Road!

"Hmph!"

After noticing the hint of infatuation flashing in his eyes, Merlin sneered. They only knew of Yol's outward beauty and gentleness.

But they didn't know Yol could crack their skulls with a single punch.

When hunting in the mountains, Yol had achieved the glorious feat of killing a wild boar three meters long with just one punch!

The former gentle nun, Yol, had undergone a transformation. The current Yol was a nun who could fight.

Merlin still couldn't match her in terms of physical strength alone.

"Writing up to here, I hope readers will remember our domain name, Taiwan Novel Network, which has many books, ƚɯƙαɳ.ƈσɱ for you to read."

And in these past two days, more than one fly had tried to approach Yol by using Merlin as a stepping stone.

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you laughing at me for? Am I wrong?"

Gerard's expression grew increasingly displeased. Coupled with Merlin's unyielding attitude towards everyone these past few days, his mood became even more irritable at this moment.

At this, a cold smile flickered in Merlin's eyes as he looked at Gerard and said:

"Do you know?

Your goddess wakes me up every day, brings me food, washes my dirty clothes, lives and eats with me, breathing the same air in the same cabin. And yes, we even sleep in the same bed.

Envious?"

Gerard's face was now dark, his lips twitching uncontrollably. He pointed at Merlin, stammering, "You, you, you..." Merlin casually brushed his finger away and mocked:

"Do you think Yol, who gets to see a handsome guy like me the moment she opens her eyes every day... would be blind enough to fall for you?"

Gerard's dark face turned a mottled purple. In an instant, his eyes turned fierce, and he clenched his fists, leaving without looking back.

If Merlin wasn't a guest on the ship, and if the rules of this passenger ship didn't forbid assaulting guests without cause.

He would have definitely punched him square in the face and made him kneel and apologize properly.

Just then, under the mast not far away, a group of sailors sitting there suddenly cheered and slapped the floor, laughing uncontrollably.

"Hahaha, I knew that brat Gerard would be embarrassed! Merlin's got a poisonous tongue!"

"Gulp gulp, looks like I won the bet again. And our hot-headed Gerard didn't resort to violence against little brother Merlin's verbal onslaught!

Pay up, pay up, everyone pay up! One hundred Belly each. No backing out!"

"Huh? I think I still have unwashed socks from last night. I need to go wash them now."

"Ahaha! The captain seems to be looking for me? I'll take my leave!"

"Huh? I have something to do too?"

"..."

Merlin didn't care about the bet happening not far away; he was in a good mood.

He had driven away another annoying toad.

"You seem quite happy?"

Yol came over from the wooden ladder nearby, leaning on the railing to Merlin's left, and said with a smile:

"How many is that now?"

Merlin looked speechless. "You're actually counting? If you're that bored, maybe I won't bother with them next time."

Yol immediately clasped her hands in front of her mouth and winked playfully at Merlin:

"I was wrong, okay? Stingy flower protector."

Merlin rolled his eyes and glanced at her, sighing helplessly:

"I'm exhausted, mentally and physically! I really want to stuff Grenades into their mouths so they'll shut up forever."

Yol said helplessly, "Don't say such terrifying things casually! They don't deserve to die!

But you could go beat them up to vent your anger?"

Merlin looked at her in surprise:

"Really?"

Yol rolled her eyes at Merlin: "Compared to strangers who are of no consequence, your feelings are more important.

I just don't want you to be consumed by the desire for violence and lose your mind, not that you have to endure everything. Do I look like that kind of idiot?"

Merlin's gaze was subtle. "Yol, you've changed. You used to have a gentle and kind attitude towards everyone!"

"..." Yol's eyes showed a hint of melancholy upon hearing this, but then her gaze firmed up.

"I haven't changed. I just had one unforgettable, painful experience, and I've learned my lesson.

I'm not a god; I have my own preferences.

Not all nuns are just gentle and kind; there are also martial arts types who are responsible for fighting and eliminating evil!

Since God doesn't love the world, I will only do what I believe is right from now on."

A smile flickered in Merlin's eyes.

"That's good. That way, I won't have to worry about you getting taken advantage of anymore."

Yol shot Merlin an exasperated look.

"I'm not Lami, you're talking like I'm some clueless little girl. And also..."

Yol looked at him with some suspicion.

"Why do you feel like you're about to leave me?"

Merlin raised an eyebrow but said nothing, merely turning his head to look at the "fireball" gradually sinking into the sea in the distance.

A hint of unease involuntarily surfaced in Yol's eyes. After a few seconds of silence, she asked softly, "Are you planning to leave us and go somewhere else? And not take us with you?"

He hadn't expected her intuition to be so sharp. After a few seconds of silence, Merlin calmly replied, "The world we live in is very mysterious, filled with many powerful existences.

Simply staying put and trying to improve on my own probably won't lead to rapid growth.

I want to find a place where I can quickly become stronger.

The Marines probably won't do; they're a force under the World Government, and coming from Frevanz... I don't particularly like them.

As for the Revolutionary Army, which has been gaining momentum in recent years? Firstly, they're hard to find, and secondly, I don't like living like rats in a sewer with them.

As for Pirates, I've said it before, once you set sail alone, you face capture by the Marines. Unless you reach a certain level, like the famous pirate factions in the latter half of the Grand Line, you'll have to flee everywhere like a rat, which is exhausting, time-consuming, and a waste of a lot of effort."

"What about the Rockheart Kendo Dojo?" Yol said softly. "Have you already set your sights on a specific goal?"

"The Rockheart Kendo Dojo may be famous, but it's just an ordinary kendo dojo that can't even get out of the North Blue. It's probably only good for building a foundation.

And these past two days, while chatting with the sailors on the passenger ship, I heard from their conversations that the dojo master at the Rockheart Kendo Dojo isn't a swordmaster or anything like that.

I heard that the dojo master was just the son of a merchant in his youth, and later he happened to become a disciple of a Marine.

He doesn't have any long-standing kendo heritage or anything similar.

So, what they can teach is probably only basic swordsmanship."

Merlin said no more.

Seeing that Merlin had no intention of continuing the conversation, a hint of helplessness flashed in Yol's eyes.

At this moment, Merlin, looking into the distance, saw his pupils dilate as a two-masted sailing ship appeared on the distant coastline.

Atop the mast, a black skull flag fluttered.

Simultaneously, a shrill alarm blared on the passenger ship, and all the sailors on board immediately became vigilant.

Merlin glanced at Yol. "Go back to the cabin and look after Lami. Don't come out."

Yol nodded with a grave expression and said to Merlin, "You be careful too."

With that, she turned and ran towards the stairs on one side.

She went up to the third floor and returned to the room through the corridor.

However, she quickly came out again, holding a katana. Yol said, "Here, for self-defense. And this."

As she spoke, she handed the remaining four grenades to Merlin.

Merlin, however, only took one and put it in his pocket, then said, "You guys keep the rest for yourselves."

His tone was firm, leaving her no room for refusal.

Meanwhile, the passenger ship was maintaining its vigilance, keeping its distance from the pursuing pirate ship.

As time passed, the pirate ship in the distance clearly outpaced the passenger ship, drawing closer and closer. When they were within four hundred meters...

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Accompanied by the rumbling sound of cannons in the distance, cannonballs flew through the air.

They exploded in the sea around the passenger ship.

Chaotic waves repeatedly crashed against the hull. Although they couldn't shake the large ship, they began to reduce its speed.

However, at this moment, the passenger ship also fired cannonballs from its hull.

Whether by luck or the skill of the gunner, one cannonball struck the side of the pirate ship, and flames immediately erupted from it.

Merlin could see the commotion on the pirate ship, and its speed noticeably decreased.

Cheers and shouts erupted from the passenger ship. But just then, a BOOM! echoed from the passenger ship.

Merlin instinctively shielded his head with his left hand and crouched down. The main mast of the passenger ship had been hit by an enemy cannonball, snapping directly in two and crashing heavily onto the decks below.

Flames ignited from the sails.

The passenger ship's already slow speed became even slower compared to the pirate ship's speed.

From the pirate ship not far away, the excited roars of the pirates could also be heard.

Panicked shouts, warnings, and calls to fight the fire immediately erupted on the passenger ship.

At this moment, a grizzled sailor, around fifty years old, rushed towards Merlin, brandishing a sailor's knife and shouting angrily:

"Brat, get back to your cabin! Don't you see the Pirates are here? Don't be a fool and stand on deck getting in our way."

Merlin's eyes showed no displeasure at being cursed at. Instead, he looked towards the approaching pirate ship, his gaze calm:

"It's the Blood Wolf Pirates. Their captain has a bounty of 10.5 million Belly. Only the first mate, second mate, and a few squad leaders on board have bounties.

There are less than fifty people in total.

The passenger ship has nearly a hundred combat-ready personnel. We have the advantage."

Old Via's eye twitched, and he cursed grumpily, "You don't know anything!

Most of the people on this passenger ship are greenhorns who've never seen combat. Do they have the guts to fight tooth-and-nail with Pirates who live by the blade?

Get back to your cabin and hide."

Old Via's gaze was unfriendly. If this kid hadn't chatted with him a couple of times these past two days, he wouldn't have bothered to come over.

Meanwhile, the pirate ship had closed to less than fifty meters. Excited shouts came from the opposite deck. Soon, they turned the ship and approached the other side of the passenger ship. Immediately after, grappling hooks attached to ropes shot over from the pirate vessel.

Thud, thud, thud! A series of clanking sounds echoed as the clawed hooks, connected to ropes as thick as a fist, firmly latched onto the railings on the other side of the ship.

Old Via sighed, cast a cold glance at Merlin, and gripped his knife handle, saying:

"Foolish kid who doesn't listen. You're on your own!"