Chapter 270: Edward Weevil
Snowflakes mixed with ice particles fell from the sky, the massive body charging through the snow kicked up large amounts of snow spray, and the gleaming blade, accompanied by the howling wind, passed close to Eric 's side as he tilted his head to dodge.
The enormous roar erupted in the snowstorm, more frost and snow being lifted by the gusts, obscuring the figures of the two in the snow and fog. A huge slash of blade energy shot far ahead, leaving a long and deep mark on the hard ice.
The blade's powerful wind cut against Eric 's side, and the sharp sting made him briefly think that he had been hit by Weevil's strike.
Weevil, missing his attack, quickly adjusted his blade and swept it toward Eric 's legs, the long blade slicing through the air.
Eric 's [Heart Network] had already seen Weevil's intent and preemptively created a hole in his elemental form, narrowly avoiding the strike.
Weevil, not one to give up after a miss, continued his relentless assault, swinging his blade in a continuous flurry, while Eric always narrowly dodged by mere millimeters.
Weevil, who harbored intense vengeance, was becoming increasingly impatient and enraged.
"Damn it, stop dodging!"
The heavy long blade whipped through the air in Weevil's hands, cutting, stabbing, and slashing in a chaotic manner, creating a circle of blade shadows around Eric . Countless blade energies shattered and destroyed the ice in the area.
With a simple mind, Weevil forgot to use his Devil Fruit powers; all he wanted was to chop the dodging person in front of him into minced meat with the huge blade in his hands!
(Attacking Zephyr's ship, Cap said it was a Devil Fruit user's doing, so Zephyr lost his right arm in the fight. During the two years of Luffy's training, only Weevil, Buggy, and Law became the new Seven Warlords, but Oda never revealed Weevil's ability. For now, I'll just write him using a greatsword for his attacks, hoping Oda doesn't surprise us.)
Weevil's strength, speed, and defense were monstrous. In the New World, where powerful pirates abound, he single-handedly wiped out sixteen pirate crews under the Whitebeard Pirates' banner without sustaining any injuries, which spoke volumes.
However, in Eric 's eyes, Weevil's strength was somewhat lacking. Even though his slashes were powerful, his fighting style was monotonous. Despite his speed, his approach was crude and straightforward—charging straight at Eric without any finesse.
"No wonder in various fanfiction versions, Whitebeard II is always portrayed as a weak protagonist's experience package," Eric sneered.
To the simple-minded Weevil, Eric 's words went completely over his head. His mind, filled with thoughts of vengeance, drove him to swing his sword tirelessly, attacking without fear of injury.
His attacks kept missing, which only made him more irritable.
The furious, angry emotions didn't diminish Weevil's combat abilities; instead, they made his strikes more and more powerful.
Even if his Observation Haki was not activated, it didn't matter because his enemy was right in front of him—Disco.
"That's it, keep increasing the attacks, you fatty!" Having been influenced by the battle-hungry Esdeath and Scáthach , Eric also came to enjoy this kind of fiery combat.
His heart was pounding with excitement, his blood flowing, and his fighting spirit was rising to new heights!
Eric stopped dodging and, with his Armament Haki-wrapped fist, struck out against the oncoming blade.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
A cacophony of metal ringing filled the air as the unstoppable strike was blocked by Eric 's fist. Countless blade shadows turned into fist shadows. This was a contest of raw power, Haki against Haki, with no regard for battle techniques or strategies!
A glint of light flashed in Esdeath's eyes. Eric 's momentum was rising with each passing moment in battle, and she needed a balanced fight to temper her own will.
In Akame's eyes, memories surfaced. She thought back to the first time they met: the shy, introverted Eric , who couldn't do anything, gradually growing into the captain of a pirate crew.
Only Kurome seemed a bit worried, as Eric had always fought with a spear in front of her and never with his bare fists against a formidable opponent. The Eight Death ' handle was now damp with her sweat.
The blue and yellow figures tangled in the snowstorm, the Armament Haki-covered long blade and fists colliding more than a hundred times.
The fierce wind couldn't disperse the snow, and the shockwaves couldn't push away the ice shards.
The aftermath of their clash continuously cracked the hard ice beneath them, large fissures snaking toward the three of them.
Eric , with his fighting spirit at its peak, ignored the pain and numbness in his hands, throwing out a flurry of storm-like punches. But in Esdeath's eyes, it seemed like he was flailing wildly.
'Looks like I need to train Eric 's physical techniques more,' Esdeath thought.
The fine patterns on Weevil's long blade began to widen after more than a thousand intense clashes.
"Boom!"
A surprising sound rang out, and the broken ice beneath Weevil's massive weight couldn't bear the strain. His thin left leg sank into the ice, and the long blade he had been swinging stopped immediately.
Taking this opportunity, Eric 's entire right arm turned into cobalt blue lightning, and using a new attack he had been developing, he launched it at Weevil.
"Gamma Lightning Fist!" (Note to the experts, this is just a name, not an actual gamma ray burst.)
All the control power was focused on his right hand, as ultra-high-frequency rays gathered in his fist.
Weevil's heart raced, and relying on instinct, he forcibly pulled his sunken left leg out of the ice. The punch that was meant for his heart landed on his stomach.
Eric 's right arm elongated in an instant, and the punch, carrying the penetrating power of the gamma rays, drove straight into Weevil's abdomen.
"Pff—!"
A spurt of bright red blood shot out from Weevil's mouth.
Though his exterior had no visible wounds, Weevil's stomach was internally hollowed out, creating a massive fatal hole.
Even with Weevil's formidable defense, he couldn't withstand the penetrating power of the gamma rays, which were strong enough to kill any cell in his body.
The gamma rays destroyed all the cells in the path inside Weevil's body, and even though his body was strong, he couldn't heal the terrifying wound with his recovery ability.
The three outside, sensing the change in the battle, immediately felt the shift in energy.
Eric 's stamina had sharply dropped, while Weevil was severely injured, his energy waning.
'This move still isn't perfect, it's too slow. If I miss, I'll lose too much stamina and immediately be counterattacked by a strong enemy...'
Having spent so much energy and stamina on the previous attack, Eric felt his reaction speed slow down, and even the snowflakes, which were originally falling slowly, started speeding up.
"It hurts—!"
Weevil roared loudly, fighting through the intense pain in his stomach, and with a forceful strike, he aimed to chop Eric in half with his blade.
"I'll kill you—!"
"With you?" Eric 's right hand was temporarily too weak to lift, but his left fist, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, crackled with blue-black lightning.
"Your strength isn't enough!" Eric 's left fist, now compacted, slammed down on the huge blade in front of him.
"Boom!"
An even more terrifying shockwave exploded, and the snowstorm surrounding them was finally blown away by the violent wind.
In the brief moment of deadlock, the now-cracked blade couldn't withstand the intense opposition and snapped with a "crack" sound.
"My blade—!"
Weevil's words were cut off as the Haki-wrapped fist struck his chest.
"Pff!"
Like a train crash, Weevil, with his massive frame, was sent flying into the air by a single punch.
"Boom!"
Weevil crashed back down into the ice, deeply embedded in the hard ice layer. His right hand still clutched the blade, but he no longer had the strength to swing it.
"Ha… ha…" The fierce battle had left Eric panting, and the breath he exhaled formed little clouds of vapor in the cold air.
"Ding!"
The broken half of the sword fell from the sky and spun, embedding itself in the ice.
"Mom, it hurts so much…" With a large hole in his chest, the wound charred around the edges, Eric could see Weevil's still-beating heart pumping out blood in spurts.
"Sorry." Eric lowered his head and looked at Weevil, still calling for his mother, his eyes flickering with a touch of reluctance. He muttered softly, "Though most of the time, it was BGin ordering you to kill, once you choose to kill, you have to be ready to die yourself—no matter how low your intelligence, you can't escape this cycle…"
At that moment, the sound of light footsteps approached Eric from behind, and he stopped Speaking.
Kurome, gracefully moving to Eric 's side, sighed, "To not die even after such a heavy injury… truly a monster."
"Yeah, so be careful when you face enemies in the future, don't be careless." Eric warned, "You'll encounter many strange abilities, and they will attack the moment you show a weakness."
"Yes~" Kurome cheerfully raised her hand, stepping on Weevil's stomach, her black pleated skirt fluttering in the wind, and folding her hands behind her back, "As expected, brother-in-law, you have a kind heart~"
[Kurome's affection has increased, bond level remains unchanged.]
"So you heard what I said earlier…" Eric blushed and covered his face.
"Of course~" Kurome turned her upper body around, raised a finger, and winked playfully, "It's a secret only I know~"
"…" Eric 's mind raced, "What do I do, what do I do?! She heard me, how embarrassing!!" The character Eric was rolling on the floor.
"Sorry, but I still have to kill you. However, I'll make sure you die without any pain…" Kurome drew the Eight Death from her waist, the sharp tip gleaming ominously.
"On our thorny road to our goal, your presence will be the cornerstone of this path," she added.
Weevil seemed to understand his final fate, showing his usual silly expression, and muttered, "Mom, I'm coming to find you."
"Pfft"
The tip of Eight Death pierced his still-beating heart, and his heart slowly stopped moving as his eyes began to lose focus.
"Is it over?" Esdeath finally walked over to Akame.
"Yes." Kurome pulled the blade out and jumped off Weevil's body.
"Crack, crack…"
Weevil's body, controlled by Kurome, broke free from the sunk ice and stood beside the group.
"Kurome, wait a moment, don't recall him yet."
"Let's see if he can still use Armament Haki."
"Alright." Kurome nodded, controlling Weevil to swing the blade at an empty space, sending a massive sword energy slicing through the hard ice layer. This was a powerful strike, just like his former strength.
"Very good…" Eric , sensing the Armament Haki from the strike, finally relaxed, relieved that the most important ability was still usable.
"Brother-in-law, I feel a power rapidly disappearing from Weevil's body…" Kurome frowned.
"…He seems to be a Devil Fruit user?" Eric suddenly recalled, "But he never used his ability during the battle."
"Can you still control him to use his ability?"
Kurome shook her head, "No, it's already gone."
Eric confirmed, "I see, it looks like those killed by Eight Death can't retain their Devil Fruit abilities."
"How strange…" Kurome frowned, "I've controlled someone who could use an Imperial Tool, like Natarra, why can't I keep the Devil Fruit ability?"
Eric thought for a moment, "It might be because of the soul."
The other three frowned simultaneously, "Soul?"
"Yeah." Eric recalled some fragmented memories, "There are examples of inanimate objects eating Devil Fruits."
"Eh?"
"'Inanimate objects of true love' have 'souls,' they don't have flesh or ability to move, yet when they eat a Devil Fruit (usually Zoans), they gain a physical form. This means the Devil Fruit actually resides in their soul."
"I see." Esdeath pondered the conclusion: "And Eight Death controls the souls of those killed by the sword. Once they die, the Devil Fruit loses its host, which is why the ability can't be retained."
"I see, that's such a shame." Kurome sighed.
Akame also sighed with relief, 'His soul has probably returned to the earth…'
"Your weapon is already very powerful," Eric said with a bitter smile, "Let's recall
Weevil, and go ask Da Vinci to help modify his body."
Kurome tilted her head, "?"
"In the battle, I noticed his weak lower body is his only weakness."
"His only weakness? Isn't it his intelligence?" Akame asked rhetorically.
"...His two weaknesses." Eric suddenly thought of Zephyr. "Esdeath, you didn't do anything to the Navy, right?"
Esdeath shrugged, "They were too weak to catch my interest, and the only one with real strength got seriously injured."
"But Eric , your physical techniques are a bit weak, you need to strengthen them."
"Eh?"
"From today on, I'm going to give you special training in physical techniques. Be prepared!"
"Eh?!"
◇
"Wendy, did you go to help that instructor with his injuries?" Eric asked, surprised.
"Mm…" Wendy nodded, her head lowered as if she had done something wrong, and quietly asked, "Eric , did I make a mistake by healing that Navy officer?"
"No, Wendy." Eric gently patted Wendy's head, "Keep being the kind-hearted you, we genuinely like your gentleness, Wendy."
"Hehe…" Wendy gave a shy smile.
Eric curiously asked, "But Zephyr actually agreed to let you heal his injuries?"
Chiron explained, "Maybe because of Wendy's pure, innocent eyes, he was very calm at the time. After the treatment, he even tried to persuade Wendy to 'change sides' and join the Navy."
Eric gritted his teeth, "That guy! I saved his student... and now he's publicly trying to poach my people! What a jerk!"
"Of course, I refused!" Wendy waved her small fists. "I'm the ship doctor of the Dawn Pirates. I'm going to protect everyone aboard the Dawn!"
"Ah, Wendy-chan, you're so cute!" Miku jumped at Wendy.
"Ah!" Wendy skillfully dodged, and Miku pounced on Eric instead.
"Pounced on Darin? Not bad..." Miku rubbed her face against his head.
"Not bad?" Eric sighed and ruffled Miku 's hair.
Eric and Kurome entered Da Vinci's lab together.
"No free lunch in the world, Captain Eric , Kurome-chan." Da Vinci, who was hunched over writing, looked up, took off his glasses, "What's up?"
"Yes, we want to ask Da Vinci to help modify his body."
Kurome drew out the Eight Death , raised the blade, and the black sphere on the tip released ominous black lightning.
"Zzzz…"
"Crack, crack…"
The steel floor cracked open, and two thick arms reached out, with a massive figure crawling out from beneath the floor.
"Eh?"
Da Vinci stared blankly at the hole in front of him—
Eric and Kurome also stared at the large hole in the ground.
"Kurome, don't summon puppets on the ship again."
"Mm—sorry."
(END CHAPTER)
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