Chapter 8: Tonight, the hunt is exhilarating!
Marines G-51 Marine Branch, port.
The royal merchant ship 'Aikeyon Ship' from the Nismal Kingdom was still quietly docked.
A grand banquet had already begun within the branch, with the Marines and the merchant ship's managers enjoying fine food and wine.
Meanwhile, on the deck of the merchant ship.
"I'm so envious. I heard that Sir Manager prepared a red envelope of 100,000 Beli for every Marine soldier this time."
A guard from the Nismal Kingdom sighed, "Especially that Colonel Aster. I heard the kingdom secretly gave him a fortune worth this number."
He held up a number with his hand, clicking his tongue in admiration.
"You wouldn't understand then."
The old guard beside him chuckled upon hearing this, "That Colonel Aster is no simple man. Before, a ship full of Slaves that Sir Mantel was escorting encountered an accident at Marster Port, and several Slaves escaped and sought help from the Marines branch."
"Among the Slaves, there was a woman who was a special commodity from the 'Flower Race'—that's a high-grade item!"
When he said this, the other guard was also astonished.
The Flower Race—a special race in the Grand Line.
On the surface, they look like ordinary humans, but their bodies emit a floral fragrance. Approaching plants makes them grow, and their sweat is one of the best honeys in the world.
Female members of the Flower Race are priced no less than female mermaids. Their starting bid on the Sabaody Archipelago is 50,000,000 Beli.
It's easy to imagine that if such a commodity ran away, Sir Mantel would definitely not have an easy time.
But...
"At that time, it was Colonel Aster who returned those Slaves to the manager and even destroyed all the related rescue documents."
The old guard chuckled, "Now you understand, right? The Marines are our important 'protectors', so it's only natural that Sir Manager would give them plenty of benefits!"
Hearing this, the young guard became even more envious.
However, the old guard quickly changed the topic, "You don't need to be too envious; our gains this time are substantial. Sir Mantel will give us some rewards."
And hearing him bring this up, the young guard was no longer troubled.
"Isn't that right? Who would've thought there'd be such a stunning beauty in a fishing village on a small island? In the end, she was even taken notice of and bought by a Celestial Dragon."
Saying this, he also swallowed hard.
The old guard also nodded, "Indeed, that Celestial Dragon exchanged a Devil Fruit and two hundred million Beli. Counting the other Slaves this time, we've earned a total of five hundred million Beli, huh?!"
Mid-sentence, his expression suddenly changed.
Because at that moment, the two guards found their legs, necks, bodies, and hands tightly bound.
They didn't even have time to struggle.
Two short blades pierced their bodies from behind.
"Six, no, seven intruders?"
The old guard's mind quickly determined the number of intruders before he collapsed heavily.
Immediately after, the seven intruders swiftly dragged the fallen guards to a corner and stripped them of their clothes.
After doing all this, all seven intruders were already breathing heavily.
And if one were to look closely, they would discover a shocking fact.
The seven intruders who had infiltrated the ship all looked identical. They were all that young pirate named Aran.
No need for further explanation.
This was naturally Aran himself, along with his remaining clones.
"Can Li, she..."
At this moment, Aran's voice was deep, as if he was gritting his teeth.
From the conversation between the two men just now, he had naturally inferred Can Li's fate.
"No, I can't be impatient. Grandpa and the others are still in the hold. I have to save them first..."
But he quickly suppressed his anger. Then, two of his clones put on the guards' clothes.
"In fifteen minutes, it'll be time for the guards' shift change. The hold will open then, and I can take the opportunity to sneak in and rescue Grandpa and the others."
He constantly replayed all the details of his plan in his mind.
That's right.
Ever since he, calling himself a pirate, wrote that threatening letter and forced this merchant ship to stop at Marster Port, he had been observing everyone's every move on the ship from afar, waiting for the plan to begin.
"By then, only four guards will be left in the hold for a short period. I'll secretly take out two first, and for the remaining two, I'll stake my life!"
As he thought of this, Aran couldn't help but recall the strange Marine officer that the clone he had just "abandoned" encountered.
For some unknown reason, the other party seemed to know his plan; every word he said directly pointed out Aran's intentions.
"However, according to the information synchronized from the clone, he doesn't seem to have sailed back to the port. Was he just bluffing me?"
At this thought, Aran shook his head abruptly.
Things had come to this; he no longer had the leisure to overthink.
He was very clear about his own strength.
Although the Devil Fruit he ate in his youth had granted him special abilities,
He was ultimately just an ordinary fishing village boy. The only reason he wasn't captured as a slave like the others was pure luck; he just happened not to be in the village at the time.
Even if he and all his clones went in together, they might not be able to directly defeat three kingdom guards.
Therefore, he only had one chance.
"I must focus! Focus!"
Just as he was thinking this,
"A piercing whistle!"
A sharp whistle broke the silence of the merchant ship, coming from behind him.
Thus, Aran turned to look behind him, bewildered.
He saw that the two guards he had stabbed were already struggling to sit up.
"Kid... First time killing someone, huh?"
The old guard was still bleeding, but at this moment, he was grinning sinisterly.
"You're nervous—with such short blades, you could only stab our heads, hearts, or vital organs. But you didn't hit any of them! Useless!"
As he spoke, dozens of guards from within the ship's cabins also rushed out upon hearing the whistle.
"Intruders!"
"Why are there intruders now? We don't have any treasure on the ship anymore."
"Doesn't matter, catch them first!"
"Wait, these intruders... Are they septuplets?"
Upon seeing Aran and the two injured guards, they immediately understood the situation.
At this moment, Aran's expression turned ashen.
Just as he had said earlier—he only had one chance.
But clearly, that chance was gone now.
The next moment, he heard the old guard say, "Don't kill him, he's no septuplet—this guy must be an Ability User! He's a valuable commodity! We must capture him alive!"
Upon hearing these words, Aran's pale face suddenly flushed.
He abruptly gripped the short blade in his hand.
"You bunch of scumbags... I..."
He would not become a Slave—not even if it meant death!
So, he and his six clones, short blades in hand, lunged fiercely at the guards.
But it was clear that it was pointless.
Just two short minutes later, Aran and several of his clones lay sprawled on the deck, covered in fresh blood.
"Which one is the original body?"
"Who cares? Grab all of them."
"We're going to get rich! Ability User Slaves are very popular!"
As they spoke, several guards walked forward, grinning, and reached out to grab Aran directly.
"Damn it... Damn it!"
Aran, lying on the ground, tried to resist, but was immediately pinned down, unable to move.
But just at this moment...
"Boom!"
He suddenly heard a sound of something breaking through the air.
Then, he distinctly felt the force holding him down instantly vanish, replaced by some warm liquid falling on his body.
This allowed him to struggle and look forward.
At this moment, the formerly ferocious-looking guards in front of him were no longer there.
Instead, there was a gigantic hole in the deck.
Through the hole, he could see the fresh blood and corpses of those guards below—which was also the source of the warm liquid on his body.
"Who?!"
"What happened to this hole?"
"What's going on?!"
"Look! Up in the sky!"
Then, he heard the alarmed voices of the guards.
So, he subconsciously raised his head.
And then, he was stunned to see a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life.
Above the pitch-black sky, a full moon hung high.
Moonlight sprinkled on the waves, turning them silvery white.
And at the same time, a figure stood in the center of the moonlight in the sky.
He wore a rooster mask on his face, and at this moment, he was slowly retracting his fist.
"Who is that guy? An accomplice of the intruders?"
"He can fly? Is he an Ability User too?"
"Quick! Shoot him down!"
The guards, holding their weapons, discussed among themselves.
But at this moment, some people had already noticed something was wrong.
For example, the old guard whom Aran had injured noticed—that figure was indeed standing in the air, but looking closely, one would see his feet moving subtly.
"That's..."
And as an experienced veteran who had heard many tales, the old guard had heard of this technique. Coupled with the punch that had just shattered the deck...
"No! No!"
The old guard immediately opened his mouth, trying to give orders.
"Retreat quickly! Inform Sir Mantel and Colonel Aster immediately, this guy is a monster—"
But clearly, it was too late.
"Whoosh!"
Accompanied by speed almost invisible to the naked eye and a fierce tearing sound, the old guard and his men saw the figure in the sky vanish in an instant.
"This feels good."
The next moment, a low voice sounded in his ear.
"My first mission, and I encounter scum like you. This allows me to hunt to my heart's content!"
As the deep voice came, the old guard felt his vision soar high.
Then, he saw his own body.
It was then that he realized it wasn't him that was flying, but only his head.
And in that brief remnant of consciousness...
The old guard saw the figure wearing the rooster mask plunge into the crowd like a demon, without hesitation.
Thus, cries of agony and shouts of killing echoed in the darkness.
Above the pitch-black night sky, a full moon hung high.
Moonlight spilled onto the deck, as if stained with blood.
(end of chapter)