Chapter 43: The Woman with Her Own BGM
"So it was Eric 's lightning that struck our boss Foxy during the first rowing round!" (announcer)
"...!" The referee on the sideline was caught in a bind—blowing the whistle or not blowing both seemed wrong.
Eric slowly turned around and addressed the Foxy Pirates. "I've seen enough of your dirty tricks. This match is ours, right? Blow the whistle and end it!" he roared at the black-hearted ref.
Tweet tweet! Startled by Eric 's outburst, the referee quickly blew the whistle.
"Eh? Why'd you blow it already? I could've taken you out too while I was at it," Eric said, making the garlic-nosed referee shiver with fear.
"Both rounds of the Davy Back Fight were won by the Eric Pirate Crew! The match is officially over!" (announcer)
"Hold it. You haven't handed over the spoils of war yet," Eric interrupted their premature closing and demanded their reward.
"!!" The Foxy Pirates were initially startled, then gradually calmed down. Though the Eric crew was small, every member looked powerful, and their captain was a Logia-type user. Following them would offer a better future.
"Please choose one crew member or take the Foxy Pirates' flag."
"Just one crew member, huh?" Eric said slowly. "What I want is Foxy's head."
"!!" Foxy's exaggerated anime-style reaction was spot on.
"What kind of joke is that?!" Foxy roared.
"Oh, just a corpse from your crew will do. If you'd prefer, pick someone yourself," Eric said coldly, trying to provoke an internal split.
"That's impossible! I'd never let one of my crewmates die for me!" Surprisingly, Foxy had some backbone—his crew did respect him.
"In that case, I'll do it myself!" Eric raised his right hand. "Judgment of God!"
A massive pillar of blue lightning shot toward Foxy.
"Slow Beam!" A pink circle passed through the lightning. The bolt slowed visibly in midair.
'Even intangible lightning is affected? Still, it seems it's only slower because it was too fast to begin with,' Eric thought, seizing the chance to gather data.
"Slow Beam!" Foxy fired again, this time aiming at Eric .
"Something that slow? You think it'll hit me?" Eric transformed into lightning and vanished, reappearing behind Foxy.
"Boss, behind you!" shouted the crewmates.
"1,000,000 Volts: Discharge!" Blue lightning wrapped around Foxy, who collapsed to the ground, smoking.
"Impressive… he took two whole episodes to fall against Luffy, and he's still alive." Of course, Eric held back. A ten-million-volt attack would have killed anyone else.
"Boss!" Foxy's crew rushed to his aid.
"Hey, you lot," Eric shouted. "Now's your chance to leave the Foxy Pirates. Go back to your old crews, or die. Choose."
"We swore to serve him—"
"He's dying," Eric said, lightning crackling around his hand as he approached Foxy. "Your loyalty's already dead."
"What the he—" The one who spoke was struck by lightning from the sky and turned to charcoal before finishing his sentence. Eric then zapped the garlic-nosed referee, who was reduced to ash.
"Honestly, I used to kill every pirate I saw without mercy. But today, I'll spare you—for our new crewmate Porche's sake. Now scram!"
With one final roar, the remaining Foxy Pirates bolted, yelling "Run!"
"That's right. A bunch of nameless NPC pirates trying to copy the Straw Hats' 'main character friendship' arc? Pirates are pirates."
Chiron and Akame retrieved their weapons and approached.
"Is there even a point to capturing him?" Chiron asked. If they wanted Foxy, they could've claimed him in the second round.
"And his face screams 'villain.' Eric probably doesn't like him."
"The next crewmember is coming. I'll be right back," Eric said, going to retrieve his blood from the ship.
He drew a summoning circle with it. In the middle lay Foxy, still unconscious. Eric slapped him awake.
"Wha—!" Foxy saw Eric and immediately tried to use his Slow Beam.
"I knew it," Eric was ready. He grabbed Foxy's hands and stopped the gesture.
"Any last words?" Eric asked, offering a final courtesy.
"…My crew… Are they all dead?" After a moment's silence, Foxy asked about the very people who had abandoned him. Despite being scummy, he still cared for them.
"Two dead. The rest I drove off," Eric answered truthfully.
"Take care of Porche," Foxy said next—his final request was for the crewmate who had been taken from him. A dying man's words truly are sincere?
"Mhm. She's mine now anyway."
"..." Foxy was speechless at Eric 's response.
"Pirates don't fear death! To die at the hands of a strong man is an honor!" Foxy said, chest out, embracing the end.
"So, nothing else? Then rest in peace…" Lightning sparked around Eric .
"W-Wait! Isn't this where you're supposed to say, 'What a man! Worthy of the pirate title! I'll spare your life!'?" Oh, so this was his plan all along?!
ZAP! Foxy saw nothing but blinding white light.
[Foxy's 21,000,000 Berry bounty has been added to your inventory]
"I thought he really cared about his crew, but it was all an act?!" Eric roared, fuming.
"Hahaha, you'll meet more cunning enemies like that. Captain, keep your eyes sharp and don't get fooled again," Chiron advised, ever the strategist.
"Mhm," Akame agreed. She'd assassinated many who begged for mercy before striking back.
"I know… Showing mercy to the enemy is cruelty to yourself," Eric said. "At the moment of death, their final words are just excuses to avoid defeat."
"Alright. Time to summon the fourth member."
"Time is gentler than anything else. Even the sorrow of two people losing their once-a-year moment… it'll be healed someday, right?"
"Time is crueler than anything else. Even vows of eternity between two hearts… eventually, it'll all fade away. How long can they live in each other's memories after all that's been missed? —Summon!"
A white flash filled the air. At the center of the circle stood a girl—
Even though there was no music playing, a saxophone BGM drifted into their ears. The air turned sultry and ambiguous. But as the music continued, it shifted into something lonely and melancholic.
"Ara ara, where am I?"
(END CHAPTER)
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