Chapter 136 CP0 (3)
"A mere pirate could never understand our ideals and convictions!"
"A mere pirate? Says who—your pompous attitude?" Eric's eye twitched. "So your ideals and convictions amount to being lapdogs for the Celestial Dragons?"
"You were only noticed because of your marginal strength. You were given a taste of power by those who truly hold it. At best, you're just watchdogs with the privilege to bite others!"
Left and right, Eric kept throwing around "dog" and "watchdog," causing the CP0 agent to grit his teeth in fury.
"Thirty Million Volts: Thunder Beast!" A massive blue electric wolf bared its fangs and claws as it erupted from Eric's left hand, lunging at the enemy with jaws wide open.
[Rankyaku]
The CP0 was ready. He focused all his strength into his right leg and kicked forward, sending out a blue vacuum slash toward the lightning wolf's mouth, hoping to destroy it in one strike.
Zzzzt!
But the electric wolf bit through the slash, shattering it within its jaws, and surged forward without slowing.
"What?!"
The CP0 leader was shocked. It was too late to dodge—he crossed his arms in front of his chest and activated Armament Haki, coating his whole body.
BZZZTT!
The moment the beast touched him, blue lightning surged wildly across his body, turning him into a glowing blue figure. Electricity exploded in all directions, tearing up the ground.
When the blinding light faded, the white-masked man still stood—his white suit now bearing scorch marks.
"As expected from the Celestial Dragons' strongest shield. Your Armament Haki is no joke. You're a pretty decent meat shield."
"Your strength, however, is nothing impressive. The only reason anyone values you is because you ate the Goro Goro no Mi," the white-masked CP0 sneered, then glanced at Esdeath, who was toying with two agents on her own. "Your subordinates are far stronger than you."
Well, look at that. He was trying the classic tactic—trash talk and sow discord.
"Sigh, I admit I'm not as strong as Esdeath right now," Eric said openly.
This caught CP0 off guard. A criminal as infamous as Eric had just agreed with him. The masked man tilted his head slightly, unable to believe what he'd heard.
What kind of captain admits they're weaker than their own subordinates?
Shouldn't he be flying into a rage and launching himself forward? Or maybe spitting in disdain and shouting, "I'm the strongest one here! She's just one of my pawns!" But Eric… was being civil?
Eric smiled. "There are a lot of people I'm not as good as—Akame's diligence, Chiron's wisdom, Da Vinci's brilliance, Scáthach's valor, Kurumi's gentleness..."
"Eric-..." Kurumi's eyes sparkled like spring water, completely absorbed by his words.
Eric raised a fist and shouted, "Right now, I'm being completely spoiled by all of them!"
The area fell silent.
It was as if someone off-screen let out an awkward "Ah-ho…"
"You… what did you just say?" CP0 asked in disbelief.
"Haah..." Kurumi sighed, "And here I thought you were finally saying something serious."
"Sorry, I had a momentary lapse in judgment," Eric said sincerely. "Want me to say it again?"
"No, absolutely not," Kurumi replied firmly. "Aleph (First Bullet)!"
The black mist from the "Ⅰ" numeral on her clock flowed into her pistol.
BANG!
"What?!" CP0 watched in disbelief as Kurumi—standing on Eric's left—fired directly at his head. Eric, leaning into the act, flung himself right, pretending to be hit and crashing to the ground.
"!?" Then CP0 saw her turn the gun on herself, pointing it under her chin and pulling the trigger—yet she remained standing, unharmed.
"Hey, your acting's terrible." Eric stood and brushed the dust from his clothes.
"I'm not lying on a dirty floor for some act," Kurumi said flatly.
"Sigh, weren't we supposed to be doomed lovers? Torn apart by a blood feud, only to discover one is descended from the other's enemy? Then, driven by vengeance, forced to kill the one they love… and after revenge is fulfilled, taking their own life—"
"Stop! What kind of third-rate melodrama are you quoting?" Kurumi snapped. "Nowadays I'm more into time-travel warrior stories—fighting to defend my people, armor gleaming, spear in hand, riding into battle with seven charges in and out—"
Then she caught herself. "Wait, what are you making me say?!"
Eric quickly pulled out his notebook and jotted it down: "Kurumi wants to become a warrior queen in ancient times…"
The white-masked CP0 just stared at the two of them, dumbfounded by their bizarre play.
CRACK!
Suddenly, a red lightning bolt split the sky, jolting the CP0 out of his stupor.
The sudden bolt struck down toward one of the CP0 agents fighting Esdeath.
[Iron Body]
Though it couldn't block everything, the yellow-masked agent poured all his power into his fist, aiming to counter the red lightning with brute force.
But the red lightning was brighter, fiercer, and faster—as if it had held back earlier just to avoid being seen as a cheap sneak attack.
When the punch met the spearhead, the Armament Haki around the fist was pierced instantly. The red spearhead followed up with explosive force.
CRACK CRACK
A horrifying sound echoed from the CP0's arm—his forearm bones cracked under the pressure.
"AAARGH!"
The CP0 who had been trading blows with Scáthach couldn't hold on anymore and was blasted away with a single blow.
BOOM BOOM BOOM
He smashed through two buildings before finally crashing into a third and coming to a stop.
"Marley!" shouted the CP0 known as Barbo.
"You dare look away in the middle of our fight?!" came Esdeath's icy voice from behind.
Barbo stiffened and quickly turned around.
He and Marley had struggled together against Esdeath—barely holding their own. Now it was just him left.
But the expected strike never came. Esdeath simply stood there, glaring not at Barbo, but at Scáthach, who had just landed nearby.
"You were supposed to be guarding the ship. Why are you trying to steal my prey?"
"I foresaw visitors arriving, so I came to welcome them," Scáthach replied coolly, unfazed by Esdeath's glare. "Besides, you still have one left. I won't interfere with that one."
"Two of them were barely a warm-up. One alone? That's no fun."
Had anyone else said this, CP0 would've stabbed them full of holes with Finger Guns just to teach them a lesson about humility.
But Esdeath was different. She wasn't wrong.
Even with both of them fighting at full power, they had merely kept pace with her. Now, with Scáthach in the mix, Barbo shifted his head slightly, looking toward the mission leader—the white-masked CP0.
Though his face was hidden behind the mask, his grim expression was easy to imagine.
(END CHAPTER)
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