The distance between the two pirate ships closed until they were floating right alongside each other. On the deck of the Red Force, the members of the Red Hair Pirates were completely calm, showing no signs of tension. Their confidence came from an absolute belief in their own strength. Takero's eyes, however, gleamed with the excitement of a hunter who had just spotted his prey. He could practically see the system rewards waving at him already.
Finally, like a pack of jackals that had scented blood, the Blood Axe Pirates swarmed aggressively onto the deck of the Red Force. They brandished their weapons and let out chaotic shouts, trying their best to look intimidating.
"You've got some nerve, daring to..." Captain Shanks, never one to be outdone, stepped forward to make a grand statement. However, he barely got a few words out before he was cut off by a venomous roar.
"Shut up!" Blood Axe Dot glared, his eyes bloodshot as his gaze swept over the Red Hair Pirates like a knife. "Which one of you bastards used that red orb?! Step forward now!" he roared, staring daggers at Shanks as if he wanted to eat him alive.
Hearing this, the Red Hair Pirates all exchanged quick glances. Then, in a perfectly rehearsed move, they all took one small, synchronized step backward. Instantly, Shanks, who had been standing at the front, was left completely isolated, with every single eye now fixed on him.
"Aha! So it was you, you bastard!" Dot gritted his teeth, his furious gaze locked on the red-haired man who had been so obviously outed by his own crew. "You're the one who used that damned red orb to break my mast! You killed my brothers! I'm going to tear you to pieces!"
"Huh?" Shanks blinked in confusion, then subconsciously turned to look at the other ship. Sure enough, its main mast was snapped in the middle, a complete wreck. He scratched his head and asked, a little uncertainly, "Uh... you're saying I did that?"
He had, in fact, thrown an orb in that general direction, but he never expected it to fly so far or hit something so accurately.
"Bullshit! My man saw it with his own eyes! It was a red orb! I've got a witness and evidence, and you're still trying to deny it?!" Dot was practically trembling with rage. One minute he was happily drinking and singing, and the next, disaster was raining down from the sky. He wasn't about to let that kind of insult slide.
"Uh..." Shanks awkwardly turned his head, looking to his crew for some kind of support. He found that his disloyal crewmates were all suddenly fascinated with either the sky or the sea, acting as if they had no idea what was going on. Only Takero offered him a kind, reassuring smile.
A warmth spread through Shanks's chest. See? he thought. He's a true friend. In a critical moment, only Takero was standing with him.
However, in the next moment, Takero nodded with absolute certainty and said in an encouraging tone, "Be confident, Shanks. Based on the trajectory, the energy signature, and the eyewitness testimony, you're definitely the culprit."
Shanks just stared. He felt as if a knife had just been plunged straight into his heart.
After letting out a frustrated roar, Shanks sighed helplessly. He turned back to the furious Dot, his intimidating presence suddenly cut in half. "Uh... look, brother, I'm really sorry. I apologize for accidentally damaging your ship." He had thought these guys were here to pick a fight, but it turned out they were just here to complain.
"Apologize?!" Dot laughed as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world, his voice rising to a shriek. "If an apology was enough, what would we need the Marines for?! What would we need the swords in our hands for?!"
"But..." Shanks reminded him weakly, "We're... pirates." Why would a pirate bring up Marine rules?
"Damn it! Don't interrupt me!" Dot choked, his face turning an even darker shade of red with humiliation and rage.
"Right, right, my mistake. Please, continue," Shanks said, making a polite "after you" gesture.
Dot took a deep breath, trying to get back into his role as the intimidating victim. "In short, this isn't over! I want compensation! A huge amount of compensation! Otherwise..."
"No problem, brother! You're absolutely right!" Shanks immediately agreed, his attitude so sincere it completely caught Dot off guard. "It's only natural to pay for what you break."
"..." Dot was speechless. He had a whole speech prepared full of threats and intimidation. He had pictured the other captain getting angry, the two sides clashing in a glorious battle... but this guy just agreed to pay up? This wasn't how things were supposed to go. He had been a pirate for years and had never met such a reasonable colleague. He felt like he had wound up for a massive punch, only to hit a soft pillow. It was incredibly frustrating.
Seeing the look of pure frustration on Dot's face, the ever-perceptive Shanks seemed to understand. "Ah, I see. Brother, do you want us to argue for a bit, and then we start fighting when we can't agree? And then we see who has the bigger fist, with the winner taking everything?"
Dot's eyes lit up as if he'd just found his soulmate. He nodded eagerly. "Ah, yes, yes, yes! That's exactly it!" This was how pirates were supposed to handle things. Who needs to be polite? Just start fighting!
"In that case..." Shanks took a deep breath. The apologetic look on his face vanished instantly, replaced by the arrogant, fierce expression of a true pirate captain. His voice became cold and menacing. "Then let me put it another way. You bunch of ignorant small-fry, you dare to step onto my ship? Are you looking to die?"
"That's more like it! And so what if we are?!" The frustration on Dot's face disappeared, replaced by immense relief. This was it. This was the familiar, comfortable language of pirates.
He raised the blood-stained axe in his hand, and with a heroic pose, he waved it toward his men, preparing to let out a thunderous order to attack. "My men! All of you..."
But Dot's imposing command was only half-shouted—
Bang!
Right in front of Shanks's eyes, Blood Axe Dot's snarling, menacing head suddenly exploded without any warning, splattering Shanks with blood and gore.
Shanks froze completely, his fierce expression locked in place, as if someone had hit a pause button. After a few seconds, he slowly, mechanically, turned his head to look at the black-haired boy standing nearby.
"What are you doing?"
Takero looked just as bewildered, and maybe even a little innocent. "Huh? I thought the fight was starting."