Chapter 45: Nation of the Future
"Hm? Captain-kun, you're injured? What happened?" Da Vinci asked as she noticed Eric 's wrapped wound. Without Seastone or Haki, it shouldn't be possible to harm him. And judging by those pirates earlier, they didn't seem like the Haki-using type either.
"…Um, I…" Kurumi, walking behind, was about to speak.
"Ah, I was careless. Just a small accident," Eric interrupted, cutting off Kurumi before she could admit she was the cause. He turned to the others for support.
"Mhm." They nodded in agreement—they didn't want the newly joined member to bear the burden of having hurt the captain.
"I see. Then make sure you rest up, Captain-kun." Da Vinci, already having understood the situation from their exchange, smiled at Kurumi. "Welcome aboard, new recruit~ I'm Da Vinci, this crew's scientist and doctor."
"Ah…" Kurumi had been feeling uneasy after hurting Eric , but quickly straightened up and gave a refined curtsy. "Good day, everyone. I'm the newly joined Kurumi Tokisaki. Please take care of me."
"Oh~!" Da Vinci's eyes sparkled. "What a proper introduction. Could it be—you're a noble lady?"
Kurumi placed her left hand over her right in front of her waist, her cheeks slightly flushed as she shyly replied, "I might have been, but I lost all my memories after dying in my previous world. Now, I'm simply the other half destined to walk the rest of my life alongside Eric ."
Crack
A sound like shattering glass filled the air—the warm welcome atmosphere evaporated instantly.
Kurumi's words blew through the room like a cold wind, sweeping away all traces of warmth and leaving only awkward silence.
"I-I see… Big Sister gives you her blessings then," Da Vinci said, managing to recover despite her lack of social awareness.
"Thank you very much." Kurumi bowed again, elegantly.
"..." Porche, the other new recruit, couldn't even speak. She shrank into a corner, trembling.
"Phew…" Cricket, who smoked five packs a day, exhaled slowly. He didn't understand young love, and he had no interest in getting involved.
The remaining crewmates introduced themselves to each other.
LoGabk Entry: December 3rd, Day 2 after leaving Long Ring Long Land. The ship heads toward the winter island—Future Nation.
Eric , hoping to obtain Vegapunk's research, didn't know the exact location of the Future Island. But he reasoned: since it's a winter island, it must be on the Grand Line. The Navy was able to secretly capture Vegapunk, meaning they have strong influence in the area—which wouldn't be possible in the New World. Therefore, Eric concluded the island is likely in Paradise—the first half of the Grand Line.
Kurumi stomped toward Eric , who was adjusting the ship's heading. "You could've avoided that shot! Why didn't you?!"
After consulting Chiron and Da Vinci, Kurumi had learned that her attacks had no effect on Eric . Yet he had deliberately taken the bullet.
"If I'm willing to die for you, what's a little wound?" Eric replied. Whether the 'playboy switch' had been flipped or not, his words were... hard to describe.
"Wha…" Kurumi blushed. "Don't risk your life so carelessly!" Classic tsundere. Too cute.
Eric gently placed a hand on the ribbon atop her head and softly said, "Isn't it only natural to risk your life for someone important?"
"N-Ngh…" Kurumi ran off to the cabin, her cheeks burning. Just a sixteen-year-old girl after all. Young hearts are full of poetry.
'So cute! Explosively adorable! How can someone be this cute?! Tsundere supremacy! Contrast moe forever!'
Ziiing Akame, fishing at the side of the ship, stared hard at Eric .
No choice—he had to drop the fantasy.
LoGabk Entry: December 9th. Akame caught a Sea King, a rather large sea beast. This was their first time encountering a creature so massive—hard to identify the species, but the meat was delicious. Everyone loved it.
[One month of interaction with Da Vinci: +1 Bond Point]
On the 15th day of sailing, thanks to Da Vinci's desalination system, they avoided a freshwater crisis. Finally, they reached the edge of Future Island.
"So cold!" As a winter island, the temperature was freezing, and even the waters surrounding it were thick with ice. With no icebreaker, Eric had to use electric heating to melt the ice.
"Why not just dock by the edge of the ice instead of trying to get to land?" Da Vinci suggested, saving Eric from further effort.
"Eh~?" Eric realized he had really started acting more and more like a normal person in this world. His IQ was regressing…
"Oh my, I thought this world was all backward. Who knew there'd be so much advanced tech?"
"Probably because the Grand Line's magnetic fields are unstable. There's little interaction between islands, so their developments vary wildly."
"So this island is one of the advanced ones, Captain Little Brother-kun?"
"Yeah, especially since a genius scientist was born here—said to be 500 years ahead of his time. People called him the man who surpassed human intelligence by 500 years."
"What's his name?" Naturally, as a fellow genius, Da Vinci was curious.
"Vegapunk. But he was secretly captured by the World Government and forced to develop weapons for them."
"Well… not surprising. No way they'd leave someone like that free. Same thing happened to Nikola Tesla—his inventions and notes were locked away by the FBI."
Inside Future Nation, they admired futuristic architecture straight out of a sci-fi movie. Following the compass, they arrived at the outskirts where a red "KEEP OUT" sign stood—warning them of a forest of sealed-off mechanical beasts.
"!" Red lights lit up deep in the forest, increasing in number.
"Rawr!" "Moo!" "Kraaawk!" Roars and howls filled the air as all kinds of beasts emerged. Eric 's seven-member team was surrounded.
Porche, still young, shrank in fear at the center of the group.
"It's okay. They look scary, but they're paper tigers—just for show," Eric comforted her gently.
"Tch… These poor animals were modified with mechanical implants," Kurumi muttered unhappily, being a lover of animals.
"Yeah. Vegapunk created these cyber-beasts to replace humans in extreme cold climates."
"Good thing we haven't seen any small animals modified. If I saw a cyborg kitten, I'd hate Vegapunk even more."
"You mean cats? You really are a cat lover, huh." Eric knew Kurumi had a weakness for kittens.
"N-No I'm not!" she denied hastily—classic tsundere.
"So… how do we catch these things? Kurumi, can you use City of Devouring Time to control a few different types?"
"Well, since Eric is asking so nicely… very well. City of Devouring Time!"
The ground beneath her turned black and red, spreading outward. The circular space expanded, blanketing the surrounding beasts. A powerful weakening effect struck the animals—only a few remained. The rest scattered and fled.
(END CHAPTER)
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