An apology

After killing Grant, Dunn walked toward Hawkins, who still stood where he was without making a move.

Although Dunn had no idea what Hawkins was thinking, since Hawkins showed no intention of acting, Dunn naturally had to deal with Grant first.

Only when Dunn reached Hawkins did that change.

Thud!

Hawkins immediately dropped to his knees before Dunn.

The speed and decisiveness of his movements left even Dunn momentarily stunned.

"Captain Dunn, I surrender!"

Hawkins's decisive surrender left Dunn at a loss for a moment.

But this was no time to waste. Green was still in danger.

"You two, watch him!" He turned and gave the order to the two pirate underlings standing there in a daze, then headed toward Green.

Hawkins's surrender was so decisive and abject that Dunn felt a little awkward about killing him outright, but he was also quite reassured about him. With Green's situation still urgent, he could only assign the two pirate underlings to watch him.

Even if Hawkins had something in mind, the two could hold him up for a little while.

"Yes, Captain!"

"Leave it to us!"

Only after hearing Dunn's orders did the two snap out of their daze.

After taking a couple of steps, Dunn still felt uneasy and turned back to remind them, "Be careful."

"Understood! Don't worry, Captain!" ×2

Everything on this side had happened so quickly that by the time Fisherman and the others noticed what was happening, the fight was essentially over.

Seeing Dunn heading toward their battlefield, Fisherman made an immediate decision. He abandoned the two pirates, turned, and ran.

Green alone had kept the three of them occupied for so long without being defeated. With Dunn, who was clearly even stronger, joining in, the outcome was already obvious.

Even Fisherman, who considered himself the strongest fighter among the four captains, did not believe he could beat Dunn head-on. At most, he could rely on his refined Martial Arts to hold his own for a while.

Watching Fisherman's fleeing figure, Dunn frowned slightly, then glanced at Green, whose pressure had eased considerably after Fisherman fled. Judging that the two pirates were no longer a match for Green, Dunn immediately made his choice and chased after Fisherman.

Activating Soru repeatedly, Dunn flickered forward, covering more than ten meters with each flash. Using Soru in succession at this frequency undoubtedly put an immense strain on the body. Only Dunn's Transcendent stamina allowed him to do so.

Although Dunn was pursuing at full speed, the distance between them was simply too great. Fisherman also seemed to have practiced movement-based Martial Arts. Though the gap was gradually shrinking, Fisherman had almost reached the doorway.

Once Fisherman entered the corridor, Dunn would have a hard time catching him. Although Soru allowed extremely fast movement over short distances, it was precisely because it was so fast that he could only move in straight lines, unable to turn at all. In a winding corridor, Soru's speed would inevitably be restricted.

Seeing Fisherman about to enter the corridor, Dunn focused his gaze and kicked through the air.

Rankyaku!

Dunn sent a crescent-shaped air blade flying straight toward Fisherman.

As Fisherman fled, the corridor was almost within reach when a sharp whistle suddenly came from behind him. He instantly understood that this was Dunn's attack. If he turned to block it, he would inevitably slow down, and that brief delay might be enough for Dunn to catch him.

But escape was right before his eyes. Fisherman had seen Dunn use Soru earlier, and with his considerable expertise in Martial Arts, he had quickly spotted its strengths and weaknesses. He also understood that once he entered the corridor, he would essentially be safe. At that thought, a ruthless glint appeared in his eyes.

Rather than dodge, he actually leaped into the air.

Squelch!

Blood scattered through the air as Rankyaku struck Fisherman squarely in the back, behind his heart. Although it wounded him, the distance had weakened Rankyaku's power, so the injury was not fatal.

Instead, Fisherman used the force of Rankyaku's impact to propel himself into the passage even faster.

After landing, he rolled, immediately scrambled to his feet, and charged farther inside. Soon, he rounded a corner and disappeared.

At the sight, even though Fisherman was his enemy, Dunn could not help inwardly admiring his decisiveness.

Since catching Fisherman would already be difficult, there was no need to waste his strength.

The outcome had been decided long ago anyway!

Returning empty-handed, Dunn soon reached Green's battlefield. The two remaining pirates looked despairing when they saw him return, and under Dunn and Green's combined assault, they soon met their bitter end.

After the pirates were dealt with and things were safe for the moment, Green, who had been holding on through sheer determination, finally let go and collapsed into a sitting position.

In terms of fighting strength alone, Fisherman and Green were roughly equal. Green had been trained by a great family, while Fisherman was a veteran of countless battles with extremely rich combat experience.

But Fisherman had two capable helpers, so even with the Transcendent weapon [Red Beak] in hand, Green had been kept on the defensive and suffered considerable injuries.

Had [Red Beak] not been so sharp that Fisherman dared not block it with his body, Green probably would not have lasted until Dunn regained consciousness.

"Captain, I'm sorry." As soon as Green caught his breath, he apologized to Dunn.

Dunn paused slightly at Green's apology, then chuckled. "There's no need. They outnumbered you, after all. You did your best."

"No, that's not what I meant."

"Then what is it?" Dunn could not help feeling puzzled.

Green fell silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Earlier, when you were badly wounded, Captain, I intended to lure Jaeger away, but Engels stopped me."

"He said that as long as you died here, everyone would be safe, and the young lady could also take the opportunity to become captain of the [Black Pearl]."

"I... was tempted."

Hearing Green's words, Dunn immediately understood. He had not thought much of it at the time, but thinking back now, when Astor lured Jaeger over, both pirate underlings had spoken up to stop him, while Green had not made a sound. So that was why.

"It's fine. You and I were never master and subordinate to begin with. Your master is Annie, so it's only natural for you to think of her interests." Dunn smiled without the slightest concern. "Besides, if you hadn't risked your life to hold them off, they might have killed me before I woke up."

"Rest for a bit and recover. I'll go check on our prisoner."

Dunn then headed toward Hawkins, whom the two pirate underlings were watching like hawks.

Throughout this time, Hawkins had actually shown no sign of resisting or escaping. Someone who understood his circumstances so well was a rare sight.