly. "I told you, Eric -nii isn't that easily angered."
"You're awful~" Porche stroked her cheek. "At first, he did seem scary, but the more time we spend with him... the more admirable he seems."
"Hmph~" Perona crossed her arms, tsundere style. "He must have some secret agenda."
"Agenda? Wh-what do you mean?" Yoshino blinked blankly.
"Yoshino, you don't get it?" The puppet exaggeratedly spun its short arms. "Perona means: Eric -kun wants to…"
"Hey," Kuina cut in. "Are we still having a snowball fight or what?"
She scraped the snow off the deck in two wide lines, gathering snow into her palms and forming a ball. "You guys were the ones who dragged me out here."
"Oh, right." Yoshinon tapped her round head. "Forgot we were mid-fight."
"This isn't just a game." Kuina readied her snowballs. "I won't lose this battle."
"And..." Kuina glanced at Perona. "Eric has [Mind Net], you know."
"!" Perona visibly shuddered.
Kuina continued, "He definitely heard everything we just said..."
"Our Captain Eric is wise and unmatched, a strategic genius known far and wide for his dashing looks and heroic deeds..." (1,000 words omitted here)
After finishing her long string of praise, Perona gasped for breath, her lungs working hard to refill, steam puffing from her lips.
"Hahaha, Miss Perona's way with words is truly impressive." The puppet clapped, and Yoshino made a "thumbs-up" gesture.
"Of course!" Perona stood tall, hands on her hips, pride leaking from her heavy coat.
"Then let the snowball fight begin!"
A coin flipped in the air, landing with a clink near Kuina's pile of snowballs.
"Eh?"
"This battle is ours!" Kuina declared. "Wendy, let's go."
"Right!" Wendy eagerly grabbed snowballs and hurled them at Perona.
"Wait—ow! That hurts!" Perona darted away, snowballs flying and snow scattering behind her.
Reiju smiled at the scene.
"Not joining in?" Eric asked. "It'd be perfect: three versus three."
"Me?" Reiju lowered her gaze. "A snowball fight doesn't really suit me. I'm more suited for…"
She trailed off, but Eric understood.
"What are you talking about?"
"Eh?" Reiju looked up, meeting Eric 's gaze. His eyes burned with passion.
"Dwelling on the past is not what we should be doing."
Eric walked to the bow and stretched out his arms. "The world I look toward is right in front of me."
"Even if life ends the next second, I'll face the future!"
"...Such cheesy words," Reiju muttered.
"..." Eric 's heart took multiple hits.
Reiju stood beside him as white waves rolled ahead. Beyond, a boundless blue sky stretched.
"This sky… it's so vast!"
Then she turned and walked toward the snowball fighters with a soft smile. "I'd like to join, may I?"
"Welcome, Reiju-neesan!" Wendy cheered.
"Hmph, bring it on." Kuina smirked. "This bean sprout is too weak. You'll be more fun to fight."
"Who's a bean sprout?!" Perona emerged from the snowpile.
"The idiot buried in the snow, of course."
"That was a sneak attack! So unfair!" Perona protested.
"The snowball fight never stopped. There's no such thing as a ceasefire," Kuina replied, as another snowball hit Perona on the head.
"Yoshino, you're on our side now!"
"O-okay!" Yoshino ran over to Wendy.
"Let's continue!"
The three-on-three snowball fight resumed once again.
(END CHAPTER)
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