Chapter 153: Farewell
During their intense training, the group spent ten relaxing days in Foosha Village.
"Look! The latest news! The new Shichibukai, 'Sea Knight' Jinbeii, has officially taken the position. Now there's only one spot left!"
"Who will be the final pirate to take that last Shichibukai seat?"
Inside Makino's bar, some villagers drank and eagerly discussed who would become the final member of the Shichibukai.
"Hey, kid, you come into a bar and drink juice instead of alcohol?" A drunken man staggered over. "That's not manly at all…"
Click Kurumi pulled out a pistol beside him, pressed it to the man's head, and smiled sweetly. "Please go away."
"S-sorry!" The terrified man scrambled out of the bar, causing an uproar of laughter.
'Jinbeii takes up the Shichibukai position, Arlong leads part of the fishmen away from the Sun Pirates, and then they arrive in the East Blue…'
'Nami's foster mother was shot to death—when did that happen again?' Eric tried hard to recall, but couldn't remember the exact timeline. 'I can't stay in Foosha Village too long.'
"Teacher Chiron, how are they doing with their training?"
"These two children certainly have great potential. They've started to grasp Observation Haki, but due to their young age, they can't stay calm. Emotional fluctuations prevent them from using it consistently."
"Ace can already use Armament Haki, but only on his fists. The younger Luffy still hasn't learned Armament Haki at all."
"Okay, then we're good." Eric stood up. "It's time for us to move on. We won't conquer the world by staying here."
"I know it's not my place to say this," Scáthach was the first to rise, "but if you're really aiming to conquer the world, then you shouldn't be lounging around like this."
"Hey, I haven't been slacking off, okay? Didn't you and Esdeath just beat me up together yesterday?"
"That skirmish yesterday wasn't anywhere near a life-and-death battle," Esdeath said, one hand on her hip, proudly puffing out her chest. "Go out and find strong opponents. Fight to your heart's content!"
The group began rising from their seats, preparing to leave the bar.
Makino's gentle voice was like music to the ears. "Are you all leaving already?"
"Yeah," Eric replied a smile . "Thanks for your hospitality these past few days, Miss Makino. The food was delicious—I wish I could kidnap you onto our ship."
"Hehe, I can't bear to leave the people of Foosha Village. Thank you, Eric, for telling Ace and Luffy about Sabo. You've reignited their hope."
"It was nothing. Just lending a hand. This is goodbye, then…" Eric waved and walked away with the group, without looking back.
Perona, walking at the back, suddenly remembered something. She ran to a corner of the bar and shouted, "Hey, time to go, Deidara ! Why are you still sulking?"
Deidara shouted back loudly, "I'm not sulking! Hmph!"
"Then why are you curled up in the corner?"
"I just didn't expect a brat to beat me to it…"
The Carla Kana sisters also lowered their heads quietly—they still hadn't learned any form of Haki.
"There's nothing to be done about it, Deidara . They're natives of this world and naturally talented. Of course they'll pick up Armament Haki faster," Eric said from up ahead.
"Carla Kana, don't be discouraged either. Haki is hard to learn. You need the right mindset. Confidence and a strong will are necessary—don't hold back."
The two sisters immediately straightened up and replied, "Yes!"
Speaking of which, Eric's Armament Haki was now the highest among the team, already capable of external projection. Though he'd leveled it up using a cheat, the knowledge and sensations he received could be shared with his companions to help them improve.
"In time, you'll realize that this world is full of powerful individuals—enough to improve your art and make your explosions more brilliant. But don't ever use your ultimate art again."
Esdeath asked curiously, "To be honest, I never quite understood what your so-called 'ultimate art' actually is, Eric."
Eric shut his mouth, deciding to let Deidara explain it himself.
"My ultimate self-detonation," Deidara proudly and dreamily declared. "A ten-kilometer blast radius! Everything within range is reduced to ash, leaving behind an unmatched scar upon the world."
"Oh?" Esdeath perked up with interest. "Such a powerful move—I'd love to see it in action."
Sweat formed on Deidara 's forehead. "No! I said it's a self-detonation—if I use it, I die…"
"Tch," Esdeath sneered. "So it's a one-time move? How useless."
"What did you say?!" Deidara jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "My ultimate self-detonation is peerless art! No one can survive it!"
Akame pointed out the obvious. "Deidara 's explosion doesn't discriminate—friend or foe would be caught in it."
As if pierced by a sword, Deidara 's body trembled.
"Maybe in your old world, no one could withstand it. But in this one, that's not guaranteed."
"At the very least, if you don't learn Haki, you can't even touch Logia users. That means you can't hurt them. Like Sasuke—if the enemy dodges, no matter how strong your blast, it's meaningless."
"Hmm…" Deidara fell into deep thought, silent once more.
At the entrance of the bar, Makino held her chin in one hand, gazing at the direction Eric and the others had gone. "What a young pirate crew. So different from any crew I've ever seen—not noisy at all. Quite polite and quiet."
"Yeah," the elderly village chief said beside her. "When I first saw them, I nearly had a heart attack. Who'd have thought these notorious pirates from the newspaper wouldn't do anything bad to Foosha Village."
Makino smiled warmly at the chief. "For Ace and Luffy, there's nothing more joyful than learning Sabo is still alive. Now you can rest easy too, Chief."
…
As the Eternal Fearless set sail, Luffy and Ace ran to the cliffside and shouted, "Liars! You left without saying a word! Didn't you promise to teach us Haki?!"
"You already learned it, didn't you? The rest is up to you. A master opens the door—practice is your own responsibility."
"Damn it! Eric, don't let me catch you again!"
"Hahaha, you little brats! Don't you realize I've got leverage on you!"
"W-what?!" Ace's face turned pale with fear.
"Don't let me beat you to a pulp next time!"
"Bastard! You didn't beat me up at all!" Ace yelled back. Then he shouted louder, "Thanks for taking care of us these ten days!"
Luffy joined in, "Will we meet again?!"
"Of course! But only when you've grown up and are ready to set sail—got it?!"
The ship sailed too far for shouting to be heard. Ace and Luffy kept waving.
"Luffy, you've got to train hard. When the time comes, let's go find Sabo!"
Luffy nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!"
"Captain, where are we going next?"
"We're going to find a little pervert and see if we can ease his suffering. Full speed ahead!"
"Aye, sir!"
(END CHAPTER)
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