Chapter 8: Pirate Crew Hunt (Part 1)
It had been seven days since Kuina fell from the ladder, and she still hadn't woken up. The other disciples at the dojo were extremely worried, but to avoid disturbing her treatment and rest, no one dared to gather around her room.
"Sigh, I'm out of options." Another doctor got up and took his leave.
"Thank you for your help," said Koushirou as he walked him out.
'That must've been the 35th doctor… We've already called every doctor on this island.' Eric 's heart was filled with anxiety. He glanced at his invisible shop panel that no one else could see. One item stood out: [Senzu Bean – Note: Can heal any external injury, regenerate lost limbs, and even save someone on the brink of death. Fully restores stamina and keeps hunger away for ten days. Cannot cure illnesses. Price: 20,000,000 Berries. Limit 3 per month].
'I need to earn money and buy a Senzu Bean to save her!' Afraid Kuina might suffer another accident, Eric turned to Koushirou and requested, "Master, I want to set out to sea!"
Sensing what Eric was thinking, Koushirou responded with a slightly apologetic expression, "Thank you, Eric ."
...
"The current highest bounty in the East Blue is 11 million Berries—Don Krieg, who commands twenty ships and 2,000 men." Eric flipped through the bounty posters while murmuring aboard the ship. At this point in time, Krieg's crew didn't yet include Gin or Pearl, nor had his forces reached their peak from ten years later. Still, he and Akame couldn't take him on yet. Even though Akame had once been an assassin, sending a girl alone into an enemy fleet to assassinate someone was way too risky. Better to summon another companion and see if they could take the enemy head-on. After more than a month of building rapport, Akame's bond level had reached 3 (Trusted Friend), granting 2 bond points. The system had prompted that a new summon was possible—but Eric lacked a proper summoning medium.
'Arlong shouldn't be in the East Blue yet. I remember Nami said he arrived in her village eight years ago, which means it was the year 1512 in the Sea Calendar. If he were here already, just taking his head would be enough.'
Although East Blue had the lowest bounty averages, making it seem peaceful, for someone like Eric hoping to hunt bounties quickly, it was actually frustrating.
'And the summoning mediums in the shop are so expensive too!' He had to consider what kind of character he should summon next.
When he reached one particular bounty, Eric 's eyes lit up: "Captain of the Wild Horse Pirates—Wild Horse Give, Bounty: 9,000,000 Berries." Another pirate who had his ability spelled out in his name! Maybe it was due to Oda's naming struggles—some lesser characters had their abilities embedded in their names. Although not all were "lesser" per se. For example, the prematurely introduced character: Crocodile—aka the most conscientious villain, a two-time sword dodge bot, Luffy's personal XP bank, and arguably the best sparring partner.
Let's be real—who's a more conscientious villain than Crocodile? After losing to the protagonist, not only did he not hold a grudge, he helped Luffy escape Impel Down, tried to rescue Ace, stalled for time, and even attacked Akainu when Luffy and Jinbei were in danger—blasting both of them to safety. Who else does that?!
Even if Wild Horse Give was a Zoan user, and Zoan-types had excellent physical strength and recovery, Akame had her one-hit kill blade, Murasame. As long as it drew blood, the cursed poison would kill rapidly, catching high-endurance Zoan users off guard. Murasame was the nemesis of anyone without Haki or high defense.
Looking at his stats panel with 10 Achievement Points and 12 Bond Points, Eric decided to level up Akame.
[Name: Akame]
[Age: 15]
[Constitution: 3 Stars]
[Martial Arts: 2 Stars]
[Swordsmanship: 5 Stars]
[Observation Haki: 3 Stars]
[Overall Combat Power: 4.5 Stars]
Her Constitution, Swordsmanship, and Observation Haki all increased by one star. "Akame, how are you feeling? Notice anything different?" Eric asked.
"Hm… Not really?" Akame tilted her head.
"Try launching a sword slash toward the empty sea, just in case. We should test your enhanced stats before anything serious happens."
"Moon Burial!" Akame shouted, after Eric had insisted she name her sword slashes instead of just yelling "Execution" every time she attacked. Unable to refuse him, she agreed to use it for testing her sword energy.
A black wave of sword energy streaked across the sea. The slash left a visible path in the ocean that gradually filled back in as the water rushed to close the gap.
"My strength has increased… The sword energy is larger, and it travels farther," Akame said calmly. Her Akame looked toward Eric , waiting for his reaction.
"Uh… I…" Eric stammered.
"If it's hard to explain, that's okay," Akame said, cutting him off.
'She's my trusted companion. Even if I can't tell her about the system, I should at least let her know I can enhance her abilities.' Eric made up his mind. "I can upgrade the abilities of the people I summon—but it requires some special conditions. Please don't tell anyone."
"..." Akame was surprised. She hadn't expected Eric to share such a personal secret. Being trusted with that information filled her with joy. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she smiled as she nodded. "Okay."
[Ding… You have a new message]
[Akame's favorability has greatly increased. Bond Level upgraded from 3 (Trusted Friend) to 4 (Sworn Companion). Bond Points +3]
Seeing the bond notification, Eric smiled brightly. "Let's go. We're going after the Wild Horse Pirates. I'll handle the sailing. Akame, try moving around and get used to your new strength."
"Got it." Akame didn't hesitate. As a swordswoman, it was critical to stay in tune with her body.
...
"How do you feel?" Eric asked after Akame had fully tested her movements.
"My strength has increased by about 10%. Speed is up by around 30%. Sword energy power and range have nearly doubled," she replied with precision.
Although she said "around," Eric sensed her measurements were spot-on. If converted to actual stats, the difference wouldn't be far off.
'Strength and speed both fall under Constitution, and I increased them equally… So why did speed improve more?' Eric wondered.
'Is it because a 10% strength boost causes compound improvements in leg power, which then multiplies speed? Or is it that Akame, being a speed-focused swordswoman, experiences greater gains in that area when Constitution improves? And since she's the only one training, I can't exactly have her stand still while I hit her to test defense or recovery. I also didn't test how her Observation Haki improved. Looks like I'll need to run experiments before applying stat boosts in the future.'
'Was the near-doubling of sword energy due to hitting 5 stars in swordsmanship? Or was it the synergy between sword speed (from strength) and skill? Maybe I should've upgraded each stat one at a time. Oh well, there'll be other chances.'
In the waters where the Wild Horse Pirates were last seen, they searched for two days without success. However, they did encounter two bounty targets: a 2.2 million Berries assassin named Inok and a 1.7 million Berries thief named Bob. Then, while having a meal at a dockside restaurant, a mountain bandit with a bounty of 2.8 million—"Mountain Burner" Chad—tried to rob the place. Eric and Akame made quick work of them all and collected the rewards.
'Funny how in the One Piece world, East Blue's mountain bandits have higher bounties than most pirates…'
[Ding… You have a new message]
[Achievement Unlocked: "A pirate world bandit hunter… who hunts mountain bandits" – 1 Achievement Point]
'All I need now is to capture the Wild Horse Pirates' captain! Where are you?!'
Somewhere unknown, Give suddenly shivered.
[Current Funds: 14,046,000 Berries
Achievement Points: 11
Bond Points: 4]
(END CHAPTER)
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