Hawkins's hair drifted through the air, strand after strand piercing into Qiao Si's body as he prepared to treat her.
"Do it!"
Qiao Lak knew perfectly well that Hawkins would never let him go, so he had been waiting for an opportunity.
Several death-sworn men immediately charged at Hawkins with blades in hand at his command. But just as they came within a meter of Hawkins, black mist surged out from behind him. In the next instant, it became a scythe and flashed past them. The upper halves of the men burst with blood, sending them flying back to where they had stood—except they had already been cut into four pieces.
Qiao Lak cried out in terror, "A Cursed Relic!!!"
Though alarmed, he did not move slowly. In an instant, he pulled a beautiful dagger from his sleeve.
The dagger was made of silver, its blade set with rubies like flames.
Gripping the dagger and pointing it at Hawkins, Qiao Lak gritted his teeth and said, "Fire Ghost, kill him!"
Flames erupted from the dagger. The next moment, they formed a hideous flaming giant. The instant it opened its eyes, it locked onto Hawkins and swung a fist at him.
But before the punch could touch Hawkins, Hawkins's Curse Spirit emerged from behind him and smashed the flaming giant apart with a single blow.
"How is that possible?!"
Qiao Lak's face went bloodless as he staggered back several steps.
In truth, Hawkins's Curse Spirit had one outstanding trait: it was tough!
It seemed to have inherited Black Knife's defenses. Though it was clearly nothing more than loose black mist, its defense was absurdly high.
Mark also possessed a Curse Spirit. His was a silver Werewolf named Silver Wolf.
Silver Wolf could turn its claws into three-meter-long curved blades with terrifying cutting power. Most of Joyce's paper men had once been torn apart by Silver Wolf.
Yet when Silver Wolf attacked Hawkins's Curse Spirit, it could not even break through its defenses. That showed just how tough Hawkins's Curse Spirit was.
Moreover, Curse Spirits differed from one another.
The Cursed Relic Qiao Lak used was not his Natal Relic.
The only reason he could use that dagger was because another curse resided within his body, allowing it to keep the dagger's curse in check.
Mark had explained before that the Dream Realm was a world of daydreams.
If someone wished for an invincible blade, the Dream Realm would create such a blade according to his wish.
But the blade would not truly take form. Only after the dreamer died, when his soul or consciousness entered the Dream Realm and was absorbed by the blade, would the blade truly be formed.
That was why Cursed Relics were called "relics."
In fact, the first time someone who consumed a Qi-Suppressing Stone entered the Dream Realm was also the process of creating a "relic," because the Dream Realm could not distinguish whether its visitor was alive or dead.
But the chance to create a relic and fulfill one's "final wish" came only once. Upon entering again, that opportunity would never appear. That was why the burly man had told Hawkins that he would never have another chance to fulfill his wish.
Furthermore, the Dream Realm constantly received all kinds of desires from the Real World. Those desires, with nowhere to settle, would be drawn toward Cursed Relics that had already taken shape.
Normally, once the spirit of the dead became a Curse Spirit, it would gradually become twisted and cruel in the Dream Realm as time passed.
Those who used such Cursed Relics were like beast tamers training fierce tigers. Even if they managed to tame a tiger for the moment, no one knew when it might suddenly turn around and devour its master.
Even setting aside the problem of backlash, Qiao Lak was using someone else's spirit, while Hawkins was using his own. The difference in agility alone was enormous. So even if Hawkins's and Qiao Lak's Curse Spirits had been equally strong, Hawkins would still have won.
It was like two peerless swordsmen: one wielded the blade that had never left his side, while the other used a blade borrowed at the last minute. One could unleash one hundred percent of his strength, while the other could only bring out fifty percent. The outcome was obvious at a glance.
Back to the matter at hand.
After destroying Fire Ghost, Hawkins's Curse Spirit did not return to his body. Instead, it lunged directly at Qiao Lak.
Qiao Lak frantically waved his dagger and roared, "Don't come any closer!!!"
"A noble? Looks like there's nothing so impressive about you after all!"
Hawkins retracted his hair, looked at the terrified Qiao Lak, and mocked him with a smile.
In an instant, fury surged into Qiao Lak's head. When had he ever suffered such humiliation in all his life? Everyone had always treated him with utmost respect, and no one had ever dared disobey a word he said. He had never experienced such disgrace.
His gaze changed. Staring at Hawkins, he ground his teeth and said with hatred, "Son of Pirates, you'd better not let me live. Otherwise, one day, I'll slaughter you!"
"So scared. Which means I can't let you live."
Hawkins found it amusing. It had been a very, very long time since he had heard something so idiotic. The nobles of Seven Seas had been pampered for too long; even idiots like this could easily enslave countless people.
In an instant, the Curse Spirit turned into a scythe and sliced straight across Qiao Lak's neck. Qiao Lak's eyes flew wide open, and only one thought remained in his mind: It hurts... So having your neck cut open hurts this much... Father... save me... I don't want to die!!!
He struggled to cover his neck with his hands, his body unconsciously leaning backward as he staggered back several steps. At last, he crashed into the ship's rail and rolled into the sea.
"Ah... sob... sob..."
Jennie's face went pale with fright. She collapsed limply onto the deck, and a foul-smelling stream ran from beneath her skirt. At last, she could no longer hold back and broke down in tears.
At that moment, Qiao Si woke from her unconsciousness. Hearing Jennie cry before understanding what had happened, she instinctively got to her feet. Her vision was still hazy as she stumbled toward Jennie.
"Miss, are you—"
She had just been about to ask whether Jennie was hurt when clarity suddenly flooded her mind. Everything that had just happened surfaced in her memories, and her footsteps came to a halt.
Only Jennie's sobbing remained on the ship.
She had protected Jennie for a full ten years. She was now twenty-six, while Jennie had already turned sixteen.
Perhaps ordinary people would find it difficult to understand, but Jennie had truly filled Qiao Si's life. Other than protecting Jennie, she had found no meaning in living.
She took a deep breath, then drew the dagger hidden at the small of her back. Gripping it tightly, she turned and pointed it at Hawkins.
"You... still want to protect her?" Hawkins asked in surprise. He was not angry in the slightest despite Qiao Si pointing a blade at him.
Qiao Si said seriously, "Although I'm grateful that you cured my poison, and although Miss Jennie does not believe I can protect her well, this is my duty."
"Not even if you die a hundred times?" Hawkins asked.
Qiao Si's eyes were firm as she answered, "Not even if I die a hundred times!"
"You're better than me. Interested in joining my ship? You should be running out of money, right?" Hawkins glanced around the wooden boat, then narrowed his eyes and smiled.
Qiao Si refused, "Sorry, but my duty is to protect Miss Jennie."
"Other than me, who do you think can shelter her?" Hawkins glanced at Jennie and asked.
He was neither friend nor relative to Qiao Si. While treating her just now, he had naturally taken a look through her memories, so he already knew about Jennie's ability.
That was also why, after killing Qiao Lak and devouring his Cursed Relic, he had not immediately made a move against Jennie.
"..."
Qiao Si had no answer, because that was reality.
Besides, the true enemies had yet to appear.
Seven Seas did not only have Vidalia. There were also Yazhong Island, Hard Biscuit Island, Ironcloth Island, Bottle Island, and Blackwood Island, and each of those islands had a Lord not much weaker than Jabus!
Those powerful enemies would not trust Jabus's family. They would simply kill Jennie and seize her Cursed Relic.
Though Jennie's mental resilience was rare, they had countless subordinates who could try using that Cursed Relic. Someone would eventually meet the requirements, and they would not need to worry about loyalty.
Hawkins, on the other hand, might recruit subordinates, but unlike those Lords, he could not casually sacrifice his people. So relying on Hawkins truly was one of their few remaining choices.
After a moment of silence, Qiao Si looked at Hawkins and hesitated before saying, "We can board your ship, but we have two conditions."
"Let's hear them. If they aren't too excessive, I'll consider agreeing," Hawkins said with a nod.
Qiao Si looked at Hawkins seriously and said, "First, you must never lay a hand on Miss Jennie. The pirates on your ship as well."
"You can rest assured on that point. I wasn't interested in her to begin with!" Hawkins said easily.
Qiao Si's eyes widened at once. She hurriedly backed away to Jennie's side and stared at Hawkins in terror. If he was not interested in Jennie, then was he interested in her...
"I'm not interested in you either!" Hawkins inwardly found himself speechless and hurriedly added.
In truth, Jennie was indeed very beautiful. Her skin was fair, her eyes large and watery, and her pure temperament made her seem innocent.
But Hawkins had long passed the age of being moved by women. By the time he was over a thousand years old, he had already lost interest in women.
As for Qiao Si, she was not unattractive either. It was just that the scar on her face had ruined her features. And because she trained all year round, despite being ten years older than Jennie, the scale of a certain part of her body was far inferior to Jennie's.
Qiao Si quickly calmed herself and continued, "Second, Miss Jennie does not need to participate in any battles."
"No problem. Besides... do you think she's capable of fighting?" Hawkins asked with a laugh.
Qiao Si still looked somewhat grave. She turned and helped Jennie to her feet. With tears filling her eyes, Jennie said, "Qiao Si, I'm sorry. Just now, I..."
"It's all right. I'm the one who should be sorry. I failed to protect you," Qiao Si said, gently embracing Jennie to comfort her.
Hawkins watched the two women embracing, and his thoughts could not help drifting back into the past.
That woman who had knelt on the ground and begged him to spare her—if he had not pulled the trigger back then, what ending would there have been?
Ten minutes later, the Black Knife gradually drew near. When the two ships were about five meters apart, Mark jumped directly over. He then stomped through the deck, his face landing right in the spot where Jennie had just wet herself in fright.
"Pfft... Hahahahaha!"
Hawkins froze for a moment, then sat on the ship's rail and burst into uncontrollable laughter.
While Mark jumped into the sea to wash himself, Hawkins smiled at the two women and said, "All right, my crew members. Board the ship!"
"Let's go."
Qiao Si wiped away Jennie's tears, took her hand, and spoke softly.
They both knew that they had no other choice. Besides, compared to Qiao Lak, who had been buried in the sea, they had nothing much to complain about.