Chapter 161: Incident

Whose blood?

What a peculiar question.

"Does it really matter?"

Maude examined the crisscrossing wounds that marred the man's body.

Tsk. Old wounds hadn't even healed, and new ones had already joined the fray. This man was the very definition of resilience—his pain tolerance alone was extraordinary, to say nothing of his endurance.

The man's gaze, intense and devoid of emotion, remained locked on Maude.

"It matters," he replied.

The man's voice was hoarse and low, each word like the guttural growl of a wounded beast. Days of dehydration had left his throat parched.

Maude raised his eyes to meet the man's. That lifeless stare, the kind that looked upon someone as if they were already dead, would unsettle most people. Even nobles accustomed to looking down on others might find it unnerving.

This man's predicament, bound and tortured here, felt almost like poetic justice for someone who'd invited his own doom.

"There's blood from Marines, soldiers, and nobles aboard this ship. That's about it," Maude answered flatly.

"…"

The man fell silent, but a slow grin spread across his face, revealing a set of surprisingly pristine white teeth.

He laughed.

For the first time, his gaze toward Maude held a faint warmth.

"Well done," he said, his hoarse voice laced with satisfaction.

Was his approval aimed at the deaths of Marines or the nobles? Most likely the latter.

Maude's interest piqued. "What's your name?"

"Mars Jim."

"A slave?"

"Yes."

Jim's response was candid, as though his status as a slave carried no weight.

After a moment's thought, Maude unsheathed Chidori and sliced through the heavy chains binding Jim.

Clang.

The chains crashed to the floor with a dull thud.

Jim glanced at the severed chains, his eyes betraying a hint of surprise. Free of his restraints, he stepped down from the rack.

The soles of his feet, shredded and bloody from countless wounds, pressed against the floor. What would have left most men writhing in agony elicited only the faintest furrow of his brow.

"You're impressive. Dying in a wretched place like this would be a waste."

Maude returned Chidori to its sheath with a soft click.

Jim silently stared at him.

"You're free," Maude said plainly before turning to leave.

This man, Jim, possessed a resilience that went beyond the physical—it was a strength of spirit.

To think the East Blue could produce someone like him.

Had Maude and Lafitte not boarded this ship, it might have been a day—or two, at most—before this man was tortured to death.

Another cold, forgotten statistic in a world that churned out such numbers with every passing second.

As Maude approached the doorway, Jim finally spoke.

"What's your name?"

"Bacardi Maude," he replied without looking back, disappearing through the doorway.

Jim stared at the empty doorframe, quietly repeating the name to himself. Then, with determination, he limped toward a table laden with an array of torture devices.

His battered hand reached out, selecting a small knife. With rough, deliberate movements, he began shaving his head.

Moments later, Jim stood there, his scalp now smooth but marred with fresh, bleeding cuts. Without the curtain of hair, the circular brand on his forehead—a mark denoting his status as a slave—was fully visible.

This wasn't the Celestial Dragon's hoof, but it was a mark just as damning.

Having shed his hair, Jim stepped out of the room. Blood footprints trailed in his wake with every step.

On the other side.

In an enormous and opulent room, Lafitte stood with a smile, watching the man writhing and howling in pain before him—Lowell.

On the floor lay a severed, blood-soaked hand, next to a finely crafted flintlock pistol, now broken in two.

"This... this king is—"

Schlick.

Lowell's words were abruptly cut off as Lafitte drove his cane sword into Lowell's open mouth, then flicked the blade to sever his tongue.

The half-spoken declaration turned into meaningless, muffled whimpers.

"What are you?"

Lafitte reversed his grip on the sword and pinned the severed tongue to the floor, his smile taking on an eerie, sinister edge.

Lowell collapsed to the ground, terror-stricken, not daring to make another sound.

"Fufufu…"

Lafitte chuckled softly, sheathing his cane sword, before dragging Lowell out of the room.

A few minutes later, he arrived at the ship's grand hall, hauling Lowell behind him.

This ship, ostentatious and impractical, had an interior styled like a castle.

Scattered around the hall were about 120 slaves, many of them dressed in tattered curtains or tablecloths as makeshift clothing.

In the center stood Maude, a bulging sack of gold and jewels lying at his feet—a collection of loot gathered along their way.

Lafitte dragged Lowell over and dumped him in front of Maude.

"This is the king of Nandekar, on his way to attend the Reverie," Lafitte said casually.

Lowell, trembling, looked up at Maude. His eyes were filled with pure terror, and blood spilled from his mouth with every muffled whimper.

Maude cast a brief glance at Lowell before turning to Lafitte. "Just kill him. No need to bring him here."

Hearing Maude's cold words, Lowell's body quivered uncontrollably.

Lafitte smiled faintly. "Fufufu, I simply had an interesting idea."

"Let's hear it."

Maude's gaze lingered on Lafitte, intrigued by his unusually enthusiastic demeanor.

Sweeping his cane in an arc, Lafitte gestured to the gathered slaves. "Why not give them a chance to vent their frustrations? Do you think they'd seize it?"

The "they" in his words clearly referred to the surrounding slaves.

Maude's eyes flickered with mild surprise. It seemed he had almost forgotten Lafitte's reputation for reveling in violence.

"Let's find out."

Maude wasn't particularly interested but saw no reason to stop Lafitte.

With a faint smile, Lafitte reached into the sack and scattered a handful of gold and silver jewelry onto the floor.

The clinking of the precious items hitting the ground was like a quiet punch to the hearts of the slaves.

Lafitte pointed his cane's tip at Lowell's throat, his pale face alight with a chilling grin.

"This is Lowell, king of Nandekar. Anyone who beats him to death can claim these lovely trinkets."

"…"

Silence fell over the hall.

The slaves exchanged hesitant glances, but no one dared to move forward.

After all, this was a king. If their actions were discovered later…

They didn't even dare to imagine the consequences.

Minutes passed, yet no one moved.

Lafitte observed the motionless slaves, his expression calm.

So that's all they amount to, he mused.

Then, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the back of the crowd—it was Jim, emerging from the kitchen.

The first thing Jim had done upon gaining his freedom wasn't tending to his wounds but indulging in a feast in the kitchen. This was why he showed up at this exact moment.

The slaves turned to see the towering figure of Jim, who stood a head and shoulders above them. Their faces paled, and they instinctively made way for him.

Jim walked through the cleared path, expressionless, holding a half-eaten roast suckling pig in one hand.

As he approached, he bit off another chunk of meat, chewed twice, and swallowed it.

Amid the crowd of ragged slaves, Jim's imposing height and sturdy build made him stand out like a giant.

Both Maude and Lafitte noticed him immediately. Maude remained impassive, while Lafitte scrutinized Jim with newfound interest.

The numerous wounds covering Jim's body were even more striking than his massive frame.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Jim came to a stop in front of Lowell.

Without hesitation, he raised his bloodied right foot and stomped down hard on Lowell's neck.

Crunch!

Lowell's neck snapped instantly, and his lifeless body went limp on the floor.

Jim withdrew his foot, then took another bite of the roast pig.

Half of the wounds on his body had been inflicted by Lowell.

For Jim, Lowell's death wasn't about revenge—it was a simple resolution to a long-standing grudge.

Efficiency had always been Jim's guiding principle: achieve the desired outcome in the quickest way possible.

After killing Lowell, Jim unexpectedly dropped to one knee before Maude.

The action wasn't meant as a gesture of submission but merely to lower his height, so Maude wouldn't have to look up at him.

"I don't want gold or jewels," Jim said, his voice deep and steady.

Now kneeling, the height disparity was reversed, and Jim had to look up to meet Maude's gaze.

Maude raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the newly bald Jim. "Then what do you want?"

Jim didn't answer immediately. Instead, he raised his left hand, still slick with grease.

Rip!

He tore off a patch of skin from his forehead, peeling away the slave brand etched into his flesh.

Blood streamed from the wound, dripping down his nose and chin.

Staring up at Maude, Jim said in a low, unwavering voice, "I don't want anything. I just want to give you my life."

Maude regarded the bleeding scar on Jim's forehead with an impassive expression.

After a moment, he picked up the sack of loot and tossed it at Jim's feet.

"I don't need your life, but you can follow us."

With that, Maude turned and walked toward the exit.

"Fufufu…"

Lafitte cast an intrigued glance at Jim before following Maude.

Without a word, Jim discarded the roast pig, picked up the sack, and followed them out.

The trio left the hall under the watchful eyes of the remaining slaves.

On the deck, Jim glanced at the scattered bodies of soldiers, his gaze as lifeless as ever, revealing little emotion.

"Back to the ship," Maude commanded, leaping into the air with a Moonwalk.

Lafitte grabbed Jim and took to the sky.

Far in the distance, a mast ship floated on the sea.

On the lookout tower, Bailey scanned the horizon anxiously.

Just in case, he had already furled the sails and dropped anchor.

"Why aren't they back yet?" Bailey muttered for the thirty-third time.

Finally, he spotted Maude's figure in the distance.

"They're back!"

Bailey heaved a sigh of relief.

"Wait, what?"

He quickly noticed Jim's presence.

A few minutes later...

Jim sat cross-legged on the deck, tending to his injuries.

Though this merchant ship wasn't particularly large, it had all the essentials, including medical supplies—much to Jim's convenience.

At this early hour, Maude went straight to his room to sleep under the covers.

Lafitte had intended to take stock of their spoils, but as the ship's navigator, he had to stay focused on the course and let it go for now.

On deck, Bailey paced back and forth around Jim, his eyes repeatedly scanning Jim's wounds.

So many injuries?

Seems like a tough guy.

Bailey thought to himself.

Jim glanced at the seemingly restless Bailey but ignored him, concentrating instead on treating his wounds.

He hadn't placed his life in Maude's hands just to laze around and freeload. To prove his value, he needed to heal as quickly as possible.

Lafitte, while keeping an eye on the wind direction, occasionally glanced at Jim as he dressed his injuries.

From Lafitte's perspective, Jim seemed to have a solid foundation, though his true capabilities remained unknown.

As a navigator, Lafitte was already contemplating how to utilize Jim's potential labor. Based on what he'd observed so far, Jim seemed best suited for the role of helmsman.

"Time will tell," Lafitte mused silently.

Jim's abilities, loyalty, and values—all of these were matters Lafitte planned to scrutinize closely.

He didn't oppose Maude's decisions but would do his best to eliminate any potential future concerns for him.

Seven days later.

A seemingly ordinary merchant ship sailed into the coastal waters near Monmon Island.

The ship furled its sails and dropped anchor, coming to a stop on the sea's surface.

Moments later, a small boat was lowered from the merchant vessel.

"So, this is Monmon Island, huh?"

A smile spread across Sabo's face as he sat in the small boat.

Koala tossed the oars to Sabo, instructing, "Hurry up and row!"

"Yes, Lady Koala," Sabo joked before picking up the oars and rowing.

The small boat slowly approached the beach.

Soon, it skidded onto the sand.

Sabo and Koala jumped out of the boat and headed into the forest.

Before long, they passed through the woods and arrived at the ring-shaped valley where the residents of Monmon Island lived.

Their arrival immediately put the islanders on alert.

Gaya, hearing the commotion outside, grabbed an axe and stepped out of her house.

Expecting more brazen pirates, she was surprised to see a young man and woman instead.

Gaya narrowed her eyes, looking at Sabo and Koala. Calmly, she said, "We don't welcome outsiders here."

Sabo glanced at the axe in Gaya's hand and was about to explain when a voice interrupted him.

"Gaya, they're here to see me."

Sunny emerged from the house.

"Sabo, Koala!"

A broad smile spread across Sunny's face at the sight of the two familiar figures.

Gaya silently lowered her axe.

"Sunny, I've missed you so much!"

Koala rushed past Gaya and hugged Sunny tightly.

Feeling Koala's soft frame pressed against hers, Sunny mumbled under her breath, "Feels like these got a lot bigger…"

"What?"

Koala released Sunny, looking at her in surprise.

"Nothing."

Sunny discreetly glanced at Koala's chest, then couldn't help but cast a quick, envious look at Gaya, whose figure was even more impressive.

Sigh.

With a quiet sigh, Sunny turned her attention to Sabo and Koala's reason for visiting.

"Koala, what brings you two here?"

"Take a look at this first."

Koala pulled a folded newspaper from her pocket.

Sunny took the newspaper and instinctively checked the date first.

It was yesterday's issue.

Since Monmon Island was so remote, the news gulls only delivered papers once a week. Each delivery contained newspapers that were already several days old.

Sunny unfolded the paper and began reading.

"It's Maude."

Her eyes lit up when she saw the photo in one of the sections.

Sabo came over, smiling. "Maude's been very active lately. Thanks to him, this time we…"

"Ahem."

Koala coughed deliberately, cutting Sabo off.

Sabo stopped mid-sentence and laughed awkwardly.

During the Reverie, kings of member nations left their territories to travel to Mary Geoise. This created numerous opportunities for the Revolutionary Army to act.

Recently, Maude's attack on the Nandekar Kingdom's royal ship—and his killing of the king and many nobles—had become a hot topic throughout the East Blue within days.

The incident had stirred significant unrest within the Nandekar Kingdom.

While Sabo and Koala's original mission in the East Blue wasn't related to the Nandekar Kingdom, they happened to come across the royal ship incident caused by Maude.

They didn't want to miss the opportunity.

Their visit to Monmon Island was, in fact, a formal invitation for Sunny to join them.

Sunny paid no mind to Sabo's reaction, focusing instead on the newspaper's report about Maude.

It covered his defeat of the Arlong Pirates and the royal ship attack.

When she read how Maude's assault on the ship had freed many slaves, Sunny's face lit up with a smile.

"Gaya, look... Maude's bounty has gone up."

"Heh."

Gaya smiled faintly, unconcerned.

Even so, she took the newspaper and began reading.

Her focus wasn't on Maude's bounty but rather on the content of the reports.

After finishing the piece on the Arlong Pirates, Gaya's eyes widened slightly.

She then moved on to the report about the royal ship.

When she finished reading, she fell silent.

Was this conduct despicable? Or was it righteous?

She felt a little lost.

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