The atmosphere in the meeting room grew tense in an instant. Aramis, Harden, Hatcheson, and Selkirk all stood on edge, their nerves taut. At William's slightest signal, they were ready to draw their weapons and clash with the Cook Pirates, whose members behind Zeff were equally prepared for battle.
Dampier, who had initially intended to remain uninvolved, was forced to knock on the table to assert his presence. He cast a deep glance at William and said, "You asked me to invite Captain Zeff here. Surely it wasn't to start an all-out war on my turf?"
Without waiting for William to respond, Dampier turned to Zeff. "Captain Zeff, I invited you here. If he dares to make a move, rest assured, I won't stand idly by. But if your men disrespect me and strike first, don't expect me to show you any leniency either."
Harden from the Morgan Pirates and several pirates from the Cook Pirates glared angrily at Dampier.
After Dampier finished speaking, William finally said, "Of course not. The reason I asked Dampier to invite you here, Captain Zeff, is to discuss a ceasefire..."
"You think you can just call for a ceasefire whenever you want?" A blond man with a lip piercing suddenly interrupted William, shouting aggressively.
"Such poor manners..." William paused, glancing at Zeff, who made no move to stop the outburst. With a calm demeanor, he continued, "Captain Zeff, is this your stance as well?"
The lip-pierced man made a move as if to step forward, but Zeff raised a hand to stop him. Zeff replied indifferently, "That is indeed my stance. You launched a surprise attack, killed my crew members, and now you suddenly want to talk about a ceasefire? Things aren't that simple."
William chuckled, his gaze shifting to the lip-pierced man with interest. "And who might this hero be?"
"My ship's boatswain, Charles. What do you want with him?" Zeff responded.
"Nothing at all," William said with a smile. "Captain Zeff, the one who attacked you, Barbarossa, is already dead. His Red-Beard Pirates have been wiped out. What you see before you is a new captain and a new pirate crew. We have no interest in paying debts for the dead. If you agree to a ceasefire, that would be ideal. But if you insist on continuing this fight, then we'll have no choice but to respond."
William's smile widened, revealing his sharp white teeth. "Let me remind you, though—if this continues, it'll be an all-out fight to the death. Both sides will have no choice but to keep fighting until one of us is completely wiped out."
"You seem quite confident," Zeff sneered, curling his lips. "Do you really think your crew is willing to fight to the bitter end with you?"
"Would Captain Zeff like to test that theory?" William tilted his head slightly, glancing at his crew behind him. In a seemingly casual tone, he added, "Since we've both brought people today, why not have a little preview? Each side sends one person to fight, and when one falls, the next steps in. We'll keep going until one side is completely wiped out, and then the two of us can personally settle it. Let's see if our crews are truly willing to stand with us until the very end!"
At William's suggestion, Hatcheson twitched slightly at the corner of his eye, but the other three showed no visible reaction. Vice-Captain Harden, a typical brute of a warrior, was reckless and fearless. Selkirk, having experienced battles on the Grand Line, was neither timid nor afraid of death. Besides, apart from Aramis, only he knew that William was a Logia Devil Fruit user, which gave him full confidence in their captain. As for Aramis, though he was prone to complaining, he knew when to hold his tongue, and his face betrayed no unease in this moment.
William turned his gaze to Dampier, whose expression had grown grim. Smiling, he said, "This isn't really a war, is it? Just a little game. To avoid disrupting your business, we can agree on no guns and no leaving this meeting room. How about that?"
"You two captains fighting in this tiny meeting room—can it even withstand the aftermath of your battle?" Dampier asked, his tone dark.
William chuckled. "Don't worry. If Captain Zeff and I do end up fighting, we'll take it elsewhere and spare your place."
Dampier remained silent, and many present assumed he would refuse. To their surprise, he nodded and coldly said, "Any damages will be on you."
William smiled at Dampier, then turned to the visibly displeased Zeff. "The host has already agreed. What about you, Captain Zeff?"
Zeff's gaze shifted between Dampier and William, but he said nothing.
Seeing this, William raised his arm and gestured to his crew. "Aramis, you go first and spar with whoever Captain Zeff sends out."
As Aramis stepped forward confidently, William smirked at Zeff. "Captain Zeff, are you scared? You've brought more people than I have, after all."
Without waiting for Zeff to respond, William pointed at Charles, the lip-pierced boatswain who had interrupted earlier. "Since we're starting, how about sending this brave warrior first?"
Charles had already been itching for a fight when William questioned Zeff's courage. Now, after glancing at Zeff and seeing no objection, he arrogantly stepped forward, circling the meeting table to face Aramis.
Meanwhile, William turned to Dampier and said, "You're the host, so why not act as the referee?"
Dampier nodded expressionlessly.
In the cleared space beside the long table, Aramis, unlike the cocky Charles, offered a friendly smile.
With his baby-faced appearance, noticeable tiger teeth, and harmless demeanor, Aramis's smile was rather endearing—anything but threatening. This naturally caused Charles to underestimate him.
"Begin!"
As soon as Dampier's voice fell, there was a sharp "swish" sound. Aramis's katana flashed out of its sheath like lightning. His face was now devoid of any trace of the innocent smile from before, replaced by a cold, emotionless expression.
Aramis had a natural talent for combat, though his lazy personality often led him to slack off during training. While character doesn't change overnight, the death of Vallon had spurred him to take his training and practice more seriously in recent days, resulting in noticeable improvement.
Caught off guard, Charles hastily raised his dual swords to block. While he managed to deflect Aramis's iaido strike, the sheer force behind the katana caused his swords to be knocked aside.
Aramis's brows furrowed as he twisted and retracted his blade, striking again in the blink of an eye. Like a venomous snake, the katana lashed out once more. Charles barely managed to dodge his vital areas but couldn't avoid being pierced through the shoulder.
In this world, high-level battles could last for days without a clear victor, but that was only when both sides were evenly matched and fully alert. For fighters like Charles and Aramis, a single moment of carelessness could immediately tip the scales—or even decide the outcome.
Wounded due to his arrogance, Charles found himself at a disadvantage. Aramis, relentless in his assault, closed the distance. With his injured shoulder, Charles struggled to maintain his grip on his swords. As he tried to counterattack, his reduced strength and speed allowed Aramis to easily evade and exploit an opening, slashing his other arm.
Zeff's expression darkened, and he moved to intervene. But William, who had been watching closely, leaned back slightly and kicked the heavy wooden meeting table.
The solid table slid forward with surprising force, colliding with Zeff and momentarily halting him.
In that brief window, Aramis had already subdued the now pale-faced Charles, whose arms were both injured. Grabbing Charles by his blond hair, Aramis pressed his katana lightly against his neck.
Aramis looked at the now-standing Zeff and smiled faintly, revealing his small tiger teeth once again. However, this time, his smile carried no trace of innocence—only menace. To Zeff, it was nothing short of infuriating.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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