Chapter 217: The One Hundred Million Agreement
Kurome gently squatted down in front of Nami, handing her a handkerchief.
Pfft Nami blew her nose hard on it, leaving a large, sticky, crystalline trail of mucus.
Eric : 'So this is what was on my shoulder!'
Kurome turned her head, curiously asking, "Eric , what do you plan to do with this little girl now that you've brought her back?"
Eric jokingly replied, "Eat her. Should I braise her, or steam her?"
The small Nami's shoulder trembled, and her big, cute eyes quickly filled with tears once again.
Kurumi harshly twisted Eric 's waist, snatching the used handkerchief from Nami's hand. She carefully wiped Nami's face again with it, rubbing the snot back onto her face.
After the handkerchief was used to wipe Nami's face, her skin appeared translucent and shining, though that layer was still snot...
Nami: "..."
Eric : "..."
"Ah, much better now," Kurumi said with satisfaction, standing in front of Nami with a serene and noble smile. If it weren't for her shoulders shaking and her face stiff with the effort of holding back laughter, Nami might have been fooled by Kurumi's graceful demeanor.
"Cough, cough," Eric broke the silence, coughing to regain attention, and then said to Nami, "Even if the villagers in your village are brave and united, they can't compete against those pirates who've fought for their lives."
"This is an era of pirates. From what's happened today, I can tell that in the coming years, many more pirates will visit here. Many people will die, possibly your Mr. Genzo, or even your mother—Bellemere..."
Hearing that Bellemere might be in danger, Nami hastily raised her head, "Then, what should we do? How can we save Bellemere? How can we stop everyone from getting hurt?"
"Sign a contract with me," Eric said. "You pay me one hundred million berries, and I'll lend you the Dawn Pirate flag."
"One hundred million berries?!" Nami widened her eyes, "I don't have that much money..."
"Of course, you don't have to pay me now," Eric interrupted. "Let me think... Ah, eight years from now, by the end of 1520 in the Sea Calendar, you need to save up the money. Before then, I'll lend you the pirate flag."
"...Will the Dawn Pirate flag really be useful?" Nami asked skeptically.
"Don't believe me? Well, it's good to be cautious since you've been like this since you were little... Let me show you the weight of the Dawn Pirate's name."
At that moment, a loud shout came from outside, "Nami!!"
Nami instantly recognized the voice she had heard since she was a child, "It's Bellemere!"
"Did she come here already? She probably hasn't even bandaged her wounded arm..." Eric admired and was irritated by the reckless actions of people in the pirate world.
"Nami!!" Another shout came, "Darren Eric , where have you taken Nami?!"
"Bellemere!" Nami climbed onto the ship's railing, "I'm fine, hurry back!"
Bellemere was followed by Genzo and Dr. Nakao, who seemed to want to stop her, but they were unsuccessful.
"Nami!" Bellemere saw that Nami was unharmed, her expression finally relaxing a bit, "I'll come save you right now."
"Don't come over, Bellemere!"
Eric flashed beside Bellemere, "You'll die if you do."
'So fast! I didn't even see his movement.' Despite knowing she was no match for him, Bellemere, as a mother, still tried to attack Eric .
Her injured left arm swung through the air, and her right leg lifted high, sweeping toward Eric 's head. Then, her right foot passed right through Eric 's head.
"What?!"
The position where her foot passed through was surrounded by blue electricity, which slowly became Eric 's head.
"Understand now? You can't even touch me, yet you still want to seek your own death?"
"Bellemere, go back, I'm fine!" Nami shouted anxiously from the ship.
"Did you hear that?" Eric smiled, "Your daughter is calling you to go back."
"What did you do to Nami?" Genzo couldn't help but step forward.
"I'm not obligated to explain myself to you," Eric coldly said. "Do you want to stay alive and watch Nami get taken away, or do you want Nami to see your corpses before I take her away?"
"What kind of mother wouldn't do anything when watching her daughter be taken by pirates?!" Bellemere swung her injured arm and charged again.
Bang! Eric landed a punch on her stomach.
Nami and Genzo yelled, "Bellemere!"
"She should be unconscious for a day," Eric gently placed Bellemere's body down. "Let her rest and heal. Does she still need her arm?"
Genzo asked hoarsely, "What do you want to do?"
"Me?" Eric looked back with a domineering tone, "I want to trample the entire world under my feet!"
"Mm, that's quite a domineering sentence, I'll write it down," Eric took out a small notebook.
Kurome bluntly said, "But Eric , you're already standing on top of the world."
Kurome patted Eric 's shoulder and sincerely said, "Sister, by Speaking so directly, what about your husband's face?"
"..." Eric silently crossed out the sentence in his notebook.
...
Eric took Nami on a tour around the nearby seas. They encountered several pirate crews, all of which fled upon seeing the Dawn Pirate flag.
Nami fully understood the power behind the Dawn Pirate's name.
"So, what do you think? Is the contract settled?"
"Mm." Nami thought for a long time before nodding, but then asked anxiously, "What if, after eight years, I haven't saved up one hundred million berries...?"
"The punishment for breaking the contract is severe," Eric smiled, though his smile held a hint of cruelty. "Not only will you die, but the villagers of Cocoa West Village will all die too, including your Bellemere."
"!" Nami gritted her teeth.
"Don't think of running away. The consequences of deceiving me are severe," Eric waved his hand, and with a roar of thunder, he shattered a desolate rocky island, the broken rocks sinking into the sea.
"!" Witnessing Eric 's power, Nami finally discarded her little thoughts of escape.
Eric pushed a thick stack of nautical books toward Nami.
"What's this?"
"Knowledge. At least it will allow you to navigate the seas on your own," Eric said expressionlessly. "If you die out there, my one hundred million berries will be wasted."
"..." Nami silently took the books. The weight of the books made her small body stumble.
"Gin , Little Eight, take her back."
"Yes."
"Nu, yes."
The octopus Fish-Man, Little Eight, had been taught a lesson by Esdeath, and under Eric 's orders, he secretly protected Nami, reporting their status every month until eight years later, when he would be given his freedom.
Simple and honest, Little Eight truly believed in Eric 's agreement, but unfortunately, his distinctive mouth made it impossible for him to disguise himself, so his situation in Cocoa West Village would likely not be too good.
As the three of them boarded land, Kurumi approached Eric , gently asking, "Does it feel bad to be the bad guy?"
"We're pirates, even if we're misunderstood, it doesn't matter," Eric smiled silently, placing his hand on Kurumi's head. "You also suffered when you were the bad guy in the past, even though you're so gentle."
"Ah, I've forgotten all about the past," Kurumi leaned her head in. "Can you tell me about my past?"
"You, huh, you used to be a gentle young lady..."
Their heads got closer and closer.
(END CHAPTER)
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