When the newcomer saw corpses scattered all over the deck and Scarlet resting in Jabal Shiro's arms, rage flashed through his eyes. He drew his sword and charged straight at Shiro, shouting, "Princess Scarlet, don't be afraid! I'm here to rescue you! If this bastard dared to lay a hand on you, I'll kill him!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Scarlet jerked her head up in surprise. When she saw who it was, she cried out in panic, "Kyros, no! He's—"
Before she could finish, Kyros's longsword was already howling down toward Jabal Shiro's head.
Shiro watched the blade whistle toward him, its killing intent clear. There was no time to explain. His body moved on instinct, twisting sharply back and to the side. At the same time, his wrist turned and the sword at his waist came free with a crisp swish.
A clear, ringing note cut through the air. Shiro's blade passed through Kyros's sword as if it were cutting paper.
The longsword that had accompanied Kyros through countless battles snapped clean in two. The upper half of the blade flew off with the remaining force and crashed heavily into the deck.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
The broken steel bounced a few times across the wooden planks, the bright ring of metal echoing in the air. Each sound pounded against Kyros's heart like a hammer.
"Impossible!"
Kyros's pupils shrank. His eyes locked onto the flawless sword in Shiro's hand, then down to the broken hilt he still gripped, his face filled with disbelief. His hand trembled. His mind went blank.
He could not comprehend that the seemingly young man before him possessed such terrifying strength.
After all, he was the undefeated champion of the Dressrosa colosseum—a monster who had built a record of three thousand consecutive victories. For years, no matter how fierce his opponent, he had never been reduced to such a sorry state, let alone fail to withstand even a single blow.
"Even if it costs me my life, I will protect Princess Scarlet!"
The shock lasted only a moment. His loyalty to his princess quickly smothered his fear. Kyros gritted his teeth, his gaze turning firm again.
He tightened his grip on the broken sword and, ignoring the vast gulf in strength between them, charged at Shiro once more.
"You big oaf, won't you let a man finish his sentence?"
Watching Kyros rush in, Shiro muttered helplessly, a wry amusement in his tone.
The moment the words left his mouth, his figure suddenly vanished from where he stood.
An instant later, relying on his teleportation ability, he appeared behind Kyros. The "Tetanus Fang" in his hand rested steadily against Kyros's neck, the icy edge biting into his skin.
Kyros's body went rigid. A chill washed through his chest, and cold sweat trickled down his cheek.
He could clearly feel the razor sharpness of the blade at his throat and the overwhelming pressure emanating from the man behind him. Only one thought remained in his mind:
I'm about to die.
"Stop!"
At that critical moment, Scarlet rushed forward, face deathly pale, waving her hands as she cried anxiously, "Please, sir, don't hurt him! He's the captain of my father's royal guard—he just misunderstood the situation!"
"I know."
At her words, Shiro drew back his wrist and the Tetanus Fang slid back into its sheath in one smooth, flowing motion.
He turned sideways and gestured toward Scarlet. "Go explain it to him. Otherwise he'll just keep bristling like this."
Only then did Scarlet breathe a sigh of relief. She hurried to Kyros's side and carefully recounted everything that had just happened: how she had been taken by pirates, and how Jabal Shiro had saved her.
As he listened, Kyros's shock slowly turned to remorse. He dropped to one knee with a thud and cupped his fists toward Shiro in apology, his voice thick with guilt. "I'm sorry, sir. I acted too rashly, attacking before I understood what was going on. Thank you for sparing my life!"
"It's fine, Kyros. You were protecting your princess. You're a real man—I respect that."
Shiro grinned, grabbed Kyros by the arm, and pulled him up. There wasn't the slightest trace of blame in his eyes—only genuine appreciation.
"You… you know who I am…"
As Shiro helped him up, Kyros's eyes went wide in disbelief. He had never introduced himself. How did this man know his name?
"Of course. You're the man who racked up three thousand wins in the Dressrosa colosseum. That kind of record is rare even across this whole sea. It's no small feat."
Shiro patted him on the shoulder, his sincere tone easing some of the guilt weighing on Kyros's heart.
"But I'm still far beneath you," Kyros sighed, his expression dimming, frustration heavy in his voice.
He had always believed his strength was enough to protect the princess. Only today did he truly realize: there is always someone stronger, and there is always a higher sky.
"You're already impressive," Shiro said.
He lifted his gaze to the distant sea, where waves surged and crashed. The sea breeze tugged at his clothes, and his voice carried a quiet, unquestionable kingly confidence. "If your opponent weren't me, most people on this ocean wouldn't stand a chance against you."
"Sir, would you be willing to come with me to Dressrosa and meet my father?" Scarlet asked softly. She stood to the side, a faint blush on her pretty face, eyes full of hopeful expectation as she looked at Shiro. "I want to thank you properly, and let my father entertain you and your crew."
Shiro rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment. The Virtue crew did not have a fixed destination anyway, and the others had mentioned wanting to see Dressrosa.
With that in mind, he nodded. "All right. My crew's been wanting to visit Dressrosa anyway. We'll treat it as a stop along the way."
With that, Shiro strode over to the rail and shouted toward his own ship, the Virtue, not far away, "Jinbei! Bring her in—we're going ashore at Dressrosa!"
"Got it, Captain!"
Jinbei's steady voice floated over from the Virtue. Before long, everyone saw him deftly working the helm as the ship slowly turned and began gliding toward Dressrosa's coast.
Shiro turned back to Kyros and Scarlet with a smile. "No need to wait for the ship to dock. I'll take you over first."
Before his words had fully faded, he raised his hand toward the two of them and himself. A gentle yet powerful force enveloped all three.
The next second, they "flew" smoothly through the air and landed on Dressrosa's shore.
Not long after, Shiro, Kyros, and Scarlet met up with the rest of the Virtue pirates as they came in.
"Captain, is this the one who sent out that distress call at sea?" Hatchi sidled up, pointing curiously at Scarlet. On the ship earlier, he had only vaguely heard that Shiro was going to rescue someone and hadn't seen her clearly.
"That's right. She's Princess Scarlet of Dressrosa," Shiro said, hands laced behind his head as he leaned against a nearby tree.
His tone carried a casual matter-of-factness, as if rescuing a princess were nothing out of the ordinary—just something Jabal Shiro and the Virtue crew did as a matter of course.
T/N: If you would like to read up to 20 chapters ahead for all my works, check out my P@treon: patreon.com/GhidorahWriter
Thanks for reading! Be sure to collect and vote for more chapters!