Bang!
Capone Bege was sent flying backward, crashing through three redwoods before rolling across the ground for seven or eight turns.
After the impact finally subsided, he covered his blood-soaked face with his hand, his eyes filled with uncertainty.
His vision was blurry, and everything he looked at appeared as phantom images.
Concussion!
He's going to faint...!
Capone Bege bit his tongue hard, forcing himself to stay conscious.
What happened just now?
What kicked me?
"Cough... cough... cough..."
Capone Bege coughed violently, blood pouring uncontrollably from his mouth, splattering across the ground.
His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked up at Eric in disbelief.
However.
The man who should have been surrounded by his subordinates was nowhere to be seen.
"Bege-sama!" his subordinates shouted.
"Where is he?"
Capone Bege stumbled to his feet, demanding loudly, "Where is that man?"
How could he have disappeared!
"Careful, Bege-sama!" Suddenly, one of his subordinates yelled, "Behind you!"
Before Capone Bege could react, a foot landed on the back of his head, forcing his face into the mud.
"Logia-type, Castle-Castle Fruit user. Being able to transform your body into a castle is quite a convenient ability."
Eric stepped on him with force, saying casually, "Tell your men to back off, or I won't hesitate to crush your head."
"Release Bege-sama!"
His subordinates, wielding guns, tried to approach, issuing threats.
Eric ignored them, simply pressing down harder, his Haki-infused footwear intensifying the pressure.
Capone Bege strained to speak, "You guys, retreat!"
His subordinates exchanged uneasy glances, reluctantly backing away and leaving the redwood forest.
Once they were gone, Eric finally removed his shoe.
"So you don't intend to kill me..." Capone Bege, who had nearly suffocated, rasped.
Eric's expression remained calm. He had been pondering how to find a scapegoat for the past few days.
Attacking the Sky Island Gold transport ship was a serious matter. It needed a scapegoat.
He hadn't had any leads yet, but tonight someone had delivered themselves to him. Just what he needed.
Capone Bege, the underworld godfather of the West Blue, was a perfect fit!
"A Sky Island Gold transport ship, carrying the tribute gold from the Rubek Kingdom, was attacked by an unknown force while returning to the Grand Line."
"Did you do it?"
Capone Bege's face changed upon hearing this.
He might be lawless, but even he wouldn't dare attack a Sky Island Gold transport ship.
That's suicide!
"Not me!"
He denied it outright, secretly amazed that someone in the West Blue was so audacious. What a bold character.
Eric lowered his eyelids, looking at him coldly, "I say you did it, so you did it."
Capone Bege instantly understood. This bastard couldn't find the culprit, so he was just picking a random unlucky soul to take the blame!
And he, Capone Bege, was that unlucky soul.
"You're insane! I didn't do it, and I don't know anything about the Sky Island Gold. I can't be of any use to you!"
Even if they found the culprit, it wouldn't be enough. They still needed to recover the Sky Island Gold.
A bitter taste filled Capone Bege's mouth. Why was this Marine Headquarters Captain so powerful?
He was in a completely different league from the Marine Captains in the branches!
Eric laughed, "As long as you don't get caught, right?"
He grabbed Capone Bege by the collar, lifting him into the air.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not discussing it with you. I'm giving you an order. I'm going to show you something fun today..."
The black shadow under Eric's feet came to life, crawling up his right arm, engulfing it in darkness.
The next moment, before Capone Bege's astonished eyes, this hand pierced his chest.
The strange thing was... there was no pain.
Suddenly.
Thump!
His heart seemed to skip a beat.
Eric withdrew his hand, his palm now holding a bright red heart, beating steadily, full of vitality.
"This... this is my heart?!"
Capone Bege gasped. What kind of Devil Fruit power was this? It could extract a person's heart without causing any damage.
The beating heart was covered in shadow, and Eric squeezed slightly.
"AAAAAHHH!"
Capone Bege cried out in agony, "Stop! I get it, I'll do whatever you say!"
"That's right. The wise adapt to circumstance."
With a flick of his wrist, Eric sent the heart into the shadow space.
For the past few months, he had been studying the Shadow of Offspring ability almost daily.
This ability to extract a heart without harming the target was a recent development.
It was similar to the "Ope Ope no Mi," but different.
The heart extracted by the Ope Ope no Mi, if recovered, could be re-implanted.
But a heart extracted by the Shadow of Offspring could only be re-implanted by the user. Therefore, it was more domineering.
"Take your men and head out to sea. I'll let you know where the pursuers are from time to time. Whether you can escape... depends on your luck."
"I understand."
Capone Bege was sweating profusely. He touched his chest.
There was no external injury, but his heart was gone!
"My Den Den Mushi contact information..."
He gave Eric his number, then watched as the other man transformed into a shadow and vanished without a trace.
Seeing this, Capone Bege felt heavy in his chest. What kind of Devil Fruit was this strange power?
...
...
The next day.
Eric received news that Capone Bege was obediently taking his band of gangsters out to sea.
They had even formed a pirate crew, calling themselves the "Flame Tank Pirates."
"Once the Headquarters Marines arrive, I can pin the blame on him. It'll work for a while."
Eric carefully considered the details and realized there were quite a few loopholes.
But, in fact, it wouldn't matter if it was exposed.
He could just take Robin and run away to another place.
The top priority was to expand his family, to keep having children!
More than a month later, one morning.
When Eric woke up, he saw the long-awaited system prompt.
【Ding! Your wife, Robin, has given birth to an offspring. Reward: +5 years of lifespan.】
【Ding! Your offspring has received a bloodline blessing from an unknown time and space. Reward: "Power of the Black Dragon."】
He hit the jackpot!
Eric was suddenly energized.
【Power of the Black Dragon】: Bloodline blessing from the world of "Fairy Tail." Your offspring possesses the power to transform into a Black Dragon!
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Please give me some flowers. Nobody is giving me any flowers... Please please please