Andy and Nico Robin sat facing each other on their small motorboat, which rocked gently on the waves. They were studying a sea chart. A small storm had forced them to make a detour, causing them to stray from their intended path.
"Okay, it's confirmed," Robin said after a long silence. "Thankfully, the deviation isn't too big. With my so-so navigation skills, I'd be completely lost otherwise." She let out a small sigh of relief.
"That's a relief! I thought we were going to be lost in this vast ocean," Andy said, exhaling loudly. "But Robin, you really need to learn more about navigation from now on!"
Robin let out a laugh that sounded like bells. "So, from now on, I have to be a part-time navigator too?" she said with a sweet smile, folding the sea chart.
"Isn't it obvious?" Andy's expression was as certain as if he were stating a universal truth. "I'm the Captain, and you're the navigator and archaeologist!"
"Alright, alright, let's go, little man," Robin said, rolling her eyes. "If we don't leave soon, the sun will be setting." She handed him the sea chart.
Andy touched the chart, and it instantly vanished into his system space. "Okay, we do need to hurry. I don't want to spend the night at sea," he said, then stood up, swung his leg over, and sat back down.
Robin skillfully wrapped herself around him like a vine. The moment she did, Andy felt immense pressure from behind. "Robin, loosen up a bit, you're hugging too tight!" he said quickly.
"Hehehehe... This is the open sea, you know," Robin teased. "It's very dangerous if I don't hold on tight..."
"It's not that it's bad, but I can't move well like this..." Andy replied helplessly.
"Who told you to go so fast...?" Robin's tone held a playful hint of blame.
Andy decided not to respond. He controlled the motorboat, making a sharp turn and then shooting across the distant sea like an arrow, leaving a brilliant wake behind them.
It wasn't long before the two encountered pirates. More specifically, they saw a pirate ship attacking a merchant ship. Andy stopped their motorboat a few hundred meters away, his face rippling with the same excitement as the sea around them. He saw the gleam of bounty points waiting to be claimed.
The sound of cannon fire, the pirates' shouts, and the cries of the merchant guards echoed across the water.
"It's the Kabake Pirates," Robin said, immediately recognizing the flag fluttering in the wind. "Their Captain's bounty is 14,000,000 Berries. Should we take them out?"
"14,000,000 Berries?" Andy's eyes widened. "Then we absolutely must take them out! We are the embodiment of justice! How can we tolerate these vile pirates acting so wantonly and oppressing innocent civilians?" he declared self-righteously, gripping his sniper rifle.
Robin rolled her eyes, her expression clearly saying, 'I don't believe a word of that nonsense.' Still, she quickly got ready as well.
Andy steadily propped up his sniper rifle and took aim, like a hawk spotting its prey, at Kabake, who was standing at the bow of the pirate ship. Kabake also noticed their small motorboat but dismissed it, too focused on the ongoing battle.
The pirate ship and the merchant ship had already locked together, and Kabake was brandishing his sword, directing his subordinates to board the merchant ship with a ferocious look on his face. Some pirates had already jumped over and begun a gruesome slaughter. The deck of the merchant ship was a horrific sight, with screams rising and falling like desperate pleas.
"Ya ha ha ha~" Kabake howled like a vicious wolf. "Go, you guys, take them out! All the treasure on board is ours!"
"Oh!" his pirates roared. "Kill! Take them out!" They surged forward like a tide, full of excitement.
"Andy~" Robin called softly.
"Understood!" Andy took a deep breath, his gun barrel aimed directly at Kabake's chest.
Just then, Kabake felt the time was right. He took a deep breath, his legs pushing off with force, and his body leaped into the air like a cannonball, flying toward the opposite ship's deck. Seeing their Captain jump, the pirates became even more frenzied.
"Six Fleurs, Bind!"
As Robin's words rang out, hands sprouted from Kabake's arms, legs, and neck, binding him in mid-air. He instantly realized the small boat a few hundred meters away was the source.
"Captain!" some pirates shouted in a panic, noticing the strange hands gripping their leader.
A piercing gunshot rang out. Kabake's face twisted in terror as he felt Death beckoning to him. A squelching sound followed. He felt a sharp, burning sensation as the bullet pierced his chest, and a beautiful spray of blood blossomed on his uniform. His consciousness slowly dissipated with the fading vision of the crimson flower.
By the time the pirates reacted, Kabake had already fallen into the sea. "Captain!" "Captain Kabake!" they cried in terror, stopping their killing to look into the water.
"Ding~ Bounty points + 14,000,000!"
Hearing the notification, Andy felt a rush of satisfaction, but he didn't stop shooting. He continued to pick off the other pirates.
"Ding~ Bounty points + 9,800,000!" "Ding~ Bounty points + 7,600,000!"
Andy didn't expect there to be two more pirates with bounties. It was a good thing he hadn't planned to let any of them go! A few minutes later, there wasn't a single pirate left standing. They were either taken out by Andy or had jumped into the sea to escape.
"Phew~ Done~" Andy put away his sniper rifle, his previously tense mood finally relaxing. "Let's go, let's go~"
"Andy, let's quickly go collect the spoils of war!" Robin had now fully embraced the pirate life, learning to 'loot the bag' after a fight.
"Go!" Andy sat down and immediately drove the motorboat toward the pirate ship. After they stopped, he said to Robin, "You go up first."
Robin nodded, using her ability to create a ladder of jade arms that sprouted from the side of the pirate ship. She climbed onto the deck, and Andy followed, storing the motorboat into his system space. With a sense of anticipation and excitement, the two jogged all the way into the pirate ship's cabin.
On the nearby merchant ship, the survivors slowly stood up as if waking from a dream. Still shaken, some cautiously poked their heads over the railing to observe their surroundings.
"It... it seems they've all been taken out..." one whispered.
"We survived, boo hoo hoo..." another sobbed.
"That's great! The pirates are gone, we're alive!"
For a moment, the overwhelming relief of surviving the ordeal turned into tears. Everyone hugged, cried, and laughed, celebrating their deliverance from the pirates' hands.
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