Captain Brent

Since Gino noticed him standing watch there, Ethan didn't bother hiding anymore. After learning Brent's identity and general situation, he stood up and went outside, openly blocking Gino and the others' path forward.

This time, not only was he fully equipped with his armor, Long Sword, Iron Rod, and Bracers, with the Book of Inheritance tucked into its special sheath on his lower back as usual, he even brought two fully automatic Firearms he had just acquired, holstered on the outside of his thighs. He was armed to the teeth, one might say.

All this preparation was to ensure Gino's death today. Especially after noticing that when Gino spotted him, he even deliberately showed a smug expression, as if Ethan really wouldn't dare do anything to him.

"Idiot."

Ethan couldn't even be bothered to waste spit on such a guy. He directly drew his Long Sword. "I'm sure you know exactly why I'm standing here, so I won't bother with pleasantries."

Gino was startled at first to see Ethan draw his sword immediately, but then he noticed Ethan's young face and suddenly understood.

"Actually, we don't have that much of a grudge..."

Ethan was too young. Someone his age couldn't possibly know about Brent, who was extremely famous in the Sea of Tranquility back then. So Gino felt he needed to keep up the act to ensure Brent would step in and mediate between him and Ethan.

In truth, he never expected things to develop this way.

After hiding at sea for a while, he specifically intercepted a few small boats. Targets like these rarely caught his eye normally, as even fully loaded, they offered little profit. This time, for the sake of caution, he did it specifically to send people to gather information.

The result was very frustrating for him: the young man was staying on Stat Island and not leaving. Of course, he wasn't naive enough to think Ethan was staying on the island because he'd made a big score and was content to live a comfortable life without ambition – he'd be happier if that were the case.

The information his subordinates gathered revealed that Ethan went to the training grounds every day to practice his swordsmanship, at the same time and with gradually increasing intensity.

Such a young man would definitely not be someone without ambition. The only explanation for Ethan consistently not going out to sea was that the young man was waiting for him on the island, wanting to settle things once and for all.

It was highly likely that he, having lost his reliance on ships and Magic Cannons on land, would die at the hands of this young man.

He had originally thought he would have to fight for his life this time, but unexpectedly ran into Brent, the famous good man from the Sea of Tranquility, who had suddenly returned to the Sea of Tranquility and come to Stat Island.

He didn't know why Brent had returned, he only knew his trouble was solved.

Brent was still that good man. He just explained the situation, and Brent agreed to help him resolve this grudge – he firmly believed that everything he had done before was forced, and that he truly wanted to abandon evil and become a good person.

"How touching."

For a moment, Gino actually considered whether he should really become a good person.

Of course, this thought was fleeting. Although Gino's previous words were somewhat true, they still contained some hidden details, such as the fact that Ethan was so determined to kill him because he had shown malice first.

So he needed to put on a performance to make Brent more steadfast in protecting him – how could someone like him truly become a good person?

"With the help of Captain Brent, I've decided to return to the right path, so let's put aside our grudges now, while neither of us has suffered any losses."

Seeing Gino's feigned sincerity, Ethan couldn't even be bothered to give him a smile. He simply raised his left hand and shot a Short Arrow.

Gino didn't expect the young man to attack without a word, especially since he remembered Ethan's Short Arrows were explosive 'Magic Stone equipment.' He quickly reacted – the Magic Stone Gauntlet on his left hand activated, releasing a ball of flame towards the Short Arrow.

Gino figured his flame should be enough to trigger the Magic Stone energy contained within the Short Arrow, causing it to detonate before it got close to him.

He wasn't wrong. This Short Arrow from Ethan was indeed detonated by the flame he released, but contrary to his guess, this Short Arrow wasn't the Flame Arrow he had seen before, but an Ice Arrow containing the power of frost.

The cold and heat collided violently, creating a huge explosion and simultaneously releasing a thick cloud of mist that obscured both sides' vision.

Ethan was waiting for this moment. He had been prepared after firing the Ice Arrow. When his vision was filled with white mist, he grabbed his Long Sword and charged forward, using the cover of the mist to quickly advance towards Gino. He didn't want to give that Brent guy a chance to speak at all.

He had no ill feelings towards this person, even a little admiration.

In this world and environment, people who could persist in doing good things were worthy of respect. Whether this person was doing it for fame or was truly a Saintly Figure, at least he had genuinely done many good deeds. So if he could avoid direct conflict, he still hoped to avoid it.

After all, Brent was someone who had dominated the Sea of Tranquility, successfully ventured into the next sea area, and even made a considerable name for himself. Although Ethan's movements were fast and concealed enough, Brent was standing right next to Gino, and Gino himself had retreated a few steps immediately, giving Brent space and time to protect him.

Therefore, Ethan's sword strike was blocked by Brent.

"Young man, wouldn't it be better to talk things over? Why be so impulsive?"

Brent showed a very friendly smile and immediately put his Greatsword back, indicating that he didn't want to fight Ethan.

"Gino told me about your grudge. Of course, I can't make a judgment based solely on his words. So, are you so fixated on your hatred for him because something was stolen from you, or because you lost a family member or friend?"

Ethan was startled for a moment, then denied it: "No."

Brent's brows furrowed slightly, seemingly a little displeased with Ethan. "Since not, then why are you being so ruthless?"

These words carried a hint of accusation. Ethan just felt this guy was a bit inexplicable, and the slight good impression he had just formed instantly vanished.

"If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't beat me, would you even have the chance to accuse me here?"

Brent was stunned for a moment, as if he hadn't expected Ethan's attitude to be like this. It had been a long time since he had encountered such a situation – after making a name for himself in the Sea of Tranquility back then, everyone he met was very enthusiastic, and even his enemies spoke to him politely.

Later, when he arrived in a new world, he only encountered this situation at the beginning. As his strength and reputation increased, the treatment he had enjoyed in the Sea of Tranquility gradually returned. From then until now, it had been a long time since he had met someone who spoke to him in such a tone.

He looked at Ethan's face, and seeing that he might not even be twenty years old, he regained his friendly expression. "Young man, don't be so hot-headed, and don't always think the worst of people."

Ethan's opinion of this guy dropped again, but this person was very strong and happened to be blocking his path forward, so he had to humor him with this nonsense.

"Think? No, he was shamelessly displaying his dirty side at the time; I didn't need to think at all." Ethan took half a step back, slightly increasing the distance. "Besides, I'm not interested in discussing whether I'm too hot-headed here with you. Right now, I just want to confirm one thing: are you absolutely determined to protect that trash?"

When he heard Ethan's previous words, Brent first frowned. He realized that what Gino had told him earlier contained a lot of embellishment, or rather, some details had not been told to him. When he heard the latter part, he again felt that Ethan was a bit too stubborn, and his killing intent was too strong.

"Young man, I can understand your desire for revenge, but there's no need to insult others."

"Insult?"

Ethan had long expected that he wouldn't get along with this Brent; their values were vastly different. He had never thought of being friends with this person or even bothering to interact with him, it was only because this person wasn't a bad person that he hadn't attacked directly.

Now it seemed that it wasn't something he could resolve without attacking.

"I never insult people... it's just that some trash doesn't deserve to be human." Ethan swung the Long Sword in his hand. "I'll confirm one last time, Captain Brent of the Braveheart, are you sure you want to protect that trash behind you?"

Brent didn't answer Ethan's question. He kept trying to persuade Ethan, saying things like, "Calm down, young man, we can go sit in a nearby shop first. There's no need for your grievances to escalate to this point." At the same time, he didn't move an inch, keeping Gino firmly protected behind him.

"Understood." Ethan resumed his stance. "I've heard others talk about you. You're a good person and you've done a lot of good deeds on this sea. I don't want to fight you."

"Thank you for the praise. Actually, what I've done is nothing. Those are things everyone from the Sea of Tranquility should do."

"But that's no reason for you to casually stop me from killing my enemy." Ethan wasn't actually praising this guy; he was just adjusting his state. Because Brent was the strongest enemy he had encountered so far – he could confirm this just from that one sword strike earlier. "Since you're standing here refusing to yield, then I can only treat you as an enemy as well."

When dealing with enemies, Ethan never hesitated or showed mercy!