Webb, who had jumped first, failed to escape.
Pirates were guarding every direction of the courtyard, and the very pirate who had betrayed the island happened to be stationed directly beneath the bedroom window.
"You are Wokley?!" Dyer Webb gasped, recognizing the man's face in the moonlight.
This pirate had once been a mafia member on this island! He had vanished without a trace years ago after defying Webb's orders, having supposedly been driven into the sea to drown!
Webb had assumed such a minor character had long been shark food.
Yet here he was, positioned at this critical spot, already swinging a cutlass at Webb's neck.
If not for the solid metal prosthetic on Webb's left arm, he would have been slashed wide open.
"Wokley, let me go! I will give you anything!" Dyer Webb begged desperately.
He knew the massive captain behind him would jump down any second.
If he could break away right now, his familiarity with the estate grounds would let him outpace them, reach the Marine base, gather his forces, and return for revenge.
"Heh, why didn't you show my family mercy back then?! This is just payback!" Wokley ignored Webb's offers, relentlessly hacking with his sword to block the Captain's escape.
"Rokushiki: Shigan!"
Dyer Webb suddenly raised his plump fleshy right hand and thrust his index finger forward with bullet-like speed.
Thud!
Wokley could not react in time.
Webb's hardened finger pierced straight through the pirate's shoulder, leaving a bloody, gaping hole.
Without a moment's hesitation after disabling Wokley, Webb immediately kicked off the air using Geppo, aiming to soar upward over the estate walls.
"Jyehahaha! Where do you think you are going, Navy dog?!"
Captain Ogden leaped down from the second-story roof.
His massive greatsword locked onto Dyer Webb's head as he swung downward with crushing force.
Feeling the lethal edge approaching from above, Webb had no choice but to abort his escape and defend himself.
"Rokushiki: Tekkai!"
Macdonald Ogden's heavy blade struck Webb's fleshy body.
A loud, metallic clang rang out through the courtyard, leaving Ogden astonished.
This fat man, who had supposedly been completely corrupted for ten years, still possessed such hardened combat prowess? Truly unbelievable!
Ogden and Webb separated after the clash, their eyes locked intently on each other's movements.
Dyer Webb took a deep, ragged breath and declared, "Pirate, I will give you everything in this estate. All the gold, all the food. Just let me go." He spoke grandly, as if nothing in the manor mattered to him anymore.
And in truth, the pirates couldn't actually plunder much here.
Most of his extorted treasures were hidden in an underground secret chamber that only Webb knew about, requiring both a complex code and a physical key to open.
The other items in the house were largely immovable, with only a few valuables left out in the open.
Hearing Webb's offer, Macdonald Ogden sneered. "Fatso, do you think I am easily fooled? Everyone knows a rat like you would hide your true treasures. If you leave alive, I could search this mansion for seven days and probably still not find them."
"Besides, you just want to return to your Marine base, gather your troops, and come back to finish me off. But sadly for you... your base fell even faster than you did!"
Dyer Webb's face changed dramatically upon hearing this. His only hope of survival had been pinned on those thousand-plus Marine soldiers.
Now, the pirate captain's cruel words shattered his delusion.
Even so, Dyer Webb had absolutely no intention of fighting these pirates to the death!
He had enjoyed a life of gluttonous pleasure for far too long, and he knew exactly how much stamina he had left.
He could only maintain this level of Rokushiki for a few more moves.
Any longer, and his physical inadequacy would be fatally exposed.
"Hmph. Pirates, you are quite formidable. We will settle this another day!" Having said this, Dyer Webb once again attempted to break through the encirclement.
"Stop him!" Macdonald Ogden shouted loudly.
The vice-captain and several other elite pirates immediately reinforced the surrounding circle.
The vice-captain stepped forward, forcing the nearly-escaping Webb back into the center with a vicious, sweeping sword slash.
Dyer Webb stared grimly at the vice-captain. "I am willing to pay a massive ransom for my life, as long as you let me leave."
Even at this critical moment, Webb still attempted to resolve the situation through bribery.
Macdonald Ogden sneered coldly, a cunning glint flashing in his eyes.
"If we capture you alive and break your legs, we can just as easily force you to reveal where your wealth is hidden!"
Clang!
Ogden gripped his greatsword with both hands and swung down directly at Webb's back.
But Webb, who had been watching the captain's movements from the corner of his eye, naturally used Tekkai to block the attack.
Sparks flew as a deeply pained expression flashed across Webb's face. The attack had successfully left a shallow, bleeding wound on his back.
Seeing this wound, Ogden's face revealed a triumphant smile. "I understand now. You cannot actually fight a protracted battle. You can only manage these few advanced moves before your fat body gives out, right?"
Ogden had finally realized why Webb, despite appearing highly capable, kept trying to escape rather than fight.
He only had the stamina for a few bursts of power.
"Rokushiki: Rankyaku!"
Dyer Webb's rotund body suddenly leaped up, his remarkably short, fat legs kicking repeatedly through the air.
Setting aside the comical visual, Webb's desperate attack was actually quite powerful.
Several sharp blades of compressed air shot toward the pirates.
Among the crew, only Captain Ogden stood his ground, gripping his sword to block, while everyone else dove out of the way.
Ogden immediately dashed forward, reappearing right in front of Dyer Webb, and swung his sword viciously at the Marine's head.
Clang!
Webb raised the metal prosthetic on his left arm, desperately blocking the heavy strike.
The two figures separated once more.
Ogden casually spun his longsword, while Webb's condition appeared quite dire.
The metal prosthetic that had just clashed with the sword was now completely destroyed, having been violently severed by the pirate's sharp blade.
Now, the Marine Captain had nothing left to block the pirates' heavy attacks.
Seeing this, Ogden's face twisted into a vicious, victorious grin.
The surrounding pirates raised their swords and slowly closed in.
They enjoyed watching the expressions of pure despair on their opponents' faces before death—it brought them great satisfaction.
Unnoticed by any of them, a thick, unnatural fog was drifting from the distance, slowly enveloping the entire estate courtyard.
"If you are going to kill someone, why waste so much breath talking?"
A cold, authoritative voice emerged from the thick fog, making the pirates—who had felt victory was completely assured—suddenly grow tense.
Macdonald Ogden warily scanned the misty surroundings and shouted toward the empty space.
"Friend! We were here first! How about we split the treasure fifty-fifty after we plunder it?"
Tap... tap... tap...
Commodore Momonga's crisp, dignified figure emerged from the thick fog, his hand resting casually on the hilt of his katana.
He gazed coldly at the group of pirates.
"I have no interest in cooperating with pirate scum."
Dyer Webb, who had thought he was about to die, instantly burst into pathetic tears upon seeing Momonga's figure.
He recognized the Commodore's face and was well aware of Momonga's capabilities.
No matter what happened, as long as Momonga helped him, Webb was certain he would survive this night.
"Commodore Momonga! Save me quickly! These pirates are going to kill me!" Webb sobbed.
Momonga cast a deeply disgusted glance at Dyer Webb before speaking.
"Indeed. But because these pirates were too slow to act... I have decided to take matters into my own hands."
"What do you mean?" Webb's relieved smile froze on his face.
Before the corrupt captain could speak again, the thick fog violently surged forward, instantly enveloping the entire battlefield.
"W-What is this?! My body won't obey me—!"
"Dammit, mine too!"
"AHHHHHHHH!"
After a series of bloody screams, Momonga expressionlessly waved his hand, dispersing the fog.
Now, only two figures remained standing in the courtyard: Dyer Webb and Macdonald Ogden.
At this moment, Ogden's long blade had been thrust directly through Dyer Webb's heart, while Dyer Webb's fat fingers had drilled a fatal Shigan hole straight through Ogden's skull.
They had killed each other.
After indifferently inspecting the bloody perfectly staged scene, Momonga transformed into mist once more and vanished into the night without a trace.
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