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But the expressions on the other three faces had already said it all-that was a realm beyond their comprehension.
"Had it reached that level?"
The fingers of the man holding a sword trembled slightly.
Even with his palm pressed against the metal at his waist, that shudder still seeped out from deep within his bones.
He remembered that casually raised finger, remembered being as helpless as a child.
That was no mountain. It was the horizon itself, its end forever beyond reach.
A hand settled on his shoulder.
It belonged to the curly-browed man who always liked to bicker with him.
This time, there was no mockery.
"Can you still stand?"
"...I'm fine now."
He exhaled, forcing the turmoil back down into his chest.
What good was fear? If he could not even face it, how could he speak of moving forward? Stay somewhere safe, and he would be small fry for the rest of his life.
Only by using stronger people as stepping stones could he climb to that position.
"I'm sorry,"
the blue-haired girl standing nearby lowered her head, her voice strained. "I shouldn't have dragged you into this-"
Before she could finish, a finger pressed against her forehead.
"It's too late to say that now."
The orange-haired woman withdrew her finger and tossed her hair.
A short pistol hung at her waist, and the axe on her back was nearly twice her height. "Our names are already on the list. Even if we wanted to run, we couldn't."
She turned her head. "Captain, what do you say?"
"Do you even have to ask?"
The boy in the straw hat planted one hand on his hip and pointed the other straight at the sky.
"We catch pirates! When we catch a whiff of pirates, we charge straight