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"Pirates? Hahaha, although I'm not sure how you appeared here, if you've come, then you might as well leave your head and that arm behind for me!"
After a brief lapse, Higuma looked towards Shanks, who stood in his way, with a surge of wild joy.
The familiar feel of his blade cutting through flesh brought back the confidence he had lost in his confrontation with Zyhark.
Indeed, he who had killed 56 felt empowered again.
With bloodshot eyes and a contorted expression, Higuma cackled as he raised his blood-stained long sword, aiming a powerful strike at the back of Shanks' head.
Bang!
At that moment, a muffled gunshot echoed from the direction of Windmill Village.
A bullet, fired from an impressive distance, pierced through the air, accurately penetrating Higuma's forehead, and with a splash of blood, it created a small hole in the beach.
From the far end of Windmill Village's streets, a man with curled hair methodically put away his sniper rifle.
"Phew~"
Yasopp, the sniper of the Red Hair Pirates, gently blew on the barrel of his rifle, dispersing the gun smoke clinging to it.
Surrounded by figures, Benn Beckman, Lucky Roo, Yasopp, and Rockstar, among others…
The core members of the Red Hair Pirates made their appearance, slowly walking towards the beach!
Witnessing such a grand and orderly assembly, Zyhark, who knew the truth, couldn't help but sigh.
Just a moment ago, when I was fighting to the death with Higuma, not a soul was in sight. But now that Shanks has made his entrance and Higuma is dead, they all show up.
With such strong Haki at their disposal, they probably went off to find a shady spot for tea rather than come to help!
Despite his complaints, when Zyhark looked at Higuma's rigid body lying on the ground, a wave of sadness inevitably washed over him, manifesting as tears trickling down his face.
My dear 8 million Belly, I'm taking you home!
No one knows the bitterness and hardship of traversing the world of pirates, struggling for over a year in a novice village to scrape together a million Belly!
"Captain, Luffy, are you alright?!"
"This damned bandit, he hurt you this badly?!"
"Where's the doctor? Call the doctor over, quick!"
The Red Hair Pirates had already reached Shanks and Luffy, their anxious and angry tones filling the air.
Zyhark glanced up nonchalantly, the loudest among those calling for a doctor being Rockstar, the crew's doctor...
Although it was unclear how Shanks had communicated his intentions, it was evident that these powerful core members had been made aware of their captain's resolve in advance.
"Zyhark, is this... a true pirate?"
Aqua, regaining some strength, approached through the soft sand, pondering over the determined Shanks amongst the crowd.
It has to be said, when not being problematic, the goddess of water actually has a pleasant voice.
"No, this is a false pirate."
Feeling somewhat tired, Zyhark crossed his legs and sat down on the sand, looking at Luffy who was crying loudly, and spoke solemnly, "The real pirates are those who rampage, burning, killing, and looting, cold-blooded and utterly inhumane."
The anime One Piece is filled with freedom and excitement because the viewers follow the adventures of the protagonist.
During his year in the pirate world, Zyhark had seen too much darkness, just from the newspapers alone.
The kind-hearted pirates who simply yearn for freedom and adventure are, after all, only a small portion in this chaotic world dominated by the Celestial Dragons.
"So, it seems like a terrible world indeed." Aqua nodded seriously for once.
As a goddess who escorts the dead to other worlds or heaven and hell, she too has witnessed her share of cruelty.
But most of the time, she forgets about it as soon as she turns her head back from munching on chips and humming a tune...
"Speaking of which, Aqua, if I remember correctly, your healing abilities are quite remarkable, aren't they?" Zyhark suddenly changed the subject.
Hearing this, Aqua perked up, proudly raising her hand and tilting her head back.
"Of course! While my water-based attacks and enhancement magic are exceptional, my healing and blessing talents are also top-notch among the goddesses!"
"Can you heal an amputated arm?" Zyhark looked up at Shanks not far away.
If Aqua at her current level could heal such injuries, it would provide a substantial safety net when facing powerful enemies in the future, allowing them to proceed without too much worry.
As for Aqua's signature resurrection spell...
Zyhark had asked about it during their training.
The answer was that it's hard to say if resurrection could work properly in the pirate world, which is outside her original jurisdiction, at least unlimited resurrections were out of the question.
The reason being Aqua couldn't secretly negotiate with other goddesses (her juniors) to open backdoors for resurrection from another world like she could in the adventurer's world.
At the time, Zyhark had remarked, "So, even among you goddesses, there's something like social networking. It's incredible that you, of all people, have such connections."
Naturally, what followed was Aqua correcting him with a displeased face, asserting she was an industry elite and a model among goddesses.
"Ah, healing, healing an amputated arm…"
Upon hearing Zyhark's question, Aqua, who was in the midst of boasting, suddenly appeared evasive.
"Due to the influence of traveling between worlds, my, my condition hasn't returned to its peak. Plus, releasing Sacred Create Water earlier already exhausted much of my power…"
Seeing Zyhark's increasingly disappointed and contemptuous look, Aqua's composure vanished completely, and she started waving her hands frantically in an attempt to divert Zyhark's direct gaze.
"If I hadn't used Sacred Create Water, I could probably heal such an injury if I tried my hardest!!"
Probably?
Zyhark glanced skeptically at Aqua and then fell into thought.
Knowing Aqua's reliability, her "probably" meant the chances were next to none, and it was safer to downgrade her assurance by a level.
That meant injuries less severe than amputation might still be within her healing capabilities.
And as time goes on and Aqua's condition gradually adapts to the world of pirates, her healing limit would also increase.
Effectively gaining a free ship's doctor?
Water abilities, purification, attribute buffs, healing blessings, artistic talent, and the potential resurrection spell...
Thinking it over, summoning Aqua seemed like a slightly profitable deal after all.
(End of Chapter)