Chapter 11: Summoning the Sage
"Brat… hurry… and let me go, or else…" slurred Give, struggling to speak due to the poison. Years of living as a pirate made it impossible for him to beg—threats and intimidation were all he knew.
"Heh, do you not understand your situation?" Eric rolled his eyes. The guy was basically meat on the chopping block and still trying to make threats? Ridiculous.
'Since he's a Devil Fruit user, I can use his corpse as a summoning medium.' With that thought, Eric went to a relatively intact cabin and used the blood he had stored earlier to draw a summoning circle—just in case Give's death dragged on too long and the Devil Fruit respawned elsewhere.
"All right, got any last words?" Eric asked, suddenly showing some mock mercy. After all, this wasn't a life-or-death duel. One side was bound and helpless, so he could afford to be casual.
"…I'll never forgive you!" Give growled. He knew he was doomed but still had to throw out some harsh words for pride's sake.
"Got it."
Eric stabbed his blade with full force into Give's heart. As his eyes dimmed and life faded, Eric dragged the corpse into the center of the summoning circle. "Akame, it's time to meet our second companion."
"Mm." Akame gave a light nod and turned her gaze toward the circle.
Eric struck a pose and chanted, "Endlessly looping at the crossroads of kingdoms—declare! Thy body shall be under my command, my fate bound to thy sword. If thou dost accept this will and reason, then respond to me now… Summon!"
A flash of brilliant white light flared. A two-meter-tall man appeared before Eric and Akame. His long brown hair flowed down his back, tied off about a foot from the tips. He wore light brown armor adorned with diamond patterns, and—on his rear—a horse's tail...?
'Wait... a horse's tail that looks like a horse's tail?' Eric blinked in confusion.
"Servant, Archer. Chiron, reporting in. I hope my knowledge can be of some help... In any case, I'm in your care. I'll give you my all," the newcomer said calmly, responding to Eric 's summoning.
"Welcome, welcome!" Eric said cheerfully. "I'm Darren Eric , and this is Akame. We're companions now, so let's work well together!" he added with an introduction.
"Mm." Akame gave another light nod.
[Name: Chiron]
[Age: Unknown]
[Constitution: 5.5 Stars]
[Martial Arts: 6 Stars]
[Archery: 7 Stars]
[Swordsmanship: 6 Stars]
[Armament Haki: 4 Stars]
[Observation Haki: 5 Stars]
[Devil Fruit: 4 Stars]
[Weapon: Heartlock Bow]
[Bond Level: 1 (Ordinary Friend)]
[Overall Combat Power: 6.5 Stars]
(Note: All stats are capped at 3 Stars due to player's stats and bond level.)
[Note: Class—Archer. Currently excels in archery. Summoned from the Throne of Heroes at the player's request. A spiritual entity granted a physical form, requiring no mana support. Though unloved by his parents, Chiron grew up diligently, becoming a sage with mastery in music, art, combat, survival, and philosophy—both earthly and divine. His calm nature and refined teaching methods made him the revered instructor of countless future heroes in Greek legend.]
'Why are all his stats so high, but capped at three stars?! Is it because the bond level is too low? Or are my stats too weak? And how does he even know how to use Haki—both Armament and Observation?! Did he absorb this world's knowledge when summoned? No wonder he's called all-knowing...' Eric stared at Chiron's panel, twisting with envy.
"Chiron, could you tell us a bit more about yourself?" Eric asked, hoping he'd elaborate.
"Where to begin... I'm the son of Cronos and the goddess Philyra. I died after returning my immortality to the gods via a poisoned arrow. Moved by my fate, the gods made me the constellation Sagittarius."
"Whoa..." Eric and Akame's eyes sparkled with wonder as they looked at Chiron.
Chiron chuckled. "Now, I'm just a regular person who knows a bit about archery, swordsmanship, philosophy, and the arts."
'A bit?!' Eric internally screamed. 'You're the only centaur with a gentle heart in a clan of warlike beasts!'
Eric smiled at their new companion. "Looking forward to our journey together."
"The same here. Master, if there's anything you'd like me to teach, I'd be glad to help," Chiron replied warmly—ever the dedicated mentor.
"Haha, I'll definitely take you up on that. But first, let's head to the Marine base and cash in our bounty," Eric said. Saving Kuina came first—he had flashbacks to studying for exams in his past life... priorities.
They loaded Krieg's corpse and their treasure onto their sailboat. Eric opened the East Blue map. "The route back to Shimotsuki Village... This Marine base is closer. It'll only take one or two extra hours. Akame, let's head to East Blue Branch 16."
The system could've redeemed the bounty, so why go to the Marines? Because Eric wanted to double-dip. The system had already paid for Krieg's bounty, but now he was going to claim it from the World Government too. Small-time pirates used to rot before he could turn them in. Now with a valuable corpse, and time to spare, Eric wasn't letting this bonus go. An extra 10 million in an hour or two? Anyone would go for that.
Wild Horse Give's body, used as a summoning medium, had already vanished—but Eric had claimed his bounty through the system.
[Current Funds: 54.346 million Berries]
While sailing, it was the perfect time for Chiron to demonstrate his abilities. He was the only Devil Fruit user among the three.
"So Chiron, you know you can't go into the water anymore, right?" Eric asked, unsure how much Chiron understood about this world.
"Yes, I can sense that. I also feel like I can transform into a horse. Is that because of the Zoan Devil Fruit?" Chiron asked.
"Exactly. You've eaten the Horse-Horse Fruit, so no swimming—and stay away from seastone. You can try transforming to test your abilities. Just make sure you're not holding back your true strength." While adjusting the sails, Eric encouraged Chiron to explore his powers. After all, Chiron was a centaur, not a horse.
"Understood. Beast Form!" Just like someone naturally gifted, Chiron smoothly transformed into his beast form. He was much larger than a normal horse—but somehow his clothes didn't tear. Amazing. Was it holy light censorship? Or divine plot armor?
"Amazing strength," Chiron said, Speaking through a horse's mouth—surprisingly articulate. But hey, this was the One Piece world.
"How does it feel?" Eric asked curiously, and Akame perked up her ears to listen.
"It felt hot when transforming, and power surged through me... But I also feel like I'm not using my full strength. Why is that?" Chiron described the sensation but was confused about the limit.
"I've felt that way before too," Akame added softly.
"Haha, maybe it's just unfamiliarity after being summoned," Eric laughed awkwardly. Sensing the conversation might circle back to his own weakness, he quickly offered, "I'm gonna go sort the treasure. Chiron, you take the helm."
Better to bow out now than get blamed for holding everyone back!
(END CHAPTER)
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