Baichuan's rather slim frame formed a sharp contrast with his opponent's burly physique, but the exchange between them was surprisingly even, attack and defense flowing back and forth with balance.
"If you keep dragging this out, all your subordinates will be dead in a moment," Baichuan said. He couldn't find an opening in his opponent's defenses, so he resorted to psychological tactics to distract him.
And Baichuan wasn't wrong. Although Shanks was having a tough time handling the enemy mob on his own and had sustained a few cuts and bruises, they were all minor and not life-threatening.
On the other side, however, the bandits were losing their nerve. Their attacks were becoming hesitant and lacked power. If their leader hadn't been there, they probably would've fled already.
"Damn it…"
Seeing his subordinates fall one after another, the bandit leader's eyes turned red with rage. He charged blindly at Shanks, losing all judgment, which was exactly the chance Baichuan had been waiting for.
"This is it."
Baichuan had already used up a lot of stamina, and he knew it was time to end this quickly.
Now, the bandit leader's back was completely exposed to Baichuan, full of openings. Any clean strike would result in flesh being torn apart.
At that moment, Shanks also sensed danger. He tensed up as he saw the bandit leader rushing toward him.
Then—bang!
A gunshot rang out. It came from Buggy, who had found the perfect moment to act. His bullet struck the bandit leader in the right arm.
"Damn you…"
The leader shot a furious glare at Buggy, who yelped and fell flat on his butt in fear.
"Get in there already!"
Realizing how pathetic he looked, Buggy quickly shouted at Baichuan and Shanks to save face.
"Got it!"
Shanks quickly finished off the remaining bandits around him and charged toward the leader. Baichuan also attacked from behind.
Under normal circumstances, the leader could have easily blocked such straightforward attacks from both sides. But not this time.
He had gone into a frenzy. His weapon-wielding arm was injured, and maybe a life of easy banditry had dulled his fighting spirit.
Seizing the rare opportunity, Baichuan reached back before the man could react, slashing from his left shoulder down to his hip.
A spray of blood followed the arc of Baichuan's blade. After landing the blow, Baichuan immediately retreated. For anyone, that kind of injury was severe.
"AAARGH!"
The bandit leader screamed in agony, completely forgetting about Shanks in front of him.
Taking full advantage, Shanks slashed across his abdomen. The man doubled over, clutching his stomach, and dropped to his knees.
Buggy then fired another bullet, hitting him in the thigh.
In just a matter of seconds, he had suffered three serious injuries, especially the massive gash on his back. Blood gushed out and quickly dyed the ground beneath him red.
"You're finished," Baichuan said, pointing his blade at him.
Though it had taken three of them working together to bring him down, Baichuan's Damocles Sword never appeared above his head, meaning he hadn't even used his full power.
Before long, the bandit leader had collapsed to his knees, completely silent.
"No way… Is he already dead?"
Buggy stepped out cautiously. Given the injuries, it didn't seem fatal enough to kill someone immediately.
After all, people in this world were remarkably tough, especially someone as robust and bloodthirsty as this guy.
To be sure he wasn't faking it, Baichuan stepped forward and used his blade to flip the man's body over, only to find his eyes rolled back.
"Looks like he passed out from the pain."
"Passed out from pain? I've never seen that before!" Buggy shrieked.
"Well, it's just as well. Let him bleed out here slowly. That's its kind of punishment."
Clap… clap… clap.
Just as they were about to take a moment to rest, a slow, sarcastic applause echoed in their ears, along with a voice that sounded like it was celebrating them.
Hearing that voice, Baichuan's body instantly tensed. That suppressed sense of unease he had felt earlier now surged back stronger than ever.
All of them turned toward the building from which the voice had come. A silhouette slowly emerged. The scene was so quiet that they could hear every footstep he made.
"What's wrong with you guys?"
Katherine looked at Baichuan, Shanks, and Buggy and asked.
She had noticed that the moment that figure appeared, all three of them froze up, as if they had seen something terrifying.
"…Run."
After a long pause, Baichuan finally managed to force the words out of his mouth.
As soon as he spoke, the Damocles Sword appeared above his head. A bright light engulfed Shanks, Buggy, and Katherine, lifting them into the air. Baichuan intended to stay behind and hold the enemy off.
"Run, Baichuan!"
Shanks, now snapped out of it, shouted. "You're not his match!"
"Oh? Trying to buy time for your friends to escape? Quite the noble gesture. But I'm afraid I can't let you succeed."
As he finished speaking, the figure suddenly vanished from Baichuan's view; he couldn't even track how it moved.
"Damn it!"
Baichuan immediately realized what his goal was. He looked up, just in time to see the man appear beside the floating trio, throwing a punch downward.
They plummeted to the ground like meteors.
"Oh? I missed?"
But it wasn't the stranger who knocked them down; Baichuan had increased the gravity around them, making them fall instantly. It would still hurt, but nowhere near as bad as if the punch had landed.
"Who… are you?"
Baichuan asked gravely, watching the man descend.
"You may call me the Grand General. My name is Rogger."
"Grand General? So you're the one who gave the order to massacre the village at the base of the mountain?"
"Rogger? Are you… The one they call the Tiger of the Kingdom, Rogger?"
Two questions came at once: the first from Baichuan, the second from Katherine.
"Yes, that's me."
That single answer addressed both questions.
"Katherine, who is he?"
Baichuan turned to her. It was clear she knew something about this man.
"He's the strongest person in the Kingdom of Kolen, without question. Everyone on the island calls him 'The Tiger.' But I have no idea what someone like him is doing here."
"Is that so? Looks like we're really in trouble this time."
Baichuan finally understood the source of that ominous feeling he had earlier.
"As expected of a princess, you sure know a lot," Rogger said with a cold smile. "But I'm here for you, after all."
"For me? Why?"
"Because we can't just let someone as valuable as you walk away freely."
"Then why did you order the village massacre?" Baichuan asked.
"To lure you all in, of course."
"To lure us?"
"Yes. Since you're willing to escort Katherine back to her country, that means you're meddlesome types with a sense of justice. Faced with something like that massacre, I knew you wouldn't be able to ignore it."