Pal's Death and Akin's Resolve

In the distance.

On the sea.

An entire row of pirate ships stood at the edge of sight, their savage cannon muzzles blooming with crimson fire. Like meteors, the shells streaked across the sky and crashed down upon Raven Port...

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The prosperous, bustling port descended into utter chaos in the blink of an eye. Flames rose everywhere, and agonized cries pierced eardrums, tearing apart the world before the survivors' eyes.

"Pirates! The pirates are here!"

"Help!"

"The Marines, the Marines are in the port, we..."

A flicker of hope rose in everyone's eyes, only to vanish completely the moment they turned back toward the port.

The two warships stationed in the harbor had been struck before they could even evade the first barrage. Both were now burning fiercely.

The people aboard the warships were also retreating deeper into the port.

"Run!"

From the moment the first cry rang out, the people in the port began fleeing in every direction or taking cover beneath whatever shelter they could find.

The city walls, once so sturdy they seemed impossible to shake, now appeared pitifully small before the torrent of steel pouring in from afar, offering not the slightest sense of safety.

The ships left in the harbor had no room to evade at all. Within only a few breaths, they had caught fire.

Within the port.

Raging flames engulfed countless ships.

The intense heat licked at Akin's pale face. Having just finished making arrangements in the city, he had not even had time to launch the operation before Krieg's attack arrived ahead of schedule.

"Lord Akin, Pal... Pal is still on the ship!"

A pirate opened his mouth, unable to believe what was happening before his eyes. He wanted to rush aboard and save him, but the flames blocked his path.

All he could do was listen to the people aboard cry out in agony, powerless to do anything.

"Who did this?"

"The Marines? No. Even corrupt, fallen Marines wouldn't do something like this."

"That group of pirates who came into the port with us? But their ships were attacked too..."

The pirates looked anxious as they discussed it among themselves, yet no one found a definite answer.

Or rather.

They had all instinctively overlooked the one and only answer.

Akin had not.

He reached up to tug at his headscarf, his teeth clenched tight.

He truly could not understand or accept what Krieg had done this time. It was absolutely wrong. Even pirates should cherish their companions!

But at that moment, a tall figure burst out of the cabin while cradling two pirates in his arms, charging through the flames before leaping into the sea...

Splash!

"It's Pal!"

"He's alive!"

Everyone jumped into the water one after another, working together to pull the utterly exhausted Pal ashore. Yet they all fell silent.

Akin pushed aside the people gathered around Pal, but the instant he saw him clearly, his pupils shrank.

Pal had been transformed by the flames. The hair he had once carefully groomed had been burned away without a single strand left.

Not a patch of intact skin remained on his body. His flesh had split and curled, giving off a nauseating stench of burnt char.

"Big Brother Akin, it hurts so much..."

A weak voice reached Akin's ears. He raised his hand, wanting to comfort the companion before him as he had before.

But there was no longer any skin on Pal's body that he could touch.

"Huff... hiss..."

Pal gasped for breath. He could barely see anymore. His blurred gaze swept around, and after finding nothing, he asked about the two people he had rescued.

"They... are they still alive?"

Akin turned to look at the two corpses burned beyond recognition, then said reluctantly, "They've both lost consciousness, but they're still alive."

"Is that so?"

A faint smile appeared on Pal's lips.

"What a shame I can't see anymore."

"Hey... Big Brother Akin, leave this place. Leave that man."

"I saw it clearly long ago. In his eyes, there were never any companions, only tools he could discard whenever he wanted. This time it was me. Next time, it might be you."

"..."

Akin lowered his head in silence, nearly crushing his teeth from clenching them so hard. Pal seemed to understand something and smiled faintly.

"You're still so foolish. It's time you lived for yourself too..."

His voice gradually faded, and with a heart full of unwillingness, he drew his final breath.

After several seconds of silence.

Akin slowly rose to his feet. After wiping his face, his gaze became resolute.

"The captain has made a mistake. We should correct him, not betray him. The operation begins now!"

"Yes!"

Everyone answered in unison.

At Akin's command, the pirates who had entered the port with him sprang into action. They moved through the bombardment, following the locations they had scouted out to eliminate the resistance within the city.

Ammunition depots exploded one after another. Countless guards had only just organized rescue efforts when they were met with the pirates' direct assault.

In just a few minutes.

Akin had taken control of more than half the city's ammunition depots and guards. He then turned his gaze toward Kuro, who had hurried over.

The tonfas in his hands began to spin, gradually accelerating until they became impossible to see with the naked eye. With such tremendous force, even a body of steel would be twisted out of shape by a direct hit.

"More or less time to enjoy today's main course!"

"..."

Kuro glanced at Akin, then turned to look at his burning warship.

Fortunately, he had been extra cautious and had not suffered losses as heavy as Akin's. Even so, several of his men had been trapped aboard.

Their cries grew weaker and weaker before finally falling silent. At that moment, the killing intent around Kuro condensed to its peak!

After more than a decade of fighting, when had he ever suffered such a tremendous loss?

What was more, those aboard had been elites personally trained by Gawain—the pirate crew's fresh blood and absolute main force. Every one of them had been immensely valuable.

How could he not feel heartbroken over losing them for nothing?

"I'll skin you alive first, then kill Admiral Creek."

Kuro's voice was icy, as though he were merely stating a fact. Along with his words, ten sharp Claw Blades slowly slid free...

Shing!

And this time, no one would restrain Kuro from making a move!

Shave!

The next moment.

Kuro's figure vanished into thin air, yet that intense, overwhelming killing intent was everywhere!

Slash!

Five claw marks tore upward, nearly disemboweling Akin on the spot!

"So fast!"

The searing pain sent Akin's adrenaline surging. In his vision, there was only a blurry figure. Kuro moved at high speed without any pattern, so fast that he had almost completely surpassed Akin's perception.

Slash!

Slash!

Slash!

The sound of blades slicing through the air came from all around Akin. He watched as vicious claw marks appeared in an instant across the ground, the walls, and even human bodies.

The opponent before him was clearly the strongest person he had faced since going to sea—indeed, there was no comparison.

With speed like that alone, an ordinary person would have no way to fight back. Akin could only swing the tonfas in his hands faster, holding them at his side like shields.

Because one careless mistake this time would truly mean death!