Chapter 142: Heading to the East Blue
The battle with CP0 last night left Eric physically and mentally exhausted.
Although he ate the senzu beans to fully restore his strength, after returning to the ship, Eric used every method to try and remove the two women who were clinging to him.
Whether it was gentle persuasion or trying to tickle them, nothing worked.
As Kurumi said, as long as Esdeath didn't let go, she wouldn't either. Eric's sensory cells instantly activated, and all of them moved to his back.
At that moment, Esdeath seemed to be in a trance, not hearing anything, only tightly hugging Eric with a flushed face.
Helpless, Eric had no choice but to stand and sleep in his room.
It wasn't until the next morning that the constant "ding ding" sound of the system woke him up.
Opening his eyes groggily, he found that he, Kurumi, and Esdeath were already lying together on his bed, fully clothed.
At that moment, the two women seemed to have been disturbed by Eric's movements, and their long eyelashes trembled slightly. In a moment, both of their eyes slowly opened.
"..." Eric stiffened, unable to explain himself. He greeted them awkwardly: "Good morning?"
Esdeath, who usually freely showed her affection, had a blush creeping up her cheeks again. She lightly parted her alluring lips and said, "Such boldness..."
Eric: "..."
It wasn't me, I didn't do it, don't say that.
The three denials flashed in Eric's mind, but he dared not say them aloud.
"Don't overthink it," Kurumi smirked, "Eric is just a man with thoughts but no courage. I'm the one who moved the three of us to the bed."
"What?!" Eric was stunned. "Esdeath, did you sleep holding me last night?"
"You also slept standing up, didn't you?" Kurumi responded sarcastically, "You two are quite the same."
"Eric, even this annoying guy says we are a perfect match."
"No, you probably don't understand, 'half a pound and eight ounces' is a derogatory term."
The morning was filled with chaos, but they finally managed to escape the embrace of the two women.
...
"Yo, kid, you have to take care of your health, Waking up so late." As they entered the dining room, Da Vinci teased.
Eric responded gloomily, "No, I didn't do anything."
"Hmm?" Da Vinci looked him up and down in confusion, "I see you're healthy, there shouldn't be any issues in that regard, need me to give you a check-up?"
Eric's face darkened; such questions only made things worse, so he stayed silent.
Akame brought three servings of breakfast, "Here."
"Thanks." The three of them thanked her, then began eating breakfast.
As Eric ate, he checked the system messages that had come through.
[Monthly Task 9: A Man's Word]
[Content: Fulfill your promise and take the people you've saved to the peaceful East Blue. Task Rewards: 1 Achievement Point / 2 Bond Points]
First, the task gave rewards that were neither here nor there, but Eric really should complete what he promised.
[Achievement Unlocked: "Kill a CP0 Member" Achievement, 2 Achievement Points]
[Achievement Unlocked: "Total Bounty of Pirate Crew Exceeds 2.5 Billion" Achievement, 5 Achievement Points]
'Looks like my bounty is going to increase quite a bit, heh heh.' Eric smiled internally, thinking that the World Government was giving him free advertising.
"Captain, where are we going next?" Chiron asked, inquiring about the captain's plans.
"East Blue, first, let's drop these civilians off the ship. It's inhumane to make them run around with us risking our lives."
"Understood." Chiron nodded seriously and went to the control room, steering the ship according to the 'Jack's Compass,' heading toward East Blue.
At that moment, after finishing her breakfast, Kurumi elegantly wiped her mouth with a napkin, smiling at Eric, "Now that we've had enough to eat, it's time for Eric to experience some punishment games."
"Eh?" Eric was stunned, cautiously asking, "What did I do wrong?"
"You haven't even realized your mistake, so the punishment must be increased."
"No," Eric said with a serious face, "I've done many things wrong."
"Go on," Kurumi raised one beautifully wrapped leg, crossing it over the other, striking a pose she had never done before. "Where did you go wrong?"
Eric: "..."
...
"So, Kurumi wrapped you up like this?" Da Vinci looked at Eric, whose jaw was wrapped up in a large bandage, his chin sticking out, and burst out laughing.
"Ugh ugh ugh (What's so funny?!)" Eric, with his mouth and jaw wrapped, couldn't speak and could only complain through his nose.
"Hahahaha," the laughter intensified.
"Hmm hmm hmm," Kurumi crossed her arms, "This was punishment for making me anxious."
"Ugh ugh ugh (I'll never do it again)."
"Just agreeing with your mouth won't work. You have to keep this look for at least three days for it to serve as punishment."
"Ugh ugh ugh (But I can't eat like this)."
"Oh..." Kurumi then realized that Eric couldn't eat in this state. She had just wanted him to understand how everyone felt when his jaw was broken.
"As long as you get the necessary nutrients," Da Vinci suggested, "There's saline solution and glucose here, we can just use an IV to administer it."
"Ugh ugh (Are you a devil?)"
Da Vinci, confused, asked, "What's he saying?"
Akame bluntly replied, "He says you're a devil."
"Perfect, I wanted to dissect your body and see how your body parts are elementalized," Da Vinci said with a sinister smile, moving closer to Eric.
"Ugh (I'm sorry, save me)!"
"He says he's sorry and calling for help."
"So why is it that you all understand what he's saying, and I don't?!" Da Vinci was upset, "I'm supposed to be the smartest genius, I should be able to understand this language!"
...
Two days after setting sail, the Unafraid was navigating according to the compass's guidance.
Chiron, the lookout, reported the situation ahead, "Captain, the sea in front is very calm, and the clouds in the sky aren't moving. This should be the so-called calm belt."
"Ugh."
Akame, now the translator, added, "Let's go, but be careful of the giant sea kings in the calm belt."
Esdeath's expression turned predatory, like a hunter spotting large prey, "The super dangerous species of this world, I really want to go on a proper hunt."
"Eric~ let's hunt the sea kings together with our bare hands!"
(END CHAPTER)
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