Chapter 178: Porche Eats the Doa Doa Fruit
"Buzz~" Scáthach was unleashing Conqueror's Haki toward Porche and the others.
At that moment, only the fishman Lant, Mont Blanc Cricket, and Gin remained standing. The other women had collapsed unconscious on the ground.
Gin , with both hands on his knees, whispered, "I finally endured the shock of Conqueror's Haki this time."
"Just enduring our Conqueror's Haki isn't enough. This time we're facing a 'Sea Emperor'—BIG MOM. Her Conqueror's Haki is even more powerful, capable of creating actual storms."
Ever since they decided to confront the Charlotte family, everyone began intensive training to increase their tolerance to Conqueror's Haki.
Awakened by Eric, Porche rubbed her reddened knees over and over, whining softly, "Ugh~ That fall really hurt."
"Hm, that reminds me," Eric then laid a layer of soft carpet on the training room floor and pressed it with his hand. "Now falling won't hurt anymore."
"You're a devil!" Perona shouted in her loli voice. "Porche clearly meant she wanted to take a break!"
"Mm-hmm-hmm," Porche nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"But I didn't hear her say that," Eric shrugged innocently. Then suddenly, his eyes turned sharp and he released a close-range burst of Conqueror's Haki.
"Buzz~"
"Ugh…" Porche and Perona, caught completely off guard, both rolled their eyes and passed out.
"We still need to keep training hard," Eric said, causing Gin beside him to shudder.
Eric then adjusted his crew's stats based on their needs: he increased Chiron's physique from five-and-a-half stars to six-and-a-half, upgraded Scáthach's Armament Haki from five-and-a-half stars to six, and her Conqueror's Haki from four-and-a-half to five stars. He also used up all his remaining bond points, including the one-month bond reward from Deidara's arrival.
…
Eric returned to the break room and found a very worn-out Deidara.
"Yo, Deidara. Is Da Vinci's project done?"
Deidara, chin resting on the table, replied weakly, "Yeah. She actually stuffed my explosive clay into artillery shells. I can't believe she thought of that."
"Let's hope you don't shout 'Bang!' and blow up the entire ammunition depot."
"As if I would! Hmm."
"You only made the chakra-enhanced C2 type?"
"I made a few C3s too, but not many. They can only be used when I'm present. As for C4, it's not really suitable for stuffing into shells."
"I see. By the way, a lot of future enemies will be able to use Moonwalk. Your air superiority won't mean much anymore, so be careful when engaging in the sky."
"Hm?" Deidara finally looked serious. "That technique where they step on air to ascend? Yeah, that's annoying."
"If everyone can fly, your C2 dragon landmine strategy will be useless."
"Only the stronger ones can do that. The landmines can still deal with small fries. But laying them needs coordination, and none of us can use Earth Release."
"…Tch, how troublesome," Deidara frowned.
"Enemies here generally have high physical defense. I hope you boost the explosive power of your clay rather than just increasing the blast range," Eric said before leaving the room.
Deidara looked at his hand. The tongue in his palm flicked up and down repeatedly as he smirked. "I wonder how easily their cells can be destroyed."
…
After seven or eight days of sailing, they reached a small island in Paradise and easily found the goal of their journey.
Eric held a Devil Fruit in his hand and tossed it lightly. "Didn't expect it to be this easy to find the Doa Doa Fruit. Maybe the rarity of Devil Fruits is just because they grow on deserted islands and go undiscovered for long periods."
"So this is a Devil Fruit?" Deidara leaned in to take a look. "Doesn't seem like a big deal, just looks weird. Hmm."
"You're able to make clay because of a Devil Fruit. A person can only eat one. A second will make you explode and die. Want to test that?"
Upon hearing Eric's words, Deidara quickly retracted his stretched neck. "No thanks."
Chiron naturally asked, "So, who's going to eat this Devil Fruit, Captain? Do you have someone in mind?"
"Of course." Eric turned his gaze to Porche.
"Me?" Porche pointed at herself uncertainly.
"Yes."
Porche held her flushed cheeks with both hands and shyly said, "Oh~ I couldn't possibly… I haven't done anything important for the team. This fruit is too precious. Besides, Akame hasn't eaten a fruit—let her have it first."
The silent Akame spoke up, "Once you eat a Devil Fruit, you can't swim. If Eric falls into the sea, I need to be able to save him."
"Akame…" Eric was touched—until she continued, "Also, Devil Fruits taste terrible."
Everyone's inner thought: 'That's probably the real reason…'
"Then is there anyone else…"
"Da Vinci has the Swallow-Swallow Fruit, Chiron has the Horse-Horse Fruit, Kurumi has the Slow-Slow Fruit, Esdeath has the Cold-Cold Fruit, Scáthach has the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, Perona has the Ghost Fruit, and Deidara has the Clay Fruit."
Eric counted on his fingers. "Among those who haven't eaten a fruit, it's just Akame, Uncle Mont Blanc Cricket, you, Carla, Kana, Lant, and Gin ."
Speaking quickly, Eric kept Porche so focused that she didn't notice the issue with Kurumi's fruit being similar to Foxy's.
"I already have a Devil Fruit planned for Akame in the future. Lant is a fishman—his ability to swim freely is a huge advantage, so he can't become a fruit user."
Akame looked deeply pained hearing that she'd have to eat a fruit one day.
Lant, as usual, silently nodded.
"As for Uncle Mont Blanc Cricket…"
Before Eric could finish, Mont Blanc Cricket raised a hand. "I don't want to be a landlubber. Then I couldn't search for treasure underwater. Swimming freely in the ocean is every man's dream!"
"See…" Eric shrugged. "The Carla-Kana sisters are still weak. If BIG MOM knocks them out with her Conqueror's Haki, we'll be in big trouble."
Carla seriously persuaded her, "Porche, you shouldn't refuse. Go ahead and eat the Devil Fruit."
Kana echoed her sister, "That's right. Porche, you're the best choice right now to fully utilize this fruit's abilities."
Porche was finally persuaded. Carefully, she picked up the Devil Fruit, took a hopeful bite, and the crisp crunch echoed in her mouth. But then her once-clear eyes filled with bloodshot veins.
"Blegh—"
She was about to vomit it up when an arm wrapped around her waist, and a hand covered her mouth.
Eric whispered, "It's a Devil Fruit. It only works if you swallow it. You can't spit it out."
Porche seemed to forget how to swallow. She held the posture for a while, and only after her slender neck bobbed three times did Eric remove his hand from her mouth.
"Ha~ ha~" Porche gasped for air, eyes dazed. A line of sparkling drool slipped from the corner of her mouth. Her expression looked completely broken.
Everyone around them took a collective step back, distancing themselves from the scumbag who had just bullied the girl.
["May I ask where one finds a recommendation? The shepherd boy points toward the Starting Point Academy!"]
(END CHAPTER)
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