Chapter 9 / Chapter 10

(Guys, the picture above is of Pato. This little animal appeared in a movie, but not in the anime. If you aren't familiar with Pato, you can check out the movie. I won't go into detail here ︿(￣︶￣)︿.)

Chapter 9

Creak~~

The wooden door slowly opened with a crisp creak.

The Palace was spacious and empty, with no unnecessary furnishings.

At the far end stood a rectangular stone table about a meter tall, with two wooden boxes resting on top.

"Boss, there's a sword and a Devil Fruit on the table."

Pato jumped onto Chris's shoulder and explained with a cheerful grin.

Baccarat looked at Pato with her lovely eyes and asked with a charming smile, "Little guy, how do you know so much about this place?"

Pato grinned happily. "There were originally two Devil Fruits here. I ate one, so of course there's only one left."

"An animal eating a Devil Fruit? That's certainly something."

With a cigarette between her lips, Belo Betty looked Pato up and down, eager to figure the little creature out.

"Sure enough, anything can happen out at sea! Wehahahaha..."

Hearing Pato's explanation, Chris understood.

So the Mythical Zoan Tanuki Fruit had been found on this island.

Then what could the other fruit be?

The group approached the stone table and stopped to examine it.

The long box held the sword. The short one had to contain the Devil Fruit.

"Let's hope it isn't a Zoan. Cough, cough~~"

An expectant look appeared on Doc Q's weathered face.

Burgess laughed. "Logias are too rare. A Paramecia would be good enough."

Without hesitation, Chris opened the small wooden box.

Inside was an apple-shaped Devil Fruit, blue all over.

"Captain, what type is it? Is it a Logia?"

Burgess had never eaten a Devil Fruit and knew nothing about them.

Belo Betty furrowed her delicate brows and asked in confusion, "A blue Devil Fruit? What kind of power could it have?"

"It should be a Paramecia."

Chris tossed the fruit to Burgess, then opened the other wooden box.

A red light flashed.

A sinister aura erupted at once.

Even the temperature of the air seemed to drop a little.

"Boss, there's something strange about this sword. I don't even dare touch it."

Sitting on Chris's shoulder, Pato swished a tail, looking terrified.

Baccarat gently shook her head and sighed. "With such a powerful sinister aura, an ordinary person couldn't possibly use it. They might even be cursed."

"I'm more curious about what grade this sword is."

Belo Betty studied the red blade closely and said solemnly, "At the very least, it's a Great Grade Sword. It might even be a Supreme Grade Sword."

Chris watched it silently for a moment, then grabbed its hilt.

Hum~~

The red sword vibrated faintly, its sinister aura surging wildly and rushing into Chris's body.

It was trying to take control of him.

"Captain..."

"Chris..."

Burgess and the others watched Chris anxiously, afraid something might happen to him.

After all, this red sword was truly bizarre.

Chris's gaze turned cold as he stared fixedly at the blade.

"Submit to me!"

His Conqueror's Haki burst forth, crashing into the red sword.

Hum, hum, hum~~

The sword vibrated rapidly, seemingly struggling to break free of Chris's control.

A few seconds later, the sinister aura withdrew, and the blade went still.

It had submitted.

It had chosen Chris as its master.

"Very nice."

Chris angled the sword upward and nodded, generous with his praise.

He was extremely satisfied with this sword!

"That's our captain! Wehahahaha..."

Burgess was delighted to see Chris grow even stronger.

Doc Q said with a faint smile, "Now our crew is even more formidable."

Belo Betty and Baccarat said nothing, but their eyes shone as they looked at Chris.

The former's gaze held admiration, while the latter's held love.

Just then, one of the men reported in.

"Captain, we've searched the entire Palace. We didn't find anything else."

Chris turned and walked outside, carrying the sword.

"Let's move out, boys."

"Yes, Captain Chris!"

The group filed out of the Palace and headed toward the shore...

Five days later.

White clouds dotted the blue sky, the sun shone brightly, and seagulls cried overhead.

It was a beautiful day.

On the vast sea, a large ship cut through the water, sailing swiftly onward.

Inside the Training Room.

"Chris really pushes himself. He doesn't even know how to take a break."

Honey Queen leaned back in her chair with her legs crossed, her lovely eyes resting on the man before her and a sweet smile on her face.

Two days earlier, the Chris had entered the West Blue and docked at Kanaro Town.

That was where Chris had invited Honey Queen aboard, making her a member of the Chris Pirates.

"I've already gotten used to that training maniac."

Belo Betty leaned against the table, holding a cigarette with an indifferent expression.

Baccarat brushed aside the crimson strands over her forehead, a gentle, elegant smile appearing on her exquisitely beautiful face.

"On this ship, the strongest rules!"

"If Chris doesn't work harder, he might lose his position as captain once more and more crew members join."

Looking at the two women, Baccarat reminded them, "If you want to become Division Commanders, you'll have to train hard too. Otherwise, you really won't stand a chance."

(Guys, the picture above is of Honey Queen. She also appeared in a movie. You might not know much about her, so I'd suggest watching it. Again, I won't introduce her in too much detail here, lest I pad the word count ︿(￣︶￣)︿.)

Chapter 10

"Division Commander?"

Honey Queen waved a hand and said with a wry smile, "With my strength, how could I possibly become a Division Commander?"

"Honestly, I still don't understand why Chris set up rules like these."

Belo Betty flicked her cigarette butt out into the sea and spoke casually.

"There's no other reason. Chris believes in his own strength. That's all."

"No matter how the Division Commanders change, his position as captain won't be affected. That's how confident he is."

After speaking, she looked ahead, where someone was training.

Chris stood in position, gripping Blood Red with both hands and swinging it again and again.

After examining it, Chris had determined that it was a Supreme Grade Sword, and he had named it Blood Red.

"Whew~~"

Chris finally finished ten thousand swings, completing his task for the day.

Then Blood Red kept shrinking until it became a tiny red sword, which Chris hung around his neck.

"Every time I see that sword, it feels so amazing."

Watching Blood Red shrink, Honey Queen couldn't help marveling.

"I still find it hard to believe that weapons can eat Devil Fruits too."

Belo Betty shrugged and said casually, "There's nothing to marvel at. The sea is just that mysterious. You'll get used to it."

Suddenly, an alarm sounded outside.

"Report..."

"There's a town up ahead! There's a town up ahead..."

As usual, the announcement repeated several times.

Honey Queen stood up and said with a radiant smile, "Let's go into town and buy some cosmetics, then pick up some pretty clothes."

"Chris will definitely keep training. He won't leave the ship, so let's go."

Belo Betty glanced at Chris. He was lifting a barbell and clearly had no intention of going ashore.

"This time is different. He'll come ashore."

Baccarat watched his constantly moving figure and said with a smile, "Chris, our good luck is back."

"Then let's go."

Chris dropped the barbell onto the floor and strode straight toward the door.

Honey Queen looked at Baccarat, blinking her lovely eyes as she asked curiously, "Baccarat, is your intuition acting up again?"

Baccarat nodded gently and smiled, saying nothing more.

"More good luck? What will it be this time?"

A rare look of anticipation appeared on Belo Betty's pretty face.

The group soon reached the deck outside.

"Boss, will you teach me how to fish?"