Chapter 227: The Second Recruitment
Kurome sat carefree on the ship's rail, her slender little legs, which had once been wrapped in black stockings, now fully exposed as they dangled outside the ship, swinging up and down in the air.
Having discarded her identity as an imperial assassin and with her body now healed, Kurome could finally live like an ordinary young girl, carefree and without worries.
The splashes from the ship's movement hit her soft, fair legs, the cold water making her let out a few small, cute exclamations.
"Ah!" Suddenly, something cold touched her neck, causing Kurome to jump up in surprise.
"Be careful." Eric , who had approached from behind, caught Kurome as she nearly fell from the ship's rail.
"It's your fault, brother-in-law!" Kurome complained, blushing as she was held in Eric 's arms.
"Now that you're healed, you shouldn't be out here in the sea breeze for too long." Eric gently set Kurome down, his eyes glancing at the neatly arranged black leather shoes nearby, which had a thin layer of black stockings on top. Due to the wind, one of the stockings had fallen off the deck.
"So happy..." Kurome stood up on the ship's rail and walked like a wooden puppet, her two soft, white legs passing by in front of her. Gurgling sounds were heard.
"When I was little, it was just me and my sister, relying on each other. When I grew up, I was sent on impossible missions for the empire's secret division..." Kurome stood playfully in front of Eric , her delicate little foot raised and her tiny ankle twisting at an angle.
"Thanks to my brother-in-law... I was able to reunite with my sister, and now I can live the way I am now." Kurome slightly turned her head, her hands clasped behind her back, and a tear of joy glistened in her eyes.
[Kurome's affection has greatly increased, Friendship Level 3 (Trusting Friends) has risen to Friendship Level 4 (Intimate Friends), earning 3 points of bond.]
Eric was about to speak when a sea breeze blew by, lightly lifting her pleated black skirt...
Eric 's eyes were caught by the blue and white stripes.
Whoosh—
Kurome immediately pressed down her skirt with both hands.
Bending down slightly, Kurome raised her head, her face flushed with embarrassment, "Did you see?"
"..." Eric 's brain quickly turned. He suddenly rubbed his eyes vigorously, "Ah, a grain of sand got blown into my eyes just now. It's so uncomfortable, I can't see anything clearly..."
While Speaking, he walked back to the cabin, perfectly on track.
"..." Kurome watched Eric 's poor acting and couldn't help but giggle, "What's this? That was some unconvincing acting."
"Just now, brother-in-law even looked at the stockings..." Kurome picked up the black stockings that had fallen on the deck, thinking, "Could it be... a stocking fetish?"
She spread the mouth of the stockings, slid her left foot into them, the soft skin rubbing against the smooth black silk, making a rustling sound. "No wonder sister always wears black stockings... turns out it's because my sister's black thigh-highs don't match my brother-in-law's... preferences!"
"I have to make sure my sister changes her gear!" After putting on the stockings, Kurome realized what the problem was and immediately went to the restaurant to find her sister.
Eric kept sneezing, "Achoo, achoo," while Perona by his side looked at him with disgust, "How gross!"
Then Eric made sure Perona understood what "stir-fried chestnuts" meant.
...
"The North Sea is a bit cold..." Everyone was wearing thick cotton clothes.
"It's alright, not as cold as the northern part of the empire." Esdeath was still in her white military uniform, not at all concerned about the low temperature here.
"Esdeath's abilities probably make her immune to the cold... Genos , aren't you cold?"
"Hi, Captain Eric ," Genos , bare-chested, answered, "Although I can sense the temperature, I'm not afraid of the cold. Even though low temperatures cause some energy loss, it doesn't affect me or my movements."
"I really envy these two guys." Eric adjusted his scarf and looked at Kurome, "Your body still needs some recuperation, so you should stay on the ship with Da Vinci."
"I want to move with my sister and brother-in-law, and I'm perfectly fine," Kurome replied, spinning around twice. "Everyone else is suffering outside for my sake, and I'm the only one staying in the warm room. That's not fair."
"..." Eric didn't dare to speak. In fact, the Silent Fruit was available in the system's store. Eric had even taken a glance at the price before, which was 300 million Berries, but after coming out of Law's clinic, the price had suddenly risen to 1 billion.
Is this some kind of black Friday trick?!
Are they playing the game of raising the price at the last minute?!
Eric was inwardly cursing the system.
Reluctantly unwilling to spend, Eric had to make his crew suffer with him.
After overcoming many obstacles, they finally obtained this Devil Fruit worth 1 billion Berries.
The price in the system store dropped back to the original price...
...
The North Sea, an uninhabited desert island.
"...I didn't expect you to find me so quickly, Mr. Eric ." Law, although knowing he couldn't escape Eric 's search, still felt uneasy at being found so quickly.
They hadn't been seen during their voyage, nor had they stopped to resupply, but the Dawn Pirates had easily found them.
'There must be someone among them with the ability to locate others.' This was the conclusion Law reached.
'Not only can they find people, but they can also locate objects. Otherwise, how could they find such a specific Devil Fruit so quickly in such a vast world? It took me and Corazon half a year to find the Surgery Fruit.'
"Here you go, this is the Silent Fruit." Eric handed the newly obtained Devil Fruit to Law. "I keep my word."
"This is... Corazon's fruit..." Law's muscles tensed as he fixed his eyes on the Devil Fruit held in Eric 's hands.
"Your cold, detached persona is about to collapse."
Eric 's words snapped Law out of his reverie, and with an expressionless face, he said, "Since that's the case, I've received the payment for the surgery. Our transaction is concluded."
"Wait, Law." Eric stopped him. "You should know the value of your Surgery Fruit, right? Not only is 'Warlord' Doflamingo looking for you, but even the Celestial Dragon's direct agency 'CP0' is looking for you."
"So what?" Law's voice remained cold. "I've been hiding from them for three years."
"Or perhaps, 'Emperor' Eric , you want to achieve immortality?" As he said this, Law mentally prepared for battle.
"Huh?" The other members of the Dawn Pirates paused in surprise. "Immortality?!"
Seeing their surprise, which didn't seem to be fake, Law asked, "You didn't tell them about this?"
"The fewer people who know, the better. It's for your own safety." Eric sighed. "I've found my own way to achieve immortality, so I don't value your ability that much."
"However, I do value you as a person." Eric extended his right hand again. "Law, join my crew."
This was Eric 's second offer to recruit, and Law wasn't at all surprised. It actually made sense.
What surprised him a bit was that Eric claimed to know a way to achieve immortality.
Law sneered, "Aren't you afraid that I'll spread the word about the way you know to achieve immortality all over the world?"
"You're not that kind of person." Eric said, "I'm not a scum like Doflamingo."
Akame stepped forward, "Although Eric tells little lies, he is still a capable captain."
Eric : "Hey!"
Scáthach , who had already used [Far Sight] to see the future, smiled slightly.
(END CHAPTER)
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