Chapter 17: The Conflict on the Prehistoric Island (Part 1)
After leaving the Twin Cape Lighthouse, they continued toward their next destination. But Eric still hadn't raised Chiron's favorability—his bond level remained stuck at 1, and the next summoning seemed hopelessly far away.
'Chiron is clearly easy to get along with, yet building a deeper bond is incredibly difficult. Akame, who always seems cold, had her affection rise easily, but Chiron—who's outwardly friendly—is far harder to please.' Eric felt a little deflated. "Maybe I need to break through Chiron's emotional walls?"
"Master Chiron, what is your wish? After all, there has to be a reason you participated in that so-called Holy Grail War—to defeat the other six, claim the Grail, and have your wish granted." Eric decided to take the initiative, hoping to bridge the emotional gap.
"I want to regain my immortality," Chiron replied.
"Immortality? Truly immortal?" Akame asked.
"Yes. Back then, Heracles was chasing down a centaur thief using an invincible arrow that I had given him. By unfortunate coincidence, I passed by. The arrow went through the thief and struck me. The arrowhead was coated in the poisonous blood of the Hydra. The agony of the poison was so severe, it eclipsed even my fear of death."
"At the time, Prometheus was being punished by Zeus for giving fire to humans. To meet the gods' demands, I took his place. Because of the torment of the Hydra's poison, I willingly gave up my immortality. Later, I was placed in the heavens as the constellation Sagittarius."
Chiron's understated tone did nothing to conceal the tragedy he had endured. Rejected by his mother for being a monster, poisoned despite being a teacher of heroes, and selfless to the point of sacrificing his eternal life to save another. His vast, mythic past came to life before Eric and Akame, retold through the power of words.
"Do you regret it?" Eric asked.
"Regret? I don't regret saving Prometheus. But I do regret giving up my immortality. Though it doesn't matter now—there's no Holy Grail here to fulfill my wish," Chiron said with calm clarity.
"Even if your old students aren't here—Akame and I are!" Eric tried to encourage him. "And we'll have even more companions in the future!" He hoped to fill the void left by Chiron's lost dream with new purpose and companionship.
"You really are a reliable Master," Chiron chuckled lightly.
"Call me Captain from now on, Master Chiron!" Eric said proudly, hands on hips. "The Dawn Pirate Crew is about to raise its flag!"
[Ding… You have a new message]
[Chiron's favorability has increased. Bond Level raised from 1 (Ordinary Friend) to 2 (Close Friend). Bond Points +1]
'Finally! Which line hit the mark?'
"I suddenly feel like I can access more of my strength," Chiron said out of nowhere.
Eric blinked and quickly checked Chiron's status panel:
[Name: Chiron]
[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: 2 (Close Friend)]
[Overall Combat Power: 6.5 Stars]
(Attribute cap now unlocked to 4 Stars due to Bond Level increase)
'As expected, increasing bond level gradually unlocks a companion's full potential. But when Akame's swordsmanship rose, it didn't unlock anything… Maybe understanding the world's power system and related knowledge is required. I'll need to experiment more with future summons.'
"Yes, it's good that your strength has been unlocked, Master Chiron," Eric said with a smile .
Unlike Akame, who had used Bond Points to increase her stats, Chiron had only unlocked existing strength. He didn't need further physical tests to familiarize himself with the changes.
...
[Ding… You have a new message]
[Task #2 Complete: Swordsmanship Training – Reward: 2,000,000 Berries / 1 Achievement Point]
'That damned mission is finally done!' Eric yelled internally. Self-driven training was one thing, but being forced to do something felt like being whipped like a mule. It was infuriating.
November 1st
[Ding… You have a new message]
[Monthly Task #3: Attribute Advancement]
[Goal: Raise any two physical attributes to 3 Stars.
Reward: 10,000,000 Berries / 2 Achievement Points / 1 Bond Point]
"Easy, easy." With Constitution only half a star away and Swordsmanship one full star short, Eric was confident he could complete this month's task. And if not, he could always spend saved-up Achievement Points. Why suffer when you can do it the easy way?
"Captain, isn't it about time for your training?" Chiron reminded him. Ever since the last monthly task, Eric had established a fixed schedule for sword practice—something Chiron and Akame now viewed as routine.
"…" Eric couldn't voice his frustrations. He stuffed his mouth with bitterness and picked up his sword to train.
A few days later, they arrived at Little Garden.
In his previous life, Eric had been fascinated by two things in One Piece: the Pacifistas developed by Vegapunk, and the massive, impossible monsters you'd never see in real life.
Thanks to movies like Jurassic Park, Eric had also grown interested in real dinosaurs. Unfortunately, Oda's rushed art style didn't quite satisfy his curiosity.
Finally, they reached Little Garden. Giant prehistoric plants covered the shore—clearly not from the current era. Eric didn't know if this was the Jurassic or Cretaceous period.
"These plants are so ancient—I've never seen anything like them."
"Not even you, the 'All-Knowing' Master Chiron?" Eric teased.
"Stop mocking me with that nickname. Knowledge is one thing—but I've never seen these personally."
"Akame, want to try some meat you've never tasted before?" Eric asked, noticing her drooling at the sight of a large tiger by the river.
"Gulp… What kind of meat?" Akame asked, swallowing her saliva.
"This island's from tens of millions of years ago—every creature is prehistoric. Let's go hunting!"
Akame, now seeing everything as potential meat, nodded eagerly.
"The Dawn Sightseeing Crew is heading out!" Eric declared, temporarily turning their pirate group into a tour party. As they disembarked, Akame asked, "Is it really okay to leave the ship here?"
"It's fine. Other than two giants and a bunch of beasts, there's no one else here."
BOOM!
In the center of the island, a volcano let out a thunderous sound like it was erupting. But there was no lava—just red light and black smoke.
The giants "Blue Ogre" Dorry and "Red Ogre" Brogy began their duel, using the volcano's eruption as their signal. The clash of their massive sword and axe echoed to where Eric 's group stood.
"Is someone fighting?"
"Yes, two giants have been dueling for nearly a hundred years. It's always a draw."
[Ding… You have a new message]
[Temporary Mission: End the duel between the two giants, Dorry and Brogy.
Reward: 2 Achievement Points / 3 Bond Points / Sovereign Nation Skill Fruit]
'Sovereign Nation' was a move jointly used by Dorry and Brogy. It had once blown a giant sea king clean in half—a ridiculously powerful move. But maybe it only worked when they were teamed up—neither of them could use it alone.
Eric , who loved browsing the system shop before bed, had seen this skill fruit listed before—for 150 million Berries. Always the thrifty type, Eric wasn't going to pass up this chance. He was determined to complete the mission and learn [Sovereign Nation].
With no actual attack skills (Shave was only movement-based), Eric had always relied on slashes or gunfire. But now he dreamed of becoming a move-shouting powerhouse like "Kakashi Karick" with a thousand flashy techniques.
(END CHAPTER)
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