“He’s still sitting there?”
“Yeah, yeah.
The Captain personally invited him, and he still dared to refuse.
He really has no idea how high the sky is or how deep the earth is!”
Kweiv leaned against a large tree, his gaze vacant.
His family had been slaughtered, and then he had been betrayed by the villagers.
His father’s murder had been avenged, but he had lost his purpose in life.
Valsa had left the villagers for him to deal with himself.
Even though Kweiv desperately wanted to tear apart and devour those villagers who had betrayed him, they had been the old chef’s closest friends—the people he had grown up with and spent every day beside since childhood.
Should I kill them?
Kweiv held his head in both hands.
He no longer wanted to think about it.
Kweiv raised his head and gazed at the sky.
The sun hung high in the blue heavens, while clouds drifted freely overhead.
Dense leaves rustled in the sea breeze, and birds soared freely between heaven and earth.
I’m so envious of them…
They don’t have to think about anything or do anything.
They only need to exist quietly, then disappear quietly…
Just then, rustling came from the bushes.
A gray wild rabbit suddenly darted out and stopped in front of Kweiv, staring blankly at him.
The two stared at each other.
Suddenly, Kweiv smiled.
SWISH!
He drew his sword and pinned the little rabbit to the ground in a single strike.
…
As evening approached, the early-autumn air had already begun to carry a hint of chill.
A campfire beneath the large tree radiated warm light, the flames crackling and popping.
A rabbit was roasting over the fire, filling the air with the delicious aroma of cooked meat.
“Oh?
Looks pretty good.
Let me have a leg.”
Valsa casually walked over and sat beside the campfire.
He reached out, tore off a freshly roasted rabbit leg, and immediately stuffed it into his mouth.
The reddish-brown skin was crisp and charred on the outside, while the meat inside was bursting with juice.
The moment the rabbit meat entered his mouth, its savory juices exploded across his palate.
Absolutely delicious.
“Hmm?
I didn’t expect you to have such cooking skills.”
Valsa ate until his mouth was dripping with oil, speaking somewhat indistinctly.
Kweiv looked at him helplessly.
He took several deep breaths but ultimately said nothing, instead tearing off another piece of rabbit meat and eating it himself.
“So?
Have you thought about it?”
Valsa had already extended an invitation to Kweiv, asking him to join the Overlord Pirates.
Kweiv had rejected him immediately before because he hated pirates.
Pirates had destroyed his home and taken away his family.
“I…
don’t know…”
Clearly, Kweiv was still hesitating.
He had lost his direction in life and was like a headless fly, wandering aimlessly without knowing where to go.
“Then have you decided what you’re going to do with those villagers?”
“I…”
At that moment, Kweiv suddenly remembered all the cold looks, mockery, and bullying he had endured in the past.
Then he remembered their betrayal at the mining site.
“I’ll go kill them!”
Kweiv suddenly stood up and walked toward where the villagers were being held.
But after only a few steps, Kweiv suddenly stopped.
Blood began seeping from his thigh.
The wound had split open.
He turned his head and looked at Valsa expressionlessly.
Valsa was crouching on the ground, looking back at him with the same expressionless face.
Kweiv turned around and walked back.
Ignoring the blood soaking through his pant leg, he sat down again.
Valsa continued watching him.
After a while, Kweiv let out a sigh, his face filled with conflict.
“Sir…
what should I do?”
Valsa swallowed the rabbit meat in his mouth and casually wiped his lips.
He stood up, slipped both hands into his pockets, and leaned against the tree.
The setting sun shone from behind him, making it impossible for Kweiv to see his expression clearly.
“You can do whatever you want.
I have no right to interfere.
We’re outsiders here.”
Valsa’s deep, slightly languid voice drifted through the air.
“Things like this happen every single day throughout the world.
Countless islands and countless people’s homes are constantly suffering oppression at the hands of invaders.”
“Perhaps you’ll ask, aren’t there the World Government and the Marines?
Why don’t they go capture the pirates?”
Kweiv was just about to ask that very question when Valsa answered it before he could speak.
Kweiv stared at Valsa, his throat dry.
“The world is so vast.
How could they possibly manage everything?
Besides, whether they even want to manage it is another matter.”
Valsa lit a cigarette, exhaling a cloud of white smoke as he let out a long sigh.
“What do you mean?”
Kweiv was stunned.
“Do you know why the Outlaw Pirates captured you in the first place?”
“To turn us into slaves and sell us to someone else.”
“Then do you know who they were going to sell you to, or where you would have been taken?”
Kweiv subconsciously swallowed.
“The Celestial Dragons.
They’re the biggest buyers of slaves in the world.
Most slaves are sold to Mary Geoise, where they’re tortured to death.”
“Everyone at the bottom of society has to kneel when they see a Celestial Dragon.
Anyone who looks up at them, gives them orders, or even slightly disobeys their commands will be shot dead the very next moment.”
“Whenever a Celestial Dragon travels, a Marine Vice Admiral or higher-ranking Marine must accompany them as a bodyguard.
And every year, they collect an exorbitant Heavenly Tribute from countless countries.”
“Heh.
You think so many pirates became pirates for no reason?
How many people would willingly spend their lives wandering the sea, facing the threat of storms every day, never knowing whether they’ll have enough to eat?”
“It’s because if they don’t become pirates, there’s only one road left for them.”
“Death.”
Valsa spoke with disdain, then grinned at Kweiv.
“Come aboard my ship!
I think highly of you.
Here, you won’t suffer any discrimination!”
“As long as you have the strength, you can earn even greater respect!”
“No matter what ambitions you have, they can all be realized aboard this ship!”
…
Kweiv stood on the deck of the Nautilus, watching the homeland where he had lived for twenty years grow farther and farther away until it finally disappeared over the horizon.
“Captain, with me looking like this, are you really sure I won’t…”
Kweiv turned around and looked at his four arms, worry evident on his face.
“Relax.
Don’t believe me?
Ask them yourself.”
Valsa reassured him with a gesture toward the people behind him.
The officers of the Overlord Pirates carefully looked Kweiv up and down.
“Four arms?
That’s pretty damn cool!”
Elik gave him a thumbs-up.
“I heard your cooking is pretty good.
I’ve had enough of eating tasteless jerky and boiled fish every day on this ship.”
Quans nodded approvingly.
“With four hands, doesn’t that mean you can eat, take a shower, and take a—”
BAM!
Before Adrian could finish, Valsa kicked him straight into the sea.
Valsa smiled amicably.
“Don’t say such disgusting things in front of me.”
“Hahahahaha!”
Laughter immediately erupted across the ship.
Hearing their laughter, Kweiv couldn’t help smiling as well.
He turned toward the sea and secretly wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes when no one was looking.
He didn’t want his newly made companions to see him in such an embarrassing state.
A real man isn’t allowed to cry!
So this is what it feels like to be accepted?
It’s really nice…
Under the blazing sun, the Overlord Pirates sailed toward their next destination.
Twelve ships traveled across the sea in a mighty formation, their pirate flags dancing high in the wind.
Seagulls occasionally landed on the masts, pecking at the wood weathered by the sea breeze.
In the end, Kweiv never killed the villagers.
After all, they were the final connection he had to his family.
And even if he killed them, it wouldn’t solve anything.
Things like this were happening throughout the world every day, every hour, every minute…