The Pirates' Requiem (Please Bookmark and Recommend)

"Where's that little girl?"

"She seems to have run to the first-class cabin at the very front."

"Idiot, then why didn't you go up and catch her?"

"Boss, I didn't dare! What if that dead fatso was telling the truth? I've seen it in the newspaper. That guy called Apophis is nothing short of a monster!"

"Useless! If there were really some powerful person, how could he hide in his room and not dare come out? Go, show some pirate spirit! Kick the door down in the most barbaric way possible, then drag that little girl out and beat her to death in the most vicious manner!"

"Kick it down... beat her to death..."

"Exactly! That's the kind of spirit you need. Remember, you're the most vicious and savage pirate there is!"

Hearing the commotion outside, Robin had no time to think. She bit down on her little canine teeth and crawled beneath the bed.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

A pirate strode toward the door with an arrogant swagger. He was just about to kick it open as the captain had ordered when an inexplicable unease instinctively made him suspend his right foot in midair. "Wait. Isn't this a little impolite? Perhaps I should use a gentler approach?"

"Ahem!" He straightened his collar, lowered his right foot, cleared his throat, and knocked on the door like a true gentleman. "Excuse me, is anyone there?"

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

"Oh! Sorry to disturb you!"

Seeing the pirate turn around and leave without the slightest hesitation, the pirate captain asked in bewilderment, "Why are you back?"

"The owner of the room doesn't seem to be home. I'll come back another time."

The captain was so furious that he felt his lungs were about to explode. He kicked the annoying idiot to the ground. "Rookie, get out of the way and watch how I kill someone!"

"What rotten luck. Looks like I'll have to be more careful when recruiting next time. I can't just drag any kind of useless trash onto the ship." The pirate captain walked to the door and was just about to kick it down when he suddenly heard a strange sound coming from inside the room—heavy, solemn, majestic, yet tinged with an indescribable sorrow.

For some reason, as he listened to the strange melody, memories from the past suddenly flashed through the pirate captain's mind like scenes from a film.

There were old men, children, and women. Their beautiful, mournful wails still seemed to echo in his ears.

Those who had died at his hands seemed to have flown out of hell as vengeful spirits, telling him of the agony of souls that could never find redemption.

Familiar and unfamiliar faces, tears of blood streaming from their eyes, pounced onto him and gnawed endlessly at his soul and flesh, dragging him down with them into an endless abyss.

"No, no..."

"Captain, captain..."

Only when he heard his subordinates' panicked calls did the pirate captain suddenly come to his senses. Seeing no spirits dancing around him, he let out a sigh of relief. "Whew! Was the pressure too great, and I started hallucinating?"

"Captain, your gun..."

"What do you mean, my gun or your gun... Holy shit!" The pirate captain was horrified to discover that, at some point, he had aimed the pitch-black muzzle of his gun at himself!

"This is seriously damn sinister!" Covered in cold sweat, the pirate captain hastily put away his pistol. Yet even with the door right in front of him, he found himself hesitating.

"Captain, let's leave. I told you before, that Apophis is nothing short of a monster!"

"What are you talking about? You think I don't dare open the door?" Hearing his subordinate's warning, the pirate captain steeled himself instead.

Bang!

"Damn it, what have I done?" Hearing the peaceful, tranquil music enter his ears once again, the pirate captain suddenly came to his senses. But with things already at this point, he could only brace himself and continue inside.

Seeing the room door being roughly pushed open, Robin's heart tightened, and she also wondered, Why did it take them so long to come in?

When the pirate captain entered the room, he saw a man wearing a Ghoul Mask reclining in a chair, seemingly sleeping peacefully. His thoughts immediately began to stir.

This guy is Demon Sword Apophis? He doesn't look like much of a powerful figure. Besides, I haven't seen any swords or weapons. Could it be that I really scared myself for nothing? Seeing that Apophis, reclining in the chair, showed no reaction, the pirate captain relaxed even more. Whether he's Demon Sword Apophis or not, as long as I shoot him now, no matter how powerful he is, he can only crawl back to hell!

"Heh heh! Now I actually hope you really are Demon Sword Apophis. If I can kill such a Big Shot, I'll surely become one of the greatest pirates in the entire West Blue!"

Just as he was exulting and preparing to pull the trigger, the eyes beneath the mask suddenly opened.

What kind of eyes were they? Endless blood was reflected in their scarlet pupils. They were cold and lifeless. Even if someone told him that the man before him was the Grim Reaper from the underworld, he would have believed it without hesitation.

"Shh! Could you please remain quiet? The fourth movement is about to begin!"

The pirate captain nodded mechanically. His finger was already on the trigger, yet he didn't dare make the slightest movement.

The room was frighteningly silent!

Robin, who cautiously poked her head out from beneath the bed like a little rabbit, was also terrified by the bizarre scene. The pirate holding the pistol stood motionless, his face pale and his eyes empty, like a dead man who had crawled out of a grave.

Robin clamped both hands over her little mouth, then quietly hid beneath the bed again. Fear began to overwhelm her. Will I die? Will I become a vengeful spirit that can never break free, just like the newspapers said?

As time passed, the melody once again became ethereal and beautiful, like the afterglow of heaven spilling down upon the world. Soothed by the music, Robin temporarily forgot her pain and hatred, as if she had returned to her mother's warm embrace.

Even the pirate captain, whose hands were stained with blood, now seemed to radiate a holy light.

The final movement was solemn, heavy, and mournful!

Night descended upon the earth, and gloom shrouded the soul. In a world of nothingness, only death and silence were eternal destinations!

Bang!

The pirate captain finally pulled the trigger, but the muzzle was aimed at himself. A peaceful smile rested on his face, as if he were atoning for his sinful past.

Awakened by the gunshot, Robin realized that she had unknowingly been gripping her own throat. If the gunshot had not awakened her at the final moment, she might already have become a corpse.

"This is the Requiem I've prepared for you all. I hope you enjoy it!"

The voice that suddenly rang out nearly froze Robin's soul. Her limbs went rigid as she curled up beneath the bed.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Only after the footsteps had completely faded did Robin's tense heart relax slightly. A Requiem? Is this his ritual—or perhaps his sacrifice—before he begins killing?

Loneliness was humanity's greatest enemy!

In the cramped space, Robin's thoughts began to run wild despite herself.

Why did that pirate and I both want to kill ourselves? Was I affected by his ability? But there's never been any report saying that he's a Devil Fruit user!

Or could it be... his presence?

Wait, why isn't there any sound outside? Could it be... they're all dead?

Terrified, Robin didn't dare go outside. She could only lie motionless beneath the bed.

As time passed, fatigue, hunger, and thirst continued to assail her. Robin finally fell into a dazed sleep.

"This is too bizarre. Did they run into a ghost ship?"

"They probably encountered pirates first, and then those pirates were punished by the ghosts of the sea!"

"We... we should leave quickly. I feel like those dead people are smiling at me. It's giving me the creeps."

"Exactly! This ship must be cursed!"

Hearing the vague voices of a crowd, Robin rubbed her eyes and dragged her starving, freezing body out from beneath the bed.

"They've come back to life! The dead have come back to life!"

"It must be a ghost! Run!"

After noticing the commotion Robin had made, a group of fishermen fled in terror, wailing and crying.

"Am I the only one left again? Still, he didn't make even the slightest sound. That man called Apophis really is terrifyingly powerful... No, it's hard to say whether he's even human!" Robin muttered bitterly, her little face drawn with anguish.

"Is it because I broke free from suicide, and he couldn't be bothered to make a second attempt?"

"In any case, I still have to thank him for saving me." Robin knew very well that someone like him could never have failed to notice her hiding beneath the bed.

"Kuzan, Longinus, Apophis..." Robin stood amid the corpses and gazed toward the distant sea. "Do I have to grow into a strong individual like them before I can truly control my own fate?"

"Mother, Saulo, when you said that I must never give up hope for the future, did you mean this..."

"Dereshi shi!"

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