At the very top of the town, the grand mansion blazed with light—brighter than the rest of the town combined. It loomed like a noble's castle from the medieval era, gazing down upon the streets below with silent authority.
Sage made his way there unhindered. No one dared block his path until he reached the gates of the estate, where a battalion of guards finally stepped in.
There were over a hundred of them. And the moment they saw pirates approaching, they didn't waste breath on questions—they charged.
And then…
There was no "then."
Sage didn't even lift a finger.
Lili stepped forward, unsheathing her rapier with a whisper of steel. Her body moved like a dancing serpent, and her blade flashed like cold starlight. Two passes through the crowd, and a third of them were already down.
Ajin barreled in right behind her, his iron club sweeping in wide arcs. Each swing landed with devastating weight, flattening clusters at once—another third, gone.
The last group?
Palu and the remaining pirates took care of them without breaking a sweat.
In moments, the courtyard was littered with fallen bodies.
Sage stepped over them casually, barely glancing down. He clicked his tongue.
— "Ten, twenty thousand Berries a month… and this is what you risk your life for?"
Boom!
Ajin spun his iron club one last time and brought it crashing down onto the massive front doors. The thick wood splintered open, and with a snarl of excitement, the pirates poured inside, ready to plunder.
— "Tch."
Sage stepped across the threshold—and stopped. Even he couldn't hide his surprise.
The entire interior gleamed. Gold foil coated the walls, the sconces glowed like polished treasure, plush carpets stretched across the floors, and the rich aroma of aged wood filled the air. Even the wine on the table looked expensive.
He picked up a bottle of red, poured himself a glass, held it up.
— "Even the damn goblets are encrusted with gems? You've got some nerve."
— "Mercy! Please!"
A round, trembling man was dragged out by a group of pirates. He collapsed to his knees before Sage, sobbing, his face as pale as lard.
— "I'm the mayor! I have money—lots of it! Just don't kill me!"
Sage swirled his wine lazily, then took a sip.
— "Of course you've got money. Relax. We're not here to murder. We're here for profit."
He gave the mayor a sideways glance and added:
— "So, dear Mayor… I'm sure you don't want my crew to turn this place upside down. Why don't you just tell us where the treasure's hidden? Saves everyone the trouble."
He paused—then smiled, cold.
— "However…"
Lili rested her rapier gently against the man's throat. The blade bit into the thick layer of fat, drawing a thin trickle of blood.
— "Eeek!!"
The mayor let out a squeal and scrambled back, trembling.
Sage raised his glass in her direction with approval.
— "Lie to me… and if we find hidden stashes? That won't end well for you."
The warning struck deep. The mayor's pride and secrets collapsed instantly. Not that he had much of a choice—these pirates were ruthless. They were already ripping decorative clocks off the walls, prying into the floorboards, and chipping away at gold leaf in search of secret compartments.
To save his mansion from total destruction, the mayor had no choice but to confess everything.
Gold bars. Coins. Gems. Piles of Berries. Expensive wines. Rare ingredients from the kitchen. All of it was dragged out and heaped into a glorious, gleaming pile. There was so much treasure that even Sage blinked at the sight.
— "Captain, that's everything I own…" the mayor said with a trembling laugh, wringing his hands together.
Sage narrowed his eyes.
— "Just a small-town mayor… and this is your wealth? You got some secret business pipeline?"
The man gave a nervous chuckle, clearly embarrassed.
— "No, Captain… I just… I have the power to collect taxes, that's all."
He held up his thumb and forefinger, leaving only a sliver of space between them.
— "I just… collected a little bit more than usual."
Lili's eyes turned cold. Her rapier trembled slightly, itching to finish what she'd started.
Sage clenched his teeth.
— "You really do deserve to die."
He drained the rest of his wine and, not forgetting the gem-encrusted goblet, tucked it away before heading for the exit.
Lili hesitated—then let out a breath. She returned the blade to its sheath and followed him.
Sage glanced over his shoulder, surprised.
— "Huh. Thought for sure you were gonna skewer him. What changed?"
She didn't look at him—just kept walking, her voice quiet but firm.
— "There's no point. Kill this mayor, they'll just elect another one. And nothing will change."
Her gaze swept over the quiet town below.
— "Real change has to come from them. People have to wake up themselves. Only then… will things ever truly change."
Sage flashed a rare grin.
— "Damn right."
— "Captain! Warship spotted!"
One of the pirates, peering through a spyglass, shouted from the lookout.
Sage cursed under his breath.
— "Persistent bastards! Move it, boys—we're heading back to the Black Sails!"
The pirates moved quickly, carrying their loot and laughter with them.
Back in the mansion, the mayor collapsed onto the floor, wailing.
— "My money! My money!!"
Everything he'd hoarded, scraped together through years of greed, was gone. Not overnight—in minutes.
— "Damn pirates! Filthy thieves! You'll get what's coming to you!"
He pounded the floor in fury… and then suddenly stopped.
A flicker of hope twisted across his face.
— "It's fine… it's fine. I'll just raise taxes again. They won't dare oppose me. Just a little more… I'll earn it all back in no time."
— "That won't do."
A voice whispered in his ear.
The mayor whipped around—only to see a group of young men stepping into the room. One of them kicked him down effortlessly and pulled a dagger from his belt.
— "Wh-What are you doing?!"
— "Do you remember my father?" the young man growled. "He died in a storm because your taxes left us with nothing. He had to go fishing in a typhoon just to try and pay you."
He crouched, blade inches from the mayor's sweating forehead.
— "I wanted revenge for so long. But you had too many guards. There was never a chance."
— "You can't kill me! I'm the mayor! Do you want to throw your life away?!"
The boy's voice was ice.
— "Who's to say? Pirates were here. You died in the chaos… sounds believable, doesn't it?"
Shk!
The blade slid into the mayor's throat and twisted hard. His eyes bulged. He reached for the young man's arm—but it was too late.
The others joined in. One by one, they drove their knives into him.
The mayor's bloated body twitched… then stilled.
— "Bocha… what do we do now?" one of the youths asked, wiping sweat from his brow.
The one who struck first stood tall, his voice resolute.
— "We set sail. We'll become pirates."
He looked around at the group—his brothers.
— "Next time a mayor like him rises… we'll return. And we'll cut them down, just like those pirates did."
— "I'm in, Bocha!"
— "Me too!"
— "We're orphans anyway… let's go together."
But one of them hesitated.
— "But… we don't have a ship. Or money."
— "Yes we do!"
One of them stooped and picked something off the ground. It glittered in the light.
A gold bar.
— "The pirates left us something behind. We've got what we need."