The pirate ship had slowed, sails half-reefed, and for the first time since spotting the fast crab-ship, discipline snapped into the mountain-bandits-turned-sea-wolves.
"Boss! It's her—it's the Ice-Haired Sword Demon! She's on that boat!"
The lookout nearly tumbled down the rigging in his panic, voice cracking.
The deck erupted.
"Damn it, I told you—told you Windmill Village was cursed!"
"Shut up! If she's here, we're finished!"
"We can't fight her up close—she'll carve us apart!"
The fear was palpable. The name Ice-Haired Sword Demon had become a scar on the psyche of every cutthroat who once prowled the forests. A girl with a blade, blue hair whipping like a banner of death, stalking the mountains and purging brigands one nest at a time. That legend had chased them from land to sea.
And now here she was, standing calmly at the prow of the vessel bearing down on them.
Their captain slammed a fist into the railing, face twisting into a snarl to mask his own unease. "Cowards! She's no sea god—she's just a swordswoman. This is the ocean. Here we rule!" He spun toward the gun crews. "Slow the sails! Run her down with shot! Line up the cannons!"
The pirates cheered, relief flooding them. Cannons—iron mouths that belched fire and iron. No swordsman alive could cut down a cannonball. Right?
…
On Jin's deck, the nervous sailor nearly swallowed his tongue as he watched through the glass. "Ancestors save us—they're loading cannon! Five of them! They mean to sink us before we're close enough to board!"
Kuina didn't flinch. She turned her sharp gaze on the man, tone cutting through his panic. "Tell the helmsman: full speed. Straight ahead. Don't waste time dancing with their shot."
The sailor gaped. "B-but if we—"
"Do it."
Her tone brooked no argument.
He stumbled off, half-muttering prayers.
Jin stretched languidly, strolling onto the deck in time to hear the first boom. The cannonball howled across the waves—close, but wide, throwing up a geyser of saltwater twenty meters ahead of their bow.
"Oooh," Jin mused. "They actually brought toys." His eyes glimmered purple with amusement. "This might be fun."
Another boom. Another splash. Closer.
Kuina's brows drew tight. "So this is their plan. Too afraid to face me, so they hide behind iron."
Tina cracked one eye from her reclined chair, smirk tugging her lips. "Looks like even demons have their limits. Want me to take over, Kuina?"
"Shut up," Kuina snapped, jaw tight. "I'll deal with them myself once we're close enough."
But before she could step forward, Jin clapped his hands together like an excited child. "No, no, no. This is perfect! You girls swing your blades all day, but me? I've never had the pleasure of artillery."
Tina snorted. "You?"
"Why not?" He strolled toward the small ship's lone deck gun, voice rising with mock drama. "Back in my world, I was the King of Soldiers. Guns, tanks, missiles—I mastered them all. How hard can one little cannon be?"
he barked. "Load it up. Your captain's about to show you how it's done."
The crab obeyed with a grunt, ramming powder and shot into place. Jin squinted, squatted behind the iron tube, fiddled with the elevation. He bit his lip, muttering about wind speed and trajectory like a man calculating a sniper's shot.
"Alright," he declared. "Fire."
The cannon boomed. The recoil nearly toppled him. The ball soared… and splashed harmlessly ten meters short of the pirate ship.
The deck was silent. Then Tina's laughter exploded. "The King of Soldiers can't even hit a floating barn!"
"Shut it!" Jin snarled, yanking the rammer and shoving another shot down. Sweat beaded on his brow as he adjusted again. "Just warming up. Nobody's perfect first try."
Boom. Splash. Wide.
Boom. Splash. Short.
Boom. Splash. Soaring clear over the pirate mast to vanish into the waves beyond.
By the fifth miss, Jin hurled the rammer down in disgust. "Impossible! In my past life I was sniping men from two kilometers! Now a damned iron ball mocks me? This world is cursed!"
Tina wiped tears from her eyes. "Maybe the gods took away your aim when they dropped you here."
Jin glared, then barked, take over before I throw this thing overboard."
…
Another boom. This one true. A black iron sphere screamed straight toward their hull.
The sailor screamed. The crab froze.
Jin sighed. "Fine."
He stepped forward, purple eyes flashing, and kicked off the deck. Air cracked beneath his feet as he vaulted high, landing on invisible steps of force. The cannonball whistled toward him.
He met it head on.
"Not today."
His heel slammed into the iron. The shot veered, shrieking back across the waves before detonating in a column of spray.
Gasps filled the deck.
He landed lightly, dusting his hands. "See? Who needs cannons when you've got me?"
…
Later, as the distance closed and the pirate crew scrambled in panic, Kuina stalked past him, blade at her side. But just before stepping to the prow, she paused.
Her eyes lingered on the faint scorch-mark across his cheek—powder burn from intercepting the shell. Wordless, she lifted a cloth and wiped it clean. Her fingers brushed his skin, lingering a moment longer than necessary.
For an instant, her cold mask cracked—the faintest flicker of heat in her gaze. Then she turned away sharply, muttering, "…Idiot."
Jin only smiled.
The pirates' cannons roared again. But it was too late. The Ice-Haired Sword Demon was coming for them, and this time, not even iron would save them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T/N :
Access 30 chapters in Advance on my P@treon: [email protected]/GodFic