Chapter 176: Searching for the Doa Doa Fruit
"If we keep fighting, we're bound to win this battle. Why should we retreat?" Esdeath was dissatisfied with the retreat order.
"That's right, this doesn't count as a proper battle result," Scáthach echoed. These two queen-like women were particularly battle-hungry…
Being pressured by the two of them, Eric could only patiently explain, "We went to challenge Garp not to determine a winner…"
"It's for that female marine, right?" Kurumi interrupted Eric, her beautiful eyes reflecting his figure. "What, are you trying to play a pirate-capturing-marine cosplay? Look~"
Kurumi nodded toward Esdeath. "Here's a female general. Although the outfit's a little different, close enough. Just use her."
Esdeath pulled a notebook from the pouch at her chest and started writing. "Eric's hobby is cosplay. What is cosplay?"
Eric: "…"
Esdeath's serious note-taking eased the atmosphere on the spot.
"Eric, here," Akame handed Shusui back to Eric. "This sword is really heavy."
"How did it feel when you used it?"
"Thick and resilient. It feels completely different from Murasame."
"This is one of the 21 Great Grade Swords, a national treasure of Wano. You hold onto it for now. Since your swordsmanship has reached a bottleneck, maybe using this sword will bring you new insights."
"Alright." Akame nodded and accepted Shusui, hanging it at her waist without hesitation.
"Captain Eric!" Gin , who had been waiting on the ship, looked at his captain with admiration. "Captain, your battle with Vice Admiral Garp was absolutely amazing! I'll definitely train harder so I can join the fight as soon as possible!"
"Especially that first punch from Garp , spinning you around like a roulette wheel and sending you flying—so funny, right? Captain little brother~" Da Vinci spoke with a beaming smile, but her words made Eric's face burn with embarrassment.
"T-That was an accident…" Eric's eyes darted around for an excuse. "Wait a second, you all weren't in a spot where you could see the fight."
"Ta-da-da-da~" Da Vinci had a smug expression, ready with her answer. "Behold, my mechanical bird!"
The mechanical bird perched on Da Vinci's right shoulder spread its metallic wings, took off, and circled overhead.
"Ooooh!" Everyone applauded enthusiastically.
Deidara, oblivious to the mood, scoffed, "So it can fly. My explosive clay can do that too—hot, hot, hot!"
Da Vinci's mechanical arm on her left side sprayed scorching flames at Deidara, who had just made a snide remark.
"Your art is truly powerful! It's in no way inferior to my explosive art."
"You just complimented yourself with that line…" Da Vinci extinguished the flames punishing Deidara.
Pointing to the bird's eyes, Da Vinci said, "I used the camera in the mechanical bird to film your battle."
"That's not a big deal—cold, cold, cold!"
Da Vinci's mechanical arm sprayed icy air, leaving a trail of frost behind the fleeing Deidara.
…
Garp , who didn't use his full strength and allowed the Eric Pirates to escape successfully, stood with most of his blue shirt torn and several wounds on his arms. Although he looked battered, he was otherwise unharmed.
"Vice Admiral Garp , are you alright?" Tashigi was a little worried. Witnessing the fierce battle from start to finish gave her a new understanding of Garp 's strength and made her realize how insignificant her own power was.
"No problem. Hahaha!" Garp still flashed his trademark toothy grin and maintained his usual strong demeanor. "This is bad though. We didn't catch them this time. It'll be even harder the next time…"
"Vice Admiral Garp … your injuries?"
"Huh? These small wounds will heal in a few days!" Garp waved dismissively and picked up the admiral's cloak he had thrown aside earlier, dusting off the dirt on it.
'I need to inform Sengoku soon, but…' Garp walked ahead, frowning in thought. 'To capture them, we'd need at least two admiral-level marines. The Navy just doesn't have the manpower right now…'
'Red-Haired Shanks is clashing with veteran pirate crews in the New World; BIG MOM is expanding and rumored to be forging alliances; Kaido is frantically recruiting Zoan-type ability users to build his army; Whitebeard is occupying islands, claiming them as his own territory; even the surveillance ships sent to the New World have been sunk…'
'Well, I'll let Sengoku worry about these headaches…'
"Vice Admiral Garp , Vice Admiral Garp !" Tashigi's voice finally brought Garp back to his senses.
"Hm? What is it?"
Tashigi made up her mind and bowed to Garp . "Vice Admiral Garp , please teach me Armament Haki and martial arts!"
"Armament Haki isn't something you learn that easily…"
"I will learn it!" Tashigi's determined eyes caught Garp 's attention.
"Hahahahaha!" Garp laughed heartily. "My special training isn't easy, little girl."
"I'll endure it!"
Garp grinned from ear to ear. "…Alright then. Since that's the case, I won't go easy on you."
"I wouldn't want you to!"
"You seem very rational. Why would you make a decision like this?" Garp looked curious.
Tashigi gritted her teeth. "I want to capture Darren Eric with my own hands!"
Especially when she said Eric's name, it sounded like she wanted to crush her teeth.
Garp immediately adopted a gossiping expression, cupping his hand over his mouth and whispering into Tashigi's ear, "What exactly is your relationship with that kid? Did he really lead you on and ditch you?"
"No way!" Tashigi, usually composed, snapped in rage.
…
The battle between Garp and the Eric Pirates didn't make it into the newspapers, but Marine Headquarters quietly raised Eric's bounty to over one billion.
[Achievement Unlocked: "Legendary Pirate (Bounty over 1 Billion)" — Achievement Points +4]
The system immediately notified Eric.
"Captain, if we keep sailing forward, we'll enter the Calm Belt."
"Teacher Chiron, keep going," Eric held the Jack Compass in his hand. The needle pointed straight ahead. "We still need the power of that fruit."
"What fruit?"
"The Doa Doa Fruit." Eric stared at the system shop interface no one else could see. The Doa Doa Fruit was still displayed on the shelf, its one-billion-beris price suffocating. Unwilling to spend the money, Eric decided to go after it himself.
The Doa Doa Fruit was a powerful tool for both attack and escape. Whether launching a surprise attack with his companions from inside enemy territory or escaping an encirclement, it was extremely useful.
Compared to the Mirror Mirror Fruit, which required mirrors to move, the Doa Doa Fruit allowed portals to open anywhere in the air, enabling free movement. However, it lacked the Mirror Mirror Fruit's abilities like reflection and mirroring, making it more of a support-type power.
Eric glanced at Porche. 'If I find the Doa Doa Fruit… should I let her eat it?'
Porche: "?"
(END CHAPTER)
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