William said nothing more. Agin and Aramis, limited by their experiences, remained trapped in the mindset that "soldiers are soldiers, bandits are bandits." In their view, Marines should do what Marines are meant to do, and pirates should act as pirates are expected to act. But William knew better—these were merely labels. Labels change with actions, not the reverse, and one should never be confined by them.
Outside perceptions and designations shift with changing circumstances.
William had a subtle feeling that the Marine officer pursuing their pirate group was a clever person who understood the art of "flexible adaptation."
When the three returned to the tavern carrying wine barrels, the scene inside momentarily startled them.
The person William's group had left to keep watch was Vallon, a sturdy, short young man who had just turned eighteen. He had an honest face and a conspicuous bald head that seemed to gleam in the sunlight. Currently, he was awkwardly restraining a struggling woman, her arms pinned behind her back.
The woman's clothes were disheveled and her hair in disarray. William guessed she was a young, attractive girl—he had to guess because half her face was severely swollen with a visible handprint. Her right eye was so badly beaten that it could barely open, reduced to a mere slit. Blood seeped from her nose and the corner of her mouth, smearing everywhere, making it difficult to discern her original features.
Her well-crafted clothes had clearly been torn apart by brute force, revealing skin covered in bruises and bite marks that were difficult to look at.
Vallon, having spent years laboring in fields, possessed considerable strength. After struggling briefly, the girl had exhausted herself and could only futilely flail her arms.
William's brow furrowed once again. He set down the wine barrel and approached Vallon, asking, "What happened?"
As he spoke, he noticed a bloodstained knife discarded on the floor, seemingly taken from the kitchen, and asked Vallon, "Are you injured?"
"No," Vallon shook his head honestly. "This woman suddenly ran in with the knife. The blade was already bloodied when she arrived."
Seeing William examining the injuries on the girl's face, Vallon added, as if defending himself: "She was already like this when she came in. I didn't hit her. She seemed terrified when she saw me and tried to kill herself with the knife, so I restrained her."
William cursed under his breath. By now, Aramis and Agin had also set down their wine barrels and walked over. Aramis, quick-witted and having lived on pirate ships longer than anyone else in their group, immediately understood what had happened, just as William did. He snapped irritably at Vallon, "You fool, you should have let her kill herself."
"She couldn't go through with it," Vallon replied honestly, missing the reproach in Aramis's tone. "I didn't have time to stop her initially. If she'd been able to do it, she'd be dead by now."
Hearing Vallon's words, the girl struggled more violently, her face showing a mixture of regret and fear.
"Where did she come from?"
"I think I saw her run into the tavern just now!"
Before William could decide how to handle this girl, shouts from outside the tavern grew increasingly louder as they approached. Moments later, the tavern door was kicked open from outside.
Having suffered repeated abuse in a single day, the door finally gave way with a loud "crack" and fell to the ground. Several large boots trampled over it unceremoniously as a group of tall pirates filed in behind their leader.
Almost simultaneously with the door's collapse, William sprang to his feet. While the other three pirates in the room were distracted by the commotion outside, he quickly moved to stand before the woman.
"William, what are you—" Vallon, being closest, reacted first, but before he could finish his question, he saw William draw his blade and plunge it into the girl's body.
The swordsmanship techniques from his body's original owner's memories had never been so clear. William's blade struck precisely and swiftly at the girl's vital point. He had done his utmost to minimize her suffering.
Aramis let out a startled cry. The pirates entering the tavern witnessed this scene and erupted in angry roars. William vaguely heard someone shout "Stop!" but his attention remained entirely focused on the girl. He watched as her expression changed from terror to bewilderment. She blinked her uninjured left eye, and a few tears slowly trickled down. William blinked too, but nothing flowed from his eyes.
The sound of a blade cutting through air grew rapidly closer. William yanked his knife out with sudden force, drawing a spray of fresh blood, then raised his weapon to block a sword strike aimed at his head.
The attacker was the leader of the pirates who had stormed into the tavern. Bare-chested, he displayed a muscular physique with a shallow knife wound on his chest that continued to bleed, though he showed no concern for it. He glared at William with gritted teeth. Wielding his sword one-handed, after being blocked by William, he didn't continue his attack. Instead, with his free hand, he grabbed the shoulder of the girl whom Vallon had instinctively released, and tossed her toward his companions behind him.
Several pirates clumsily caught her. One examined her briefly before angrily shouting to the pirate confronting William, "Second Mate, this woman is dead!"
"I told you to stop—didn't you hear me?" The pirate called Bamond, the second mate, had eyes that nearly shot flames. He had pursued her all the way from another street, burning with desire for this beautiful young lady, only for William to kill her outright. His fury was extreme.
"What's the matter, Second Mate? Changed your tastes? Prefer making friends with the dead now?" William asked coldly, staring at Bamond.
"William, you dare talk back to me?" Bamond laughed in extreme anger. "Do you think you're somebody on this ship just because you've gathered a few snot-nosed brats around you?"
The pirates behind Bamond, driven by lust and now deprived of their outlet by William's actions, were equally enraged. They drew their blades and began to encircle William's group with malicious intent.
Aramis, Agin, and Vallon raised their weapons as well, watching their former comrades warily as they turned hostile.
"Hey, let's talk this through, Second Mate!" Aramis attempted to ease the tension, but Bamond paid him no heed.
"Scared now, are you?" Bamond smiled cruelly, about to order his men to kill William's group, when a series of coordinated shouts suddenly rang out.
The shouting drowned out women's screams, the crashing of overturned furniture, and the hurried footsteps throughout the streets, reaching the ears of Bamond and all the pirates inside.
"The Marines are here!"
If civilians were sheep and pirates were wolves, then this shout announced the arrival of hunters with guns!
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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