William said nothing more. Gin and Alamis, limited by their experiences, still clung to the mindset of "soldiers are soldiers, bandits are bandits," believing that the navy should handle naval duties and pirates should behave as pirates do. But William knew these were only labels, and labels shift based on actions—not the other way around—and shouldn't confine anyone.
The world's views and labels change with the times. William had a hunch that the naval officer chasing their crew was one who understood the value of adaptability.
When the three returned to the tavern with their barrels of wine, the scene inside gave them a slight shock.
The lookout they'd left behind, Valon, had just turned eighteen. He was a short, sturdy young man with a friendly face and a prominent bald head that seemed to gleam in the sunlight. At that moment, he was awkwardly restraining a struggling woman by holding her arms behind her back.
The woman, restrained by Valon, was disheveled and messy-haired. William guessed she might be young and attractive, though he had to guess because the side of her face was swollen with a prominent slap mark. Her right eye was so bruised it barely opened, swollen shut to a thin line, and blood trickled from her nose and mouth. All of this made it difficult to discern her original features.
The girl's finely made clothes had been torn by brute force, exposing skin bruised with purplish marks and bite marks—a jarring sight.
Valon, used to field labor, was strong; the girl exhausted herself after struggling briefly, her arms flailing in vain.
William frowned, put down his barrel, and approached Valon, asking, "What's going on?"
He then noticed a blood-stained dagger lying on the floor, as if taken from a kitchen, and asked, "Are you hurt?"
"No," Valon replied honestly, shaking his head. "This woman suddenly rushed in here holding a knife. It already had blood on it when she came in."
Seeing William observe the girl's injuries, Valon quickly added, as if to defend himself, "She looked like this when she came in. I didn't hit her. She seemed terrified when she saw me and tried to kill herself with the knife, so I stopped her."
William cursed under his breath. Alamis and Arkin had set down their barrels and joined them. Alamis, quick-witted and the most experienced pirate among them, quickly pieced together the situation. Annoyed, he muttered to Valon, "Idiot, you should've let her do it."
"She didn't have the nerve," Valon replied, not catching Alamis's reproachful tone. "At first, I didn't have time to stop her, but if she'd really meant it, she'd be dead by now."
Hearing this, the girl struggled even harder, her expression a mix of regret and fear.
"Where did she run off to?"
"I think I saw her run into the tavern just now!"
Before William could decide what to do with the girl, loud shouting from outside approached rapidly, and the tavern door was kicked open from outside.
After repeated assaults throughout the day, the poor door finally couldn't hold up. With a loud bang, it fell to the floor, and several heavy boots stomped over it as a group of tall pirates entered, led by their captain.
Almost simultaneously with the door being kicked down, William swiftly stood up. While the other three pirates were distracted by the commotion, he walked quickly over to the woman.
"William, you…?" Valon, closest to him, was the first to react, but before he could finish his question, he saw William pull out his sword and stab the girl.
The swordsmanship skills ingrained in the original owner's body were sharper than ever. William's blade struck quickly and accurately at the girl's vital points, minimizing her pain as much as possible.
Alamis cried out in surprise as the intruding pirates also witnessed this scene, roaring in anger. William vaguely heard one of them shout, "Stop!" but his attention was entirely on the girl. He watched as her expression shifted from terror to confusion. She blinked her good eye, and a few tears trickled down, while William blinked back without shedding a tear himself.
The whistling sound of a blade cutting through the air grew nearer. With a sudden burst of strength, William withdrew his sword, spilling a splash of blood. He quickly raised his weapon to block an oncoming strike from a longsword.
The attacker, the pirate captain, was shirtless, displaying his muscular chest, which bore a shallow cut that still oozed blood. Gritting his teeth, he glared furiously at William. Wielding the sword in one hand, he ceased his attack after being blocked, grabbed the girl's shoulder, now slack in Valon's grip, and threw her behind him to his crew.
One of the pirates inspected her briefly, then shouted angrily at the captain, "Second Mate, she's dead!"
"I told you to stop, didn't you hear?" barked the furious captain, Beaumont, his eyes practically ablaze. He'd chased the beautiful young woman all the way here, only to have William kill her right in front of him.
"What's the matter, Beaumont? Developing a taste for the dead?" William taunted coldly.
"You dare talk back to me?" Beaumont sneered, his anger turning to dark amusement. "Just because you've got a few half-grown boys on your side, you think you're a big shot on this ship?"
The pirates behind Beaumont, similarly inflamed and their appetites thwarted, glared at William's crew, readying their blades as they encircled them.
Alamis, Arkin, and Valon also raised their weapons, warily eyeing the turncoat comrades.
"Hey, let's talk it over, Second Mate!" Alamis tried to defuse the situation, but Beaumont ignored him.
"Afraid now, are you?" Beaumont sneered. He was about to order his men to kill William's crew when they heard a loud, synchronized shout.
The shout drowned out the shrieks, the clatter of overturned furniture, and the hurried footsteps from the street.
"The navy is here!"
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