"captain Margret ! How about I handle these pirates for you- . But all the loot from pirate ship and his bounty money will be mine."
Silence fell upon deck.sailors froze and looked at ash as if he were an lunatic.
" It's not time for jokes ki-"
Before the merchant captain could finish his sentence ash was already moving towards the front deck of ship.
"Hey kid ! Listen -"
Captain Margret shouted in panic! But ash just waved him a lazy nonchalant wave of his hand facing the pirate ship.
Meanwhile on pirate ship-
" Ehahahaha- captain ! we are near the merchant ship ! "
A pirate shouted towards his captain while licking his lips and laughing like a maniac.
"Buckle up boys ! Loot everything from them.leave nothing ! Shahahahaha ! "
Their pirate captain 'Brandy thorn' Barked orders with same maniac energy as his crew.
"~Ooooohhhh~ "pirates cheered as they responded to their captain.
Battle-
Ash jumped on the pirate ship the first pirate lunged- his machete only met Air.
A flash of silver and he was down before his weapon even clattered to the floor.
Then came five more- Ash's feet barely moved,yet ! His blade danced-smooth,deliberate arcs slicing through the caos.
Each swing was clean,precise-a pirate fell with every move.
Blood splattered across the deck like crimson petals-
The sailors who before thought of Ash as an idiot and lunatic were now stunned.The merchant captain was awed! as shock was written upon their faces.No one knew that Ash was this strong.
" He's fast ! Circle him "
The pirate captain shouted-
A dozen pirates charged at once-cutlasses,spears and rusted guns flashing.
Ash paused and took a breath then muttered as the sea breeze carried his voice across the deck.
"Water Breathing - Tenth form : constant flux."
A water dragon formed at the katana edge he was holding-
Ash twisted his blade , using the flat side to deflect the bullets.sparks flew like fireflies!
He pivoted,slicing through pirates with constant strikes - fast and precise every arc of sword drew crimson lines as blood rushed out of pirates .A dozen men were cut in few seconds.
Then a pause-
The deck trembled as 'Brandy thorn' leapt down from upper deck ! Cracking the wood beneath his boots.
He towered over Ash - muscles bulging.
His giant club of iron glinted in sun rays.He gazed down on Ash with quiet intensity as he grumbled in a gruffy voice-
"You've got skills , Boy."
"But against me -" He paused as he pointed at the katana ash was holding " That tooth pick won't save ya "
Ash wiped his katana clean on a fallen pirate's sleeve and replied with calm voice filled with certainty -
" Then I'll just have to be faster then your giant ass club .... don't I ? "
A pause
Then they clashed- steel met steel.The sound roared across the sea.
Brandy swing the massive iron club,each strike shaking the ship ! But Ash's movements were fluid like flowing water-a deadly rhythm.
Sparks flew as katana met metal.Then Ash jumped back a little as he took a breath and then said in a low voice,smooth as the winds carried every sentence like an death penalty of pirate captain.
"Ninth form : splashing water flow "
In a single heartbeat- Ash vanished.
His silhouette blurring past Brandy's side-
A lone of crimson appeared across Brandy's chest.
The pirate captain froze,eyes wide -
" W-what..was .....that ...? "
Ash sheathed his sword and spoke in a deep smooth voice as the sea breeze kissed his sweat filled face -
" The sound of silence "
Brandy fell ! Crashing on deck with a thud that echoed like a thunder.
As the surviving pirates dropped their weapons, the sea finally stirred- A gentle breeze rippling across the Blood-stained deck.
Ash looked over the horizon,his expression cold, unreadable as he spoke-
"You chose the wrong tide to sail."
With that,he stepped back onto the merchant ship, the sailors cheered in Awe and respect.
Ash walked upto the merchant captain and said-
" As I said earlier- the pirate's loot and bounty is mine....please help me tie them upwith your mens."
He paused then said
" You can keep their rations as I have no need for them."
"Gahahahaha - Ash lad ! Don't worry. I'll take care of the rest- ye can go and rest up.But I must say .....I never thought a pretty guy like ye could reap lives like a Grim reaper. "
Margret laughed as he praised ash. Then he turned around and barked orders at his crew-
"Aye Boys ! Get to work ! Tie them up and loot all the valuables and supplies- don't let the kid do all yer work!"
The sailors moved with enthusiasm and began their work.
During evening the ship finally reached the harbour of shells town.
" Here ye ho kid.A total of 7 million berries were found on the pirate ship and there is the pirate captain Brandy's head in that small chest over the table-worth around 5 million berries.I must say kid ye are quite rich now ! "
The ship captain voiced his thoughts to Ash as he handed him the loot.
" Thankyou, captain Margret.Now if you'll excuse me I have a bounty to collect."
Ash said with a smile as he picked up the chest and loot with him and jumped down the merchant ship.
"Gahahahaha-" merchant captain laughed but said nothing and waved him off.
Evening time
Marine branch - shells town.
Ash placed the chest box one the table with a dull thud . As the branch head Axe morgans confirmed the identity of pirate captain Brandy.
" You are saying- you are the one to kill the pirate captain Brandy thorn with an bounty of 5illion berries and you also defeated his crew of 30 mens . All by yourself !?"
Morgans spoke in a disbelief filled voice-
Ash noded calmly his face indifferent as he spoke-
" You can confirm this with the merchant captain Margret . As I was sailing with him when the pirates attacked us. "
Hearing this Morgans sent a marine to confirm Ash's words-
Half an hour later.
~sigh~
Morgans sighed as he listened to the words of private marine he sent earlier for confirmation,then he turned towars ash and said in a gruffy voice.
"Alright,you said your name was Ashborn and you are an bounty hunter "
" Well not that it matters"
"Anyways we have confirmed the credibility of your words and identity of the pirate captain.wait a second I'll arrange the money."
With that he disappeared into the hallways.
Moments later: Ash walked out of the marine branch with a bag of 5 million berries and a bag of 7 million berries.
As he was walking he was interrupted by the sound of system notification
Ding
__________________________
System notification:
Congratulations host for defeating and winning your first real battle.
Reward: system storage space.
Space : unlimited.
___________________________
"Well...how convenient"
Ash mumbled to himself as a wide grin spread on his face-
" Now..I don't have to worry about carrying around these bags and supplies!"
With a flick of his hand the bags disappeared into thin air and with another flick they came back.
Ash grinned clearly impressed by the system.
"Mann....I really needed one of these "
"...hnmmm" Ash stretched his arms-
" I have 12 million berries right now -"
" Let's hunt pirates and loot them for a while~"
~yawn~
"Well... let's find a place to spend night and eat dinner . The rest can wait as I'll leave everything upto the future me !"
With that Ash disappeared into the bustling streets of shells town.
__________to be continued _______________