After interrogating the pirate duo, Tom and Jerry, Eust learned a lot about the Black Bear Pirates. Deciding to spare the cooperative pair, he set off to confront Black Bear and his crew on the island.
Eust sympathized with Tom and Jerry’s situation. They had joined the Black Bear Pirates with dreams of adventure but soon realized the harsh reality of a real pirate crew. Despite their decent skills, they didn’t agree with Captain Black Bear’s brutal methods.
Their first battle was the massacre of a family on Hertz Island, which they participated in but refused to follow Black Bear’s order to kill everyone. As a result, they were assigned to guard the ship, a clear message from Black Bear.
Tom and Jerry were contemplating leaving the crew, aware it would mean being hunted by the Black Bear Pirates. Their conversation with Eust gave them hope that he could defeat their captain, and they saw a chance to escape the crew.
Initially answering Eust’s questions to save their lives, they later did so to break free from the Black Bear Pirates.
Reflecting on Tom and Jerry’s story, Eust noted the varied perceptions of pirates in this world. He had previously marveled at how island residents interacted with pirates, and this was another example.
Setting aside his musings, Eust and Sunny left the Black Bear Pirates’ ship to find and deal with the remaining crew, especially Captain Black Bear.
Eust had initially planned to annihilate the entire crew, but after meeting Tom and Jerry, he decided that sparing them while eliminating the rest still constituted a “complete annihilation.”
Sometimes, defeating a pirate captain effectively destroyed the crew, and Eust was fine with that.
Eust and Sunny quickly found the other Black Bear Pirates on Field Island.
Tom and Jerry had revealed that the Black Bear Pirates were there to loot the island, unlike previous stops where they only resupplied.
Under Captain Bill Bravan’s leadership, the Black Bear Pirates targeted wealthy islands they could easily plunder, ignoring those they couldn’t.
Field Island fit Captain Black Bear’s criteria, so the crew was busy looting while Black Bear and a few others drank leisurely.
Eust saw no need for pleasantries and launched a direct attack on Captain Black Bear. Pirates who crossed his path met swift ends as Eust sliced through them effortlessly.
By the time Eust reached Captain Black Bear, he had cut down nine pirates, stunning the captain and his remaining men.
The ordinary pirates were shocked, and even Captain Black Bear looked serious.
Captain Black Bear resembled an actual bear, leading Eust to suspect he had eaten the Bear-Bear Fruit, but information indicated otherwise. His appearance was natural, earning him his name.
Eust confronted Captain Black Bear, who stood up and grabbed his weapon—a long sword similar to Eust’s Tiger Sword. Eust even speculated that Captain Black Bear might have bought his weapon from the same Fox Weapon Chain Store.
Both were swordsmen, setting the stage for a swordsman’s duel.
Eust couldn’t help but introduce his Tiger Sword with a bit of flair, but Captain Black Bear charged without a word, sword drawn.
Eust swiftly sheathed his Tiger Sword, intending to use his Iaijutsu to test his skills against Captain Black Bear, a pirate with a 1,000,000 Berry bounty.
Swordsmen duels are often unpredictable.
With a single Iaijutsu strike, Eust ended Captain Black Bear’s life. By the time Eust sheathed his sword, the duel was over.
There was no time to assess Captain Black Bear’s true strength. In a duel, one wrong move could be fatal, and reality was harsh.
As Captain Black Bear fell, the remaining Black Bear Pirates were stunned. How could their formidable captain lose to a kid in one strike? It seemed impossible.
Eust took a moment to savor the feeling of his Iaijutsu before remembering he had more to do.
He then chased down the remaining pirates, dispatching them swiftly. It took a few strikes to bring down each one.
Three pirates launched a suicide attack, which Eust easily countered. Six others tried to flee, but their uncoordinated escape made it easy for Eust to catch and kill them.
The island residents, still in shock, had yet to process what had happened.
Eust returned to Captain Black Bear’s body, taking his sword as a trophy, causing more commotion among the residents.
Eventually, an elder organized the crowd, calming things down. Eust’s sudden attack on the pirates without explanation left the residents confused, fearing he was a maniac.
Eust reassured them, saying islanders who frequently face pirate attacks understand life and death well. He felt his actions were justified and planned to explain everything shortly.
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