A Fearsome Reputation Spreads

Five minutes later.

Jin Kairui and Shami knelt meekly before the railing, heads bowed in apology. A row of lumps had swollen on each of their heads, with wisps of smoke curling upward.

"So you're bounty hunters..."

After a friendly little chat had cleared up their identities, Noah rubbed his chin and sighed. "Damn. Neither of you is a pirate..."

Why do you look so disappointed?

If we were pirates, would you have killed us on the spot?!

"Pirate Hunters, through and through, sir."

Jin Kairui was miserable inside, but his face remained solemn. "The cabin's full of wanted posters we've collected, along with a few heads we haven't had time to turn in. Look carefully and you'll even find commendations from the Marine Branches. They'll prove I'm not lying about who we are..."

He couldn't tell Noah's rank because there were no insignia on his shoulders. But the man wore a Marine uniform, so "sir" was a safe bet.

"Oh, I wasn't doubting that." Noah scratched his head, looking a little sheepish. "I just wanted to know whether you'd tell anyone else what you saw back there..."

"Never!" the woman with wavy hair, Shala, cried at once. "We're famous for keeping our mouths shut. Rest assured, no third person will ever hear about what we saw today—"

"Bullshit!" Jin Kairui snapped, turning on her. "What makes you think we saw anything? We didn't see a thing!"

Shami froze, then nodded rapidly. "Right, right! Exactly..."

That's more like it.

Only then did Noah withdraw his sword from beside Jin Kairui's neck.

"Pirate Hunters and Marines are allies of a sort. We both benefit from the arrangement..." Noah said quietly. "So I'm commandeering your ship. Any objections?"

The sky was growing brighter, and continuing to fly with the Bamboo Copter wasn't