"Damn it... How could I lose to some little girl like her?!"
The last pirate collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
At the same moment, a wild cheer erupted from the townsfolk who had been watching behind me, holding their breath in anticipation.
I had just successfully repelled the pirate attack on the town.
Despite the size of their ship, the pirate crew was surprisingly small, so I managed to take them all down without letting a single one set foot outside the port.
As the Town Self-Defense Corps members swiftly bound and secured the unconscious pirates, an elderly man who seemed to be their leader approached me.
"Wow, I'm amazed! I had no idea you were such a skilled bounty hunter! Thank you—you saved our town!"
"Oh, it's nothing," I replied. "I'd be in trouble if this town were attacked too. I just commissioned a new ship here, after all. By the way, is the port's infrastructure still intact?"
"I'm having them check everything now, but I'm pretty sure we're in the clear," the Mayor said with a reassuring nod. "And of course, Missy, we'll build your ship with the utmost care!"
"Thank you," I replied. "I'm pretty tired, so I'd like to head back to the inn..."
He readily agreed, patting his chest and promising to handle the cleanup himself. I gratefully accepted his offer and returned to the inn as planned.
The pirates, I learned, would be chained and shackled before being tossed into the jail at the Self-Defense Corps' outpost. The Marines had been contacted to come and take custody of them later.
Just to be sure, I checked to see if any of the pirates had bounties on their heads, but none of them did. Were they a newly formed, unknown pirate crew? They seemed strangely experienced for that, though... It bothered me a little.
Eh, whatever. They were all captured now. Case closed.
At the time, I thought the pirate raid was finally over.
But I was wrong. I didn't realize it wasn't finished yet until a little later.
***
The next day, I was given a tour of the shipyard in Elena Town.
Unlike yesterday's distant view from the hill, I was now right up close, watching the craftsmen at work.
I watched them build ships of all sizes, from small boats to massive vessels.
"Wow... so you calculate everything first, then cut the wood and assemble it perfectly, without any gaps or connecting pieces?"
"Exactly. Since these ships are constantly exposed to seawater, we can't risk using metal parts that would rust and cause structural failure. That's where the craftsmen's skills really shine."
"You know, these days you get young punks thinking all this job involves is cutting and assembling according to the blueprints. How naive can you get? They complain about how boring the apprenticeship is, but without that foundational experience, they'd never be able to do this kind of work."
"I see... Honestly, I didn't really understand it either. I just assumed it was a matter of putting the pieces together. I'm terribly sorry."
In truth, even watching the work unfold right before my eyes, all I could really grasp was, "He's cutting..." and "He's assembling..."
Apparently, they were gauging the texture of the wood's surface through subtle tactile cues. But how could someone discern so much from a casual, almost fleeting touch?
I was constantly amazed by the skill of the craftsmen, who could instantly tell whether the parts would fit together perfectly or needed further adjustments.
"Ha ha ha, Missy, don't worry about that!" one of them chuckled. "It's only natural—most people don't know much about shipbuilding unless they're involved in it."
"Yeah, exactly," another added. "Besides, some smaller boats are simple enough. You just cut the pieces according to the blueprints and assemble them, and that's all there is to it."
As I chatted with the experienced craftsmen, I absorbed more and more knowledge about shipbuilding, a subject I'd never considered before.
Of course, I wasn't planning to become an expert, so I didn't delve into overly technical details. Still, this time spent learning new things felt unusually fulfilling and enjoyable.
You know those medical or legal dramas where the story unfolds while explaining complex knowledge that most people would never encounter? Even though the details are dense, you follow along, the plot advances, and later, the foreshadowing ties back to that knowledge. It's not just entertaining; it makes you feel like you've gotten smarter too, even if it's just an illusion.
That's probably the kind of enjoyment I'm feeling right now.
"Wow... every step of the shipbuilding process relies on so many specialized skills... Please work your magic on my ship too!"
"Hahaha! Leave it to me. I'll build you the finest ship imaginable."
"Lucky you, Missy. This guy trained at a Water Seven shipyard and was their top apprentice. He's a real master craftsman."
"Really? I didn't know that!"
"Ah, well... not to brag, but I'm pretty confident in my skills. I can handle even your unusual requests, Missy... Huh?"
Mid-sentence, the craftsman's expression shifted, as if he'd noticed something behind me. He glanced over my shoulder.
Curious, I turned around too. A man, clearly flustered, was sprinting toward us. He was heading straight for me... Wait, was he looking at me?
"S-sorry, Bounty Hunter Lady! Can I have a word?"
"Huh? What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"It's about yesterday's pirates... Come to the Town Meeting Hall! I'll explain everything in detail!"
"...?"
The messenger, gasping for breath, seemed desperate. Upon closer inspection, I recognized him as one of the Self-Defense Corps member we'd asked to clean up after yesterday's battle with the pirates.
Something felt ominous... What on earth was going on?
I excused myself from the craftsmen, temporarily halting my tour. As instructed, I headed for the town's meeting hall.
...I didn't know the way, so I'd have to ask this person for directions once he caught his breath.
***
At the meeting hall, I learned...
"The pirate attack... it's not over yet?"
That's what I was told.
The townspeople, who had been celebrating so joyfully the night before, now seemed crushed by even greater anxiety and despair. It was a truly disheartening sight.
Everyone was slumped over, heads bowed low, their spirits completely broken, as if they were attending a wake or something.
Amidst this gloom, the mayor, who seemed relatively composed, continued the story.
"The pirates woke up today, and I managed to get a little out of them," the mayor said. "They claim they're just an advance force, here to scout ahead."
'Advance force... vanguard, something like that, I guess.'
Their mission was to assess the town's defenses, estimate the manpower and firepower needed to take it, and, if possible, crush it outright. But they insisted they were just the vanguard; the pirate crew's main force was still on its way.
Originally, they were supposed to send a message saying, "This town's ripe for the taking! Let's do it!" But now that they'd been captured, they couldn't make contact.
Still, they figured the main force would interpret their silence as a defeat and launch an immediate retaliatory assault on the town, both to rescue them and exact revenge.
"Well, that's about all I managed to get out of the interrogation," the mayor said.
"Oh, and there's one more thing. Apparently, since it's the main force, the number of pirates attacking tomorrow will be far greater—several times more, in fact—than yesterday's assault."
"Of course, I can't be sure if that's true," he continued, "but judging by how confident the captured pirate acted, even locked in a cage and about to be handed over to the Marines, I'd say it's probably legit."
As a result, the townspeople were in quite a state.
The mayor cleared his throat. "Sue-san," he began, "I have a favor to ask. You've probably guessed what it is... If this 'main force' attack turns out to be real... would you consider staying a little longer and lending us your strength?"
'Yeah, I figured that's where this was headed.'
Calling an outsider like me to a place like this... it must be something to do with shipbuilding, or maybe they need my combat skills. Probably just a temporary bodyguard situation.
"Well, I was planning to stay here until the ship was finished anyway, so I don't mind helping out until then. But I can't stay forever, you know?"
"Of course, we understand," the mayor replied. "The timeframe would be... until the ship arrives from the Marine Base we notified to transport yesterday's pirates. That should be sufficient. I'll contact the Marines via Den Den Mushi afterward to report this and request their assistance."
Right... so I just need to protect the town until the Marines get here.
"Which means... their 'Main Force' is likely to arrive before the Marines do?"
"We can't be certain, since we're only going on the pirates' word," the mayor said, "but they mentioned summoning their main force and meeting up with them the same day. That suggests they might be within a day's travel. On the other hand, the Marine Base is at least two days away, even if they hurry."
'So, in a worst-case scenario, the pirates could arrive before the Marines...' I see.
Well, either way, as I said earlier, I was planning to stay here until the ship was ready. If the pirates attacked again in the meantime, I'd deal with them just like yesterday.
So... even though I offered to act as a bodyguard, it doesn't really change what I was already planning to do.
When I agreed to help, the townspeople visibly relaxed. Their relief was so palpable, you could feel it in the air. Their body language practically screamed "phew!"
Hmm... It's dangerous if they get too complacent and let their guard down.
"Um, I should probably mention this," I said, "I know it sounds weird, but even though I'll fight with everything I've got, there's no guarantee I can protect this town. Obviously, if they outnumber us or are way stronger than me..."
"Ah, I understand," the Mayor replied. "I know the Self-Defense Corps might not be much help in a real fight, but we'll still have them assist. Besides, if they're too much for you to handle, this town never stood a chance in the first place."
The Mayor nodded firmly, and the members of the Self-Defense Corps followed suit.
According to the Mayor, the Marine reinforcements are expected in about three to four days.
The question is, will the pirates attack before then?
My ship will take about ten days to two weeks to complete, including all the tests and whatnot. They told me that when I placed the order yesterday, so it's pretty much guaranteed I'll get dragged into something. No doubt about it.
(...Actually, even after the Marines take over, there's a good chance I'll still be here if the pirates attack. Well, if that happens, I can definitely leave it to them. ...Then again, they might not even attack. They're probably wary of the Marines.)
Right, so for the rest of my stay... since I'm here anyway, I might as well continue my tour of the shipyard from earlier.
Of course, I shouldn't let my guard down completely, but staying tense all the time won't do me any good either.
Time to relax a bit and just act normal.
To be continued...