Gray's expression changed. He became cautious after hearing that Elder Haff was a pirate.
Seeing this, Elder Haff guessed that Gray must have had bad dealings with pirates before.
"But don't misunderstand, boy. I was a pirate before, but now, I am just an old man helping my friend with whatever I can."
Elder Haff looked Gray in the eyes and said seriously.
"Not all pirates are bad. Remember that, Gray."
Gray felt complicated. He knew deep down that there must be a good pirate, but because of his hatred against them, he automatically labeled them all as 'bad guys.'
Elder Haff knew that it may take a while for Gray to accept what he just said, so he just reassured him.
"Just know that I will not do something against you, boy. You're a friend of Ace; of course I will treat you right."
Gray's tensed expression slowly eased up. He took a deep breath and smiled.
"Yeah. It's not like I can do anything if you do something against me. I can't defeat you, can I?"
Hearing this, Elder Haff burst out laughing.
"You're funny, boy."
Gray shrugged his shoulders.
It was at this moment that someone knocked on the door.
"Young Master Ace has woken up, Elder Haff."
A girl's voice was heard outside.
"Oh. I'll go there right now."
Elder Haff looked at Gray.
"Rest well, boy. I'll visit Ace now."
Gray closed his eyes a bit to feel his body. Sensing that he felt no obvious pain anymore, he decided to go with Elder Haff.
Gray's room was the first room from the stairs located on the second floor. Ace's room, on the other hand, was at the very end, just beside the master's bedroom.
There is a maid standing just outside the door. Seeing them, the maid bowed slightly and opened the door.
The two of them walked in and saw Ace lying on the bed with his gaze on the window. He looked at them after hearing the door open and smiled.
"Hello, Uncle Haff. Welcome back."
Elder Haff smiled back.
"Hello, young Ace. How are you feeling?"
"Except for my legs, which are a little numb, I'm feeling well."
Ace raised both his arms to show that he was alright. He was surprised to see Gray standing behind Elder Haff, looking well.
"You're already feeling alright, Gray? I was sure you were more battered than me."
Ace said with an unbelieving tone.
"I'm feeling a lot better thanks to my power."
Gray smiled and moved his arms sideways.
"These bandages are restricting my movements, though; I should really remove them soon."
"Anyways, young Ace and Gray, were you two really just sparring? You both could've seriously injured yourselves."
Elder Haff butted in.
Ace and Gray's spar indeed doesn't look like a spar. It feels like they were seriously trying to take each other down.
"Luckily, Gray here had an incredible healing ability, and you, young Ace, only took minimal damage.'
Elder Haff said while shaking his head.
The two young men scratched their heads and smiled, trying to look innocent.
They did not talk to each other about their spar and acted as if nothing happened. However, they acknowledged the other's strength in their hearts and took it as a motivation to get stronger.
After checking on Ace and talking about small things, Gray went back to his room to continue resting.
A day passed, and Gray was completely healed, and Ace can now walk on his own. Left with nothing to do, they sparred again. But this time, they just sparred normally. They refrained from throwing heavy attacks and just practiced their fighting styles.
Grock, Ace's father, is still bedridden. His condition did not get worse, but it did not get better either. Elder Haff took his role and managed the house.
A few days passed, and there's only a week left before they leave to deliver the Power Fruits.
However, news about approaching pirates came. The town was in chaos. They were nervous, obviously. Most of the people in the town are normal humans, with no experience in fighting.
Pirates are considered one of the worst kinds of people in the world. They attacked towns, killed people, plundered goods, and did many more despicable deeds. Hearing the word 'pirate' would frighten most humans.
The Silverstone household tried to calm the people, but to no avail. Guards lined up at the shore of the island. Luckily, to go to the town, one would need to travel for a few kilometers.
The Silverstone Household is not big, and they only have a few people too, about twenty guards with Elder Haff commanding them. There's no power holder too except for him.
Their equipment is not that good either. Wearing only leather armor and leggings, with a short simple sword on the side.
The house needed to be guarded too, along with Grock. Hence, they're only left with ten guards, along with Elder Haff, Ace, and Gray.
Ace actually didn't want to drag Gray into this; however, they needed all the strength they could have. And Gray was happy to help.
"This news came suddenly, and Grock is not even able to fight. What great timing."
Elder Haff, in his long black robe, frowned.
"You too should be careful. I already contacted the palace, and luckily, they will send some navy soldiers soon. Fortunately, there are soldiers at the nearby island, but they will take about an hour to arrive."
Elder Haff looked at the pirated ship approaching.
"The pirates will arrive in 30 minutes; that means that we only need to hold them for another 30 minutes. And judging by the size of their ship, it seems they only have a few people on board, 20 at most."
Gray and Ace looked at the pirate ship too with serious expressions on their faces.
"Let's just hope that there will not be many power holders on board."
Elder Haff looked at Ace and Gray and spoke with seriousness and concern in his voice.
"Don't underestimate them. Some of them may not be power holders, but they would not hesitate to kill anyone."
"Yes, Elder Haff."
"Yes, Elder Haff."
Gray and Ace replied.
The three of them looked at the ship.
"And now, we wait."