The islanders' eyes momentarily gleamed with a violent crimson hue.
But in the blink of an eye, they returned to normal.
"Turns out it's a friendly Navy brother!"
"Come, come—welcome, welcome!"
Lacus quickly shed his earlier grim expression and cheerfully greeted Bai Yu and his group.
Without offering any explanation, the islanders pulled Bai Yu and the others into the village nestled deep within Agas Island.
Due to Agas Island's isolation from the rest of the world, the village's architecture was noticeably outdated—rough stone buildings with wooden thatched roofs, much like the simpler regions of East Blue.
As soon as they arrived, the villagers enthusiastically built a bonfire in the center of the village square to celebrate Bai Yu and the navy's arrival.
Almost instantly, a spread of roasted lamb, grilled meats, and fresh tropical fruits was served one after another.
To top it off, some locals uncorked bottles of a potent spirit unique to Agas Island—its scent was enough to singe the nose hairs of even the most seasoned pirate.
"No need, I can handle myself."
Caught off guard by such a warm welcome, Bai Yu felt slightly uneasy.
He waved his hand politely, signaling that there was no need to go overboard.
Glancing around, Bai Yu noticed the navy soldiers he brought along had already given in to the villagers' enthusiasm and begun feasting.
However, none of them touched the alcohol.
Even amid the tempting aromas, the troops maintained discipline—after all, with an official mission at hand, no one would dare indulge without Bai Yu's express permission.
After the meal, the islanders even offered lodging within their homes.
Bai Yu was given the largest room in the village—a sign of high respect.
Inside that room, only Bai Yu, Maya, and Lacus were present.
"Lacus," Maya started sharply, "Where are the navy men who barged in before?"
She referred to Saga's group—the unit that had stolen the sealed holy sword.
"They didn't harm the villagers after that..." Lacus answered after a moment, choosing his words carefully. "They ran off into the forest depths. I suspect they've left the island."
Bai Yu frowned.
Saga had taken the holy sword whose power was sealed.
If Saga had fallen under the sword's influence, why would he leave Agas Island?
Bai Yu knew well—the only way to break the seal and awaken the sword's true power was at the altar located on the island.
The claim that Saga had simply left didn't sit right with him.
More importantly, Bai Yu's system mission still hadn't updated.
That meant the situation was far from resolved.
Something was off.
Combined with the earlier transformation in the villagers' eyes, suspicion began to cloud Bai Yu's thoughts.
Even so, he didn't expose anything just yet. He wanted to see how this played out.
"That's unlikely," Maya said grimly. "The navy commander has already been corrupted by the sword's will."
"There's no way he'd leave Agas Island on his own."
She had reached the same conclusion but didn't doubt Lacus outright like Bai Yu did.
"They must still be hiding somewhere nearby," she continued, her tone growing tense. "We need to locate them as soon as possible."
Maya's eyes narrowed.
Tomorrow night would be the full moon.
She had to reinforce the sword's seal before then.
"It's already sunset," Lacus said, his expression briefly flickering. "Entering the forest now could be dangerous."
"How about this? At first light, I'll lead the villagers and your navy brothers to conduct a full search together."
Bai Yu watched Lacus closely as he volunteered.
There was a strange glint in his eyes.
"That might be our only option," Maya agreed, before turning to Bai Yu. "What do you think?"
"We'll do it your way," Bai Yu replied calmly after a pause.
With his current strength, Bai Yu was confident he could handle the sword—sealed or not.
There was no need to risk his soldiers' lives by sending them blindly into an unfamiliar forest at night.
"Then it's settled," Maya nodded. "At dawn, we move to retrieve the holy sword."
The meeting adjourned.
Maya and Lacus returned to their respective lodgings.
With nothing else pressing, Bai Yu decided to rest early for once.
Late that night—when sleep's grip was deepest and energy was lowest—
Creak...
The door to Bai Yu's room slowly opened.
Two shadowy figures slipped inside, moving silently.
Bathed in the faint moonlight from the window, they approached Bai Yu's bed, eyeing the bulging covers.
They exchanged a knowing glance.
In unison, they drew shining machetes from behind their backs.
Without hesitation, they raised their blades—
Slash! Slash!
The machetes sliced down in unison.
Yet… there was no blood.
Only the muffled thump of steel cutting through bedding.
Startled, they tore back the quilt—
Only to find the bed empty.
Bai Yu was gone.
"Where is he?!"
"I don't know! Check the next room!"
They whispered anxiously.
The two assassins quickly retreated, exiting the room in a rush.
At the same time—
In Maya's quarters, the window creaked open.
A shadowy figure jumped inside with feline grace.
Without delay, the intruder pulled out a thick hemp rope—easily as wide as a man's wrist—and tied it into a deadly noose.
He inched toward the bed.
The rope was aimed for Maya's neck.
Just as he was about to strike—
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
A cold voice rang out from the corner of the room.
The shadow froze.
Startled, he spun around.
There, leaning casually against the wall, bathed in silver moonlight—
Stood Bai Yu.
"Damn it!" the intruder hissed.
His mission compromised, he gritted his teeth and lunged anyway, trying to loop the noose around Maya's sleeping neck.
Bai Yu sighed.
With regret in his voice, he raised a finger and pointed at the attacker's thigh.
"Shigan Hō – Draw!"
Fwoosh!
With a sharp crack, an air bullet exploded from his fingertip—one of the Six Powers' techniques, Shigan, taken to long-range application.
Instead of close-contact stabbing, this technique used compressed air bullets shot from afar—akin to the deadly precision of a flintlock pistol.
Bang!
The air bullet punched clean through the intruder's thigh.
Blood spurted.
"Aaaagh!"
The man screamed, crumpling to the floor in agony.
The noose fell limp in his hands as he writhed, clutching at the gory wound.
His shrieks jolted Maya awake.
"Huh?! What's—Bai Yu?"
Still groggy, Maya blinked.
She looked from the fallen attacker to Bai Yu in the corner, then down at the rope coiled at her neck.
Her face turned pale.
In that instant, she understood everything.
The island wasn't safe.
And Agas had far more secrets than they'd been told.