The Cat Brothers

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"Ah, looks like there's no need for the captain to step in…"

Muttering to himself, Biggie clicked his tongue in mild boredom. His gaze wandered to other areas, intent on taking out the remaining officers before dealing with Viter together and ending this chaotic battle quickly.

"Come to think of it, I performed pretty well earlier. Hmm, I'm still strong. Actual combat really is different from sparring, huh? That kid Shanuo is probably so shocked his eyes are about to pop out!"

Taking a step forward, Biggie narcissistically scratched his ear, then chuckled as he glanced over to the ship not far away. He was curious to see what kind of expression Shanuo had now.

But.

When he caught sight of the deck, the smile on Biggie's face froze almost instantly. For a split second, his expression stiffened before he spat in frustration and turned around, heading off to find trouble with the pirate officers.

…

On the deck, the black-haired boy holding a wooden sword was engrossed in watching the sword duel between Kailar and Viter. Occasionally, he lowered his gaze, pondering the techniques, then traced a couple of moves with his fingers on the blade.

"So, dual-wielding can evolve into such strange moves, huh? Though it feels overly focused on technique at the expense of raw power. But still, it would be a headache to face someone like this…"

As he watched Viter use two swords to force Kailar back from a powerful offensive, Shanuo frowned slightly, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

Compared to Biggie's overwhelming attacks and brute-force approach, the battle here was naturally more captivating. As a result, Shanuo didn't notice the shift in Biggie's expression or react the way Biggie had hoped.

Honestly, it wasn't wrong for the members of the Tado Pirates to consider Shanuo a sword fanatic.

"Still, at the end of the day, the difference in personal strength can override most techniques. That guy Viter might have decent swordsmanship, but his own power is way too lacking. I bet he'll be completely defeated by Kailar in no time."

Watching Kailar effortlessly counter another of Viter's offensives, Shanuo made a quick judgment. Scratching his head, he couldn't help but show a hint of confusion.

Captain Tado, with a bounty of ten million berries, hadn't even made a move yet. If even Kailar could defeat their captain, where did these people get the nerve to directly attack?

After all, this was Tado Pirates' turf. If not for Biggie's eagerness to fight and rushing ashore, just a round of cannon fire from the ship's underside would've caused severe damage to the Silver Shark Pirates, even if the people of this pirate world were unusually hardy.

Just as he was mulling this over, a strange noise suddenly came from behind him.

Plop.

The sound was faint, as soft as cotton landing on the ground, almost instantly drowned out by the sea breeze sweeping past.

If it were an ordinary person, no matter how focused they were, they wouldn't have noticed it in such an environment.

But Shanuo, having practiced swordsmanship for years, was naturally attuned to such subtle changes. At the sound's first instant, his eyes narrowed, and without hesitation, he gripped the hilt of the sword by his side.

Then, with a swift turn, he drew his blade.

"Who's there?"

The sharp shout echoed as the situation on the deck came into full view. Seeing what lay before him, Shanuo's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

At the railing on the other side, a skinny green-haired young man was cautiously climbing over. One of his legs was still dangling outside the railing. Startled by Shanuo's shout, the young man shuddered and lost his grip, falling to the deck.

Thud!

The sound of the impact reverberated across the wooden planks.

Falling from a railing about five feet high—face first.

Shanuo's eye twitched. He cast a sympathetic glance at the youth, noting his drenched appearance and lack of weapons, as if he had just swum ashore. The sight made Shanuo chuckle softly to himself.

Maybe his reaction had been a bit excessive.

"So painful…"

Due to landing face-first, the skinny young man struggled to stand while clutching his swollen nose. His muffled voice carried complaints as he said, "Why'd you get so worked up? Almost scared me to death…"

As he continued, his voice grew weaker, as though the seawater had sapped all his energy.

"This guy's really weak…"

Noticing the young man's pale face and trembling limbs, Shanuo sighed inwardly and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hey, listen. This is our ship. Sneaking aboard like this—even if I scared you, it's still your fault, isn't it?"

"Now talk. What're you doing here? Moving so quietly—don't tell me you thought nobody was around and wanted to steal something?"

"No, no, no! That's not it! You've got it all wrong!"

Hearing this, the young man frantically waved his hands. His face flushed red, and he stammered out, "I… I'm a local resident near the harbor. I went out to sea this morning, and when I got back, I saw pirates fighting at the harbor. I didn't dare go ashore, so I saw this big ship here and thought I'd climb aboard to get a better view of what's happening."

"Oh? Is that so…"

Shanuo instinctively glanced at the empty mast. To avoid unnecessary trouble, the Tado Pirates had temporarily lowered their pirate flag before approaching Plos Island. To an outsider, the ship would look like an ordinary large vessel. If the young man was indeed a local, this explanation seemed plausible enough.

Turning his gaze back to the youth, Shanuo noticed that as the latter removed his hand from his swollen nose, his full facial features became visible.

Swept-up bangs, dark eyeliner, long, thick lashes… combined with that green hair.

Hmm, he looked… familiar.

What's more, while responding earlier, the young man's eyes kept darting around the deck. Though he tried to be discreet, the way he seemed to be scanning his surroundings for people didn't escape Shanuo's notice.

A flash of memory crossed his mind. Studying the youth's appearance again, Shanuo's pupils contracted slightly. Finally, he confirmed the young man's identity.

"Black Cat Pirates… Sam…"

Though it puzzled him why this person was here, Shanuo's body instinctively tensed. Without making any sudden moves, his hand quietly returned to rest on the hilt of his sword, Toyako.