Chapter 13: Kill Him
Right then, Soren had just finished his workout and entered the house, helping Grandpa Doug carry dishes from the kitchen to the dining table.
Before they could even sit down to eat, faint shouts drifted over from the direction of the docks.
"What's going on? I'll go check."
Soren started to stand up and head for the door, but Grandpa Doug suddenly stopped him.
"Don't go. Just stay here in the house, I'm going upstairs to take a look."
Before the words had even faded, Grandpa Doug hurried up to the attic.
Irene came over to Soren's side, and the two of them stood staring fixedly at the stairs.
A few minutes later, Grandpa Doug ran back down, his expression grave.
"Pirates are here."
Without a second thought, he pulled a Den Den Mushi from his pocket and handed it to Soren.
"Soren, take Irene and go hide in the back mountain right now. I've already called for help, but the Navy will take at least two hours to get here."
"Go, take Irene and leave immediately."
Soren panicked slightly. Little Irene hid behind him, her small body trembling faintly.
"What about you, Grandpa?" Soren asked.
The old man simply pulled an old hunting rifle out from his room and walked toward the door.
"I'm the village chief, I have to protect everyone."
"I'm going to tell those bandits that the Navy will be here soon. Maybe once they hear that, they'll be scared off."
"Remember, stay hidden. Don't come out until the Navy calls back."
With one foot out the door, the old man suddenly turned back to give them a deep look, a smile on his face.
"Soren."
"I'm leaving Little Irene in your hands."
"Keep her safe."
With that, he dashed resolutely toward the docks.
On the path up the back mountain, the boy carried the girl on his back, moving at top speed.
The moment Grandpa Doug had told him to hide, that cave from earlier flashed into Soren's mind.
Right now, his thoughts were in complete disarray. Irene, pressed against his back, covered her mouth, trying desperately not to cry out.
They reached the cave entrance. Soren gently set Irene down, pushed aside the thick vines, and the two of them crawled inside.
Since they had cleaned it out previously, the interior was relatively neat. Soren lit a candle he had prepared beforehand.
Irene leaned against him, and the two of them stared at the flickering candle flame before them. The air was thick with unease and oppression.
"Irene, I want to go help Grandpa."
Soren suddenly said in a soft voice.
At that moment, the frail body leaning against him trembled slightly, and a pair of small hands tightly gripped his sleeve.
After a moment, those small hands loosened. She forced her voice to sound steady.
"Go ahead, Big Brother. I'll stay here and hide properly until you come back."
Looking at the terror in the girl's eyes and the tears she was desperately holding back, Soren felt a sharp pain grip his heart. An endless blaze of fury churned and burned in his chest.
He blew out the candle, opened his arms to hug the girl gently, and whispered in her ear.
"Wait for me. I will come back."
In the darkness, Soren walked out of the cave.
Standing at the entrance, he arranged the vines back into place, turned, and sprinted down the mountain.
"Faster, faster, faster..."
The fierce wind howling through the air whipped at the running boy's hair and clothes, making him look like an enraged lion madly charging toward the battlefield.
In the central square of the street, the pirates had piled all the plundered treasure together.
Around them were dozens of captured villagers, as well as Grandpa Doug, whose hands were bound as he lay on the ground.
"Captain, this island is so poor, and there aren't many people either..."
The first mate complained while reporting the loot to the captain.
"Weren't you having plenty of fun just a moment ago?"
Zodan listened to the report, waved a hand impatiently, a flash of boredom in his eyes.
At those words, the first mate immediately shut his mouth.
He looked down at the old man on the ground and asked, "You must be the village chief. Is there any proof of what you said earlier?"
The old man remained silent.
"Not talking?"
Zodan wore a mocking expression, then clapped his hands.
"Fine. First mate, kill someone."
The moment the words fell, the first mate pulled someone out from the crowd with a savage grin, and without the slightest hesitation, drove a blade straight through their heart.
"No!"
Doug struggled to his feet, his eyes wide with fury.
"I already said, I used a Den Den Mushi to call for help, and the Navy will be here very soon."
"Oh?"
"Then where is the Den Den Mushi?"
Hearing this, Doug's expression turned grave, and for a moment he couldn't speak.
"Still not talking? It seems your village chief doesn't want any of you to live."
Zodan smiled as he looked at the crowd, his tone breezy.
"First mate, two."
The first mate dragged two people out from the crowd. Just as he was about to strike, Zodan raised a hand and looked at the old man.
"Last time: where is the Den Den Mushi?"
The old man's face was a mask of conflict, yet he remained silent.
Zodan lost his patience.
"It's with me!"
Suddenly, an angry shout rang out from afar.
Soren sprinted into the square, coming to a halt before Zodan. With one hand, he pulled the Den Den Mushi from his pocket and held it high.
Then he raised his chin to meet Zodan's eyes directly, his logic clear and his tone resolute.
"It's been nearly an hour since that call was made, and the nearest naval base is only two hours away."
"Moving the loot from here to the docks takes at least twenty minutes. That means you have less than forty minutes left, maybe even less."
Zodan stroked his chin.
"Interesting."
He looked at the boy before him with amusement.
Then he let his raised hand drop.
*Splat.*
The sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed out, and the two people dragged out by the first mate collapsed in a pool of blood.
Soren kept a poker face, forcing himself to stay calm as he continued.
"If I were you, I wouldn't keep killing people."
"Why's that?"
"With more people, you can load the treasure onto your ships faster. Besides, if you keep them alive, when the Navy arrives, their priority will be treating the wounded instead of chasing you down. If everyone is dead, or only a few are left, guess what those naval forces will do?"
Zodan suddenly burst out laughing, looking thoroughly delighted.
"Interesting, really interesting. Kid, I'm starting to like you a bit."
"Second mate," he suddenly called out.
"Captain, you have to listen to my explanation! I didn't know there was a second Den Den Mushi on this island..."
The man who had been called knelt at Zodan's feet, begging for mercy over and over.
"Useless trash."
With a wave of Zodan's hand, the man's neck was suddenly empty of anything, and a geyser of blood erupted.
A few droplets of blood spattered across Soren's face, while inwardly he screamed, *Damn it, that's way too brutal!*
Despite the panic churning inside him, his expression remained completely unchanged as he looked calmly at the man before him.
Zodan's icy voice rang out once more.
"First mate, take these people and load the goods onto the ship. Anyone who tries any funny business—kill them on the spot."
The first mate, having received his orders, immediately organized the villagers to start hauling the cargo.
"Now then, kid, what should I do with you? I really hate to kill you. Tell you what, why don't you come aboard my ship?"
"Getting on your ship probably isn't that simple, is it?"
Soren stared straight into Zodan's eyes.
"Sharp kid. There are conditions, but it's not too difficult."
As he spoke, Zodan drew a short blade from his waist and handed it out, holding it right in front of Soren.
Soren took it and immediately unsheathed it.
It had a dark red wooden hilt, a short blade about the length of a palm, and irregular temper patterns etched along the steel.
Next, Zodan pointed toward the bound old man nearby, whispering like a demon.
"Kill him."