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In just an instant, Swor's white military uniform was shredded to tatters. His entire body was torn open, flesh split and bleeding profusely, with wounds deep enough to expose bone.
"…"
Swor stared blankly at the broken piece of sword by his feet. "What… is your name?"
"You're so rude. You didn't even ask about my Captain first, and now you're asking me? If my Captain beats me up later, are you going to take responsibility?"
Swor stood there woodenly. This man was just a crew member, and the female pirate leisurely watching the fight from the sidelines was the Captain?
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! …
The broken sword in his hand began to tremble, then suddenly—
Whiz, it flew out of his grasp. Together with the severed piece on the ground, it shot toward the pirate across from him, hovering in midair before the pirate. Even more terrifyingly, the two sword fragments twisted like noodles, creak creak, bending into arcs, circling in front of the pirate like fish chasing each other's tails.
Liam said, "I've not only heard of swordsmen who can cut iron but also of the natural enemy of swordsmen!"
With a casual wave of his hand, the two "fish" flipped their sword edges in front of him, aiming at the tattered and stunned Swor. They shot forward at high speed, piercing into his body with a puff puff.
"Oh, that would be me." Liam reached out with an empty grip, twisting his hand as if turning a doorknob.
The two sword fragments embedded in Swor's body twisted along with the motion…
"…" Bloodshot veins crept into Swor's eyes. He gritted his teeth against the excruciating pain, but as the pirate beckoned with his hand again, the two sword pieces lodged sideways in Swor's body dragged him swiftly toward the pirate.
Caught off guard, Swor was kicked away by Liam with a single blow.
This kick was far heavier than before, causing Swor to roll his eyes back, nearly losing consciousness.
Bang!
Liam leapt after him, kicking Swor along with the scattered Self-Defense Force soldiers one by one, launching them into the sky like soccer balls. In the blink of an eye, they vanished from sight.
"Phew! Good shot, good shot."
Liam stood at the village entrance, shading his eyes to look into the distance, suddenly feeling the loneliness of a master. "Hey, don't tell me— the Magnet-Magnet Fruit really does have some 'swordsman's nemesis' vibes… huh?"
He was puzzled by the lack of response and turned around. In the somewhat disheveled village, many islanders dressed in white robes with feathers in their hair slowly emerged…
All of them wore expressions of terror, each carrying one or several bags, which they silently placed on the ground in front of Robin. Robin, with her single-shoulder bag slung over her arm, looked at these cowering islanders. After a long, speechless moment, she shot Liam a look that said, "You deal with this."
But that glance of hers frightened the islanders even more.
Liam walked over, looking at the piles of money and food on the ground, and asked, "What's this for?"
An uncle, startled by his words, hurriedly stammered, "T-This is all the money we have, all the food we have…"
"Yeah, we can't offer any more…"
"Please don't kill us…"
Other villagers chimed in, still trembling in fear from the terrifying scene of Liam fighting the soldiers earlier. Even the government's forces, so powerful, had been utterly crushed by this pirate. If these pirates wanted to rob their village, what choice did they have but to submit and let him take whatever he wanted?
"Oh, that? I was just kidding," Liam said with a wave of his hand, casually adding, "I was just messing around, no need to take it seriously."
The village chief, an old grandma with feathers in her hair, carefully studied his face and that of the female pirate beside him. Seeing no signs of deceit, she hesitated and said, "But… you said earlier…"
Robin smiled and said, "If he didn't say it that way, those people might have thought we were protecting you."
Liam nodded in agreement. "That bunch didn't look like good guys. Just looking at them made me want to punch them a couple of times."
The islanders were stunned. You're pirates, and they were government troops— who's the one that doesn't look like a good guy here? How can you say that so confidently…?
"So that's how it is…" The village chief, with a head full of feathers sighed.
Robin, with her bag slung over her shoulder, smiled and asked, "So, what were they here for? The Self-Defense Force from Marijoa isn't the same as the Marines. Why would they show up here?"
The villagers exchanged glances, remaining silent.
"They're enemies of the government forces, so it's fine to tell them," The feather-adorned village chief grandma said hoarsely. "Indeed, the Self-Defense Force rarely leaves the Holy Land, so their presence here naturally has a reason… Do you know about the incident that happened in the Holy Land over half a year ago?"
"You mean… the slave liberation event?" Robin realized.
Liam said, "Oh, so they're here to hunt down 'escaped slaves'…"
The village chief grandma, with feathers in her hair, soon brought over a small figure. "Not long ago, she escaped to our island because of the Holy Land incident… Just earlier, the government's Self-Defense Force came to the island to investigate. I hid her in an Underground room… If you hadn't shown up and driven them off, I really don't know if I could've kept her hidden…"
Robin looked down at the little one the village chief grandma had brought over.
Her brownish-yellow hair was a messy explosion, her body covered in dirt, her face smudged with grime but it was clear she'd tried to wipe it clean, perhaps to seem more likable.
The little one looked frail and small, her skin in poor condition. It reminded Robin of her own childhood; this was obviously a sign of malnutrition… What stood out most was the sweet smile plastered across her face. The curve of her smile was just right— not too much, not too little— perfectly sweet.
Perfectly ingratiating.
It was a smile meant to please. Robin fell silent for a moment, then crouched down, gently ruffling the little one's messy hair, and smiled. "What's your name?"
When Robin reached out, she noticed the little one instinctively flinch slightly, as if to dodge her hand, but then forcibly stop herself, letting Robin touch her hair. She even tilted her head up a bit, making it easier for Robin to pat her.
The little one's ingratiating, sweet smile didn't waver in the slightest. "My name is Koala. I'm eight years old this year."
"Why's it another eight-year-old?"
Robin heard Liam muttering above her. She gazed into the little girl Koala's eyes and smiled. "My name is Jolyne. I was eight once too, but now I'm fifteen."
"…" Koala maintained her smile but didn't respond. She looked at the warm yet dangerous woman before her, seemingly unsure how to reply.
The village chief grandma sighed. "This child's hometown is too far from here. With our navigation skills, there's no way we could send her back… Could we ask you to take her, at least to somewhere else where she might find a way back to her hometown? Outsiders rarely pass through here, and we can't trust just anyone. But if it's you— people who'd even care about the safety of a strange village like ours, you wouldn't mistreat apitiful little girl like her."
"I see…" Liam said, crossing his arms in thought.
Koala kept her unchanging sweet smile as Liam loomed over her, scrutinizing her. After a moment, she hurriedly said in a nervous tone, "I'm good at working! I can clean, I can do anything— even be a little puppy if you want! Please don't abandon me…" Her fear and anxiety were so intense that she immediately dropped to her knees and crawled like a dog. "Woof, woof… Please don't kill me. I won't be any trouble…"
Some of the villagers quietly shed tears. The village chief grandma let out a soft sigh and was about to do something when Robin set down her shoulder bag, sat on the ground, and pulled the crawling girl into her arms.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid," Robin said gently, patting the girl's thin, frail back. "I'm this guy's Captain. He has to listen to me."
"…" Koala's smile remained unchanged, but she didn't hug back, letting Robin hold her. Her bony frame trembled slightly. She lifted her head from Robin's shoulder and saw Liam, arms crossed, looking down and saying, "What? You got a problem with that?" Koala flinched in fright, flashing Liam a sweet smile.
(End Of This Chapter)