Chapter 335: Starting Island
At lunchtime, there was an awkward atmosphere floating above the restaurant.
The usually lively dining atmosphere had disappeared, and only the crisp sound of spoons touching plates could be heard as some of the crew members secretly glanced at Eric and Kurumi.
Eric sat on his chair, feeling uncomfortable, though he had experienced something similar with Esdeath before, this time it still felt somewhat awkward.
Meanwhile, Kurumi was as calm as ever, occasionally helping Eric with his food, and some people around let out "oh~" sighs.
"Captain Eric," at that moment, Chiron, who was on duty at the lookout tower, came down. "I've already spotted the next island."
'Thank you, Teacher Chiron!' Eric was extremely grateful to Chiron for rescuing him from his awkward situation. He pushed himself into the chair and said, "You eat, I'll go take your place at the lookout."
"But I've already eaten..."
Without waiting for him to finish, Eric flashed and disappeared to the lookout.
Chiron immediately understood Eric's awkwardness and smiled, shaking his head.
Kurumi, completely unfazed, casually wiped her cherry lips with elegance. She moved her chair without making any sound, nodded to the others, and swiftly left the restaurant.
"Ha!" Esdeath couldn't help but laugh.
Scáthach shifted her gaze, her expression unreadable, and asked, "What's going on?"
"Seeing her expression of suppressing the pain makes me laugh," Esdeath rested her chin on her hands, narrowing her eyes. "I can recognize when someone is holding back pain, even if they try to endure it, there's always a twitch in their muscles."
"I thought something serious was going on..."
"And you?" Esdeath asked Scáthach in return.
"Me?"
"Don't you have any thoughts on the matter?" Esdeath continued to press.
"..." Scáthach closed her eyes, a faint smile on her lips. "Before his strength surpasses mine, I won't go to bed with him."
Esdeath laughed. "Eric might already be stronger than you."
"The fight you had with him last time wasn't exactly fair," Scáthach rolled her eyes. "If he wants to get into my bed, he'll have to win against the gun I hold in my hand."
"..." Esdeath was speechless at Scáthach 's bold words. Although she herself was quite courageous, still...
Those who overheard their conversation were left stunned.
Wendy, now having a companion, buried her face in embarrassment with Yotsuba.
...
"What are you doing up here?" Eric steadied Kurumi.
"Hmph, and you dare ask?" Kurumi, rarely showing a bit of a temper, pinched Eric's tender flesh at his waist with two fingers. "Leaving me alone there."
"I thought you were managing fine..." Seeing Kurumi's discontent, Eric quickly changed his tone. "It's my fault!"
"What did you do wrong?"
"Anyway, it's my fault!"
"Hmm?" The small hand pinching his flesh spun at a rapid pace.
"I shouldn't have left you alone in the restaurant, I should have stood by you... (This part is omitted for brevity.)"
"Hmm~" The index and thumb finally loosened.
Kurumi bumped her head on Eric's shoulder, and they quietly gazed into the distance, the outline of the island growing clearer ahead—
...
The seven starting islands of the Grand Line were all quite different. For example, Whisky Peak, which appeared to be a welcoming town for pirates, was actually a gathering place for bounty hunters.
They targeted the pirate bounties heading to the Grand Line, with many inexperienced young pirates falling prey to them.
Then there was Devil's Forge, the seventh route, filled with all sorts of pirates. The harsh conditions of the Grand Line had scared them so much that they dared not move forward or return the way they came.
The treacherous environment trapped the pirates, and what should have been a short seven or eight-day journey became an impassable chasm for them. These pirates, once running wild across the seas, were now reduced to land-based bandits. Devil's Forge became a pirate's paradise.
Of course, Devil's Forge was not part of the affiliated countries, so even if the World Government knew about the pirate haven there, they wouldn't waste military resources to purge the pirates.
Here, the bounties of the pirate captains usually ranged from twenty to thirty million, and the stronger ones barely exceeded forty million. They carefully avoided the larger threats of the Grand Line but showed their fangs to newcomers entering the Grand Line.
The only thing the pirates could do here was wait for new pirate crews to arrive, then loot their goods and consume their vitality to strengthen themselves.
"Woo—!" The horn on the lookout tower was sounded, and a pirate lookout saw it, meaning the vast majority of pirate crews could see it.
"Newcomers are here."
A few pirates sneered as they stood up, drawing their weapons and guns from their waists.
"Hickman, check their background."
"Okay!"
The man tasked with gathering intelligence responded, pulling out a thick stack of wanted posters from his satchel.
"No need to search..."
Before he could even begin flipping through, the captain called off his work.
"Uh, why...?" Hickman was confused and looked up to see his captain's face turning pale with sweat Breaking out.
"Quick, get moving, it's the Dawn Pirates!"
Sharp-eyed pirates were quick to notice. There were no fools who didn't check the papers, and information was a survival tool. The pirates who survived were not idiots.
The Dawn Pirates, the only crew with a steel warship on the seas, were already well-known.
Moreover, the latest edition of the newspaper had reported that Darren Eric had departed from Loguetown three days ago, passing through Reverse Mountain, and was now heading toward the Seven Starting Islands, with his bounty rising to an almost unreachable 2.5 billion berries.
One in seven chances, how unlucky can we be?!
The small, decaying town suddenly became lively, the dust raised by the running pirates making the whole town look gray.
"Looks lively, are they throwing a welcome party?"
They disembarked at the broken port, surrounded by old pirate ships. They might circle the island a few times for some fun but would never dare to leave the waters around Devil's Forge.
The pirates either scattered in all directions or hid in buildings, peeking through the cracks in the doors and windows to catch a glimpse of the Dawn Pirates' style.
Since the Dawn Pirates became famous, they had only been silent for one year, and the rest of the time, they had been making shocking headlines around the world.
2.5 billion, 1 billion, 1 billion...
Seeing these walking gold mines, the malice stirred by greed began to fester. If they could take down their heads, they could make a name for themselves in one battle, and live without worries for the rest of their lives...
Before some could even entertain these thoughts, they quickly shook their heads and discarded these ideas. If we can't even conquer the Grand Line, how can we deal with these guys? Maybe if we steal their ships, we can leave this hellhole?
"These gazes are really annoying," Esdeath pressed her lips together, her eyes flashing with savage red light.
"Uh... These guys are too weak, is there any fun in slaughtering them?"
"It's been a while since I've fought, I'm itching to do something," Esdeath slowly drew her western sword from her back. "Gin , come with me, let me see how much you've improved."
"Yes!" Gin pulled out two ball-shaped canes from somewhere.
"Ha!" With a mighty swing, the iron balls whistled through the air and slammed into a nearby wooden building.
"Crack, crack, crack"
The wooden walls cracked with numerous splinters, and with a mournful creak, the entire house was half-destroyed.
(END CHAPTER)
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