Chapter 68: The Thriller Bark (Part 1)
Although the warship was completed, Eric didn't immediately set sail for the Florian Triangle. Instead, the crew remained in Water 7 for ten more days, helping Tom's workshop lay down a significant section of the sea train track.
"Ah, thank you so much. This way, the sea train will be able to operate even sooner."
Fish-man Tom scratched his head sheepishly.
"We should be the ones thanking you. If this line opens earlier, this city will surely thrive."
"Then when the train starts running, please come back and visit," Iceburg said on behalf of his master.
"We definitely will, if we get the chance," Eric replied, handing Iceburg a Den Den Mushi. "If you ever run into trouble or…" Eric leaned in to whisper, "If the government uses any dirty tricks and arrests Mr. Tom, contact me. I'll come back to help."
"You…" Iceburg's eyes widened, speechless. All he could say was, "Thank you."
"Well then, thank you all for everything. We're off!"
"Mr. Eric ! Don't forget to come back and see me!"
Somehow, Franky had become Eric 's little fanboy.
"Of course! Franky, take good care of the single-masted ship we left here! Don't you dare modify it! If you mess it up, I won't forgive you! One day we'll come back for it!" Eric shouted as he waved goodbye to everyone on shore.
...
On the Eternal Dreadnought's maiden voyage, the crew stood on the bridge, surrounded by panoramic views through the glass walls.
"Feels completely different from our old wooden sailing ships," Kullikay mused, used to sailboats. "Hardly any rocking… Pretty amazing. But I kinda miss the old seafaring charm."
"Humanity invented things for comfort. Why're you acting like you're moving backwards? I'm offended," Da Vinci scolded him.
Kullikay waved it off in surrender.
The Eternal Dreadnought had a standard displacement of 35,000 tons and a full load displacement of 43,000 tons. It was 245 meters long and 37 meters at its widest point. From above, it resembled a spindle—widest in the center, tapering at both ends.
The bridge had three 5-meter-high tiers. The bottom housed a 30-meter-wide, 35-meter-long kitchen and dining hall for banquets; the second tier was a medical room and infirmary; the top held a 27-meter-wide, 31-meter-long control and meeting room. Above it stood a small observation tower and a flag mast.
Two meters behind the bridge were four 7-meter-high, 4-meter-diameter vertical missile silos, each holding a specialized missile (details later). One meter behind the silos was a 7-meter-high Osprey hangar. The tiltrotor aircraft had smaller wingspans and rotors but stronger power and defense.
Behind the helipad sat the rear triple-barrel turret. Its cannons were currently plugged.
As the ship's chief designer, Da Vinci led the crew on a detailed tour:
Below deck, the first level housed lounges (with a mini cinema!), a floor-to-ceiling viewing aquarium, storage rooms, and a refrigerated warehouse. Each turret had its own ammunition room and delivery system. Under the helipad was a reinforced training room.
The second level's center featured a multifunctional dock divided into four sections: a small submarine that could dive 8,000 meters, a gunboat for 10 with heavy machine guns, an amphibious APC for 12, and Da Vinci's laboratory.
Originally, male and female quarters were to be separated. But now Eric , Kurumi, Esdeath, and Akame (who didn't seem to grasp the implications) lived in the front, while Da Vinci, Chiron, Kullikay, and Polky stayed in the back.
The lowest deck held the power systems: two nuclear reactors, four steam turbines, two supercapacitors, and four electric engines driving twin propellers. Max speed: 30 knots.
(Don't ask for exact power specs—the author forgot them all. If any reader is an expert, feel free to comment!)
A central elevator and staircase connected all six decks. There were other stairways, but they were skipped for brevity.
After the tour, Da Vinci wore a "shower me with praise" look. Though most of the crew (except Chiron) understood very little, they all clapped enthusiastically.
'13.8 billion Berries... but it was worth it. Just... my wallet hurts.'
(1.8 billion of that was for interior furnishings: top-quality wood and luxurious fabrics.)
"And look! I finally designed our pirate flag—check this out!"
A black flag with a blue lightning dragon head at the center. A flintlock rifle crossed from the left and an ice-forged western sword from the right, meeting at the dragon's mouth.
"Ara, is that my rifle and Esdeath's sword?"
"Exactly. Your rivalry inspired me! How is it?"
"Hmph. Sharing a flag with her annoys me, but it looks good."
Even Esdeath gave praise.
"Ara, if you dislike it, we could replace it with Akame's Murasame."
"This is fine. Thanks, great artist Da Vinci," Eric quickly changed the subject before another fight broke out.
"Of course! The flag is waterproof, fireproof, and explosion-proof. Praise me more! I'm a perfect genius—true art is born from everyday life!"
So they hosted the first feast aboard the new ship. The dining hall felt a bit empty—too few people.
'We really need more crew…' Eric thought.
His Devil Fruit affinity had now risen to five stars thanks to repeated usage.
Thanks to the Eternal Dreadnought's speed, it took only a day to reach the Thriller Bark within the Florian Triangle.
"Captain, I see a wall ahead—and a castle behind it."
Chiron's clairvoyance pierced the fog easily.
"Da Vinci and Akame, stay aboard to guard the Eternal. The rest of us will clear the enemy."
"Geez~ that spooky-looking ship? Counter me out," Polky declined.
"Suit yourself. The five of us will go. We'll send a signal once it's safe. Da Vinci, take us there by aircraft."
Eager to try the ship's gear, Eric couldn't wait.
Polky clung to Akame's waist, watching the plane fly away, already regretting her decision. It was her first chance to fly.
"You'll get a chance later. Don't worry."
Akame patted her head comfortingly.
...
"With such loud rotors, they definitely heard us. Good luck!"
Da Vinci shut the hatch and flew off. Before that, Eric used Observation Haki to scan the aircraft, making sure no invisible creep had snuck in.
"…Found him."
Haki revealed a man standing plainly before them. Not just Eric —Chiron, Kurumi, and Esdeath also locked their eyes on him.
"?"
Absalom, confident in his invisibility, shifted position. Yet the four kept their gaze locked on him. He moved side to side—still tracked.
Eric thought, 'Are you disco dancing or what?'
Absalom panicked. 'They can see me! How?!'
"You're not Sakamoto, and you're way too ugly."
Eric mocked. Cool poses depend on looks!
"Divine Judgment!"
A blue beam engulfed Absalom.
"One of Moria's 'Three Monsters'—survived one of my Divine Judgments? Impressive."
His smoking body was now visible.
"Who the hell are you people?! How did you see me?!"
"Observation Haki. Now... goodbye!"
"Wait—"
Bzzzt!
All that remained was ash.
"Eric -, shouldn't we have kept him alive? His invisibility could've been used to summon a new comrade."
Kurumi frowned.
"My target is this ship's master—Gecko Moria, user of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit. Besides… I hated the way he kept ogling you all."
"Ara~ Jealous Eric is so cute!"
Esdeath hugged his head and rubbed it lovingly.
"Ara, sounds like we need to settle things now."
Kurumi pulled out two guns.
"Hmph. I'll turn you into an exquisite ice sculpture."
Esdeath drew her sword.
"Wait! We're on enemy turf. And after that guy died, the forest started reacting."
Chiron stopped them. They were facing one of the Seven Warlords, after all—no time for in-fighting.
"There's a rotting stench in the air… This place must be a graveyard."
Esdeath stopped, analyzing the surroundings.
"Moria challenged Kaido and lost all his crew. Since then, he's been building an undead army using stolen corpses and Dr. Hogback's surgeries."
"Eric -, I'm scared~ Please protect me."
Kurumi played the innocent damsel, lightly tugging his sleeve. It was fake—but unbearably cute.
...
"Master Moria! Bad news—Absalom is dead!"
A flying bat reported urgently.
"What?!"
A massive figure on the bed roared, "Who did it?!"
"Dread Pirate Darren Eric , Sagittarius Chiron, and the 25 million Berries bounty man Kullikay. The other two are unlisted."
"I'll capture them and avenge Absalom!"
Moria finally rose from bed.
...
"Did you hear? Absalom was killed by rookie pirates."
A ghost whispered to Dr. Hogback.
"No way! I gave him a body with gorilla and bear muscle mass—190 cm tall, 300 kg!"
"But it's true. Get ready. This group isn't playing around."
All the ghosts retreated into a tall tower, merging into a seated figure.
"Hurrah hurrah hurrah… You won't escape, foolish pirates. Ready the zombies. Let none flee."
Pink-haired Perona stood tall and commanded.
"Ohhh!"
Zombies waved their arms and roared.
...
"What weird monsters. Look like patchwork corpses… I wonder if they can withstand my blade."
Esdeath walked ahead, slicing through monsters with her western sword. "Even with limbs cut off, they keep attacking. No pain… so this is a corpse."
"They're bodies stitched by Dr. Hogback. Once given shadows, they become zombies."
"Shadows?"
"Moria uses the Shadow-Shadow Fruit. He cuts off shadows and stuffs them into corpses. They animate—and retain parts of the original's personality."
"Ara~ So if you put Esdeath's shadow in a corpse, it'll also love torture and battle?"
"Yes," Eric nodded.
"So… why use my shadow as an example?"
Esdeath stared.
"Why not Kurumi's?"
"I refuse," Kurumi said flatly.
"Hmph."
Esdeath let it go. "Killing pain-free corpses isn't fun. The one making them must be boring."
"Zombies incoming. Lots of them," Chiron reported using clairvoyance.
"Crap… I forgot to bring salt."
Eric facepalmed. How could he forget something so important?
"Salt?" everyone echoed.
"Yeah. Throwing salt into a zombie's mouth returns the shadow to its owner—turning it back into a corpse."
"Captain, what happens to people whose shadows are stolen?" Chiron asked.
"They faint when it's cut. Then they can't be exposed to sunlight."
"What do you mean 'can't live in sunlight'?" Kullikay asked.
"If sunlight hits them, that part turns to dust. If it's their head… well, you get it. I don't know what happens to the shadow."
"So we just need to avoid getting our shadows stolen."
While talking, Esdeath had already dismembered every zombie in sight. She stomped one's head as it crawled.
"Annoying. Get lost!"
"Ara, why not freeze them all instead of hacking one by one?"
"Watch out above!" Eric shouted.
Esdeath and Kurumi dodged just in time—three negative ghosts dropped from the sky.
"Negative… negative… negative…"
They flailed their arms as they floated, chanting nonstop.
(END CHAPTER)
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