“Rest assured, it’s just a bunch of bandits.”
Aqua always appreciated such compliments—she never doubted her intelligence.
“Speaking of which, although our time together has been short, my intuition tells me that a cunning man like you wouldn’t just obediently repay the bandits’ debt, right?”
Aqua supported her fair chin with one hand, furrowing her brows in thought.
Aside from intelligence, it must be said that as a goddess, she was quite adept at reading people!
“Sly, huh? Didn’t expect you to be so good at praising others,” Icey nodded with a satisfied smile.
“Oh dear, do I look like I’m praising someone?” Aqua propped her forehead with her hand, looking very troubled.
Ignoring Aqua’s strange behavior, Icey opened the restaurant door and placed the villagers’ gifts inside.
Not because he was worried they’d be stolen from the doorstep but because he was afraid they’d be devoured by some clueless passerby with a name starting with “D.”
After locking the restaurant door again, Icey turned to Aqua and suddenly began discussing worldview:
“Aqua, although most of the pirate world is surrounded by the sea, there are some remote kingdoms like the desert country of Alabasta on the Grand Line that are extremely lacking in water resources, making it very difficult to buy with money.”
Aqua blinked her clear blue eyes, tilting her head with a puzzled expression.
Does this have anything to do with the bandit problem we discussed?
“In other words, water can also be used instead of money to repay the bandits’ debt.”
This was Icey’s first step with Aqua’s flood magic attack, washing away Higuma’s hideout and disrupting the entire bandit group’s morale.
Although he was strengthened in defense, facing Higuma, who had a bounty of eight million, alone might have a chance of winning. Still, the opponent had many hands and a complete bandit group with several sniper rifles.
Taking Aqua with him was too risky.
Icey considered himself a scoundrel-type protagonist, not the kind of brave warrior who clenches his fists and charges blindly.
In his plan, this step was supposed to be taken after the shipbuilding work was completed.
But there was no choice. Since the bandits dared to target Aqua without scruples, he had to get back at them!
No matter how much he despised her, Aqua was his partner, and he couldn’t allow anyone to bully her!
Icey’s eyes flickered as he glanced at Aqua; not wanting her to become too smug, he didn’t express his true thoughts.
“I see, now I understand completely,” Aqua nodded in sudden realization, with a self-loving tone, “Indeed, it’s a perfect plan that only this goddess can execute!”
This sudden enlightenment left Icey stunned.
“Do you really understand?”
Aqua impatiently waved her hand at his words, “Don’t underestimate me, Icey. How could I not understand such a simple truth!”
Was her brain damaged by those bandits, or rather, healed?
Icey was skeptical, watching the setting sun gradually descend, thinking that time was running out and temporarily choosing to believe Aqua’s nonsense without dwelling too much.
With their agreement reached, the two began heading towards Higuma’s bandit stronghold.
Many bandits roamed Windmill Village, but only the Dadan family and Higuma’s bandit group occupied fixed positions.
They occupied the north and south directions, respectively, one having ambiguous relations with the naval hero Cap and the other having numerous members and complete equipment, making them the area’s two most powerful bandit groups.
When Icey took a risk to borrow money from the bandits earlier, he had already visited Higuma’s hill once, so he was somewhat familiar with the densely overgrown mountain road, able to precisely avoid the dangerous areas where forest beasts lurked.
Although Aqua’s curiosity and arrogance caused quite a few minor troubles, they arrived safely at Higuma’s bandit stronghold.
Situated in a clearing surrounded by dense trees were several wooden houses built from sturdy wood, with thorny wooden stakes surrounding them.
At the narrow entrance, two bandits armed with long knives and flintlock guns stood guard, ensuring sudden naval or rival assaults wouldn’t attack them.
“Aqua, that’s Higuma’s den.”
Several dozen meters away from the bandit stronghold, Icey chewed on a piece of grass, introducing the basic situation of the bandit group to Aqua.
“Oh oh! Then let’s hurry up and go, the sooner we finish, the sooner we can go back. I still want to taste the wine Miss Makino gave us!”
Due to being chased by a strange bird halfway through, Aqua’s long hair was messy, with a few feathers sticking out, making her look messy.
As she spoke, she stood up from the bushes, patting off the dust and fallen leaves from her body, and walked confidently along the winding mountain road toward the bandit stronghold.
“What are you trying to do?!”
Icey, quick on the draw, quickly grabbed Aqua’s flailing hand, forcefully pulling her back.
“Of course, we’re following the plan. Didn’t we agree that I would go over and replenish their drinking water to repay the debt?”
Aqua blinked, looking at Icey with an unusual expression, and immediately understood the reason.
“If you’re really afraid, you can stay here. Don’t worry, leave it to me. After all, I’ve been eating your food all this time, so I should contribute some effort.”
Seeing Aqua’s confident appearance, Icey remained silent for a long time before finally sighing heavily.
“Aqua, I’m truly sorry.”
He stared intently into her intelligent eyes, saying earnestly, “It’s my fault for having expectations of you…”
Before Aqua, who looked bewildered, could respond, Icey suddenly grasped her cheeks with both hands and forcefully pulled her back into the bushes half a meter high.
“Don’t ask any questions. Just do as I say next.”
“Let’s hide here and not be found by anyone. Aim at the bandit stronghold directly, and use the water magic attack you were going to use at the restaurant!”
Aqua, confused, frowned unhappily, “Didn’t we agree that flower and bird scenes are my specialty? How could I casually perform for those vulgar and crude bandits?”
“Although they would surely be grateful after watching such a wonderful show and forgive the debt, due to the distance, they wouldn’t be able to see it.”
“…Are you an idiot? Are you really an idiot!”
With a black face, Icey couldn’t bear it anymore, reaching out to pinch Aqua’s cheeks on both sides.
“I’m talking about that attack magic that can summon floods!”
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