Seeing Emerald walking towards them with her sword drawn, the pirates of the Hundred Beasts Pirate Crew were utterly bewildered.
They had naturally heard the conversation between Eric and the three others.
This little girl was the daughter of Kozuki Hiyori, the courtesan?
“Are you taking us for fools? How could a courtesan have a daughter this old?”
“It’s more believable if you say they’re sisters!”
“Humph, the little girl is pretty, why don’t you go to Onigashima with the brothers?”
The pirates showed no sign of tension, instead making lewd remarks.
It was just a little girl, wielding a katana. How could she possibly intimidate anyone?
Kozuki Hiyori watched her daughter’s back anxiously, her worry unconcealed in her eyes.
Emerald’s expression was resolute as she stepped forward towards the Hundred Beasts pirates, katana in hand.
At first, she was just walking normally, but after a few steps, her pace quickened, turning into a small-step sprint.
The pirates were still laughing.
“Haha, little girl, can you even hold that sword? It’s almost as tall as you!”
At 12 years old, Emerald stood at 1.4 meters tall, and the katana she held was nearly her height.
A child holding such a long sword had a comical sense of incongruity.
However…
“Huff…”
In her small-step sprint, Emerald suddenly took a deep breath.
The next moment, her figure flashed like lightning.
The pirates only saw a flash of emerald green, the color of Emerald’s hair, a residual image created by her high-speed movement.
Emerald appeared beside a pirate, her blade dancing like a flexible ribbon.
At this moment, she named her breathing technique.
“Emerald Breathing - First Form - The Emerald Forest!”
The blade flashed.
Like a fluttering butterfly, the swordsmanship Emerald displayed was elegant and precise, like a waltz of sharpened steel. She wasn’t killing, she was dancing with the sword.
By the time she passed that pirate, appearing behind him, the pirate hadn’t even seen what happened.
One second later.
A streak of blood appeared on the pirate’s neck.
Suddenly, his head flew high into the air.
Only when the pirate’s head separated from his body did the pirates’ lewd expressions begin to crumble, finally understanding what had happened in that instant.
Their smiles froze, their pupils shrinking rapidly in shock.
“So beautiful…”
Kozuki Hiyori muttered in a daze.
Her daughter looked like her, being pretty was one thing, but even her swordsmanship when killing was like dancing.
Her long emerald green hair flowed with her swordsmanship, like butterflies dancing in a flower field.
“Remarkable swordsmanship.”
Eric praised the sixth daughter’s swordsmanship with admiration.
It was entirely different from the wild, forceful swordsmanship of the pirate world, not the same style, not the same artistic approach.
To describe it, there were only two words.
Precise and Elegant!
“You dare kill one of our men! You slut! Kill her!”
The pirates finally reacted, one of them roared with a fierce expression.
The next moment, everyone drew their weapons.
Over 30 people surrounded Emerald, some wielding firearms, without any mercy, they immediately fired at their target.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of gunfire echoed.
“Be careful!” Kozuki Hiyori clutched her fist, her knuckles turning white with tension.
“It’s okay, Mother, they’re weak!”
Emerald used her mysterious breathing technique again, her body instantly entering a state of peak performance.
She swung her blade, precisely slicing each bullet in half, altering their trajectory while simultaneously launching a lightning-fast counterattack.
A flash of emerald green could be seen zipping through the battlefield, leaving a trail of blood whenever she passed a pirate.
In the blink of an eye, seven or eight pirates had fallen to her blade.
The remaining pirates felt a sense of dread.
“Quickly! Quickly! Kill her!”
Someone roared in anger and fear.
And the next second, their head flew high into the air.
Almost instantly, the pirates’ morale collapsed, they panicked and began to retreat.
But Emerald, in a state of peak performance, moved with incredible speed, her killing was exceptionally calm, a swing of the blade meant a life lost.
Within a short time, the remaining twenty or so pirates were all dead.
Kozuki Hiyori was stunned, her daughter was that strong?
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Eric lightly applauded, approvingly, “Beautiful swordsmanship, you didn’t disappoint your father.”
“Father.”
Emerald turned to her father, her expression a little shy.
“Did you develop your swordsmanship yourself?”
“Mhm.”
Indeed, she was blessed with wisdom, being able to achieve this level through self-teaching was truly remarkable.
Eric complimented her, then shook his head, “Your movements are very light, and your attacks are precise, but your strength is lacking.”
He didn’t practice swordsmanship himself, but he had seen many sword masters.
Flashy swordsmanship, without the strength to back it up, couldn’t compete with raw power.
The swordsmen of this world could easily cleave through iron and steel.
Someone like Hawkeye, a Grandmaster swordsman, didn’t use any fancy techniques, just a powerful strike, could split mountains and divide seas.
Emerald didn’t need to improve her technique, her swordsmanship was already quite impressive, what she needed to strengthen was her power, her Haki.
“Can’t you just give her some compliments?”
Kozuki Hiyori rolled her eyes, walked to Emerald’s side, and smiled as she stroked her daughter’s hair, “Emerald, you’re already very strong!”
“Yes, Mother.”
Emerald felt a little shy, a little embarrassed.
Looking at the harmonious scene between mother and daughter, a thought suddenly occurred to Eric.
Kozuki Hiyori was the princess of a fallen nation, her grandfather, Kozuki Sukiyaki, was the former Shogun of Wano Country.
The current Shogun was usurped by Kurozumi Orochi.
So, as long as they killed Kurozumi Orochi, he and Kozuki Hiyori’s children could inherit the Shogunate of Wano Country.
“Instead of letting the Shogunate go to Kozuki Momonosuke, that little brat, let my child be the Shogun!”
“Emerald, or perhaps some future child I have with Hiyori…”
“Besides, since the Alliance Navy is called an alliance, it naturally needs allied countries.
“Reiju’s family, the Germa Kingdom, is one, and Wano Country could also become an ally.”
Eric frowned in thought.
The only obstacle was the Hundred Beasts Pirate Crew, who were behind Kurozumi Orochi.
To be more precise, it was Kaido!
“Whatever, let’s go kill Kurozumi Orochi first.”
Eric made the decision instantly, turning to the mother and daughter, “Come on, Hiyori, let’s go kill Kurozumi Orochi.”
“Huh?!”
Kozuki Hiyori’s eyes widened in surprise when she heard this, she was overjoyed, “Eric, are you willing to help me?”
“Let’s go, we are a legal couple, your business is my business.”
Your country is my country!
Eric chuckled, not telling her about this idea yet.
Kozuki Hiyori happily threw herself into his arms, her tone softening, “Eric, what I said yesterday counts! You help me kill Kurozumi Orochi, and I’m willing to marry you!”
Eric inwardly scoffed, you already have a child, and you’re still saying this, truly a fool.
So, he held one hand on each of them, leading the mother and daughter towards Flower Capital.
“Who are you going to kill?”
A cold snort came from above.
The three of them stopped.
Eric looked up slightly and saw a round, chubby man standing on a tall tree.
Queen, with a cigar in his mouth, squinted dangerously, “I can’t pretend I didn’t hear what you said, former Marine Captain, now a 1 billion bounty criminal, Promotheus Eric!”
Eric smiled faintly, “If you hadn’t said anything, I would have pretended I didn’t see you, why are you blocking my way? Want Kaido to collect your corpse?”
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ps: Thanks for the monthly votes from 【Antique819】 and 【Mood Fishtail】