Ulti's Desperate Situation

"Pay-tan!"

Amid the cheering pirates, Ulti, who had been deeply disappointed that someone else had eaten the Okuchi-no-Makami Fruit, suddenly realized something terrifying.

In just a moment of inattention, her little brother had vanished from her side.

Visible panic instantly appeared on Ulti's face. She anxiously shouted her brother's name, but amid the cheering pirates, her childish voice simply could not carry.

She could not hear her brother's voice, nor could she see him anywhere.

Utterly panicked, Ulti struggled through the crowd of pirates.

After their father died, her brother had become her only family. She absolutely could not let him be hurt.

But the surging pirates severely hindered Ulti's movements. Because of her height, unless they looked down, the pirates could not even see her, much less make way for her.

Ulti was almost squeezed so tightly by the pirates that she could not move.

Then, at that moment, a voice suddenly came from behind her.

"Hehehe, kid, you're looking for your little brother, aren't you?"

Ulti's body tensed almost instantly. That voice sounded familiar.

"If you want to find him, then you..."

Sirius watched the flash of blue disappear through the gaps in the pirates, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Sirius!"

Jack's voice made him turn around. "What is it?" Sirius asked in surprise.

"What do you mean, what is it?!"

Jack roared, "Why did you climb onto my shoulder again?!"

"Huh? When did I do that?"

"Stop playing dumb!"

Today's game ended there. Uncle Kaido never appeared from beginning to end, nor did he express any opinion about Yamato ultimately obtaining the Okuchi-no-Makami Fruit.

The game was over, so the next task was cleaning up the Game Venue.

Although the game had ended not long after Sirius and the others intervened, quite a few people had still lost their lives because of it. The scent of blood hung over the plaza.

That was how hardcore the Beasts Pirates' games were.

Collecting the corpses was now the top priority.

Then there were the Numbers.

Five Numbers had participated in the game. Four were still lying on the ground, and only Hatcha, who had come out first, was still in relatively good shape. After all, Sirius had only blasted him in the face with fire, burning off his hair.

The others had it worse.

Juki had been knocked unconscious by Nangi's club, while Nangi had nearly been sent flying to the afterlife by Jaki and Goki's clubs.

Goki was a little better off. Once he thawed out, he would be fine.

Jaki had suffered the worst. He had nearly been roasted alive by Sirius's flames and poisoned as well. Even now, he was still struggling on the brink of life and death.

Even moving those monsters out of the plaza was no easy task.

But none of that had anything to do with Sirius and the others.

"Should we go celebrate?"

Black Maria said, "After all, Yamato got such a powerful Devil Fruit!"

"Yes, yes!" Yamato nodded repeatedly.

But Sirius waved a hand. "No rush. Someone needs our help."

"Help?"

Yamato and the other three were all stunned.

In a corner of Onigashima, Ulti followed a pirate here.

Several pirates were already waiting there.

At a glance, Ulti saw the little boy tied up and left behind them—her little brother, Page One.

"Pay-tan!"

Having finally found her little brother, Ulti immediately cried out.

"Hahaha! She really followed us!"

The pirate at the front burst into laughter when he saw Ulti. "Looks like you really care about your little brother, kid!"

"How dare you! How dare you!!"

Ulti immediately clenched her little fists, glaring at the pirates through gritted teeth. She had seen the many bruises on her brother's body, and he had already completely lost consciousness.

"I won't forgive you!"

As she spoke, she tried to rush forward and ram her head into the pirate in front of her.

But at that moment, a pirate grabbed the unconscious Page One and lifted him up, pressing a dagger to his throat. The pirate bared a mouthful of yellowed teeth.

"Little girl, don't move. Otherwise, if I get nervous and hurt your little brother, you definitely wouldn't want to see that, right?"

"Stop—stop!"

Ulti halted at once and said in panic, "Don't hurt Xiaopei—"

Before she could finish, a pirate stepped forward and kicked her to the ground, then mercilessly kicked her again.

"Brat, feeling pretty proud of yourself, huh?"

The pirate laughed wildly, kicking Ulti again and again. "Hahaha! You actually took out those two idiots. Feeling happy about that, aren't you?"

"Heh, but let me tell you—you're celebrating way too soon!! Now I'll let you see just how terrifying real pirates can be!"

Ulti curled up, clutching her head tightly as her eyes stared through the gaps between the pirates at Page One, held hostage in that bastard's hands.

Xiaopei—Xiaopei—

Dad, what should I do now?

After another vicious kick sent Ulti flying, the lead pirate wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said with interest, "So, how should we deal with you two?"

Ulti felt pain all over her body. Though she was far stronger and tougher than ordinary children, she was still only five years old.

After being mercilessly beaten by a strong, burly pirate, her face was now covered in blood. The fact that she still retained consciousness was already proof of her extraordinary willpower.

"Just kill them,"

said the pirate holding Page One hostage behind them. "That little bitch is dangerous. She'll hold a grudge over anything."

"No, don't hurt Xiaopei—"

Ulti shakily raised her head. "Take it out on me instead..."

No matter what, as his big sister, she had to protect Xiaopei!

"Idiot! Why would I let you have your way?"

The lead pirate burst into laughter. "Do you know what pirates are? Pirates represent freedom! It means I can do whatever the hell I want!"

After thinking for a moment, he said mockingly, "How about this? We tie rocks to both of you and toss you into the sea. The game only just ended, so no one will notice us here!"

"..."

Ulti instantly felt her heart clench. Though she was young, she had already experienced death.

Her father was already dead. She didn't want Xiaopei to leave this world too. He was only three years old! He had not even had the chance to properly see this world.

Strength burst forth from nowhere as Ulti swayed and tried to stand. She still wanted to make one final attempt.

But the gap in strength was absolute. The pirate stepped forward and kicked Ulti down again, laughing smugly. "Brat, are you still trying to resist?"

"If you want to blame someone, blame your own weakness!"

Ulti desperately tried to stand, but all she could do was make her body tremble slightly.

It was over.

Was this as far as she could go?

She had clearly promised her father that she would protect Run Xiaopei.

Dad, what should I do?

Is there anyone who can come—

"What are you doing!"

Thanks to readers '141221191851904' and 'Blue-Clad Swordsman Ye Chenjun' for their generous 100-point rewards, and to 'Fallen Angel with a Kitchen Knife' and 'Blood-Red Puzzle' for their massive 500-point rewards!