Joint Combat Art

Arthur did not respond immediately. He thought it over carefully.

Arena knew nothing, so he had to prepare for the worst.

Assume there was a Beyonder aboard the Jasmine. Judging by the Stuart Family's traits, they should be a Beyonder of the Darkness Path.

Darkness Path, Sequence 9: Swordsman.

Given the Stuart Family's influence, they might be Sequence 8, or they might be Sequence 9.

And with the possible appearance of the Black Devil Order, they would be facing at least two Beyonders.

On their side, there was only one Beyonder.

After briefly analyzing the current situation, Arthur asked, "Miss Arena, can you deal with one of the Beyonders?"

Arena raised her head and said with certainty, "No problem. I am a Sequence 8 Dark Swordsman. That trash from the Black Devil Order has no chance of winning in a duel prepared in advance."

"And what if it is a Beyonder from the Stuart Family?"

Arena frowned slightly but still explained, "The Stuart Family's Beyonders, aside from our direct line, have very limited extraordinary abilities."

"Even if they go out on missions and obtain other extraordinary powers, they cannot be my match."

Arthur gave a slight bow and analyzed the situation. "Assuming there is a Beyonder aboard the Jasmine, we will likely have to face two Beyonders."

"With Miss Arena certain that she can hold back or kill one of them, we still need to deal with the other."

"The best plan would be for Miss Arena to analyze the weakness of the Beyonder aboard the Jasmine, while I stall them for a while."

Arena looked at Arthur and examined his build.

A Fighter trained by the Stuarts would surely be competent in swordsmanship and Martial Arts.

But against a Beyonder, even a Sequence 9 Swordsman, he could only be cut to pieces.

"You have no chance. At most, you can delay them with your body for two or three seconds. If they are determined to kill you, you will not survive a single strike."

Arthur frowned. Were Beyonders really that physically capable?

He sized up Arena. She did not look like a Sequence 8 Beyonder and seemed no different from an ordinary person.

"Can they block musket fire?"

Arena froze slightly and shook her head. "Swordsmen of the Darkness Path possess extreme agility, flexibility, and speed. At long range, they have a chance of dodging musket fire. At close range, they need to be Sequence 7 or above, or possess special contraband."

"The power of a musket is enough to kill low-Sequence Beyonders, but its accuracy is very low."

A Swordsman's agility and reactions allowed them to react and evade musket bullets from a certain distance.

With enough muskets, they could seal off the target's movements, or they could pull the trigger at close range.

A scene immediately formed in Arthur's mind. He seemed to have thought of a reasonable way to deal with it.

"Then there are two plans."

"Two plans?"

Curiosity rose in Arena's eyes. He had come up with a solution in such a short time?

"The first plan is to deal with them separately."

"Miss Arena will deal with the Black Devil Order's Beyonder, while I stall the Beyonder who may be aboard the Jasmine."

"The second plan is to deal with the Black Devil Order first."

"Miss Arena boards the ship in advance. Once the Black Devil Order's Beyonder arrives, you join forces to deal with the Black Devil Order."

"Then the Great White Shark Pirate Group will strike and wipe out every Sailor aboard the Jasmine!"

Arena closed her eyes and considered Arthur's plan.

The second plan was reasonable and highly feasible, with almost no flaws.

She suddenly frowned and asked Arthur a question.

"The second plan seems fine. Why did you not mention it earlier?"

Arthur explained somewhat helplessly, "We should assume the worst. If things go smoothly, that would naturally be for the best."

He did not want the earlier situation to happen, but if it did and he had not prepared for it, then as the pirate captain, he could only throw his life away.

Once the battle plan was set, the two sides agreed on a specific time.

Tomorrow, Arena would take a fast boat to the Jasmine and make preparations in advance.

Tomorrow night, Arthur would set sail directly for the Jasmine and attack it within three days.

"Then Arthur will take his leave first."

After going down to the first floor to retrieve his broadsword and musket, Arthur's gaze suddenly became unfocused.

He was not someone who liked fighting.

If he had to fight, Arthur hated it when the situation slipped beyond his control. It made him feel terribly insecure.

It was already late at night.

The tavern and pastry shop were still celebrating, their noise echoing recklessly through the streets.

Arthur entered a proper shop. "Do you have trench coats? Or leather jackets?"

"Hm? Of course. Leather coats are hot commodities."

"Only Old York's general store has them on all of Blue Bay Island!"

Blond Old York assessed Arthur's build and brought out a long leather coat from inside.

"Oh, excellent leather coat. Completely waterproof, perfect for a voyage at sea."

"How many silver coins?"

"Twenty-one silver coins."

Arthur ran his hand over the leather coat. The material was not especially good, but after trying it on, he found there was plenty of room beneath it.

He could sew muskets into the lining of the coat, so he reluctantly accepted the price.

"Twenty-one silver coins, plus an iron needle and a spool of linen thread. I will take the leather coat."

"A captain like you is bargaining with Old York?"

Old York was unwilling to let someone mooch off a needle and thread set.

Arthur lifted his coat slightly, revealing the flintlock pistol beneath it. "I am in a good mood today. Are you trying to ruin it?"

"Not at all! Not at all!"

"Generous Old York has always been generous." Old York quickly picked out a spool of linen thread and an iron needle, placed them in a sewing kit, and respectfully set it on the counter.

Pirates who did not follow the rules on Blue Bay Island would be targeted by every pirate.

But Old York had seen plenty of people foolishly believe that pirates would truly follow the rules, or that pirates would not dare break them.

Leaving twenty-one silver coins behind, Arthur put on the leather coat and slipped the sewing kit into his pocket.

He turned and headed toward the docked Great White Shark.

He was not used to sleeping outside. The captain's cabin felt safer.

"Captain!" *2

"Mm."

Back in the captain's cabin, Arthur lay on the bed, breathing deeply and rubbing his temples to relax.

He liked studying text-based games, but he did not like physical activity.

What an annoying pirate life.

[Joint Combat Art]

Comfort + Research into Martial Arts had successfully produced an Invisible Arts.

Arthur's spirits lifted as he examined the secrets of "Joint Combat Art."

"Joint Combat Art" was a special Martial Art that consumed Moth's power and allowed the joints to move flexibly.

He rose from the bed, drew upon Moth's power, and suddenly fell backward.

It was a kneeling posture, but his knee joints bent forward.

Suddenly, Arthur assumed a boxing stance, yet both hands were raised in front of his back as he swung his fists.

Every punch was delivered with full force. With the boost from Martial Arts, they were even stronger than normal.

After bringing his arms back from behind him, Arthur found it unbelievable. The posture defied the laws of the human body, yet it even increased his strength.

Returning to a normal seated posture and withdrawing Moth's power, Arthur felt a wave of exhaustion wash over his body.

A sentence echoed in his mind:

"Invisible Arts originate from the Nine Principles and possess considerable uncertainty and risk."

"But... the Principles are in my hands. There is no uncertainty or risk."