Although the system had already told Zhuyun that the people he summoned would have maximum affinity toward him, hearing Drake say those words still stirred his emotions.
Drake buried her face against Zhuyun’s chest.
Usually bold and carefree, she now wore the smile of a young girl in love.
Drake was tall, but Zhuyun stood 186 centimeters tall himself.
The two of them looked exceptionally well-matched as they embraced.
Bang!
Bang!
The sudden sound of cannon fire shattered the romantic atmosphere aboard the Golden Hind.
Cannonballs splashed into the sea nearby, causing the ship to rock with the waves.
The two separated and looked toward the source of the cannon fire.
A pirate ship was speeding toward them.
A flag bearing a skull fluttered from its mast in the wind.
***
“Master, can I blow them apart?”
The corners of Drake’s lips lifted, but her smile carried a chilling undertone.
“Of course.
In fact, I’d be completely in favor of it.”
Zhuyun was in an equally foul mood.
“But first, we need to get the Devil Fruits aboard their ship.”
The existence of Devil Fruits was, of course, something the system had told Zhuyun about.
The system could scan for Devil Fruits within a certain range around Zhuyun.
Through the system, he could recover Devil Fruits and use them to summon characters from other fictional worlds.
Once summoned, regardless of their personalities, they could never betray Zhuyun.
From the moment they arrived in this world, Zhuyun became the person they would ultimately devote themselves to.
“Devil Fruits?
You mean those treasures of the sea you mentioned before?
Once you get one, you’ll be able to summon another companion, right?”
Drake drew the two pistols from her waist.
“In that case, I can’t simply blow up their ship.
Master, wait here.
I’ll bring the Devil Fruit back for you.”
“Thanks, Drake.
You know that when I summon you here, I only obtain one of your Noble Phantasms.
I don’t possess your basic combat skills.”
“Don’t worry, Master.
I’ll be back soon.”
As she spoke, a vessel slightly smaller than the Golden Hind appeared beside it.
Strangely, it wasn’t sailing across the sea.
It was flying through the air.
Drake jumped aboard the vessel, and the “small boat” immediately flew toward the distant pirate ship.
At its speed, the distance between them rapidly disappeared.
“What is that?
A ship…
It’s flying!”
“How is that possible?
Why is this happening?”
“Quick!
Fire the cannons!
Fire!
Don’t let it get close!”
The pirates aboard the ship fell into chaos.
They had never seen a ship flying through the sky before.
Curses and shouts filled the deck, and some of the more cowardly pirates had already collapsed in terror.
In reality, flying ships did exist in this world.
The legendary pirate Golden Lion from the previous era had commanded an entire fleet of flying ships.
These pirates simply didn’t know about them.
“Calm down!
Aim every cannon at that flying ship.
Just because it can fly doesn’t mean cannonballs can’t destroy it!”
Although the pirate captain was frightened as well, he hadn’t completely lost his composure.
On the contrary, as he stared at the flying ship, his eyes revealed intense greed.
He had already begun imagining himself piloting the flying ship after defeating its owner.
He had even decided that he would rename his pirate crew the Flying Pirates.
“Right!
Right!
Aim at the flying ship!
Fire!”
The captain’s orders worked.
The pirates quickly regained their composure and fired several cannons at the approaching vessel.
“How…
How is this possible?
It didn’t work!”
“Impossible!
How can it not have suffered even the slightest damage?”
After the barrage, the flying ship remained completely intact and continued charging toward them.
“Fire!
Keep fir—”
Bang!
The pirate captain truly panicked this time.
He desperately shouted for his men to continue firing, but before he could finish his sentence, he collapsed.
A bullet hole had appeared in the middle of his forehead.
The pirates stared blankly at their captain.
They couldn’t believe that their powerful captain had died just like that.
“Hey, boys.
Were you the ones who interrupted my romantic moment with my Master?”
While the pirates were still frozen in shock, Drake had already boarded their ship.
Smoke was still slowly curling from one of the pistols in her hands.
“Interrupting my time with my Master is a very serious crime.
So, are you ready?”
As she spoke, Drake raised both pistols and aimed them at the pirates.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Gunshots rang out across the pirate ship.
Every single shot came from Drake.
The pirates didn’t even have time to react before Drake shot them all dead.
Not a single member of the pirate crew survived.
Crimson flowers of blood bloomed across the deck.
“That was all?”
Drake shook her head and returned her pistols to her waist.
“They were just a bunch of small-time pirates, after all.”
She glanced around.
“Whatever.
I’d better find the Devil Fruits and bring them back to Master.”
***
“Master, here you go.”
Drake handed the Devil Fruits to Zhuyun.
“It’s rather strange.
They actually had two Devil Fruits, and neither of them had eaten one.
That’s quite unusual.
Could they have not known what Devil Fruits were?”
Drake laughed.
“That’s certainly possible.
After all, we’re in the East Blue, where Devil Fruits aren’t yet common knowledge.”
Zhuyun sighed thoughtfully.
“But now that we have Devil Fruits, I can summon a second companion.”
He looked at the Devil Fruits in his hands with anticipation.
“I wonder who will come next.”
The thought of meeting his second companion filled Zhuyun with excitement.