Absalom anticipated an answer to his queries; however, Sear pretended to act willfully ignorant.
'I was bluffing but looking at that stupid face, guess he took the bait.'
To Sear's trained senses, Absalom's smell was hard to miss, particularly when his sense of smell was enhanced the moment he tapped into the full potential of his breathing technique.
Still, it was nowhere near comparable to actual Observation Haki. If the pirate had been a little more creative with his power, Sear could have been in serious trouble.
Thus, he was careful not to push the man anymore than necessary. His own body was in turmoil after using the technique; fatigue had already started to grip him.
"So?... What now? Still wanna fight?"
"A-Are you going to let me go?" Absalom asked, voice shaken.
A glint appeared in Sear's pupils; he glared at the man while his fingers glided along the edges of his kukri.
"Hmm!! Maybe!.. personally, I am fine with it. The village is largely untouched and the men fighting here are warriors, so I won't meddle in their revenge unnecessarily. Besides, nobody among our people has died. That's lucky for you."
For a while, Absalom's trembling brows fixed on the young man.
Next..
He glanced over to his fallen subordinates, sprawled around the sandy beach, clicked his tongue, and then, along with the survivors, turned heel to escape.
God forbid the monstrous boy changes his mind, he thought.
—Nobody bothered pursuing them. Sear alone stood there and kept a close watch over the retreating figures, while the rest rushed to attend the wounded, especially Arashi, who was missing an arm.
—No doctor in proximity of the island possessed enough skills to reattach a limb; therefore, it was absolutely certain that Zoro's father would be crippled for life. On the bright side, at least his life wasn't lost; if it was, then Zoro would have become both mother and fatherless.
Sear remained there, standing like a statue until the pirate ship disappeared into the horizon.
He fell to his knees right afterwards; dizzy and bloodied, a condition so dire that, left untreated, could lead to death.
—Beyond the horizon, on the deck of the ship, a drained Absalom sat slumped on his seat, having had the middle of his face bandaged up to stop the non-stop bleeding..
"Boss.. Are we going to return here for revenge someday?" His top henchman, who flopped onto the wooden floor beside him, casually inquired.
To which the now noseless man had just a completely neutral expression.
"Nothing's as simple as it seems. Those villagers were skilled swordsmen. It's very well possible that they are connected to some New World monster that we have only ever known through newspapers and word of mouth."
He went on..
"I have seen enough rookies get destroyed by provoking men they shouldn't have. Losing only a nose isn't so bad in comparison."
"Wise as always, boss.. but if you don't mind me asking. Your nose, don't you feel any pain? You seem oddly fine!"
"Ouuuch!! Did you have to remind me? Find a doctor, you bastard!"
Absalom was shouting at the man when..
"Ouch! Boss!! W-Wait, I know just the guy. He's an expert on stitching things, but I doubt that nose of yours will remain fresh for long. How about replacing it with a lion's nose? I saw a man with a clown's nose the other day."
"I may accidentally kill you one of these days.."
Recuperating his health in one of the rooms at the dojo, Sear, bedridden, had nothing better to do other than to aimlessly stare at the ceiling with hands behind his head.
"Agghhh!! I can't take this no more!!!" He rose from the bed, startling a group of kids who were secretly observing him from behind the window.
*Smirk!
Satisfied with his little prank, he took difficult steps and grabbed his kukri right before the peeking gazes.
His weapon was intentionally left nearby, leaning against the wall by the doctor, so that he could easily reach it.
After sheathing the blade, he swung it in different directions, performing the 9 basic strokes with unmatched precision..
"Gasp!!!"
The kids gasped in awe at the show; among them was a young boy, Roronoa Zoro. Unlike the rest who just looked amazed, Zoro concentrated on each and every action that Sear made..
Following the small practice, Sear began to walk outside.
Seeing his eyes land on them, all the kids except Zoro scattered and ran away..
"Come here," he ordered the boy.
? "Who, me??" In confusion, Zoro turned for his buddies but, finding them missing, was flabbergasted. "Huh!? Where did those guys go??" he exclaimed.
"Dumbass, don't just look around, do as I say!!"
"Hmmm.. alright!"
Sear inquired of Zoro about the injured Arashi.
"Dad was at the clinic until yesterday. Only today the doctor allowed him to come home."
"How is his recovery going? Are there any problems? Though I figure if he was discharged, then there mustn't be any.."
"He seemed fine.." Zoro stated, not that a boy like him would easily notice even if something was indeed wrong.
The kid went on, "By the way, Big bro, what is your weird katana called?"
"Haha!!"
"What's funny?"
"Well nothing, I just remembered something." Sear found it ironic how in the series, it is Zoro who introduces readers to the kukri, while right now he was mistaking it for a katana.
He resolved the misunderstanding that the kid had.
"This isn't a katana. It's a curved blade called a kukri. A versatile weapon that is easy to carry and is something in between a short and a long sword; mine is longer than usual."
"Can I touch it?"
"No!!"
"Why??"
"Just cause."
"Tch! Cheap horn-head!"
"Don't call me that!!"
A fist landed on Zoro's head; nevertheless, he didn't let up.. the rascal kept on disturbing him.
Annoyed out of his mind after repeated requests, Sear reluctantly allowed him to see the blade up close.
'Can't believe I was bested by a kid.'
. . .
After taking a detailed look at the kukri, Zoro finally left, murmuring along the lines of how he will defeat Kuina for sure this time as he went.
Sear, busy practicing the sword moves, didn't pay him any mind.