Chapter 336: The Day of Departure
Dozens of pirates lay scattered on the ground. The more capable pirate captains struggled to lift their heads, ignoring the double-barrel shotgun pointed at their heads, and asked with a face full of resentment, "Why attack us? We haven't done anything!"
"Isn't it normal for pirates to fight among themselves?" Eric said with a smile , "But they did indeed target the wrong ones. The ones with hostility toward us are a different group."
Eric lifted his chin, pointing to the other side. "Gin , take care of the people in that building."
Pirates who had been hiding and waiting for an opportunity to ambush were startled. Gin 's legs crossed rapidly as he dashed into the building like a cheetah.
The cries of men, the sound of bones breaking, the screech of splintering wood, and the thud of heavy objects hitting the ground combined into a symphony of battle.
The collapsing house became the scene, and the background music turned into the pounding theme of a fierce fight.
Around them, the pirates hiding in the shadows trembled in fear, dreading that they would be the next target.
Yotsuba closed her eyes in fear, while Kuina stood beside her, explaining the past wrongdoings of pirates.
"This is really boring," Esdeath sheathed her sword and pressed her sharp heels into the muscle of a pirate who hadn't died yet. "How long until the record needle finishes?"
Pain shot up the pirate's spine into his brain. His face twitched as he lowered his head and stammered, "I... I need two days..."
"Hmph." Seeing how cooperative the pirate was, Esdeath lifted her foot off him.
"Then, I look forward to working with you for the next two days, pirates~"
After greeting them, Eric led the crew to the central area of the town, where the most intact luxurious house stood, to "stay."
Inside a dimly lit room, only a wisp of white smoke rose from a cigar. Pages with intelligence reports were turned by a hand adorned with a gem ring. The golden hook on his left hand was enough to instill fear in his enemies.
Suddenly, the flipping of pages paused. A photo of a group of people appeared before him—among them, one woman stood out.
"Nico Robin, an archaeologist capable of reading the Poneglyphs. So she's really hiding within the Dawn Pirates."
A long scar across the man's face—this was none other than Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Crocodile squinted his eyes, his thick fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk, creating a steady "thud, thud" sound.
He had chosen to stay in Alabasta to search for the ancient weapon "Pluton," spending a great deal of effort to establish Baroque Works, recruiting many Devil Fruit users to work for him while staying behind the scenes, pretending to be a "hero of the nation," preparing for his coup.
His subordinates in Baroque Works were spread across the surrounding islands, with many stationed on the seven starting islands of the Grand Line to gather information on pirates heading to the Grand Line.
By coincidence, an elderly billionaire staying in Devil's Forge Town had taken a photo of the Dawn Pirates and sent it to Baroque Works. Miss Doublefinger had forwarded the report to Crocodile.
Even if he had the Poneglyphs, what use was it if he couldn't read them? Therefore, people capable of deciphering the Poneglyphs had become the objects of competition for the Four Emperors and other great pirates.
Robin was a crucial key, able to open the doors to his treasure trove.
Unlike other pirates, Crocodile had clashed with Whitebeard before. He knew how powerful the pirate, known as the Emperor of the Sea, was. He had been beaten down, and now he was pinning his hopes on the ancient weapon "Pluton."
"Damn it!" Crocodile smashed the wooden desk to pieces.
"Bruh-bruh!" The sound of a phone bug ringing shattered the tense silence. Crocodile picked up the receiver. "What is it?"
"A group of pirates is causing trouble at the port."
"I understand." Crocodile hung up the phone, the play of being the "national hero" was far from over. He still had to keep playing the role.
Without a second glance, he walked out of the room, and the thick wooden double doors closed behind him, sealing away the shadows and broken wood inside.
"So scary~" A voice with an annoying tone teased Akainu's patience, "Half of the pirates in Devil's Forge are dead at their hands. How many pirates have died because of them?"
"The Dawn Pirates are more dedicated than some of the navy branches," Kuzan lowered his head, looking drowsy. He wanted to push reforms at the Navy Headquarters, but the internal resistance was too great.
"Even if they kill a lot of pirates, they are still pirates!" Akainu shot a glare at Kuzan, clearly displeased with how Kuzan let the Dawn Pirates go months ago.
This time, Admiral Sengoku had summoned the three admirals to discuss how to deal with the Dawn Pirates.
"From the actions of the Dawn Pirates, it seems they'll follow the seventh route and head toward Sabaody Archipelago," Sengoku said in a deep voice. "Do you have any plans of action?"
Kizaru stared at his fingernail, as though there was an epic masterpiece carved on it, or perhaps his nails had grown too long and needed trimming.
Aokiji scratched his forehead and yawned, looking as if his eye patch was too tight.
"For the Navy's justice, we must execute these evil pirates immediately!" Only Akainu suddenly stood up, his battle spirit condensing into flames, causing the atmosphere to rise sharply.
The temperature was indeed rising. Akainu's body would unintentionally turn into magma when he was emotionally excited, and molten lava was dripping from him, causing the high-end sofas to catch fire.
"…Please control your ability," Sengoku pressed his temples, wondering if the World Government would reimburse him for the office supplies.
Aokiji's thoughts wandered. His daughter was now aboard Eric's ship, and he couldn't let Akainu... but, given their current abilities, he wasn't sure who would win.
With the intelligence network that was known as the best in the business, BIG MOM was the first to learn that Eric had entered the Grand Line again.
"Lightning boy!" BIG MOM's angry roar echoed above Cake Castle. "What's the use of killing those useless pirates?! Come to the New World!"
"Mom," Katakuri calmly advised from the side. "Don't get too angry."
"Your three brothers are dead because of them!" BIG MOM leaned her enormous head forward. "Katakuri, aren't you angry?"
"I want to personally kill Akainu and avenge them," Katakuri replied calmly.
"Very well!" BIG MOM crushed the sturdy armrest with her bare hand.
'Probably the real reason you're mad is because the paper reported that you fought to a standstill with Kuina,' Katakuri had long grown tired of BIG MOM's dictatorship and her tyrannical behavior toward her own children.
The weather outside shifted with BIG MOM's mood, torrential rain began pouring, and lightning flashed.
Once the recording needle's magnetism was filled, Eric left the almost empty town, and the Dawn Pirates had cleared out the evil pirates, leaving only a few teams that called themselves pirate crews but were actually adventuring groups.
After the baptism of battle and bloodshed, Yotsuba began to understand that this world had many bad people, and to protect the good, the bad had to be eliminated.
Thankfully, her older brother was very kind to ordinary people, Yotsuba sighed.
"What are you afraid of?" Her good friend Yotsuba asked, opening her mouth wide. "Are you afraid of Eric-kun?"
"No... not at all," Yotsuba shook her head. "I'm just not used to it."
Inside the room, Yotsuba's two personalities were talking to each other.
"Don't worry, Yotsuba will always be with you," the doll raised its arm and gently patted Yotsuba's fluffy hair. "Besides, Eric-kun only kills bad pirates."
"Thank you, Yotsuba." Yotsuba hugged the doll tightly, her face pressed against it.
"Good girl~"
While on their way to the second island, the Unyielding suddenly jolted without warning, and the sky darkened at an incredible speed.
"Is it happening again..." Eric put down his novel and flashed to the deck, looking at the suddenly rough sea and the thick black clouds approaching in the distance.
Such sudden weather changes were common in the Grand Line, and each encounter was a challenge for the ship and its crew.
Thankfully, the ship was made of steel and much sturdier than a wooden sailing ship. Eric glanced back at the helm, where the perfect helmsman, Artoria, stood.
Braving the sea waves stirred by the strong winds, the Unyielding plunged straight into the storm.
Dark clouds split with thunder, and the rolling sea surface shifted again, creating currents rising toward the black clouds.
"Is this the Dragon's Breath?" Eric asked.
The combination of storm and tornado weather didn't faze Artoria in the slightest.
Chiron squinted his eyes, using his keen eyesight to spot the latest course. "Artoria, can you pass through the two water spouts ahead?"
"No problem." Artoria's voice was calm, and the wheel spun quickly in her hands, guiding the Unyielding forward with great speed.
"Yes, follow this current and steer out of the whirlpools at the two o'clock direction!" With Chiron's guidance and Artoria's control, the Unyielding smoothly passed through two water spouts.
But the bad weather wasn't over yet. More water spouts began to rise ahead.
"This is annoying..." Esdeath's face showed displeasure as she entered the helm area. "Do you need me to freeze the weather with my ability?"
"That would cause hail," Chiron stopped her from making the weather worse. "We have a top-notch helmsman, don't worry. Sleep through it, and the storm will pass."
"This doesn't seem like the kind of situation where you can sleep."
"Enter from seven o'clock, steer left, and output from eleven o'clock!" Chiron gave another command.
The steel warship narrowly passed, and at one point, standing on the right side of the ship, one could almost reach out and touch the water spout.
Under Chiron's guidance and Artoria's mastery, the Unyielding maneuvered through dozens of water spouts and emerged into calm, sunny seas.
"Whoo..." Porche wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Every time we encounter extreme weather, I break out in a cold sweat. You've gotten used to it, right?"
"So, I don't even want to go to sea!" Perona complained. "If I had the money, I'd build my own castle in a dark, isolated place!"
Suddenly, the sky darkened again.
"What? Again?!" Perona was startled.
"Boom—!"
With a large splash of water, a huge object fell into the sea, sending up a massive wave.
Everyone looked closely. "Is that... a wooden sailing ship?"
The broken ship floated in several pieces, and Artoria guided the Unyielding closer.
Only Kurei looked up at the sky in silence, not sure what was on his mind. He forgot to take a puff from the cigarette between his fingers, the white smoke silently telling of the life burning away.
"I'll go check," Eric said, and made a move to jump over.
Yotsuba followed behind Eric, quietly reminding him, "Be... careful."
"It's fine." Eric turned back and smiled. "There's nothing alive inside. Do you want to come with me?"
"Can... can I?" Yotsuba asked cautiously. "Won't it be a hassle for you?"
"Of course not." Eric extended his hand.
"Great!" Yotsuba's doll also encouraged her. "We can play an adventure game together."
"Let's skip the adventure game for now." Chiron chuckled. "This ship is old; the wood is rotting, so be careful when you step on it."
"Ah, Teacher Chiron is awesome." The doll turned to Yotsuba and said, "Make sure to hold Eric-kun's hand tightly."
"Okay, okay!" Yotsuba tightly gripped Eric's hand.
[Yotsuba's affection increased slightly, bond level remains unchanged.]
"Creek~"
As they stepped onto the old deck, the wooden planks groaned under the weight.
"Crack," Chiron lightly snapped a piece of rotting wood, turning it into dust in his large hand.
Chiron said, "This ship is at least a hundred years old."
"Wooah!" Yotsuba's high-pitched voice echoed in the damp, dark space. "Maybe there are ghosts here..."
Yotsuba quickly covered the doll's mouth.
Eric stared at a few skulls in the corner. "No ghosts, but there are a few skeletons..."
"Ah—!" Yotsuba closed her eyes in fear.
"It's okay, it's okay." Eric held Yotsuba in his arms, turning her face inward to block her view.
[Yotsuba's affection increased, bond level rose from 2 (Close Friend) to 3 (Trusted Friend), gaining 2 bond points.]
'What a pleasant surprise...'
Artoria suddenly spoke, "We need to hurry; this ship is sinking."
The group quickly searched the ship's hold, finding a sailing log and a few boxes of goods to bring back to the ship, while the over-a-hundred-year-old ship slowly sank out of view.
(END CHAPTER)
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