Galzburg Kingdom, Kriss Town.
Douglas Barrett, dressed in plain black clothes, walked the streets. It was a rare day off, and he was heading to his favorite dessert shop.
Ever since he was betrayed by his companions at the age of eight and narrowly escaped death, Barrett had shut himself off, no longer trusting anyone.
He only believed in his own strength, living only to pursue his own power. Only in the process of becoming stronger did he find a sliver of solace.
Constantly fighting on the battlefield, the loneliness in his heart and the lingering desire tormented the twelve-year-old boy.
It made the already taciturn Barrett even colder. The unbearable torment in his heart could only be slightly alleviated by eating sweets.
In the dessert shop, Barrett, having ordered his dessert, found a seat by the window.
He sat on the chair, gazing out the window. When the dessert arrived, he politely nodded to the waitress and, with a blank expression, picked up his spoon.
He savored each bite slowly. The silky chocolate and sweet cream filled his mouth, stimulating his taste buds.
His closed-off heart and suppressed nerves seemed to find an opening through the sweet taste, and a trace of pleasure arose in his mind.
In the quiet dessert shop, the fan spun gently. A trace of pleasure from the sweetness filling his mouth.
Barrett, sitting there, relaxed a bit, and the coldness on his face softened.
It wasn't until some time later that the cries from outside shattered the peace. Barrett's expression returned to its former unapproachable demeanor.
He calmly finished the last bite of cake and walked out of the shop.
He headed towards the noisy tavern not far ahead. He had just heard the shop employees mention the word "pirates"...
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Outside the distant tavern, several figures groaned on the ground. It was the owner and employees of the tavern.
Inside the tavern, the Wheel Pirates were in disarray.
They were frantically searching for anything edible in the shop, completely losing their composure, stuffing food into their mouths from left to right.
As if he were choking, the captain of the Wheel Pirates, Puz Skree, grabbed a wine barrel and took a large gulp.
After drinking, he put down the barrel and sighed with relief, shouting to the people around him:
"Hurry, hurry! Eat up and then grab anything valuable!"
"Otherwise, those hounds will catch up again."
A pirate subordinate, while eating, mumbled indistinctly:
"They won't catch up so quickly, Captain."
"Maybe those marines died in yesterday's storm."
Seeing his foolish subordinate, Skree was furious. He grabbed the empty barrel he had just finished and threw it.
The subordinate who had spoken out was immediately hit on the head, bleeding. At the same time, Skree roared:
"Are you the captain or am I the captain!"
"Stop the nonsense!"
The many subordinates shivered at the sight of the unlucky fellow:
"Yes!!!"
A few sharp-eyed subordinates immediately put down their wine and meat and ran to the counter to search.
Skree nodded in satisfaction. If all his subordinates were like this, he wouldn't have to worry so much.
At this moment, Barrett, dressed in plain black, pushed the door open and walked in.
He looked at everyone with a cold expression and said:
"Who allowed you to run rampant in this country."
A group of unruly pirate subordinates were about to attack:
"Who is this kid?"
"Do you want to die?"
"Why bother with so much?"
"Cut him down!"
But Skree raised his hand to stop them:
"Stop."
Skree could feel an extraordinary aura from Barrett, a ... from the army.
Uncertain of Barrett's background, the cautious Skree thought for a few seconds.
He had his subordinates put down the looted goods and stared at Barrett.
Barrett, however, stood still, still looking at them with a blank expression. Skree's expression darkened:
"Attack!"
Without any hesitation, Skree gave the order, and his subordinates swung their swords at Barrett.
Barrett, expressionless, dodged the first attacker by sidestepping. As the pirate's sword, out of control, swung down towards the ground,
Barrett grabbed his wrist and squeezed with his left hand. With a crack, the bones in the wrist were crushed.
The pirate's sword slipped from his hand, and Barrett caught it with his right hand.
Then, with a strong kick, he sent the pirate flying towards the several people rushing from the left. He then turned and charged to the right.
Clang!
The sound of swords clashing echoed. The pirate who blocked Barrett's sword felt an uncontrollable immense force press down the moment they made contact.
A look of horror flashed in his eyes. The merciless sword, under Barrett's immense strength,
was directly slashed downwards, splitting the man in two.
The sudden scene startled the few pirates behind him. Before they could react,
Barrett's sword mercilessly swung towards them. A torrent of sword strikes in a short moment.
The few men in front of him erupted in blood like fountains.
Squelch!
The sound of sword entering flesh was heard, and the heads of several men flew into the sky.
The entire tavern fell silent. The pirates who had been thrown aside earlier looked relieved.
From behind the bar, seeing this, Skree did not hesitate. He transformed into a giant wheel and charged at Barrett.
Seeing the giant wheel rushing towards him, Barrett frowned and dodged.
The moment Barrett dodged, Skree transformed back into human form.
He tightly gripped Barrett's shoulder with his left hand, and his right hand transformed into a circular wheel resembling a chainsaw.
Hiss—!
The sound of rapid rotation pierced the air, pressing fiercely towards Barrett's neck.
Barrett suddenly crouched and rammed his head into Skree's stomach, breaking through the wall behind them and flying out onto the street.
Skree's chainsaw missed Barrett's neck, but as they flew backward, it fiercely pressed into Barrett's back.
The moment they hit the street, Barrett seized the opportunity to break free from Skree's left hand. His back was already bloody and mangled.
Yet, he still stared at Skree opposite him with a blank expression.
Skree smiled cruelly. Soldiers, sometimes they are the easiest to deal with... He transformed into a giant wheel and charged towards Barrett and the people behind him.
Barrett frowned and was about to dodge when he suddenly stopped.
He instantly understood what the pirate opposite him wanted to do.
A fierce glint flashed in Barrett's eyes. The moment the giant wheel rushed towards him, he swung his right fist fiercely to the left.
Bang!
The giant wheel was knocked askew, but more than half of it still hit Barrett, dragging him towards the houses behind him.
Boom!
With a loud crash, Barrett, dragged by the giant wheel, crashed through the house, which collapsed.
Barrett, lying in the ruins, coughed lightly, a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. He then rolled over.
He dodged Skree's attack and saw the pirate transforming into a giant wheel and charging again. Barrett raised his sword.
With the blade facing upwards, he neither dodged nor blocked. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes as he thrust the sword directly at the rolling wheel. Barrett was gambling.
Just as it was about to hit Barrett, the giant wheel turned sharply and charged to the side, transforming back into human form.
Skree's expression was grim. Damn it... how did this brat know?
Because the wheel was formed from his body, if the sword pierced the wheel, he would have to shed his skin if he didn't die at such high speed.
Skree, with a gloomy expression, stared intently at Barrett.
Swish!
At this moment, a whistling sound broke the air. Skree's face changed drastically. Without thinking, he transformed into a giant wheel and fled outwards.
The moment he left, a finger-sized pit appeared where he had been standing.
Boom!
Then, with a loud crash, the giant wheel was sent flying back, smashing not far from Barrett.
Barrett's pupils contracted. Such power...
Then, three figures in Marine uniforms appeared and walked towards Skree.
Skree, still filled with terror, transformed into a giant wheel and charged towards Barrett's rear left.
Suddenly, the sound of a wine bottle shattering echoed from behind Barrett.
Barrett turned his head and saw a little girl's figure.
The ground was scattered with spilled wine and broken bottle fragments. She stared, stunned, at the charging giant wheel.
Without hesitation, Barrett's blood-covered body erupted with astonishing speed, even faster than the giant wheel.
He half-crouched, shielding the little girl.
Boom!
A loud bang. As the shockwave dissipated, Barrett looked up and saw a Marine Captain blocking his path.
Skree's still warm body lay on the ground. The Marine Captain in front of him turned his head to look at Barrett:
"Well done, young man."
Barrett looked up at the tall figure in front of him, somewhat bewildered. He muttered as if to himself:
"Why?"
Carol looked confused:
"Hmm?"
Barrett's gaze firmed as he looked at the Marine Captain:
"Why did you save me."
Carol smiled:
"Because protecting this sea and the people of the world is the responsibility our Marines bear."
Barrett was stunned and remained rooted to the spot for a long time, unable to recover.
The ice that had long frozen his heart began to melt, and the faint desire deep within him could no longer be suppressed.
"So I can be protected too..."