NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7: ChouChou
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Hector was astounded that a journey which should have taken roughly two days had been reduced to nearly four hours, that is until he encountered a speed bump.
ROAR!!
The tropical carnivorous monsters that dwell in all the world's oceans, a Sea King. This one seemed to be 500 meters in size, far surpassing the standard 100-meter Sea King of the East Blue. Such a creature was uncommon in this region, yet not unusual for the New World, where Sea Kings in the Calm Belt range from 1,000 to 20,000 meters.
Positioned at the Pearl's bow, Hector was ready to launch his attack when suddenly, someone began rubbing against his leg.
"I know, I know, Leo... you're hungry, but I need its body!"
Leo pouted and turned away, his tail whipping Hector and causing pain due to its impenetrable fur. Shaking off the sting of Leo's tail whip, Hector assumed a stance to perform a quick draw with Yubashiri. As he settled into position, the Sea King lunged, aiming for the Pearl's bow.
Before it could make contact, Hector unsheathed Yubashiri and, in a flash, began to resheath it. With the faint click of Yubashiri settling into its scabbard, the Sea King's head began to separate from its body. Before the carcass could sink into the sea, Hector uttered the command.
"Arise!"
Shadows began to coalesce from the Sea King's body, swiftly engulfing the entire corpse. Before long, all that remained was the colossal Shadow Soldier standing before him.
[Shadow Sea King LV5]
Rank: Knight
Ding!
[You may assign a title name to the Shadow Sea King]
"Let's name you Brionac. That was one of my favorite cards back when I played that card games. How do you like that, buddy?"
The newly dubbed Brionac tossed its head back and let out a cheer of joy.
[Assign a job to Shadow Sea King, Brionac]
[Hydromancer, Geomancer, Pyromancer, Electromancer, Cryomancer]
Choosing wisely, he selected Hydromancer, reasoning that since he has to fight Devil Fruit User, they could be countered by the Brionac's aquatic abilities.
[Level up]
[Level up]
[Level up]
[Level up]
[Level up]
[Level up]
[Level up]
all his stats went up 7 points and since he couldn't save his skill point he used them on both Armament and Observation Haki.
Observation Haki: F Rank > E Rank > D Rank >
Armament Haki: E Rank> D Rank > C Rank >
Upon reaching the port of Orange Village, Hector observed Leo sulking over not obtaining any Sea King meat. He layed grumpily beside the Black Pearl's main mast. When they finally made landfall, Hector noticed a large ship anchored nearby, its sail bearing the Jolly Roger. It appeared as though someone had erected a circus tent. Buggy the Clown had arrived.
Yet, strangely, there was no one else around. The town was eerily silent, a veritable ghost town. As Hector and Leo ventured through, the sense of desolation deepened. The town seemed well-maintained, aside from the occasional ruined house dotting their path.
Their joy was abruptly interrupted by the sound of an explosion, causing them both to jump to their feet.
"That came from the docks," Hector said, worried, as he left Leo behind and vanished in a blur, while Leo wandered off. Moments later, Hector appeared on the dock to find part of the Pearl damaged.
"THEY SHOT MY SHIP!" he yelled, irritated.
"BUGGY."
After calming down and pressing his hand to his head, he declared, "I'm going to take an enthusiastic walk through their clown tent, turn them into Shadow Soldiers, and take their treasure and a ship!"
After storing the Pearl in his inventory, Hector reappeared in town searching for Leo and found a trail of mangled clowns. He slumped in defeat; whenever Leo was involved, trouble was a fifty-fifty chance.
"Oh my god, a LION!"
Bang!
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"And another idiot bites the dust," Hector remarked, wondering what fool would attack Leo. Approaching the source of the shot, he saw the scream had come from an older man with glasses a puffy face, and a mullet—the only parts of him Leo hadn't mangled.
"Eh? Who's the old guy?"
Hector mused, flipping through his notebook filled with notes from the show.
"Ah crap, that's Mayor Boodle, the village chief!"
Turning to the old man, he saw Leo playing with the corpse of a small dog.
"Eh?... Damn, that's probably ChouChou. The Mayor must have come to feed him, only to stumble upon Leo's killing spree."
Now that Leo grew bored of them he came toward Hector asking to be fed, placing a plate with sea king steaks from his inventory. He brought the few dozen corpses from getting the notice "Extraction Possible", and said the words.
"Arise!"
Regrettably, all the Shadow Soldiers were of Basic Rank. Frustrated with his ship being shot and finding only Basic Shadow Soldiers, he was done with the Orange Village arc. He decided not to stick to the canon anymore.
[Would you like to let Leon join your Crew?]
Upon agreeing, Leon officially became part of the crew, and his status menu became accessible.
RACE: Nemean Lion
NAME: Leo
Level: 120
Health Points: 71,200
Stamina Points: 15,000
Vitality: 1500
Endurance: 750
Strength: 1200
Dexterity: 844
Perception: 770
Skill: 141
Leo, feeling smug and superior to Hector, was on their way to the clown circus to set it ablaze, and not because he was having a bad day.
Later, they encountered an enormous lion near the abandoned buildings, holding a carton of food in its mouth. The lion, sporting green fur and a purple mane, was almost too tall to fit through the door, which likely explained why it never entered any buildings.
A man covered in what seemed like fur was there, awaiting the creature. He wore an odd, furry costume that wrapped around his chin with teddy bear ears, his midriff exposed, but his chest and shoulders draped in the same white fur.
The lion and the peculiar man began to walk away, oblivious to Leo and Hector. Both were visibly irritated at being ignored. After losing at rock, paper, scissors with a rock, they couldn't hide their frustration.
Hector, with a furious Leo in tow, confronted them.
"Hey, who the hell are you guys?" inquired the man with the strange hat.
"Blocking my path was a grave error! I am Mohji the Beast Tamer of the Buggy Pirates! Kill him, Richie!" he commanded.
The lion let out a roar and swiped a massive paw at them, but Hector halted it effortlessly with one hand.
"Wow, that's quite the costume. But I'm not your opponent," Leo remarked.
"IT'S NOT A COSTUME, IT'S MY HAIR, YOU ASSHOLE!"
Usually, Leo would toy with his prey. He enjoyed a bit of fun in his skirmishes. But this time, after his pet was insulted, he knew as a master, it was his duty to defend it.
With a single leap, he attacked the strange man, tearing his throat as if it were mere paper. After discarding his now lifeless victim, he severed the head of what was a poor excuse for a lion with the same claws that had slain numerous sea kings in the New World. Standing atop his fallen foe, he declared his dominance over all.
"Arise!"
He was not surprised to find that he had received two duds. Mohji the Beast Tamer held a Basic Rank, and he had hoped for a higher rank for Richie, but he too was merely Normal Rank. Disappointed once more by the Clones, he sent them off to ChouChou.
[Shadow Beast LV1]
Rank: Elite
Loud noises erupted from the large tent, unmistakably the revelry of the Buggy Pirates. They partied without a care for the outside world, dancing with abandon. They were oblivious to the nearly one hundred Shadow Soldiers encircling them, poised for an ambush.
"I can't believe these guys set up camp outside and haven't noticed my Shadow Soldiers pilfering their possessions. We'll wait until they've taken everything, Leo."
Fifteen minutes passed, and they still hadn't realized that all their treasures and weapons had been stolen. Hector decided it was time to make an entrance, flanked by Leo and Shirohime.
"HELLO! I've come to chew ass, and bubble gum butt! And I'm all out of bubble gum!"
Some of the Buggy Pirates snickered at his words, recognizing a good quip when they heard one. Finally, a man dressed in an orange, fur-lined captain's coat stood up from his throne.
"Who the hell are you, you flashy bastards?"
RACE: Human■■■■■■
NAME: Hector Barbossa■■■■■■
Level: 8
Health Points: 5,480
Mana Points: 4,160
Stamina Points: 2,740
Attunement: 208
Vitality: 137
Endurance: 137
Strength: 137
Dexterity: 137
Perception: 137
Skill: 137
Safe Rewards From Daily Quest:
+Stat Points: 35
+Skill Points: 5
Skill Tree:
+Haki:
-Observation Haki: D Rank
-Armament Haki: C Rank
+Rokushiki
-Moon Step: F Rank
-Iron Body: F Rank
-Tempest Kick: F Rank
-Shave: F Rank
-Finger Pistol: F Rank
-Kami-e: F Rank