God's Island.
Within some ruins, Conis leaned against the mottled stone wall with one hand, her cheeks flushed as if dyed by sunset. As she bit her lower lip, the fine down on her nape trembled, her white wings fluttering rapidly behind her—the feather tips moving so fast they left faint silver afterimages.
Bahr pinched the cool tip of Conis's wing between his fingers, his thumb brushing over the soft flight feathers, feeling the subtle tremors of the bones beneath. His smirk deepened as he deliberately rubbed the feather roots with his thumb. "Just sent the Straw Hat crew back to the Blue Sea?" he asked.
With the Straw Hat Boy and his crew sailing into the distance, the boisterous banquet had finally come to an end. The island, once filled with laughter and chatter, gradually returned to silence.
Conis shrank at the heat of Bahr's touch, her wings fluttering even faster. She stared at the moss struggling to grow between the cracks in the stone bricks, her voice trembling. "When... when are you planning to leave?"
"In a day or two." Bahr's hand slid down her waist, pressing against her feverish skin through the thin fabric. Conis suddenly let out a soft, barely audible whimper, her wingtip sweeping sharply across the back of his hand with a gust of wind.
"Then... then I'll see you off at the channel entrance," Conis murmured, her eyelashes fluttering. Though she wanted to retreat, Bahr held her waist tighter, leaving her no choice but to grip the cracks in the wall, her voice barely above a whisper.
Bahr chuckled lowly, twirling one of Conis's flight feathers between his fingers. "No need. Our ship can fly—we don't need the Cloud Sea Channel."
The Ark Maxim was a dual-purpose battleship, capable of traversing both water and air. They could simply fly down!
"Sure you don't want to come with me?" Bahr suddenly leaned in, his warm breath brushing against Conis's sweat-dampened ear, startling her so much that the down on her wings instantly bristled.
Conis dug her fingers into the cracks in the wall, yet her wingtip unconsciously brushed against Bahr's hand. "I... I have to stay here," she stammered. "To help my father rebuild our home."
Bahr didn't press further, stepping back half a pace. "Fine. Then let's say our goodbyes properly."
Conis's fingers tightened against the stone wall, her knuckles whitening. She kept her lashes lowered, silent, staring at their overlapping shadows on the ground, her face burning so red it seemed about to drip blood. She still didn't look up—until Bahr's fingers grazed her ankle, and her wings suddenly flared open behind her...
Some time later, Bahr and Conis leisurely made their way back to the center of the ruins, only to find a crowd already gathered there. Conis's shoulders instantly tensed, her white wings instinctively folding behind her.
"Hey! You from the Blue Sea!" A rough voice cut through the air.
A man covered in crimson tattoos stepped out from the shadows, the patterns winding from his neck down to his exposed forearms. His face was fierce—this was none other than the "War Demon" of the Shandia tribe, Wyper.
He strode up to Bahr and demanded, "You've got our Shandia's Golden Bell, don't you?"
"What Golden Bell? Never heard of it." Bahr shrugged, his expression utterly indifferent.
Wyper's face darkened like a pot bottom, veins bulging at his temples. "Cut the crap! We already know you've got it!"
With a clatter, he raised the Burn Bazooka, its muzzle aimed squarely at Bahr's chest, and warned, "That's our Shandia's sacred relic. Hand it over now. Or don't blame me for what comes next!"
"Kid, I'd advise you not to point that thing at—" Bahr didn't get to finish before Wyper, without so much as blinking, pulled the trigger with a sharp "click!"
"Boom!"
The Burn Bazooka's shell, trailing sparks, grazed past Bahr's shoulder and exploded into the rocky ground behind him, leaving a charred crater. Shards of stone and scorched earth rained down noisily, the smoke thick with the stench of sulfur.
"The next shot goes through your heart," Wyper growled, gripping the still-smoking barrel, his eyes bloodshot through the haze, his voice as cold as ice.
Bahr arched an eyebrow at this stubborn bull. Not even letting a man finish his sentence before going all out—this "Demon of Shandia" Wyper really was a reckless fool!
His expression darkened instantly. Seeing Wyper raise the bazooka again, Bahr flicked his wrist and seized the man's throat.
Wyper felt an iron-like grip suddenly clamp around his neck, cutting off his breath. The next moment, with a deafening "thud," his back slammed into the rocky ground, carving out a foot-deep crater. The excruciating pain sent stars flashing across his vision as he coughed up a mouthful of bloody foam. His entire body felt like it had been shattered, leaving him without even the strength to lift a finger.
"Kid, since you fired at me, you must've prepared to die. I'll gladly oblige." Bahr's gaze was icy. He was never one for mercy—anyone who tried to kill him had to pay the price. That was just common sense.
"Wyper!" The Shandia tribesmen surged forward. A man with twin pistols fired, but the bullets abruptly halted midair before Bahr, as if hitting an invisible wall.
Bahr swept his eyes over the furious Shandians, a cold smirk curling his lips. "Fine by me. I don't mind wiping out your entire tribe."
"Wait, everyone, stop!" Aisa, the little girl, trembled violently, forcing back a sob as she shouted, "That man's presence is even stronger than 'God' Enel's! You'll all be killed!"
Her words doused them like a bucket of ice water. Their hearts lurched—Enel, the so-called "God" who had turned Sky Island upside down, had oppressed them to the point of suffocation. How terrifying must this man, who casually threatened genocide, be?
The Shandia elder hobbled forward on his cane, voice quivering. "Friend from the Blue Sea, this is all a misunderstanding..."
"Misunderstanding?" Bahr scoffed, his eyes sharp as blades. "Firing a Burn Bazooka at me doesn't feel like a misunderstanding."
As the tension froze the air, Conis suddenly stepped forward, her wings fluttering rapidly behind her. "Mr. Bahr, please, let Wyper go first."
Bahr glanced at Conis's pale face and shrugged, kicking Wyper away like a ragged sack. "Fine. For Miss Conis's sake, I'll let this slide."
He'd had a rather "pleasant" time exploring the ruins with Conis these past few days—he owed her this much at least.
Conis exhaled in relief and quickly bowed. "Thank you, Mr. Bahr."
"No need for formalities." Bahr winked at her, watching her cheeks flush crimson before leisurely turning away. "I'll head back to the ship first, then."
"Wait..." After taking just two steps, Wyper's voice came from behind as he struggled to get up: "Hand over the Golden Bell, or I'll never let you go!"
Bahr raised an eyebrow and turned back to look at this stubborn "war demon." With a tilt of his chin, he said, "I'll be straight with you—the Golden Bell is right here with me. Once we return to the Blue Sea, I'll melt it down into gold. If you've got a problem with that, come at me. I'll be waiting for you on the eastern coast."
With that, he walked away without another glance.
He had already shown mercy. If the Shandians dared to chase after him looking for trouble, they shouldn't blame him for being ruthless.
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