"I paid you handsomely because of your exceptional skill in getting things done," an old man said to Tom Lee.
Tom laughed. "Nice, nice. Bring it on, A/S."
The old man frowned. "It feels like you weren't able to wrap things up neatly."
Tom Lee waved dismissively. "Don't worry. I have an agent on standby nearby anyway." He pulled out his phone. "Huh... Let's see, let's see..." he muttered as he dialed.
---
Baki was at home tending to Yenna, watching Seongji Yuk train Vin Jin. Yenna cheered as she watched them spar. Every time Vin Jin got smashed to the ground, she clapped gleefully.
Brrring! Brrring!
Baki answered the phone. "Hello, old man. What made you think of me?"
Tom Lee's voice came through. "Brat, I'm sending you the location and information for your new mission. It's urgent." The call ended abruptly.
Baki set Yenna down in her cradle. "Little marshmallow, I'll be back soon." Then he called to Seongji, "Hey, I'm heading out. Take care of Yenna."
---
Baki arrived at a port according to the coordinates. But there was a problem—his target was on a ship, and there were more than a dozen ships docked at the port. As he searched the area, he spotted a middle-aged man fighting several suited men. Before he could intervene, he noticed two kids slowly infiltrating one of the ships. Since it was a rescue mission, he didn't want to get into a fight this early and potentially lose his target.
He followed the kids onto the ship. As soon as he boarded, the vessel began to move. He trailed the two kids into a storage room.
One of the kids finally noticed Baki. The one with bleached hair and tattoos immediately threw a punch. Baki caught his arm and twisted it slightly. Before the boy could scream, he covered the kid's mouth. The other boy stumbled backward in fear. "Y-You! Who are you?!"
Baki answered quietly, "I'm Baki Hanma from White Tiger Job Center." Then he asked, "Who are you kids, and what are you doing here?"
The kid replied nervously, "W-we're here to save Da-Young!"
Hearing this, Baki released the other boy. "Seems like we're on the same page then. What are your names? Did you come here alone?"
The bleached-haired kid panted, "I'm Shin Seong-Ho." He pointed at the other kid. "And he's Kang Ho-Seok. We came here to save Da-Young with our hyung."
Baki nodded. "By any chance, do either of you know how to drive a ship?"
Shin looked at the gang members outside, then noticed the ship was already far from port. He spotted a gun nearby and picked it up. "As long as you can save Da-Young, I'll handle the hijacking and even the driving."
Kang Ho-Seok stammered, "W-what do you mean? You don't even know how to drive a ship!"
Shin grinned. "I can at least drive a motorbike. That's enough for a man."
Baki clapped at Shin's words. "Good. I like your guts, kid. I'll trust you then!" Just as Baki was about to leave, someone opened the door.
---
"Uhm... As expected, this ship is too small. I'll have to turn sideways to get in." A large man with a bulging eye squeezed through, cracking the metal door frame with his strength.
A suited man bowed. "I shall prepare a bigger ship next time, Vice President Fujimori Yuuki."
Suddenly, shouts erupted from outside. Fujimori left to investigate.
Kang Ho-Seok exhaled in relief. He looked around and realized that Baki and Shin Seong-Ho had vanished. He panicked briefly, then spotted Shin at the control room, where he'd knocked out the guards and was taking over the ship.
---
Meanwhile, Baki had already begun searching for Da-Young. "Tch! That brat really sucks at driving ships," he muttered as the vessel swayed violently from side to side.
"Where would they keep a hostage on a ship like this?" He moved deeper into the ship's interior.
After a while, he found metal stairs leading downward. The sound of shouting and confusion echoed from above.
He quickly descended into a wide corridor and found himself face-to-face with three armed Yakuzas.
"Intruder!" one shouted, raising his weapon.
Baki's eyes narrowed. In the confined space of the ship's corridor, firearms were particularly dangerous.
The first Yakuza lunged forward, attempting to grab him.
Baki sidestepped, caught the man's wrist, and twisted. Using the attacker's own momentum, he slammed him face-first into the metal wall.
The second Yakuza, seeing his companion fall, pulled his trigger. The muzzle flash illuminated the narrow space.
But Baki had already moved. He'd closed the distance in a heartbeat, getting inside the man's firing line. His punch connected with the Yakuza's stomach. As the man doubled over, Baki drove his knee into his face.
The third Yakuza fired at Baki. Baki used the fallen Yakuza as a shield. When the shooter ran out of ammunition, Baki tackled him into the metal wall.
Then he delivered a brutal uppercut to the liver. The Yakuza's face went white as he dropped to his knees. Baki snapped his neck sideways.
Following the layout of the ship, Baki reached a metal door with a lock. He examined it briefly, then simply grabbed the lock and twisted. His muscles flexed, veins standing out on his forearm. The lock snapped, but the door didn't open.
Inside, six Yakuzas waited. Suddenly they heard banging sounds. The metal door snapped off its hinges and flew toward them. Four managed to roll sideways; two unlucky ones were crushed by the door. The remaining men raised their firearms and began firing blindly.