Chapter 76: Next Destination – Sabaody Archipelago
"Any requirements?" asked one of the more quick-witted guys. After all, the ones recruiting were the same people who defeated even a Warlord like Moria! Following them wouldn't be a loss. If they became a dominant force, perhaps those who joined early might even earn a decent title.
"Obedient, mentally stable, and with no criminal record."
"We understand following the captain's orders, but mentally stable? What kind of condition is that?" one person was baffled. Were there really unstable people?
"...This world is vast and full of wonders. You're still too young," Eric replied, gazing up at the sky.
Many pirates muttered: 'Aren't you young too?!'
Esdeath stepped forward. "Also need a strong body that can withstand my interrogation, and firm determination."
"Eek!" "Eh!"
The pirates all jumped back in fright. They had seen how terrifying Esdeath was—she pummeled Moria into the ground! 'Esdeath, what are you doing?! You're scaring them all away!'
"On second thought, I should just go home and raise my kids."
"Yeah, yeah, let my children go look for the One Piece instead."
"My goal is to raise my children to become the next Pirate King!"
The pirates all retreated, making various excuses. A gentle breeze passed through...
They had all retreated far away...
Esdeath clicked her tongue, something rare for her. "Tch, what a bunch of spineless cowards."
...
"Is this all the zombie corpses?"
"Yes."
On an unnamed small island on the Grand Line, everyone worked together to transport all the zombies from the Thriller Bark and bury them. They even built a large gravestone with no names, inscribed with "Rest in Peace," and placed a ring of wreaths around it.
"Thank you all so much, you even fixed our ship." Fortunately, there was a pirate ship without sails inside the Thriller Bark. With some patchwork, it was now seaworthy.
"Since we saved your lives, we might as well give you a way home. Good luck," Eric replied, finishing the job by giving them some food and Berries.
"We'll never forget your kindness!" the departing pirates shouted in unison.
"They talk like I'm about to die or something..." Eric muttered quietly.
Chiron asked gently, "Captain, where's our next destination?"
"The Sabaody Archipelago, I suppose. But what do we do with the Thriller Bark? Taking it along is too much—it's huge and slow," Eric replied. He couldn't decide what to do with the ship. He wasn't sure if they could beat Golden Lion Shiki and use the Float-Float Fruit to lift it.
At that moment, Scáthach spoke with a slightly regretful tone, "If I could unleash my full power, I could use the Noble Phantasm [Gate to the Magical Realm Overflowing with Death] to Dragon the entire ship into the Land of Shadows. But I can't do it at the moment."
Eric looked at Scáthach's status screen:
[Skill: Gate to the Magical Realm Overflowing with Death]
She really did have the skill.
Then he looked at his own status:
[Physique: 4.5 Stars]
[Martial Arts: 3 Stars]
[Swordsmanship: 4 Stars]
[Spearmanship: 1.5 Stars]
[Armament Haki: 2.5 Stars]
[Observation Haki: 2 Stars]
[Devil Fruit: 5 Stars]
He used 5 achievement points to boost his physique to 5 stars, then asked Scáthach, "How does that feel?"
"I can feel the power surging. Just the thought of wanting to help Eric ..." Scáthach's attribute cap was unlocked to 7 stars. Now only her spearmanship wasn't fully unlocked, with half a star remaining. She now firmly believed in Eric 's ability. "You truly have the charisma of a leader."
Great, misunderstood again. It wasn't some 'Leader's Charisma' skill.
"Now, I can fully Dragon this ship into the Land of Shadows."
"Will that be okay? There are still many living plants inside," Eric said worriedly. He'd heard the Land of Shadows was full of undead and living beings couldn't survive there. What if he got nightmares from absorbing too much death energy?
"Isn't this the move that drags enemies into the depths of the Land of Shadows? Normal creatures would die instantly there!"
"It's fine. Although the depths are harsh, I can currently only Dragon things into the rift between the Land of Shadows and the real world. There are lots of undead and monsters, but also some living creatures and plants," Scáthach explained, though her words were still a bit unsettling.
"Undead and monsters? What kind? Can I take a look?" Esdeath suddenly cut in. She probably heard something that interested her—new prey for her hunting manual.
"Hmm, if you're interested, I don't mind dragging you in through the Gate. Want to have a look?"
"Eric , let's go hunt some new prey!" Esdeath suddenly invited him.
"I wouldn't recommend it. Although Master's strength is decent now, with his current physique, he wouldn't last long in the magical realm. At most one day, before he gets sick from death energy exposure."
"Huh? Then why'd you say we could enter the rift in the first place?" Esdeath frowned. Was this a trap?
Scáthach explained, "Your body is much stronger than Eric 's. Staying for three to five days wouldn't be a problem."
"Forget it. Let's wait until Eric gets stronger. Ah... Eric 's scent~" Esdeath gave up on visiting the Land of Shadows for now and reached around from behind to hug Eric 's chest, taking a deep breath.
"Ahhh~" Eric blushed in embarrassment. This female delinquent... Da Vinci only flirted verbally, but Esdeath was getting hands-on. The damage was doubled—he couldn't take it.
"So cute~" Esdeath began poking his cheeks with her fingers. They were cold and soft, with no hardened calluses from training. It felt quite comfortable.
"Ara, has the sneaky little blue cat started again?"
"Huh? What are you trying to pull, black cat?" Esdeath shot back.
"Obviously, I'm here to steal him from you!" Kurumi grabbed one of Eric 's hands and yanked.
Esdeath firmly held the other hand. Thus began a tug-of-war, using Eric as the rope. Even though Kurumi only had a 2★ physique, she could match strength with Esdeath's 5★☆. Love truly makes women fierce.
"It hurts! I'm going to split in two! I'm going to split!" Eric shouted, reminding them not to pull too hard—or they'd all fall on their butts. Then he turned into blue lightning and split into two, escaping.
"Ah, he got away," Esdeath muttered, then glared at Kurumi. "How are you going to compensate me for lost Eric time?!"
'No way I'm compensating you!' Kurumi replied with a lady-like smile, gave a curtsy, and walked away. She only wanted to interrupt Esdeath's bonding time. Arguing now would be pointless, and a wise woman avoids meaningless battles.
"Is the farce over? I'm starting now," Scáthach finally activated her skill to Dragon the Thriller Bark into the rift between the Land of Shadows and the real world. "Gate to the Magical Realm Overflowing with Death!"
A huge black void appeared above and slowly descended, swallowing Thriller Bark bit by bit—from top to bottom—until even the part submerged in water vanished into the rift.
"Looks like quite a bit of seawater got sucked in."
"Yeah, there's no sea in there, so I picked a huge basin to fill with seawater. Without it, the ship's weight would crush the hull."
"Whew... I can't use Gate to the Magical Realm Overflowing with Death again for a while," Scáthach panted, drained from expending so much mana.
"You worked hard, Scáthach." Eric handed her a drink, then another to Esdeath. "Akame is juicing over there. Got it from her."
"Eric personally delivering it? So adorable~" Esdeath said, trying to hug him again.
"No thanks! I'm not getting used as a tug-of-war rope again!" Eric dodged. "Our next destination is the Sabaody Archipelago. Get ready to set sail."
(END CHAPTER)
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