Shff! Shff! Shff!
Kuina moved like a crimson wraith through the crowd of bandits. Her blade was swift and unforgiving, a ghostly arc of steel in the moonlight. Each slash erupted with a spray of blood, each grunt of pain like a drumbeat in her violent symphony.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Bodies dropped one after another.
Kuina's white tunic was soaked in red, her hair clinging to her face. Her breathing was even, her blade steady.
She stood alone now—only one figure remained. The bandit leader.
Her eyes, once youthful, now held nothing but cold clarity.
"…You're the last one."
The man trembled before her, sweat pouring down his scarred face. He looked around—his entire gang lay butchered behind her.
"No, please, don't! I've got a family… kids… I swear I'll never do it again! Mercy! Please—!"
He dropped to his knees, begging with snot and spit and trembling hands.
Kuina froze.
Her blood was still hot from battle. Her grip tightened around the hilt. But as the adrenaline drained, she felt it—hesitation.
She looked down at her blade, at the blood that stained it.
Something twisted in her chest.
Then, with a deep breath, she sheathed her katana.
"…Someone else will deal with you. Just looking at you makes me sick."
She turned her back to him.
That was her mistake.
"Stupid girl," the bandit snarled under his breath, rage exploding across his face. He grabbed the nearest fallen blade and lunged at her exposed back.
But before he could take a second step—
CRACK!
A foot slammed down onto his skull, driving it into the dirt with a sickening crunch.
The weight behind it was absolute.
Jin landed with one leg extended, the now-dead bandit crumpled beneath him like a crushed melon.
"Tch. Can't even leave you alone for five minutes, huh?" he muttered lazily, dusting his hands off.
"That kind of bastard? If you're not going to kill, at least cripple them. No second chances."
Kuina didn't turn around.
"…Got it, nagging old man."
"Hmph. Still tsundere as ever. Adorable." Jin smirked, stepping off the corpse and walking beside her, boots crunching the bloodied soil.
They began their descent back down the hill.
"Boss! Big Sis!" Kuma came huffing up the trail, his huge paws flopping with each step. "What happened? Did you win?"
Kuina gave him a sideways glare. "What kind of dumb question is that? Of course I won. Are you doubting me?"
"Ah—no! Never! Big Sis Kuina is the strongest!" Kuma waved his paws frantically, flashing his usual goofy grin.
Jin chuckled and pointed at the splattered corpse behind them. "Take that one. Tell the captain it's the bounty target. Should be worth two mil."
"Got it!" Kuma saluted and jogged back to collect the ruined corpse.
Kuina watched him go. Her earlier tension was all but gone now.
"Thanks, Kuma. I'll treat you to a huge meal with the reward money. As for someone else…" She shot Jin a smug look. "He gets nothing."
Jin gasped theatrically. "What?! After all the emotional support I just gave? I literally saved your life!"
"Hmm. Still not enough," she sniffed, flipping her hair and striding ahead with mock elegance.
"Oi oi oi… can't we at least pretend to be allies?" Jin followed her with a sigh, hands in his pockets.
"I'm going ahead," she called over her shoulder, already hopping down the hillside trail.
"Catch you back at the boat, Kuma!" Jin shouted, grinning as he followed.
"…Sigh. Why am I the only one who cleans up after these two?" Kuma muttered, dragging the bandit's body behind him.
Next Morning – Onboard the Ship
"Hey! Hey, hey! Kuinaaa! That's my chair!" Jin whined.
Kuina lay sprawled in his prized oversized vine chair, sipping juice through a long straw, legs crossed like a queen on her throne.
"Nope. It's mine now," she declared smugly, sipping dramatically. "This thing's way comfier than the small one."
"Blasphemy. Betrayal. My heart…" Jin placed a hand over his chest, looking betrayed.
"I hereby proclaim this chair under Kuina jurisdiction. Case closed."
"Ahhh~ Ice juice under the summer sun… feels divine!" she sang.
Jin slumped beside Kuma and leaned against the bear's broad back.
"Kuma, tell me something," he muttered. "Are all girls this difficult?"
Kuma scratched his head. "That's a very deep question, Boss. But… I'm just a big ol' bear. I don't think I'm qualified to answer."
"…You're so heavy," Kuma grunted. "Boss, can you maybe not crush your loyal bear to death?"
"Aww, don't be so cold-hearted," Jin said with mock hurt. "A captain just trying to bond with his crew… is that so wrong? Gotta have strong bonds to conquer the seas, y'know."
"You're full of shit, Boss."
"Language."
This story is inspired from various fanfics i have read from around the world so if you find any similarities please dont mind . Thank you
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T/N :
Access 30 chapters in Advance on my P@treon: patreon.com/GodFic