Chapter 274: Sneak Attack

Chapter 274: Chapter 274: Sneak Attack

"Achoo!!"

"Hiss—so cold! What’s going on? Did the temperature just drop suddenly?"

Several Female Warriors near the pile of treasure shivered in unison, hugging their arms as they looked around in surprise.

The climate in the South Blue is warm and humid, so this sudden chill seemed extremely unusual.

"Wait! Look at that crate!" a sharp-eyed Crew member exclaimed, pointing at the wooden crate where Kuzan was hiding.

They saw a layer of crystalline white frost forming on the surface of the crate at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"There’s something inside!"

"Is it a living thing? Or some kind of special treasure?"

The Crew members immediately became alert and tightened their grips on their weapons.

Charlotte Linlin also noticed the anomaly. Her purple eyes narrowed slightly as she walked over. Gerd and Ripley followed closely on her left and right.

"Captain, this crate..." the Female Warrior who first noticed the anomaly pointed at the frosted wooden crate, her tone filled with vigilance and curiosity.

Charlotte Linlin looked at the frost that was constantly spreading and thickening on the crate lid, deep in thought. She could feel a cold energy aura surging inside the crate.

She reached out, preparing to open the crate to take a look.

"Bang—!!!"

The lid was violently knocked open from the inside! A white mist mixed with ice crystals gushed out, instantly lowering the temperature for several meters around!

From within the cold mist, a figure shrouded in white fog roared and charged at Charlotte Linlin!

"Pirates—!!! I’ll fight you to the death—!!!"

The youthful yet desperate roar echoed across the deck.

"Slap!"

A crisp slapping sound.

The white figure flew sideways at a speed faster than it had arrived, tracing a parabolic arc.

With a "plop," it splashed into the sea a dozen meters away from the St. Freya, kicking up a spray of water mixed with ice shards, before quickly sinking.

The deck fell silent for a few seconds.

"What was that? A moving ball of cold air? Ripley, the way that guy was emitting white smoke looks a bit like when you activate your ability~"

Gerd blinked, looking at the ripples on the sea surface and the gradually dissipating cold air, not quite reacting in time. The move just now was too fast; she had only seen a humanoid silhouette shrouded in ice mist.

Ripley analyzed with great interest: "Exuding cold air all over, and being able to make things freeze... It looks like a user of some kind of Logia-type Devil Fruit. Though, as for this courage and strength..."

She glanced at Charlotte Linlin standing next to her, whose clothes weren’t even ruffled, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Charlotte Linlin shook her hand; a faint sensation of cold came from her palm, and a thin layer of white frost was rapidly melting and disappearing from her skin.

She looked at her palm, a flash of thought passing through her purple eyes: "An ice-based ability... Logia-type? Paramecia-type? Or a Mythical Zoan Type with ice attributes? It’s quite rare indeed."

She looked up and ordered Melo, the Captain of the underwater unit who had already arrived at the ship’s rail: "Melo, go down and take a look."

"Yes! Captain!" Upon receiving the order, Melo immediately took a few steps and leaped.

In mid-air, her legs instantly transformed into a beautiful, strong, and powerful fish tail covered in azure scales, elegantly cutting into the water without splashing much, her movements so fluid it was pleasing to the eye.

If there were diving judges from her past life’s Olympics here, they would undoubtedly give her a perfect score without hesitation.

She had only been underwater for a moment.

"Splash—!"

The sea surface near the St. Freya broke, and Melo leaped out again, her fish tail instantly changing back into long, slender legs the moment she left the water. She landed back on the deck, holding a person in one hand.

"Captain, it’s a child." Melo placed the still-unconscious Kuzan on the deck and reported.

Charlotte Linlin stepped forward and looked down to examine him.

"An ice-based ability..." she muttered to herself, a flash of thought crossing her purple eyes.

"Just ate a Devil Fruit, ability out of control, plus physical weakness and emotional agitation... To be able to cause this level of cold energy overflow, the potential of this fruit seems quite high. I just don’t know which one it is specifically..."

"Chilly-Chilly Fruit? Snow-Snow Fruit? Or some other ice-based variant? The Devil Fruit encyclopedia of the pirate world is not completely public, so she couldn’t be entirely certain."

But undoubtedly, this is a powerful fruit, and it has already been eaten by this brat in a muddle.

"Let’s wake him up first." Charlotte Linlin withdrew her gaze and said to Gerd.

"Alright, Linlin." Gerd nodded and stepped forward. At the same time, several strangely shaped small Homies floated out from Gerd’s hair; these were medical Homies that had been given souls.

After a while, Gerd withdrew her hand, and the Homies turned back into hair accessories on her head.

She turned to Charlotte Linlin and said: "Nothing major. The main problem is caused by long-term malnutrition. It shouldn’t take long for him to wake up on his own."

Charlotte Linlin nodded, her gaze sweeping over the rescued, anxious residents of Gray Bream Town on the deck.

"Hmm." She made a decision, "Then let’s send them back to that town first. As for this child..."

Her gaze landed on Kuzan again.

"Bring him along as well."

"Understood!" the Crew members replied in unison.

...

Gray Bream Town pier.

The rescued women and children finally stepped onto their familiar, yet now devastated, land.

Their faces still held traces of fear, but more so a sense of dazed gratitude for having survived the ordeal.

Charlotte Linlin did not make an appearance; it was Gerd and a few Crew members skilled in communication who handled these follow-up matters.

They not only sent them back safely but also distributed 100,000 Berries to each person.

For families who had just suffered such a heavy blow, this was undoubtedly a timely help, enough to support their lives for the next period of time.

Charlotte Linlin was no saint; she understood the complexity of human nature very well.

If she let them take "their own share" from the pile of captured treasure themselves, it would likely trigger new disputes, greed, or even looting.

Having her, a "third party" with absolute force, carry out a unified distribution was actually the most efficient way and the best method to avoid secondary harm.

Watching the backs of the townspeople as they thanked her profusely and supported each other while gradually leaving, Charlotte Linlin stood at the bow of the ship, her expression calm.

The trauma of this town would need time to heal, but at least the most direct atrocities had been terminated.

"Captain, the supplies have been counted. The food, fresh water, and alcohol looted from the pirate ship are enough to sustain us for a long time; no additional replenishment is needed." Ripley came to report.

"Hmm." Charlotte Linlin nodded, "Rest and refit here. Send a few teams ashore in rotations to assist in clearing the ruins of the fire in key passages and building temporary shelters. Keep a lookout and guard against any potential looters."

"Yes!"

With the order given, the massive St. Freya slowly adjusted its position and dropped anchor at the Gray Bream Town pier.

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