Mutual Provocation (Bonus Chapter for First Subscriptions)

Sifa hurried back the way he had come down the corridor. Bullet holes appeared one after another in the wall opposite him, starting near the captain's cabin and following him all the way back.

Clearly, the "guest" inside had sharp hearing. Judging Sifa's rough position by his footsteps, he fired after him through the wooden planks that served as a wall.

Sifa did the same. As he retreated, he fired each round in his revolver toward the sound of gunfire from the cabin.

In a flash, he reached the corner and ducked around it. He stopped beside a food trolley, took out a speedloader, and replaced the empty rounds.

Sifa was about to probe the guest's identity and background when someone in the captain's cabin laughed. "Seriously? You shoot that badly and still call yourself a pirate? My ninety-year-old neighbor shoots better than you!"

Sifa froze for a moment.

Why does that line sound so familiar?

Isn't that what I used to say to provoke my opponents?

Could the guy inside be a Hunter too?

Sifa chuckled. "You talk as if you hit me. I bet you'd miss even if I stood perfectly still."

The "guest" fell silent for a moment, then chuckled. "Then come in and stand still. Let's see if I can shoot you dead."

Sifa returned the chuckle. "Why don't you come out? Too ashamed to show your face? If you're a man, stop hiding in there. Let's settle this in the corridor. Dare you?"

This time, the "guest" was silent for much longer before asking, "Are you a Provoker too?"

"Shit, so are you?" Sifa cursed, imitating the pirates.

He glanced at the metal trolley beside him and got an idea. He pushed the food trolley into the corridor, then gave it a hard shove with