"Father! I searched the whole back mountain and couldn't find him, Kurou that bastard ran off!" Veildan shouted from the far end of the battlefield.
The villagers barely reacted to her cry. Truth be told, most of them had expected this outcome from the start.
But Farmer was devastated. Regret, frustration, and fury surged through him. He had trusted that boy so deeply, had even promised his own daughter to him, and now he'd run off? Farmer had vouched for him, assured everyone that Kurou would protect the village. It turned out he was blind. He'd put faith in the wrong person. In that moment, Farmer wished he could kill Kurou himself.
But now wasn't the time for that. Farmer called out to Veildan, "Veil! Run! As far as you can! Don't look back!"
Tears welled up in Veildan's eyes. "But what about you, Papa?"
Farmer's voice was stern and steady. "Forget about me! A father's job is to protect his daughter. Now go!"
Veildan turned and ran, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Anderson, locked in combat with Miller, overheard the exchange, and there was no way he'd let the girl he had lusted after day and night get away.
He shouted an order to several nearby pirates. "Go after her. Bring Veildan back. If you fail, I'll kill you myself!"
The pirates took off in pursuit.
Meanwhile, Miller was still tangling with Anderson.
"Rokushiki, Shigan!"
With a sharp shout, Miller lunged, channeling power into his index finger and stabbing forward. Anderson dodged the attack with ease.
"Rokushiki, Rankyaku!"
Miller sent a sharp air blade slicing through the air, only for Anderson to evade once more with minimal effort.
He was simply too fast.
"A whole year, and your strength hasn't improved one bit," Anderson sneered.
Suddenly, Anderson's hands transformed into sharp jackal claws, razor-like and deadly, and he slashed across Miller's chest, leaving deep, bloody wounds like a net.
Jackal claws?
That's right, Anderson, captain of the Evil Wolf Pirates, had a bounty of 10 million Berries and was a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user: the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Jackal.
A year ago, when the Evil Wolf Pirates had first invaded, Miller and Anderson had fought to a rough draw. Anderson had held a slight edge, but they had been nearly evenly matched.
Since then, however, Miller had grown complacent, boasting and indulging in women and drink, gaining fame in the village while letting his body deteriorate. Anderson, meanwhile, had been expanding his power through constant battles, honing his strength. The difference had only widened over time.
Now, with Anderson having a natural edge as a Devil Fruit user and Miller in decline, the gap was stark.
"Rokushiki, Tekkai!"
Seeing Anderson's jackal claws ball into a fist, Miller activated the defensive technique Tekkai, bracing to take the hit head-on...
And was immediately sent flying, coughing blood, his eyes rolling back.
"That 'Tekkai' of yours is pathetic, Miller," Anderson mocked, towering over him in his half-beast form.
Then his expression twisted. "You tried to stop me from chasing Veildan. For that, you'll die screaming."
His claw slashed down again, peeling a chunk of flesh from Miller's chest. Miller cried out in agony.
A second strike followed, his screams grew louder.
By the third, Miller was trembling and broken. "An... Anderson-sama, please... spare me...!"
Anderson grinned with sick pleasure. "Hahaha! So much for the 'Guardian.' You're just a pathetic old man!"
Nearby villagers, still fighting for their lives, were stunned by what they heard.
Miller had always been the village's protector. How could he be groveling now, calling Anderson "sama"?
You can paint a tiger, but not its bones. You can know a face, but not a heart.
But worse was yet to come.
"If you spare me, I'll do anything for you!" Miller begged.
Anderson's grin widened. "Anything? Then turn on those worthless peasants and kill them for me. Can you do that?"
Miller hesitated for a moment. Then: "That... won't be a problem."
Farmer, still fighting not far away, had overheard everything. After slicing down a pirate, he roared across the battlefield, "Miller! Do you even hear yourself?!"
Though he'd disliked Miller, Farmer never imagined he would actually betray the village.
But he had.
Miller glared at him. "Shut up, you old fossil! I've had it with your self-righteous posturing! You act like some kind of savior, but I'm the one who's been protecting this village!"
"You've protected nothing!" Farmer shouted back. "Look at you! And you dare talk big now?"
The villagers joined in:
"Miller, how could you?!"
"We were all wrong about you!"
"You damn traitor!"
Miller's face darkened. "You call me a beast? Fine. I'll show you what a beast really is!"
He charged into the crowd, unleashing his Rokushiki techniques against his own people. In a flash, three villagers were struck down.
Miller had surrendered to absolute power. He had become a servant of the devil, turning against the very villagers he once claimed to defend.
Only now did the people see his true nature.
To call him "Guardian" was a mockery.
His betrayal shattered the villagers' already fragile morale. They could see it clearly now: the tide had turned against them. Their end was near.
Anderson, high on triumph, hadn't forgotten about Veildan. He couldn't believe a fifteen-year-old girl with no fighting ability would escape him. She, and the village, were already in the palm of his hand.
As expected, before long, two pirates returned dragging Veildan behind them.
Anderson's blood surged. "My little sweetheart. You really thought you could escape me?"
Veildan's face was pale with despair.
What future awaited her now?
Farmer, still holding a bloodied sword, screamed from across the battlefield, "Bastard! Let go of my daughter!"
Just as the pirates were about to drag Veildan onto the ship, two streaks of light flashed through the air.
Two thrown weapons struck the pirates square in the chest, knocking them to the ground, dead.
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150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter