"Sham, bro!"
"What the hell did this guy just do?!"
"I couldn't even see his movements!"
The pirates below panicked. As they looked at Allen again, their eyes held nothing but fear and disbelief.
Sham's speed and agility were far beyond that of an ordinary person, second only to Captain Kuro. Yet, he was defeated in a single move before he could even react...
*Gulp.*
Buchi swallowed hard, a drop of cold sweat rolling down his face. He stared fixedly at Allen, subconsciously tightening his grip on his cat-claw gloves.
*This guy's strength is probably equal to, if not greater than, Captain Kuro's!*
"Damn it, if only Captain Jango were here...!"
Buchi gritted his teeth. It seemed they were really going to fall at this man's hands today.
But he wasn't ready to give up just yet.
*As long as I let the crew stall him, I can take the opportunity to escape, find Captain Kuro and Captain Jango in Syrup Village, and come back for revenge...*
Having made up his mind, Buchi raised his hand, pointed at Allen, and shouted at the top of his lungs,
"There's no need to be afraid of him! We have the numbers, so attack him all at once!"
Hearing this, the pirates raised their weapons and aimed them at Allen, their gazes a mix of hesitation and fear.
However, pressured by Buchi's authority, someone gritted their teeth and bit the bullet, taking the lead to charge forward.
"He's right! No matter how strong he is, he can't possibly kill all of us!"
"Get him, boys!"
"Kill him!!"
When a few stubborn pirates initiated the charge, it triggered a chain reaction. The rest of the crew swarmed forward, brandishing their swords and guns!
Allen tapped his toe against the ground, a playful look in his eyes.
*These are all my future subordinates, so I shouldn't hit them too hard. Especially those leading the charge—they've got some guts, making them perfect pirate material.*
"Die!!"
A fierce-looking pirate leaped high into the air before him, raising a morning star with both hands and smashing it down viciously.
Allen glanced up and casually raised his leg, delivering a high sweep kick right to the man's foot.
The pirate with the morning star instantly lost his balance, flying right over Allen's head before crashing into the sea with a heavy splash.
Immediately after, two more pirates charged in from the left and right, wielding cutlasses.
*Bang!*
Allen swept his raised leg to the right, kicking one pirate off the rock. Using the momentum, he delivered a brutal whip kick straight to the other pirate's face.
"Pfft-gah!"
That pirate was sent flying like an arrow. His cutlass slipped from his grasp, spinning in the air a few times before clattering to the ground.
It was the same for the pirates charging from behind. Allen's leg whipped out into a blur, sending every approaching pirate flying the moment they clashed.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
"Aaargh!"
"Uwaaah!"
For a time, the coast was filled with agonizing wails as figures were sent flying through the air.
Seeing this, Buchi couldn't help but grit his teeth. "Just... who the hell is this guy?!"
Taking advantage of the opening, he hurriedly jumped down from the rock, weaving left and right until he reached the unconscious Sham.
Hoisting Sham onto his back, Buchi glanced around before stealthily making his way to the shore.
Just as he was about to take Sham and escape on a small boat, a figure descended from the sky, landing lightly behind him with a soft thud.
"Yo, where do you think you're going?"
"So fast!!"
Hearing the teasing voice, Buchi's pupils shrank in shock. He abruptly spun around, swiping his cat claws.
Allen leaned his upper body back slightly, the sharp claws grazing past his throat by a hair's breadth. He then launched an upward kick, his heel slamming fiercely into Buchi's chin.
*Bang!*
"Urgh!"
Buchi's eyes rolled back. He spat out bloody froth and broken teeth as his feet left the ground. He flew backward, crashing into the sea with a splash, his vision going black as he lost consciousness.
Allen cracked his neck to stretch, turning back to look at the rocky shore, where pirates lay scattered everywhere, groaning in pain.
"I was just getting warmed up. What a buzzkill."
It was like getting the tissues ready and lying down in a comfortable position for a big session, only to suddenly hear a knock on the door.
Incredibly frustrating.
"Sigh."
Allen shook his head and sighed.
...
The sun sank low, hanging just above sea level. The setting sun dyed the sky red, and the drifting clouds seemed to gradually fade away in flames.
By the rocky shore, the pirates bustled back and forth. Some carried logs to build a bonfire, while others prepared ingredients and started fires to cook food.
Beneath a towering rock.
A bruised and battered Sham slowly opened his eyes. The red glow of the setting sun was the first thing to appear in his blurry vision, followed by scattered silhouettes.
Once his vision cleared, he was shocked to realize that his hands were tightly bound behind his back. Beside him, Buchi was in the exact same predicament.
"Buchi? Hey, wake up, Buchi!"
Sham hurriedly called out to Buchi.
Soon, both of them regained consciousness. Looking around, they found that the faces surrounding them belonged to their once-familiar subordinates.
But right now, these men were walking back and forth right in front of them, completely ignoring the two brothers.
"Hey! What are you doing? Hurry up and untie us!"
"What the hell is going on?!"
The Nyaban Brothers shouted a few times, drawing the attention of the people around them.
The pirates stopped in their tracks and looked over, but not a single one stepped forward.
"You two are being too loud."
At that moment, a voice suddenly came from above and behind them.
The Nyaban Brothers turned their heads in bewildered shock.
Shifting their gazes upward, they saw Allen sitting at the top of the rock, a cigar dangling from the corner of his mouth, looking down at them from on high.
"If you want to boss someone around, go boss your own subordinates. Why are you yelling at my men?"
"Oh, right."
Allen pointed at the pirates below, lowering his eyelids as he spoke indifferently.
"Other than you two, everyone else here is my subordinate."
"Are you kidding me?! You bas—!"
Sham glared at him with furious eyes.
Before he could finish, a pirate wearing a white bandana rushed forward and slapped him on the forehead, shouting,
"Watch how you speak to our captain! Keep your mouth clean!"
"Karl! What are you doing...?!"
Buchi glared at the man.
The white-bandana man was quite bold. He glared back fiercely and delivered a similar slap to Buchi's forehead.
"What are you looking at?! You think I was only talking to him? If you dare disrespect Captain Allen again, I'll smash your mouth in!"
The Nyaban Brothers finally experienced what it felt like for a mighty cat to be bullied by mice.
Seeing the subordinates who once treated them with the utmost respect now surrounding them with weapons, Sham and Buchi tactfully chose to shut their mouths.
"That's enough, Karl. You guys get back to work."
Allen stopped the white-bandana man, waving his hand to dismiss them.
During the short time the Nyaban Brothers were unconscious, he had already physically persuaded all the other pirates.
Pirates living at the very bottom rarely held high loyalty to their captains; being fence-sitters was the norm.
They were originally just a bunch of desperadoes forced into piracy to survive, so naturally, they swayed whichever way the wind blew.
The tip of his cigar flared brightly. Allen looked down at the Nyaban Brothers expressionlessly, his gaze icy as he spoke.
"Now it's time for you to make a choice. Will you call me Captain, or will you continue to serve that Kuro who disappeared three years ago?"
...
Sham and Buchi swallowed hard, tentatively asking,
"If we choose the second option... what will happen to us...?"
"Well..."
Swirling smoke obscured half of Allen's face.
He didn't answer directly. Instead, the corners of his lips curled up, revealing a playful look in his eyes.
"I'll tell you after you've made your choice."
"..."
The Nyaban Brothers fell silent. They exchanged a glance, seemingly already seeing the answer in each other's eyes.
Finally, Sham and Buchi unclenched their fists and let out a long, defeated sigh.
The Nyaban Brothers lowered their heads as if accepting their fate, speaking in unison.
"Yes, Captain Allen."
"We are willing to serve you..."