Hope

Seeing that the captain was about to make a move, the crew cleared an open space near the deck's cross.

Buggy placed eight throwing knives between the fingers of both hands. "Chop-Chop—Clown Throwing Knives!"

As soon as he finished speaking, both of Buggy's hands detached from his arms and spun through the air with a shrill whistle before shooting forward. Tom, bound tightly to the cross, struggled desperately against the ropes, but it was useless. Under his terrified gaze, the rapidly spinning knives pierced straight through Tom's body.

Before long, Tom fell completely silent.

The Buggy Pirates' expressions gradually changed from astonishment to excitement. By the time Tom breathed his last, everyone was cheering for Captain Buggy's "great" deed.

Among them, Chief of Staff Kaby felt Buggy's "greatness" most deeply. Bloodthirsty excitement showed on his originally gloomy face.

On a pirate ship, the captain was a god, the supreme ruler. To a certain extent, the captain's will was the will of the entire crew.

And the clown Buggy took pleasure in abusing the weak. As a result, many of the crew enjoyed bullying the weak, which had, to some extent, created people like Tom, whom he had executed.

Among these crewmen, Leiyin was an exception. He deeply despised such behavior. Even if he became powerful, he would never bully innocent weaklings, so Tom's death did not affect him much.

From the very second he was captured and brought aboard, Leiyin had never considered himself a member of the Buggy Pirates.

He had originally thought that life would become easier after Tom's death and that he would suffer less bullying, but Tom's death still could not change the fact that Leiyin was the weakest shipworker at the very bottom.

Two more days passed, and they drew closer and closer to Orange Town, their destination.

That day, Leiyin was ordered to paint the ship's railings. While he was working, the lion Riki pounced over from somewhere and knocked both Leiyin and the paint bucket over, splashing red paint all over him.

When Leiyin got up from the ground in a miserable state, he saw Vice Captain Moji covering his mouth and snickering, while Riki, who had knocked him down, glared at Leiyin menacingly.

Who else could have ordered Riki to do it if not Moji?

When Moji saw Leiyin looking at him, his smiling face immediately turned stern.

The paint splashed across Leiyin's body was still dripping onto the deck. He glared furiously at the person who had played this prank on him.

Seeing Leiyin's expression, Moji was extremely displeased. "What? You've got a problem with it, kid?"

At those words, Riki cooperated with his master and roared, baring his razor-sharp claws to frighten Leiyin.

Leiyin was not intimidated in the slightest by the man and beast before him. He continued glaring angrily at Moji. "What do you mean by this?"

Moji was the vice captain. On the ship, aside from Buggy, he could be called the boss.

How dare a lowly shipworker speak to him like that? Where did that leave the dignity of a vice captain?

"Hey, what's with that look and tone? Do you know who I am?"

Moji spoke arrogantly, and Riki cooperated by roaring again.

"Who cares who you are? I'm asking what you meant by that just now?!"

The angrier Leiyin became, the less he was willing to back down as he stared at Moji.

Hearing Leiyin speak to him that way, Moji could not help but freeze. This kid actually has guts?

He did not know that, from the moment Leiyin had resolved to assassinate Tom, he had already cast life and death aside. Rather than continue living in such humiliation, he might as well fight these people to the death.

But the rage of a weakling still could not frighten anyone.

Moji laughed coldly. "In that case, I'll have Riki bite you to death."

At those words, Riki opened its enormous maw as if it had received an order, preparing to pounce.

Just then, a fist struck Leiyin in the face. He rolled more than ten meters across the deck and only stopped after crashing into a cabin.

When he looked up, he saw that it was the clown Buggy.

Buggy had passed by and witnessed what had happened between the two of them.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Buggy said to Leiyin, "Kid, did no one ever teach you that there's a difference between superior and inferior? Moji is our ship's vice captain. How dare you speak to him like that?"

In Buggy's eyes, there was no right or wrong, no good or evil—only the distinction between the strong and the weak. Even if Moji's lion Riki bit Leiyin to death, he would not help Leiyin.

"Someone get over here! Lock this guy in the lowest cabin. He's not allowed out or any food for two days," Buggy ordered.

"Yes, sir." The two pirates carried out his order.

After Leiyin was taken away, Moji said to Buggy, "Captain, this guy insulted me. You should've ordered his immediate execution."

Buggy merely smiled carelessly. "We're almost at Orange Town, and we'll soon have a base of our own. I'm in an exceptionally good mood these days, so I'll let him off for now. I'm a merciful man, after all."

Hearing Buggy say that, Moji did not say anything else.

That night, in the lowest cabin.

The surroundings were pitch-black. Leiyin sat alone on the floor as endless emptiness, loneliness, and sorrow came one after another. He hugged his knees with both hands, his gaze dim.

Am I going to spend my whole life like this? Bullied again and again, only to die in despair in the end?

Why do I have to bear this kind of fate?!

Just as Leiyin was sinking into pain, what happened next made him rekindle immense hope!

"Host, please take note. The Naruto System is activating. Loading the Naruto Shop. Reading personal information. Please wait..."

Huh?

What the hell is this?

Leiyin had been brooding in sorrow, but all his attention was drawn to the words in his mind, and he listened intently.