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HXH : Highschool of the Dead
Pink volunteered to stay behind and watch the ship, while Merlin, Monet, and the others went into town to stock up on supplies.
The four of them went on a massive shopping spree in the town's market district. Bedding, clothes, ingredients, booze, water—they bought it all.
A shadow cart solved all their transportation problems.
Finally, they ordered a full banquet feast and had the restaurant staff deliver it to the ship.
9:00 PM.
The five of them sat around the dining table in the cabin, digging into the lavish meal.
"Aren't we going to change the flag?"
Pink took a sip of wine and asked Merlin curiously. He noticed that among the pile of goods Merlin brought back—which even included Pink's preferred brand of cigarettes—there was no black cloth for making a pirate flag.
"No rush. Moria's flag is still very useful for now. After all, this is a Shichibukai's ship."
Pink understood immediately, giving Merlin a strange look. "You're playing the Marines for fools."
"I wouldn't call it playing them," Merlin said, peeling a spicy mantis shrimp. "It's just hiding in plain sight.
"Though, the truth will probably come out after a while."
Hearing this, Pink laughed, looking at Merlin with a sigh. "Moria had a bounty of 320 million Berries. When the Marines find out, how high do you think they'll jack up your bounty?"
"Is Big Brother Merlin getting a bounty increase?"
Baby 5 asked curiously, huffing with her mouth open from the heat of the spicy chicken.
Monet refilled Merlin's glass with fruit wine and smiled. "We don't know exactly how much, but it'll probably break a hundred million!"
Perona looked a bit downcast—Moria was her former captain, after all. Seeing this, Merlin smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. A higher or lower bounty makes no difference to me.
"It's just a twisted form of fame."
"You don't care about it?" Pink asked, curious. "Usually, pirates care a lot about their bounty."
"Do you think any normal person wants their name to symbolize a massive number?"
Merlin asked back with a smile. "Having a huge price on your head isn't exactly a good thing.
"I think as long as I don't advertise it, even if the Marines find out, they'll probably only increase it symbolically.
"After all, the Fisher Tiger incident is still dominating the headlines.
"I doubt the Marines want a new great pirate popping up out of nowhere right now."
Pink looked thoughtful, then grinned. "Fisher Tiger... I wonder what kind of person he is."
"A good guy? A villain? A hero?"
Merlin smiled. "Who knows. In any case, he probably won't live long."
Baby 5 asked curiously, "Why? Isn't he a Fish-Man?
"As long as he hides in the sea, the Marines can't do anything to him, right?"
"Fish-Man Island!"
Pink said, "As long as he still cares about Fish-Man Island, he won't just hide in the sea."
"Why?"
Perona asked, her curiosity piqued. She loved gossip and current events.
Moria would never talk about these things in front of her.
Moria only thought about digging up graves, ordering them around, or sleeping.
"Because he's a Fish-Man, and Fish-Man Island is a World Government member nation. If the World Government applies pressure, he has no choice. He can only wander the sea like a ghost until he dies, or become strong enough that the Marines can't touch him.
"But he probably can't achieve that."
Merlin knew from memory that Fisher Tiger wasn't that strong—not even Shichibukai level—and the issue of the World Government's 'face' wasn't something he could shoulder alone.
"So pitiful!"
Perona squeezed out a tear.
"He counts as a good person, right?"
Baby 5 added.
"I don't know if he's good or not, but he's definitely a madman," Pink sighed.
Merlin agreed. "Indeed.
"Regardless of his starting point, there is an inevitable madness about him.
"A madman who doesn't fear death.
"At the same time, he's a destabilizing element in the eyes of the Marines. In this Great Pirate Era, he's like a lighthouse for lunatics. If he doesn't die, certain high-ranking officials in the World Government probably won't sleep soundly."
Pink looked at Merlin in surprise, shocked by his perspective.
He had seen this kind of extraordinary vision in Doflamingo before.
"You're not bad yourself. Taking out a famous Shichibukai on your first encounter.
"And it was Moria of the Shadows, no less."
Perona puffed out her cheeks, feeling helpless as they dragged Moria's corpse through the conversation again.
But there was nothing she could do. Moria had become a stepping stone for the guy in front of her.
Thinking this, she blinked and looked at Merlin—this mysterious guy was her future captain now.
Noticing Perona staring at him, Merlin raised an eyebrow. "What are you looking at?"
Perona puffed her cheeks out further. "Can't I even look? Do you charge money for looking at you?"
Merlin's lips curled into a smile. "That works too. One hundred Berries per look.
"Pay up."
Perona ground her teeth, looking dissatisfied. "Where am I supposed to get money?"
Merlin laughed. "Then I'll deduct it from your future allowance."
"Allowance?" Perona's eyes lit up. "I get one too? How much?"
Merlin smiled. "Apprentice crew member. Room and board included. 100,000 a month."
"What about a full member?"
Perona was curious. 100,000 wasn't a small amount; Moria had never given her pocket money.
"One million base per month."
"Hiss!" The little girl sucked in a cold breath, shocked. Beside her, Pink's eye twitched. "That much?"
Merlin looked at him and smiled. "While you're on my ship, I'll subsidize you at the full member rate.
"As for other income, that will be distributed based on contribution."
Pink looked resigned. "Is this really okay?
"You're just collaborating with us. Our family already gives us a 600,000 allowance each month!"
"Business is business. You're putting in work on the ship, so I can't let you work for free.
"By the way, Pink, do you know where to find a skilled shipwright in the North Blue?
"I want to find a good one. I can't have you doing patchwork repairs forever."
"Bertman Island. It's a shipbuilding hub in the North Blue with shipwrights from all over the seas. Our family's ship, the Numancia Flamingo, was built there using high-grade materials.
"The wood used was second only to the precious Adam Wood.
"But it's not close. Sailing there directly now would probably take the better part of a month."
Merlin smiled. "We won't go now. We'll head there after we deal with that guy in the Country of Ice."
Hearing this, Pink nodded. He believed in Merlin's strength.
"By the way, can I tell Doffy about Moria?"
Pink asked. Merlin smiled, glancing at him. "Up to you. Hope it doesn't scare him."
Pink looked helpless. "True. An old-school Shichibukai, gone just like that.
"It is a bit scary."
"The Marines will have a headache when they find out.
"Wait, you aren't planning to take out Crocodile, who's coming this time, too?"
Pink couldn't help but ask, his eye twitching.
Merlin narrowed his eyes slightly. "If he doesn't mess with me, fine. If he comes looking for trouble, it's not like I can't take him out.
"After all, the Sand-Sand Fruit's resistance to water is very weak."
Pink recalled the description in the illustrated handbook and nodded.
He couldn't help but say a silent prayer for the unmet Crocodile, hoping his luck would be better.
A while later.
Dinner was over.
Everyone dispersed.
Perona and Baby 5 stayed behind to clear the table.
On the deck.
Feeling the sea breeze, Merlin looked at the stars reflected on the distant ocean surface.
Incredibly beautiful.
The next day.
6:00 AM.
Merlin woke up. He glanced at the current layout of his room.
Moria's super-sized bed had been tossed out, replaced by a "small" bed—four meters long, three meters wide.
The room now had a tea table and a small sofa set.
Plus a wardrobe, sword rack, wine rack, etc.
He got out of bed, washed up in the outer bathroom, and went out to the deck.
The morning sea breeze carried a hint of chill.
Merlin held his sword and began his morning practice on the deck.
With the shadow of Shusui constantly fused within him, Merlin's comprehension of swordsmanship was deepening by the day.
Merlin moved with small, shifting steps. Zanye felt like an extension of his arm. Every swing was pleasing to the eye.
[Master Level Swordsmanship]: Your understanding of swordsmanship has been thoroughly mastered. In this field, you can already be called a Sword Master.
Merlin's swordsmanship had already evolved two months ago. Now, driven by Shusui's shadow, he was rapidly advancing toward the next level.
At the same time, the Lynx Body Tempering Art had also stepped into the Master level a month ago.
Furthermore, after deconstructing the tiger's form in the forest, learning Tekkai (Iron Body) and Geppo (Moonwalk), and exchanging pointers with Lao G, Merlin's development of his body tempering art had become more complete. He had even renamed it.
[Master Level Demon God Body Tempering]: Derived from Lynx Body Tempering, mixed with the Form of the Tiger and Rokushiki techniques. By cultivating the dynamic and static forces between muscles and bones, you temper the flesh and break through limits.
Merlin continued swinging his sword, engaging his muscles and bones in unison. Combining stillness and motion, every swing tempered him inside and out.
With each movement, his body was like a bowstring drawn full and released—a humming vibration resonated faintly within him. As he swung the blade with conscious control, the Armament Haki inside him began to flow slowly.
The aura triggered around him faintly revealed a halo of mixed cherry-red and pitch-black.
As he swung continuously, this aura began to condense. A phantom image of a Demon God flickered in and out of existence over Merlin's body.
The surrounding atmosphere began to fluctuate with Merlin's movements.
Every gesture carried a heavy, imposing power.
Time passed slowly.
The sun gradually rose. Monet came out as well, holding her sword to practice not far from Merlin. However, her gaze kept drifting toward him.
She was captivated by Merlin's training.
In her eyes, the current Merlin seemed to be shrouded in a terrifying Demon God phantom. It shook her to the core!
A moment later, Pink came out. When he saw Merlin, his mouth fell slightly open.
The cigarette dangling from his mouth dropped to the ground, and he didn't even notice.
His Observation Haki sensed the surroundings, but Merlin had entered a state of selflessness. Unknowingly, Merlin's Observation Haki was picking up many auras—no, more accurately, a more essential fluctuation. It could be called the "Breath of All Things."
It was the information unconsciously radiated by all things, whether moving or still.
Using Observation Haki as tentacles, his consciousness silently perceived the environment, the range constantly expanding outward.
Until a radius of a thousand meters was encompassed in his perception.
The undulation of the seawater, the flow of the wind, the vibration of the earth, the grass pushing through the soil to stretch its leaves, the different frequency of breath emitted by various creatures.
Merlin perceived it all.
Unconsciously, Merlin's consciousness returned to himself. Formless Armament Haki condensed on the blade's edge.
A sharpness manifested.
It seemed capable of cutting nothing, yet everything.
It felt like it could sever all things.
Of course, this was just a feeling.
It was a spiritual sharpness triggered by the condensation of Merlin's will.
A moment later, the sharpness retracted.
Merlin's eyes began to focus.
He stopped swinging the sword.
He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.
"Is this a Sword Master?"
Pink couldn't help but praise. He thought of Diamante, the family's swordsman. Compared to Merlin...
One was heaven, one was earth.
The difference was instant and obvious.
There was no comparison at all.
"Your swordsmanship... it got stronger again!"
Monet exclaimed. Merlin's eyes filled with a smile as he casually mentioned the matter of Shusui. After hearing it, both listeners were dumbfounded.
Monet accepted it first, however, because Merlin's shadow had just submerged into her chest.
Feeling the fullness of power filling her body, Monet didn't hesitate and began to focus on her training.
Merlin sheathed his sword, limbering up his body, and smiled at Pink. "Morning!"
Pink nodded, smiling in response. "Morning. Though compared to you, I'm practically slacking off."
Saying this, he dropped to the deck and started doing push-ups.
Watching him, Merlin smiled. "What do you want for breakfast? I'm planning to go buy some."
"Anything works," Pink said.
At this time, Baby 5, having just gotten out of bed, walked out. Hearing Merlin's words, she came over happily. "I'll go with you!"
"Sure."
Merlin took Baby 5 into the port town.
Half an hour later, a sleepy-eyed Perona came out, looked around, and asked confusedly, "Where are Lord Merlin and Baby 5?"
Monet replied casually, "They went to buy breakfast."
"Eh?"
Perona puffed out her cheeks. "I wanted to go with them!"
While Perona was speaking, Merlin and Baby 5 were walking back, carrying bags big and small.
Baby 5 spoke softly, "Big Brother Merlin, how long can we stay together like this?"
Merlin looked at her curiously. "What's wrong? Something on your mind?"
Baby 5 shook her head, speaking directly. "I don't want to be separated from you guys.
"But I'm part of the Donquixote Family. If I leave them, they'll definitely hunt me down, right?"
Merlin raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it! Maybe there will be a solution by then."
Baby 5 hesitated to speak but nodded. Merlin continued, "Don't think about those things for now. The priority is to work hard and improve your own strength!
"Only when you become powerful can you say 'no' to things you don't want to do.
"This world respects the strong.
"As long as you become stronger than Doflamingo, he won't have a choice but to listen to you."
"Can I do it?"
"The Weapon-Weapon Fruit is very strong, and I will teach you how to get stronger. Of course, the premise is that you can endure the suffering."
Baby 5's eyes lit up with excitement. "I can do it! Please teach me how to get stronger."
Merlin smiled. "Deal!"
Before long, the two returned to the ship.
Everyone finished breakfast.
Merlin controlled the shadows, and the sailing ship quickly departed the port town.
Ten days later, the surrounding climate turned frigid.
Frost Archipelago.
Winter Islands.
Country of Ice.
2:00 PM.
At a coastal ice harbor, Merlin's ship docked steadily.