?: "Yes, BOSS! You are SIMPLY MAGNIFICENT!"
Despite the Count Chocula-style monologue and the reaction from his henchmen, what worried Bill the most was that he could hear their footsteps. He was particularly concerned about one set of footsteps that was significantly heavier than the others.
Step by step, the voices grew louder until a loud noise erupted at the end of the sawmill.
Using the noise as an opportunity, Bill grabbed Rance by the shoulder and led them behind one of the stacks before stopping.
?: "Wait... What is that smell?"
Pupupupupupu
Laughing, a large man said, "It's not me this time, boss, I swear..."
?: "I know it's not you, Hamburg. So what do you say, Capote? What do you sense?"
Inhaling deeply, the person who Bill assumed was Capote confidently stated, "I sense the presence of other people, two or three.": "What's this, Mulino? Wasn't our secret deal supposed to be secret?"
Hearing this, Bill quickly glanced at Rance and Sasha, noticing one reach for the hilt of a sword, while the other adjusted a pant leg.
At the same time, as Bill whispered "follow me," the man resembling Count Chocula said, "Gina, Sonyeh, Donovan, close the doors! The rest of you, search the area!"
Hiding, Bill heard several pairs of feet start moving. There was no time to ponder how foolish this decision was. Relying entirely on instinct, Bill began to move as quietly as possible toward the only exit that remained unblocked.
Hot on their trail was the man called Capote. Fortunately, he wasn't a dog, so while he could smell the kids, he couldn't pinpoint their exact location.
Maneuvering between the stacks, Bill led Sasha and Rance toward the exit of the sawmill.
He caught a scent of salt and a slight breeze from the tunnel and realized it led to the sea.
After letting Sasha and Rance go ahead, Bill locked eyes with the person pursuing them.
Standing before him was a green humanoid creature with red hair and wearing a mask. Whatever it was, it was clearly not human.
Recovering faster than the creature, which was as surprised to see a group of kids as Bill was to see a green man, Bill launched himself at it at full speed.
Starting with a knee strike, Bill instinctively shouted, "Double Strike!"
The creature smoothly dodged, bending slightly to protect its torso before Bill withdrew his knee and struck its head with his elbow. By bending down, the creature left its head unprotected.
With an unpleasant smack followed by a dull thud, Bill didn't look back but rushed after Sasha and Rance through the tunnel.
Soon catching up with them, Sasha turned her head and shouted, "What was that?!"
Now running just behind them, Bill replied, "I don't know! Just keep running!"
Rance: "It was a Fishman! They're pirates!"
Cursing to himself, Bill felt as if he'd hit a stone wall. At the very least, he hoped that Fishman wouldn't get up too quickly.
At that moment, a thought struck him.
Shouting ahead to the two in front, Bill said anxiously, "Run faster, it's been almost two hours! Fia will come looking for us and find them instead!"
Hearing this, the trio picked up the pace, following the tunnel, and Bill could hear both the sound of the sea and footsteps behind them.
After a few more minutes of tense running, they saw the exit, and Bill moved ahead of the two children running with him.
The moon was still shining brightly, and what Bill saw astonished him.
In front of him was a small dock, to which a large barge was tied. About two dozen people stood before the dock.
Assessing the situation, Bill became frightened upon seeing that this smuggler's cove was surrounded by high cliffs on all sides.
Seeing the confusion among the people ahead and hearing footsteps behind him, Bill shouted to the others, "ATTACK!"
On command, Rance slipped his hands under his trousers and threw something at the group from one side, while Sasha approached from the other and delivered a powerful blow to one of the men who was trying to draw a gun. With a loud explosion from one side and a scream from the other, Bill charged into the center of the group with all his might.
Throwing elbows and knees, Bill didn't think about the consequences and struck as hard as he could. Each blow knocked a person down, and within thirty seconds, the three children had already dealt with twenty adults.
Rance and Sasha had taken out five and three people, respectively. Looking around at his exhausted friends, Bill realized they needed to leave. Turning his head from his friends to the barge, he heard Clap clap clap. Looking back, he saw a group of eight people approaching them.
An unknown voice said, "An excellent performance! A remarkable show!"
In the center of the group was a plump man with a peculiar red nose and hairstyle. To his right stood a girl with blue hair and a club, and to his left, a green Fishman who looked slightly bewildered and angry. Behind the group was a large man resembling a gorilla.
With an irritated smile, the man continued, "But now the show must end!" "And the winner, of course, will be me, Foxy the Silver Fox!"
While the man spoke, Bill slightly turned his head to the other two and quietly said, "When I say 'run,' head for the barge. Sasha, cut the rope, and Rance, push it off."
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