章 21: The Horizon #21
Blake dodged and weaved through Hani's relentless onslaught, his frustration growing as he tried to reason with the enraged pirate. "I didn't mean to offend, friend..." he began, his body fluidly evading each swing of Hani's hammer hands with the grace of Kami-e.
"Truth be told, many a smith and carpenter would envy your hammers..." His words, though genuine, only seemed to unknowingly stoke Hani's ire further.
"You dare compare the great Hani Hammerhand to mere smiths and carpenters?!" Hani roared, his attacks becoming more aggressive with each passing moment.
Frustrated by Hani's lack of reason, Blake pointed an accusatory finger. "Hey! Carpentry and smithing are perfectly honorable professions!" he retorted, leaping back as Hani continued his assault. "I'll have you know that David was a smith and Noah was a carpenter!" he declared in a matter-of-fact tone.
Confused by Blake's reference, Hani's confusion only worked to fuel his anger further. "Who the hell are those people?!" he demanded, lunging forward once more in an attempt to close the distance between them.
Growing tired of playing defense, Blake decided to take action. "Of course you wouldn't know them, you damned infidel!" he snapped, delivering a swift jab aimed at Hani's face.
Blake's left fist soared past Hani's head as the pirate captain deftly dodged, but Blake was far from finished. Swiftly unclenching his fist, he hooked Hani's neck and forcefully pulled him toward his right elbow.
The first elbow strike landed with a sickening crunch as Hani's nose broke, swiftly followed by equally powerful second and third strikes. As Blake prepared for the fourth strike, he halted abruptly as Hani's body went limp, crumpling to the ground, clearly unconscious.
Surveying Hani's bloodied face and gaping mouth, a few teeth now missing, Blake couldn't help but scratch his head in bewilderment. "Why are all these pirates so fragile...?" he muttered, a tone of disappointment in his voice.
"I mean, he even had a unique look with those hammer hands, so I figured he'd be somewhat strong..." he added, sighing with dejection.
The pirates, stunned by the swift turn of events, gazed in disbelief and horror at the unconscious form of their captain. The sailors of the Jackdaw on the other hand were equally surprised and elated. They would have been jumping for joy if not for the ropes that restrained their limbs.
However, their surprise turned to incredulity as the sound of snoring reverberated across the main deck of the ship. Bewildered, the pirates and sailors exchanged puzzled glances, wondering who in their right mind would be sleeping at such a critical moment.
It didn't take long for them to realize that the snores were emanating from none other than Blake himself, the toll of three days without sleep finally catching up to him.
One of the pirates gulped audibly, his hand inching toward the hilt of his cutlass. Without a moment's hesitation, he drew his weapon and lunged at Blake, aiming to strike while he slept.
The sailors watched in horror as the pirate closed the distance, his cutlass poised to strike Blake's neck. However, his attack came to an abrupt halt as he sensed a looming presence behind him.
Turning swiftly, the pirate barely had time to register the sight of Sif's massive paw hurtling toward his face. With a forceful swipe, she sent him crashing to the deck, his head colliding with a thud that echoed across the ship. Finished with her swift intervention, Sif turned her gaze toward Blake, her expression tinged with annoyance.
She circled behind him and bit his head with a growl, eliciting a trickle of blood to run down his face.
Startled awake by Sif's actions, Blake groggily surveyed the ship, his senses slowly returning. "What's with everyone's faces? Is there something on my head?" he muttered, noticing the crew staring at him with puzzled expressions.
Their response was a collective silence, prompting Blake to lift his hand to scratch his head. Midway through the motion, his fingers met something warm and furry.
Realization dawned on Blake's sleepy mind, and he let out a sheepish chuckle. "Ah, well, that's embarrassing," he admitted, finally connecting the dots and understanding what had transpired.
...
Observing the sailors of the Jackdaw secure the final pirate with a sturdy rope and escort him below deck to the brig, I couldn't stifle a contented yawn. Eager to retire for the night and catch some much-needed sleep, I was interrupted by the approach of Jack Blackwater, his expression tentative.
"My lads inform me that the captain of these pirates and two others have bounties on their heads," Jack announced, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
"Ah, a bit of extra coin is always welcome," I responded with a nod, the prospect of a reward piquing my interest. "We'll hand them over once we make landfall... and naturally, you'll get your fair share for helping with their capture," I added, offering a reassuring smile.
However, Jack cleared his throat, his hesitant expression remaining unchanged. "I had originally intended to do just that, but there's a slight problem," he confessed, his tone tinged with unease. "Our next destination lacks a Marine presence, so we won't be able to turn them in and claim the bounties," he explained nervously.
Perplexed by his apparent distress, I regarded him with a quizzical expression. "Well, that's easily resolved, isn't it?" I replied, shrugging nonchalantly. "You can simply give me 70% of their bounties and take them with you when we part ways. It's hardly a significant issue, is it?" I questioned, genuinely puzzled by his evident concern.
Jack scratched the back of his neck, looking somewhat sheepish. "Well, there's another hitch," he admitted. "You see, I've already blown most of my coins on buying those leathers and furs you had stashed away on the island. What's left won't even cover a tenth of the captain's bounty," he explained, his tone tinged with worry.
"I could try peddling some of the cargo at our next stop, but even then, I can't guarantee I'll fetch enough. Plus, it might take a while," he concluded.
I couldn't help but chuckle at his concern. "There's no need to worry about that. Take your time, and pay me what you can. I'll manage," I reassured him with an easy shrug. "I have enough coins to keep me fed for a while, and I can always do some bounty hunting if I ever need to," I added, waving off his worries.
"Ah, I see. It seems I've worried over nothing," Jack remarked, visibly relieved. "Then I'll gladly accept your generosity even though I owe you too much for saving me and my crew," he said, bowing deeply in gratitude.
"You did get me out of that island, so let's call it even," I replied with a smile, downplaying his thanks. "By the way, I've been busy so I forgot to ask earlier, but where are we heading anyway?" I queried, clearing my throat to mask my oversight.
Though I said I was busy, in truth, I merely shut myself in my room, glued to the system prompts, my eyes red, my mind torn by hours of indecision. It was an awkward predicament, to say the least. Luckily, Jack remained oblivious to my internal struggle; otherwise, I might've considered jumping ship out of sheer embarrassment.
"Now that you mention it, I don't recall telling you of our next stop," Jack announced, catching me off guard with his revelation. "Do forgive my oversight... in any case, we are heading to Swallow Island, and should be there within two or three more days..." "
"Swallow Island...?" I echoed a puzzled expression creasing my brow. The name struck a chord of familiarity, yet its significance remained elusive.
It felt like a distant memory from my past life, maybe something I'd gleaned from watching the anime. But the specifics eluded me; my recollection was hazy at best.
Back then, I'd been a casual viewer with not much free time and it took me almost two years to catch up to the weekly releases since I started watching One Piece rather late.
While I retained the main plot points and characters, the finer details often slipped through the cracks. Secondary characters and obscure locations like Swallow Island fell into that category, their significance to me fading with time.
Jack looked at me with a puzzled expression, and upon noticing his reaction I just stopped contemplating the subject. "The name does sound familiar, but I guess I'll see it soon enough once we get there..."
...
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