"Hahaha!"
Garen's blunder successfully amused the group of pirate lackeys, who pointed at him and burst into laughter.
"His girlfriend ran off!"
Garen's expression turned dark.
He didn't even have a girlfriend.
"She left him and took the treasure for herself?"
Captain Steel Blade eyed the gloomy-faced Garen with growing interest. Greed and a vicious glint slowly lit up in his eyes.
"That woman had no foresight whatsoever…"
"This tin can is where the real valuables are!"
"Heh… Stop dreaming."
Garen once again raised his greatsword and looked steadily at Captain Steel Blade from afar.
"You'll die by this sword."
Steel Blade narrowed his eyes and remained silent.
He simply raised the large blade in his hand.
But instead of aiming at Garen, he pointed it at the middle-aged sheriff still kneeling before him.
"What are you doing?!"
Garen shouted in shock, "Let him go!"
This turn of events had caught him off guard.
"Hahahaha…"
Steel Blade sneered, full of scorn and satisfaction.
"You're way over there, and my blade is right here—just inches from this insect's throat."
"You little knight!" Steel Blade roared like a lion, eyes wild with cruelty. "What right do you have to tell me to stop?!"
"You—!"
Garen's eyes blazed once more with furious fire.
His rage was nearly tangible, causing even the pirate lackeys surrounding him to shudder.
Steel Blade casually rested the heavy blade on the trembling shoulder of the middle-aged man, its cold edge playing along the man's neck like a cat toying with a mouse.
The sheriff didn't even dare to breathe loudly—he simply closed his eyes in despair.
Behind him, the injured young officer who had been shot could only watch in helpless fury as the blade hovered, ready to end his mentor's life.
Finally, a cruel grin spread across Steel Blade's face.
"I told you… You're too late."
"I want to kill!"
The blade began to bite into the sheriff's neck, drawing a crimson line of blood.
Whoosh! A sound sliced through the air.
A metal pipe, still bearing shards of shattered iron, came flying from the distance like a javelin, aimed directly at Steel Blade.
Caught off guard, Steel Blade instinctively pulled his sword back and slashed the incoming pipe cleanly in two.
"Who's there?!"
He barked.
He got his answer quickly.
A young girl with orange hair leaped down from behind a tall cargo shelf, using her staff to launch herself into the midst of the fierce pirates.
"Nami?"
Garen was stunned as he recognized the girl who'd just entered the fight with a long staff.
"You… you didn't run?"
Nami's face flushed red, but she didn't have time to explain.
She simply shouted at him, "What are you standing there for?! Move!"
Indeed, Nami hadn't run. Or rather—she hadn't gone far.
Which, for her, was absolutely shocking.
In her many years of thieving, running away was second nature; manipulating others into fighting each other while she escaped unscathed was her signature move.
She could leave chaos and victims behind without a second thought, and walk away richer every time.
But this time, she hesitated.
Because Garen was… an honest man.
In this sea full of scoundrels, honest men were rare creatures. In all her years as a thief, she'd never met someone quite like Garen—a strong and honest man.
So, when she got away safely, she found herself—against all reason—worried about that big metal meat shield who'd taken a hit for her.
Would he die because of her?
She didn't go far. She hid nearby, watching.
But what truly made her abandon her "little thief" instincts and charge in like a fool... was that middle-aged sheriff.
That seemingly useless man who made bowing and groveling an art form, had stood between a brutal pirate and his wounded comrade—without flinching.
He looked just like… Bell-mère.
And so, with only a rough grasp of self-defense, Nami—hot-headed and reckless—ran out to try and save someone.
"Foolish!"
Steel Blade gave a fitting verdict.
Nami thought so too.
But she didn't regret it. Even though the moment she entered the fight, she found herself overwhelmed by the sheer number of pirate lackeys.
All she cared about now… was whether she could save that unfamiliar sheriff.
"You can't save him!"
Steel Blade cackled madly, raising his blade high once again to finish the job.
The sheriff shut his eyes once more.
Whoosh! Another projectile sliced through the air—this time, it was Garen's greatsword.
"Wings of Justice!"
Garen, being the Garen he was, shamelessly gave his random weapon throw a fancy name.
The sword was heavy, and Garen hurled it with incredible force, its flight tearing through the air with a sharp whistle.
This attack was far more dangerous than Nami's thrown iron pipe.
Steel Blade was forced, for the third time, to abandon his execution, focusing all his attention on intercepting Garen's "Wings of Justice."
The sheriff, now soaked in cold sweat, couldn't help but mutter, "Will this ever end?"
Three times he had nearly died, and yet here he was.
Of course, nobody was paying attention to the sheriff's mental rollercoaster.
Steel Blade used all his strength to block the oncoming weapon, but even then, the force behind the sword nearly knocked him off his feet.
Eventually, he managed to stop it and held the magnificent blade firmly in his grip.
"Hahaha!"
Looking at the ornate, golden hilt of the sword, Steel Blade burst out laughing.
"You idiot! You handed your treasure right into my hands!"
"How are you going to fight me now?!"
The surrounding pirates cheered, morale soaring as they tightened the encirclement around Garen.
"Hmph!"
Garen snorted disdainfully.
He raised his broad hand proudly toward the sky, and with a clear shout, declared:
"Return to me, sword!"
"Huh?"
Steel Blade barely had time to react before he felt the sword in his hand violently tremble—as though it were about to leap into the air.
As a greedy pirate, there was no way he was going to let such a treasure go. And as a brute who prided himself on his strength, he didn't believe he could lose it.
So, just like Nami earlier, he refused to let go.
But the rules of the system were absolute.
And so, the nearly three-meter-tall musclehead was yanked skyward along with the sword, like a rocket.
The greatsword, of course, returned to Garen's hand.
And the overly confident Steel Blade crashed back down in a full-body slam, landing face-first like a perfect belly flop.
The entire street fell silent. The pirates looked at one another in confusion.
The first to react was the middle-aged sheriff who had, somehow, still not died.
Realizing the blade had left his throat, he seized the opportunity, hoisting his unconscious, wounded junior onto his back and bolting.
Nami understood too.
She swung her staff with everything she had, clearing a path through the stunned pirates so the sheriff could escape.
In just a few breaths, the man and his injured comrade had vanished without a trace.
"D-Damn it!"
Covered in dirt and shame, Steel Blade rose furiously from the ground, clutching crushed chunks of masonry—smashed by his uncontrollable strength.
He hadn't managed to kill anyone. Worse, he had just pulled off an unintentional aerial stunt and a perfect faceplant… right in front of his crew.
The infamous Captain Steel Blade couldn't accept this humiliation.
His eyes burned as he stared at Garen and Nami, and his distorted voice howled:
"You both… must die!!"
"Must die!!"
CRACK!
A sickening crunch echoed through the air—like a watermelon being crushed. Mixed in was the harsh clang of metal breaking.
Garen's greatsword was already soaked in blood.
"Must die?"
A righteous light shone brilliantly along the silver-white blade.
"Funny… I was thinking the same thing."
(End of Chapter)