One Piece: The Extra-Dimensional Pirate Crew

"B-Brat… let me go… or else…"

Jif, weakened by poison, tried to threaten Eric between gasps. Years of being a pirate had made him incapable of begging for mercy; he only knew how to intimidate.

"Heh, you still don't get your situation, do you…" Eric was speechless. You're literally a fish on the chopping board, and you're still trying to threaten me? Are you brain-damaged or what?Perfect. He ate a Devil Fruit—his corpse will be useful for summoning.

Determined, Eric found a relatively intact cabin and used the blood he had stored beforehand to draw a summoning circle. This way, if Jif died and his Devil Fruit power respawned elsewhere, he wouldn't miss the chance.

"All right, any last words?" Eric asked magnanimously, since this wasn't a life-or-death struggle—his opponent was tied up and unable to move.

"…I'll never forgive you!" Jif growled. He wasn't stupid. He knew he wouldn't survive, but a pirate had to at least spit a final threat.

"Got it."

Without hesitation, Eric drove his blade into Jif's heart. The pirate's eyes froze; his gaze went blank. Eric dragged the corpse into the summoning circle.

"Jason, our second companion is coming."

"Mm." Jason simply nodded and turned her gaze toward the summoning circle.

Eric struck a pose."On the crossroads of kingdoms, endlessly repeating… hear my call! My life and blade as one, answer if you acknowledge this command—Summon!"

A flash of blinding white light filled the room.

A two-meter-tall man appeared before Eric and Jason. His long brown hair was tied into a ponytail about a foot from the end. He wore yellow-brown leather armor with diamond patterns. From his back… a literal horse tail was swishing.

Wait… a horse tail? Eric blinked.

"Servant, Archer. James, reporting for duty. I hope my knowledge will be of use to you… regardless, I'm in your care. I will give you my all." The newcomer spoke calmly.

"Welcome, welcome!" Eric grinned from ear to ear. "I'm Darren Eric, and this is Jason. From today, we're companions!"

"Mm." Jason gave the slightest nod.

[Name: James]

Age: Unknown

Physique: ★★★★☆½

Martial Arts: ★★★★★★

Archery: ★★★★★★★

Swordsmanship: ★★★★★★

Armament Haki: ★★★★

Observation Haki: ★★★★★

Devil Fruit: ★★★★

Weapon: Heartlock Bow

Bond Level: 1 (Ordinary Companion)

Overall Power: ★★★★☆½(Note: All attributes are capped at 3★ due to player stats and bond level)

[Remark]: As an Archer-class Servant summoned from the Throne of Heroes, Jason was granted a physical body. A sage who mastered everything—music, arts, martial skills, and warfare—he is famed as the teacher of countless heroes in Greek mythology.

Why are his stats so high, but locked at 3 stars?! Is it because of my weak stats or the bond level? Even his Haki is capped… Wait, he knows Haki? Did he automatically adapt to this world? No wonder he's called "the all-knowing sage." Eric stared at the status screen, green with envy.

"Jason, could you introduce yourself a bit more?" Eric asked eagerly, hoping to learn about his new companion.

"Well… I am the son of Cronus and the goddess Philyra. I once relinquished my immortality by using a poisoned arrow to save others. The gods took pity on me and placed me among the stars as Sagittarius."

"Whoa…" Eric and Jason's eyes sparkled.

Jason chuckled softly. "Right now, I'm just an ordinary man who knows a little bit of everything."

Yeah, a "little bit"… sure. This guy literally raised half of ancient Greece's heroes… Eric inwardly scoffed but still smiled. "Looking forward to working together for a long time."

"The pleasure's mine. By the way, Master, if there's anything you want to learn, I can teach you," James offered warmly.

This guy really is a teacher to the core…

"Haha, I'll definitely be asking for lessons later. But for now, let's head to the Marine branch to collect our bounty," Eric said. Priorities first—money for saving Kuina came before education.

They hauled Krieg's corpse and their loot onto their sloop. Opening the map of the East Blue, Eric plotted their course.

"The route back to Shimotsuki Village… there's a Marine branch nearby. Detour to East Blue Branch 16 first, Akame. It'll only take an extra hour or two."

Although the system already paid the bounty for Krieg, Eric wanted to double-dip—cash in with the Marines too. Previously, he never bothered with small fry because it wasn't worth the time. But this was Krieg—big money.

With Jif's body gone after being used as a summoning catalyst, their total funds now stood at:

[Funds: 54,346,000 Berries]

As they sailed, Eric decided to see what James could do.

"By the way, James, you do know you can't swim now, right?" Eric asked, not entirely sure how much James understood about this world.

"Yes. I can feel it. I also sense that I can transform into a horse. Is that because of the Zoan Fruit?"

"Correct. You ate the Horse-Horse Fruit. No swimming, and avoid Sea-Prism Stone. Try transforming—let's test it out," Eric instructed while steering the ship.

"Understood. Beast Form!"

James effortlessly transformed into a horse, his size much larger than a normal one, yet his clothes didn't tear.

"Unbelievable," Eric muttered.

"It's… incredible power," James said, speaking casually from a horse's mouth as if it were normal.

"How's it feel?" Eric asked curiously.

"Hot, and power keeps flooding in. But I feel like I'm still holding back… Why is that?" James tilted his head.

"I felt the same way," Jason chimed in.

"Haha, maybe it's just because you're new. Anyway, I'll… uh… go sort through the treasure." Eric quickly changed the subject, unwilling to admit his own weak stats were holding them back.

One step at a time. First, the money.

(End of Chapter)