Chapter 64: The Attack of the Allied Pirates
After spending two days that were both joyful and exhausting, Eric led his team to the port early.
"Oh! You're here!" Wall came up to greet them. "The cargo is already loaded. We can depart right away."
"We're ready on our end too," Eric replied as he headed back to the ship they had arrived on.
Then Wall leaned in quietly, "I heard that several pirate crews are planning a joint raid. Will that be a problem for you?"
Eric glanced at Chiron and Esdeath, then smiled. "You've seen it yourself—Chiron's arrows can take out a pirate ship's mast from beyond cannon range. And if they get close, with our strength, they're no match for us."
Wall looked visibly relieved. "That's true. Then I'll count on you all for the return trip!"
...
In Eric 's cabin, he gathered everyone. "We might encounter a large number of pirates this time. Polky and Da Vinci, you two aren't suited for battle—please be ready to take cover when things go down."
"Geez~ I understand," Polky replied reluctantly, knowing she'd only be a burden on the battlefield.
"Will you be okay, Captain-kun?" Da Vinci, while capable of fighting, couldn't handle enemies with high bounties—but she was more than enough to deal with minor grunts.
"Don't worry. Leave it to us," Eric said, patting his chest. Then he added, "Once we return, construction on our warship begins. Although I should've mentioned this earlier—our current number of crew members is far too small for what that warship will require."
Everyone nodded.
"So I'm planning to recruit new crew members depending on the situation. If any of you find someone suitable, bring them aboard."
"They must be able to survive my interrogations and endure my training," Esdeath added.
Everyone silently thought: 'No one can survive your interrogations!'
"I'll be the one to train the newcomers." Esdeath was, after all, a skilled instructor. She had boosted military morale before—but word was, her training was so intense that it had killed quite a few. She might also end up training and leading future national troops.
...
At noon, after leaving the Queen of Spring's capital—
"Captain, four pirate ships spotted ahead, arranged in a line. Looks like they intend to block us completely."
Chiron, with his clairvoyance, had seen them even before the lookout did.
"Looks like their tactician planned this ambush well. Captain, what should we do?"
"What should we do?" Eric repeated with a grin. "Obviously, we push through! Chiron, shoot down the masts of the two on the flanks! Let's reduce the number of enemies we face initially. We'll defeat the two in the center first, then finish off the ones on the sides."
"Understood." Chiron climbed to the highest point, ready to carry out the orders.
"No need to go through all that," Esdeath said. "Just wait until they get a bit closer."
"You have a plan?" Eric asked curiously.
"Plan? Just gather them all up and crush them at once—that's my strategy. Eric , watch closely and prepare to fall even more in love with me."
Esdeath said this casually as she reached out to ruffle Eric 's hair, like petting a dog.
Chiron turned to look at Eric , who nodded in silent agreement to follow Esdeath's approach.
Just then, the ship's alarm finally sounded—only now did the lookout notice the four pirate ships blocking their path.
Wall, the temporary fleet leader, rushed over to ask for instructions, only to be told to keep moving forward. If it hadn't been for Tom's recommendation, he might've suspected that Eric 's crew were pirate spies.
"The distance is just about right." Esdeath exposed herself to the outside of the ship, grabbing the railing with one hand, her knees braced on the ship's edge, and her other hand reaching toward the enemy's direction—toward the four pirate ships ahead.
"Even the sea… will freeze under my command!"
Crack crack crack! The sound of freezing water caught everyone's attention.
"!!"
Shipyard workers opened their mouths wide, tongues trembling, eyes bulging—perfect expressions of shock and awe. It was a brilliant display of facial artistry.
"Am I dreaming?" someone murmured in disbelief.
Even the chain-smoking Kullikay dropped his cigarette from his lips in shock, letting it fall silently to the deck.
Polky mirrored the workers' expressions—but looked far cuter doing it.
Even Kurumi, always at odds with Esdeath, looked serious. Her rival was not to be underestimated.
"Esdeath-kun is truly amazing. To think a Devil Fruit could do this… it's more powerful than most Heroic Spirits."
Even Da Vinci, a scientist, was awestruck by this level of power.
"With this kind of strength, no wonder she's called the Empire's strongest general."
Even Chiron praised her without holding back.
Only Eric remained calm. 'She may not quite match Aokiji yet, but Esdeath still has room to grow.'
Having never fully shown her power before, Esdeath finally revealed her true strength to the team.
A thousand meters of ice stretched across the sea, freezing all four pirate ships solid.
On one of the frozen ships, Gasparde's face turned pale. "…Aokiji!"
Only one name came to mind for such an ability. He'd seen Vice Admiral Kuzan before his betrayal of the Marines—and the only word to describe him was "monster." Now, with all the ships frozen together, escape was impossible.
'No. I must run—now—before it's too late!'
Gasparde knew how much the Navy wanted him dead. If they had sent Aokiji, it wouldn't be surprising. The urge to flee dominated his thoughts.
"Target the ice under the ships with cannons! Don't hold back—fire until we can move again!" Gasparde shouted, panicking.
The other pirate captains were just as terrified. A power like this was not something they could face. Their only thought was to escape. But their ships were frozen—they weren't going anywhere.
"Untie the lifeboats! We'll escape in the small boats!"
There's always one smart one in a group. The pirates rushed for the lifeboats—there weren't enough for everyone.
"Someone's walking on the ice toward us!"
A sharp-eyed pirate shouted the warning.
Walking across the ice were Eric , Akame, Esdeath, and Kurumi. Chiron had stayed on the ship to provide support fire and protect the less-combat-capable members.
"Just one of me is enough."
Esdeath, despite using much of her energy, still had plenty left to deal with the pirates.
"We're comrades, remember? How could we leave the dirty work to you alone?" Eric said, a bit exasperated. Esdeath sure loved fighting solo.
"Mm-hmm." Akame nodded seriously. They couldn't dump all the work on one person.
"Ara, if I let you hog the spotlight, then all eyes will be on you, and none on me," Kurumi said with a smile . Though she knew she couldn't beat Esdeath now, she was never one to back down—especially from a love rival.
(END CHAPTER)
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