Out at sea, two ships were locked in a desperate chase—a pirate ship and a merchant vessel. The merchant ship was clearly slower, and it was only a matter of time before it got caught.
The merchant ship had already fired a few scattered cannon shots, but now it had fallen completely silent. They were obviously unprepared and had run out of ammunition.
On the pirate ship, a scar-faced pirate grinned wickedly as he stared at the defenseless merchant vessel ahead.
"Alright, boys! Looks like their cannons are spent. Now it's our turn!"
"Awooo!"
"Is it time to witness the captain's one-shot, one-kill again?"
"Can't wait!"
"Who knows how many ships have met their end at sea thanks to the captain's cannon strike!"
The pirates cheered wildly as their captain sprinted toward the ship's cannon, adjusting its aim with deadly precision—he looked as if he could blow the merchant ship apart in a single shot.
…
…
Meanwhile, on the merchant ship, the captain was shouting orders to the crew to steer quickly. The ship was specially constructed—it wasn't solely reliant on sails for propulsion.
Outwardly, the captain remained calm, but inside, panic churned in his gut.
He never expected to encounter pirates during what was supposed to be a simple one-day journey—and not just any pirates, but ones that moved this fast.
If it weren't for the cargo bound for Forge Star Island being essential to his family's business, he would have dumped the goods and escaped long ago.
Thankfully, the distress signal had already been sent, and the rescue team was reportedly en route. All they needed to do now was hold out a little longer.
BOOM!
A cannonball whistled through the air. With no ammunition left, the crew turned their eyes to the captain.
He didn't let them down.
Leaping into the air, he kicked the cannonball away.
He wasn't a top-tier fighter by any means, but deflecting a single cannonball was still within his ability.
Cheers erupted from the merchant ship's crew. If they could just avoid the cannon fire, they could maintain enough distance from the pirate ship to last until help arrived.
"Beck! How long until the rescue ship gets here?!" the captain shouted.
"Captain Zeke! They've already set out! I'm trying to contact any nearby ships that can assist!"
---
Aboard the Chris, Karina and Joanne were playing volleyball on the deck—a long-forgotten piece of sports equipment gathering dust until now.
Weiss squinted at the ball, the sunlight reflecting off it harshly.
Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi (a transponder snail) on the table began screaming.
Karina and the others stopped playing, while Weiss sighed in disappointment—volleyball wasn't something you saw every day.
"This is the Punk! We are under pirate attack! Is anyone nearby? We need immediate assistance!"
"Repeat: This is the Punk! Pirates are attacking us! Any nearby ships, please respond!"
"Coordinates are—"
Crack!
After giving their location, the signal cut off.
This kind of emergency broadcast was common knowledge for most seafarers. Some pirates even faked distress calls just to lure in rescue ships.
"Kadun, did you hear that?" Weiss called toward the helm.
"Loud and clear, Captain! Should I head toward those coordinates?" Kadun's voice boomed from the distance.
"Go!"
With that order confirmed, Kadun spun the wheel, steering the Chris in a new direction.
No one on board hesitated. No one believed this was a dangerous trip.
---
Back on the merchant ship, things were deteriorating. Even though the pirate ship was only firing sporadically, Captain Zeke was struggling to keep up.
The oarsmen below deck were exhausted. The ship began to slow.
Finally, a cannonball slipped through Zeke's defense, striking a mast with a loud CRACK. It snapped clean in two.
"The mast is down! Evacuate!" someone yelled.
Panic spread. With the ship losing speed, the deck was chaos.
Zeke glared at the rapidly approaching pirate ship. There was still no sign of rescue.
The pirate captain was the first to leap aboard, his face full of scars and his grin full of menace.
"Kehahaha! What's wrong, you damned rat? Weren't you running pretty fast just now?"
The missed cannon shot still gnawed at him. His crew hadn't mocked him, but he felt humiliated nonetheless—so he intended to take it out on this... captain.
Zeke stayed silent. He knew who this was: Morris, a pirate with a bounty of ninety million—an overlord of these seas.
There was no point in begging. It wouldn't help.
BAM!
Zeke was kicked across the deck, crashing into the remaining mast and breaking it further.
Beck ran over to help him up. That single kick had left Zeke gravely wounded.
The crew looked on with grief, but none dared speak out. They couldn't even meet the pirate's eyes.
"Kehahaha! Look at you pathetic ants. Not one of you dares speak. All you can do is submit to the might of Morris!"
"Yeah! Even the Navy doesn't mess with the captain. They just raise his bounty again and again!"
"Captain Morris is unstoppable!"
"I think so too!"
More pirates jumped over from their ship, echoing Morris's arrogance while rounding up the remaining sailors.
As they were subdued, Zeke's heart sank. It's over, he thought. I should've dumped the cargo while I still had the chance...
Now, they were fish on the chopping block.
SMACK!
"Beck!"
Beck had been staring at Morris the entire time—apparently, that was enough to provoke him. One kick sent Beck flying into the cabin wall, splinters flying.
Zeke, clutching his injuries, rushed to Beck's side. Blood spilled from Beck's mouth as he kept his eyes locked on the pirate.
"Oh? I like that fire in your eyes," Morris sneered. "Still glaring at me like that? You must not know fear."
"But it's useless, brat. If looks could kill, I'd be dead a thousand times already."
"The more you resist, the more excited I get!"
His tongue snaked out like a beast, eyes gleaming like a leopard's as he approached the two.
The sailors turned away, not wanting to witness the next act of cruelty.
STOMP STOMP STOMP!
Seeing the defiance in Beck's eyes, Morris began stomping on him repeatedly before finally pulling his foot back.
"Aww, such touching friendship. I love seeing this—it makes things so much more entertaining."
Zeke had thrown himself over Beck, taking the worst of the beating himself.
"Zeke, are you okay?! Say something!" Beck yelled, shaking him urgently.
"Do I look okay? Keep shaking and I'll actually die," Zeke groaned weakly, covered in blood.
"You demon... You'll face judgment one day. I'll be waiting for you in hell!" Zeke spat, glaring at Morris with unwavering hate.
"Kehahaha! Judgment? Who's going to judge me? The Navy? Or maybe that rescue ship you called for?"
Morris laughed maniacally.
He'd heard these words countless times before—but he was still alive and kicking.
"So go ahead and die! And when you get to hell, don't forget—it was Morris who killed you!"
Zeke and Beck closed their eyes in despair. With no rescue ship in sight, all hope seemed lost.
But then—
THUD!
A sudden, heavy sound echoed across the deck.
When they opened their eyes, the pirate who had stood over them was now headless.
The pirates on deck froze in horror, all staring at the distant ship.
A ship bearing the flag of the Rescuers.
---
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