Taeyeon cried in Shirakawa's arms for a long while before she finally calmed down. The whole time, Shirakawa gently patted her back, offering what comfort he could.
"Alright, you've cried, you've let it all out. Time to eat," Shirakawa said softly.
"Mm." Taeyeon nodded, her face flushed with embarrassment. Crying in front of so many strangers really was a bit mortifying.
Shirakawa seated her beside him, and Salar promptly scooped out a portion of breakfast and set it in front of Taeyeon.
"Try it. Our ship's cook made this—it's definitely going to be the best breakfast you've ever had."
And it had to be said, Salar's cooking skills were genuinely exceptional. In the five years that had passed, Salar hadn't abandoned his culinary craft for the sake of training—if anything, his skills had only sharpened.
Looking at the exquisitely prepared food before her, wave after wave of aroma drifted up and into Taeyeon's nose, instantly whetting her appetite.
"Mmm~ delicious." The moment the first bite touched her tongue, Taeyeon let out a soft moan, then immediately converted her grief and fury into appetite. The food in front of her vanished at an astonishing speed.
"Full?" Salar asked, seeing that not a scrap remained on Taeyeon's plate.
"Full." Taeyeon's cheeks were slightly red as she answered sheepishly. Her behavior just now hadn't exactly been ladylike.
"Good." Salar smiled, then carried a pot out from the kitchen over to the dining table. Taeyeon might have been full, but they certainly weren't.
The appetites of this crew were no joke these days.
Just then, Shirakawa produced a tissue from somewhere and very carefully wiped the corner of Taeyeon's mouth.
That single gesture instantly sent Taeyeon's freshly recovered complexion right back to bright red.
"Wow, those two look like they've got something going on," Adala muttered under her breath—though in that room, who couldn't hear it?
"What are you saying?" Abro snapped at Adala.
"But the captain really is a bit overly concerned about that little girl."
Jorah said with a hint of jealousy, feeling as though Taeyeon had taken up every inch of the captain's heart.
"Isn't that perfectly normal? That girl's father was basically our captain's lifesaver. Now that her father's dead, shouldn't the captain treat her well?"
Eulistine, for his part, thought there was nothing unusual about the scene at all.
At those words, every crew member turned to stare at Eulistine with baffled expressions.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Eulistine asked, bewildered.
"Your IQ might be sky-high, but your EQ? Tsk tsk tsk." Jorah shook his head at the end, a trace of pride on his face.
It was as if he was declaring that he'd finally outdone Eulistine in some department of the mind.
"You're all overthinking this, alright? Even if you can't tell exactly how old the captain is, he's got to be at least twenty-three or twenty-four. You really think he'd go after a little girl?"
"Not necessarily. What if the captain suddenly gets... a feeling?"
Fortunately, Shirakawa and Taeyeon had already left the dining hall while they were talking. Otherwise, hearing that remark, Shirakawa would absolutely have given Jorah a proper lesson.
Let him experience firsthand just how cruel society could be—and reacquaint himself with the captain's love.
And the place Shirakawa was leading Taeyeon to was none other than the dungeon where that Celestial Dragon was being held.
"Do you remember who he is?" Shirakawa asked plainly. Though this would surely dredge up painful memories for Taeyeon, he wanted to get this over with quickly so she could step out of that shadow as soon as possible.
"Remember. Of course I remember." Taeyeon spoke through gritted teeth, her gaze fixed on the Celestial Dragon, filled with hatred and killing intent. This was the culprit—the one who had slaughtered her island and murdered her father.
"So what do you want to do? Everyone else has already been killed by us, so I thought his fate should be yours to decide."
"Kill him," Taeyeon said without hesitation.
"Alright." With that, Shirakawa drew the pistol from his waist.
It had originally been nothing more than a decoration for him. Who would have thought it would actually see use one day?
"Let me do it myself."
Shirakawa froze at those words, as if he hadn't expected Taeyeon to say such a thing.
"Are you sure? Once you go through with this, there's really no turning back," Shirakawa asked.
"I'm sure. From the moment my father died, I already couldn't turn back." Taeyeon's voice was resolute.
Shirakawa fell silent for a while before speaking. "Fine."
He then handed the gun over to Taeyeon.
"Since you've made up your mind, I won't stop you. Go ahead and do it. I've got your back."
Shirakawa ruffled Taeyeon's hair.
"Mm."
The hand holding the gun didn't tremble in the slightest. Her gaze was steady, her wrist level as she aimed the pistol at the Celestial Dragon.
The Celestial Dragon, for his part, had long since passed out, completely unaware of what was unfolding in front of him.
Perhaps losing consciousness had been the best outcome for him—at least he never felt the terror of approaching death.
A single "bang" rang out, and the bullet tore straight through the Celestial Dragon's skull. The man was now dead beyond any doubt.
The crew eating in the dining hall jumped at the sudden gunshot, but after a quick scan with their senses, they relaxed.
"Didn't expect the captain to be that ruthless—he really let a child that young pull the trigger."
"But it's also the best way to end that child's nightmare."
Lisa, the ship's doctor, spoke up. As the saying went, the one who tied the knot must untie it. The root of all this was the Celestial Dragon, and only by dealing with him with her own hands could she step out of that shadow.
The instant Taeyeon pulled the trigger, Shirakawa covered her eyes.
"There. It's all over now."
"Mm." Shirakawa could feel the dampness against his palm. Clearly, Taeyeon had started crying again.
Shirakawa kept her eyes covered until they reached the deck, and only then did he let go.
At that moment, Riddle came out of the dining hall. Shirakawa said to him, "Riddle, go clean up in there."
"You've got to be kidding me, Captain. I just finished eating."
Going to see that bloody scene right after a meal—wasn't he going to throw up?
"I said go, so go. Cut the chatter."
"Yes, yes." Riddle had learned that no matter how strong he'd become, he could never act tough in front of Shirakawa.
Truth be told, Shirakawa had never intended to let that Celestial Dragon live. Even if Taeyeon had said to spare him, Shirakawa wouldn't have followed through.
"Sorry for the trouble," Taeyeon said to Riddle, polite as ever.
"N-no, it's nothing."
Riddle didn't dare accept her apology. By now, everyone on the ship knew exactly how much Taeyeon meant to the captain.
/-\
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