"Dad! I searched the entire back mountain, but I didn't find him. That bastard Raion has already run away!" Wei Erdan cried out from the edge of the battlefield.
The villagers, still locked in fierce combat, barely reacted. In truth, most of them had already expected this outcome.
Village Chief Farmer, however, felt utterly crushed. His heart was torn between anger, regret, and betrayal. He had trusted that boy—trusted him enough to place the village's hope on his shoulders. Now it turned out Raion had abandoned them at their most desperate moment. I was blind! I trusted the wrong person! Farmer's rage toward Raion burned so fiercely he could barely think straight.
But this wasn't the time for self-recrimination. Shouting toward Wei Erdan, Farmer bellowed, "Xiao Wei! Run! Run as far as you can! Don't come back!"
Tears filled Wei Erdan's eyes as she choked out, "Then… father, what about you?"
Farmer straightened his shoulders and barked, "Don't worry about me! A father's duty is to protect his daughter. Now run!"
Crying, Wei Erdan turned and fled…
Anderson, locked in combat with Miller, heard every word. There was no way he would let the beautiful girl he'd coveted for so long slip through his fingers.
"Go!" Anderson barked to two nearby pirates. "Bring that girl back to me—or I'll kill you myself!"
The pirates immediately broke off from the fight and sprinted in Wei Erdan's direction.
Meanwhile, Miller was still clashing with Anderson.
"Six Styles—Finger Gun!"
Miller thrust forward with his finger like a bullet, but Anderson sidestepped with frightening ease, dodging the blow.
"Six Styles—Tempest Kick!"
Miller spun and unleashed a slicing wind kick, but again, Anderson moved like a phantom, avoiding the attack entirely.
This speed… Miller's heart sank. Anderson was far too fast.
Anderson sneered, "It's been a year, and your strength hasn't improved one bit."
With that, Anderson's hands morphed into razor-sharp jackal claws, slashing toward Miller's chest. Unable to evade, Miller's torso was ripped into bloody crisscrossing lines.
Jackal claws?!
That's right—Anderson, captain of the "Wolf Pirate Group," carried a bounty of 10 million Baileys and was a Devil Fruit user, having eaten the Canine Fruit (Jackal Form).
A year ago, when the Wolf Pirates first invaded, Miller and Anderson had fought to a draw. Back then, their strengths were almost evenly matched, with Anderson holding only a slight advantage.
But over the past year, Miller had grown complacent—his fame as the village "guardian" had made him arrogant, and he'd dulled his edge with alcohol. Anderson, on the other hand, had been expanding his territory and fighting other pirate crews, steadily sharpening his skills.
Now, the gap between them was like night and day.
"Six Styles—Iron Body!"
Miller hardened his muscles to resist Anderson's next blow, but Anderson's strength tore through his defense. The punch sent Miller staggering backward, coughing up blood.
"'Iron Body'? Pathetic. You're weaker than ever, Miller," Anderson scoffed in his half-beast form.
Anderson's expression darkened. "You dared to block me from chasing Wei Erdan. I'll make you suffer for that!"
He slashed Miller again and again with his jackal claws, each strike cutting deep into flesh. Miller howled in pain.
By the third strike, Miller broke. "An—Anderson! Please! Spare me!"
Anderson grinned, his eyes shining with cruel delight. "Ahahaha! So much for the mighty 'Guardian.' You're nothing but a weakling!"
Nearby villagers froze at Miller's words. They couldn't believe what they were hearing.
Their Guardian… begging Anderson for mercy? Calling him 'sir'?
The shock rippled through them like a knife.
But what came next was even worse.
"Master Anderson," Miller groaned, "if you let me live, I'll do anything for you!"
Anderson's grin widened. "Anything? Even turning against these peasants?"
Miller hesitated for only a moment before nodding. "This… this is no problem."
Farmer, still fighting with all his might, overheard everything. Cutting down a pirate in rage, he shouted, "Miller! Do you even know what you're saying?!"
Farmer wanted to believe Miller wouldn't betray them, but the truth was undeniable.
"Shut up!" Miller roared. "I've had enough of you looking down on me all day. I'm the one who protects this village! I'm the savior here!"
"Savior, my ass!" Farmer spat. "Look at yourself now! You dare call yourself a guardian?"
Nearby villagers cried out in outrage.
"Miller! I never thought you were this kind of man!"
"We trusted you!"
"You're worse than the pirates—you're a beast!"
Miller's expression twisted into a dark, hateful scowl. "Beast? Fine! I'll show you what a beast looks like!"
He turned on the villagers, attacking with his Six Styles techniques. Three villagers went down instantly.
Miller had surrendered completely to fear and power, becoming nothing more than Anderson's pawn—a traitor to the very people he'd once vowed to protect.
The sight of their so-called "Guardian" turning on them shattered the villagers' morale. Many felt that all hope was lost.
Anderson, amused and emboldened, didn't forget about Wei Erdan. He knew a fifteen-year-old girl with no combat skills wouldn't get far. In his mind, both the girl and the village were already his.
Sure enough, within minutes, the two pirates returned, dragging Wei Erdan back.
Seeing her, Anderson's eyes lit up with lust. "Little beauty, you can't escape from me."
Wei Erdan's face turned pale. She felt like a lamb thrown into a tiger's den.
"Bastard! Let go of my daughter!" Farmer roared in fury.
Just as the pirates were about to force Wei Erdan onto the ship, two sharp projectiles whistled through the air, striking both pirates dead on the spot.