"This rain came just in time," William said, looking up at the sky.
A group of young men from Maple Leaf Village had already left. William's curved blade was back in his possession. The street was now deserted, save for the corpses soaking in the rain.
Klow approached William quietly, somewhat uneasy. During William's earlier battle with Reyes, Klow had hesitated. He hadn't expected William to overpower Reyes so quickly.
Without acknowledging Klow, William stepped into the rain, picking up a curved blade lying on the ground. He lifted it with the tip of his foot and caught it.
Returning to Klow, whose face was full of confusion, William smiled. "Will you do it yourself, or should I?"
Klow opened his mouth but quickly processed William's words. A smart man, Klow understood the implication: Reyes was dead, and they were unharmed, which might raise suspicion.
Unprepared for this, Klow stepped back nervously. William suddenly quickened his pace, shoving Klow against a pillar, covering his mouth with one hand while stabbing him in the abdomen with the other.
Klow's eyes widened, and William whispered, "Don't move. Relax."
William carefully pulled the blade out and released Klow.
As Klow slid down the pillar, pale-faced, William grinned. "It looks scary, but it's not fatal. You'll be fine."
He wasn't lying. With his swordsmanship, William could easily inflict a non-lethal wound when prepared.
Klow glanced at William, unsure if the stab carried a hint of punishment.
After confirming their story, William watched Klow stagger away, leaning against walls. Then, William made his own injuries: a deep slash from his chest to his ribs and two smaller cuts on his arm. Letting the rain wash the blood off the blade, he discarded it.
Klow eventually found the crew led by "Redbeard" Barbarossa. Seeing Barbarossa's shaggy head, Klow sighed in relief before collapsing unconscious.
The Redbeard crew scrambled to move Klow into a nearby house. Their ship doctor, Wood, immediately examined Klow.
Though William's stab avoided vital areas, Klow had lost significant blood and was drenched from the rain, making him look critically injured.
Barbarossa, with a grim expression, approached. Thinking of Reyes, he commanded Wood, "Wake him up!"
Wood, unwilling to disobey Barbarossa, pressed several points on Klow's body. Klow groaned and slowly opened his eyes.
Barbarossa wasted no time. "How did you get injured?"
"We were ambushed," Klow said weakly. "Several crew members were shot before seeing the enemy. I was at the rear and got stabbed by a sneak attack. I killed my attacker and escaped."
Barbarossa frowned at Klow's retreat but didn't blame him, given Klow's connection to the Buendía family. "What about Reyes?"
"The vice-captain and Stoltz dodged the first shots and hid in a house. After that, I don't know."
Alarmed, Barbarossa quickly gathered his crew and, despite Klow's injuries, demanded he lead them to the site of the attack.
On the way, Barbarossa asked, "Was it the Cook Pirates?"
Remembering William's advice, Klow replied, "I didn't see any clear markings, so I'm not sure."
When they reached the street, Barbarossa ignored the corpses, heading straight into a house with a collapsed wall. Inside, he found Reyes' gruesome corpse.
A soft sound came from behind a sofa. Two crewmates, Hutchinson and Harden, cautiously approached, weapons ready.
Behind the sofa, they found William, pale and holding a pistol limply in his left hand. Blood pooled beneath him, flowing from his chest and arm.
William smiled faintly and lowered the pistol. "You finally came."
Barbarossa, staring at Reyes' corpse, stormed over, flipping the sofa aside. His crimson eye locked onto William as he asked coldly, "Where did the attackers go?"
William, feigning weakness, replied, "I heard them heading east."
Barbarossa turned away, issuing orders to his crew. "Wood stays..."
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