Chapter 58: Pirate Scavengers (Part 6)
[Eliminated the "Thorn" Pirate Crew. Total bounty: 135 million Berries. Three pirate crews eliminated, minimum mission requirement met]
"Such a big guy… I thought his endurance would be just as great, with resilience and toughness far beyond average. But as soon as the interrogation started, he began sobbing like a baby. Truly boring." Esdeath wiped her western sword as she stepped out of the quiet cabin. "Apologies, that took a bit longer than expected." The queen herself—Esdeath—actually apologized for the time spent!
"We just finished up too. Are you hungry? There's freshly cooked hot food on the table." Eric stepped forward to ask if she wanted to shower first, eat first, or… well… ahem.
"Did you make lunch yourself, Eric ? I'm really looking forward to it!" Esdeath instantly lit up with a pure, childlike smile, radiant as a blooming lily. In moments like this, it was hard to believe she was a battle-crazed sadist.
"Ara, my apologies, I made half of it too." Kurumi tried to provoke her, but failed miserably.
"Could this be the legendary 'Love Bento' from romance events?" Esdeath didn't even hear Kurumi, continuing to act on her own tempo. She hugged Eric and rubbed her cheek against his like he was a pet.
"Um, how about we eat first? I can't breathe~" Eric , gasping from a combination of pleasurable softness and suffocating compression, pleaded to eat before… anything else.
"So cute~" Esdeath gently stroked his head before letting him go.
Kurumi's gaze was terrifying, but thankfully… nothing happened. Or rather, it was hardly cause for celebration.
...
That night, on the way back—Esdeath launched a surprise attack! Wearing nothing but a shirt, she muttered nonsense like "Night assaults are the true way of romance." Eric covered his eyes with both hands, though his fingers were just wide enough to let an egg slip through.
"Can you please read fewer shoujo novels? All they teach is nonsense!" he said—but in truth, Eric 's heart wasn't resisting as much as his words claimed, as he was slowly pushed down onto the bed.
Amidst their scuffle—bang bang!—two gunshots rang out. The door burst open, and in came Kurumi and Akame in their pajamas. A sight that also brought joy to Eric 's eyes.
Kurumi, face like thunder, shouted, "You've really got guts, Esdeath! You actually froze our room's door shut! What were you trying to do?!"
Akame, equally pale from the cold, nodded in protest. "Yeah, too much."
"Tsk… I didn't freeze it hard enough if you two still got out." Esdeath clicked her tongue, realizing her mistake.
"You froze us too hard, that's why we couldn't get out!" Kurumi shouted. "Any more and we would've died!"
'Hey hey hey, Kurumi, where's your noble lady act?!' Eric mentally shouted.
"She's right. Esdeath, you went too far this time." Even calm, uninvolved Akame took Kurumi's side.
"Oh? Then I guess this is round two of the battle for Eric ?" Esdeath stood tall and proud, showing no concern about what peeked out from beneath her shirt.
...
After returning to Drum Island, they easily found the hiding place of "Viper" Rado Richardson using Captain Jack's compass. Kurumi activated her "City of Devoured Time" domain, quickly dealing with the small fry. Only a few key officers remained—barely a handful.
The title "Viper" suited Richardson perfectly. With cold, narrow eyes, he glared viciously at the group. Rather than attack, he looked for a chance to escape. But within the domain of "City of Devoured Time," he remained drained and sluggish, with the effect growing stronger. Richardson quickly realized: staying here was not an option. He needed to flee.
"Pidis! We split up and regroup at the predetermined location!" Richardson shouted to his vice-captain, hoping to divert attention toward Pidis so he could escape more easily. Of course, he had no intention of going to that location—if the enemy found this hideout, who's to say they wouldn't find the others too? Might as well let his subordinate serve as bait.
"Got it, Captain!" Pidis, trained in treachery, took the cue and turned the trick around—he instantly told the enemy who the captain was. Bounty hunters are greedy after all. They wouldn't go for the lower bounty vice-captain when the bigger fish was right there. With the crew focused on Richardson, he could flee.
"!!" Rado Richardson's eyes grew even colder.
"Hmph, what a great captain… and a wonderful subordinate." Esdeath had many flaws, but also many virtues: she cared for her soldiers and citizens, rejected bribes, and always passed down rewards to her troops. Beloved by civilians and soldiers alike. This spectacle of mutual betrayal? Disgusting.
"So, the lives of you two bastards… are mine to take." Esdeath placed a hand on her hat, raised her sword, and charged forward.
Startled by her speed, Richardson quickly threw the poisoned powder he'd prepared. "Viper" wasn't just a nickname—it reflected his habit of using poison in combat.
"Freeze!" Esdeath had anticipated the move with her Observation Haki. She froze the cloud of poison in midair before it could spread.
"What?!" Richardson had used this exact trick to kill people much stronger than himself. As he reached for a second poison pouch—flash—his left hand flew off in a spray of blood. "Ah! My hand!"
"Killing you now would be a waste. Let's test how your poison works." Truly living up to her title as Queen of Interrogation. "Wrecker" had only experienced corporal punishment. Now Esdeath seemed ready to try chemical torture.
Before the remaining three pirates could react, Richardson was already bound and helpless.
"Run!" one shouted—but just as he did, bzzzzt, a sound reached their ears.
"100,000 Volts: Honey Sparrows!" Three blue birds flew straight into their bodies. Black smoke curled from their skin as they collapsed unconscious.
"Not bad," Eric said, pleased at inventing a new anti-fodder move.
"No, that attack is completely useless," Esdeath commented bluntly. Though she had somewhat changed her habit of acting solely on impulse, she still had no intention of sugarcoating things just to make Eric happy. Her honesty was to prevent him from making fatal mistakes in future battles. Perhaps… that too was her way of showing care?
Why the question mark? Eric consoled himself with that thought.
(END CHAPTER)
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