"Too weak, too weak!"
On the deck, amidst the enthusiastic cheers and encouragement from the crowd, Reiner once again easily sent his opponent flying.
For him, whose strength far exceeded that of ordinary people, dealing with these mediocre fighters was effortless.
"Are there any stronger opponents?"
Brandishing his massive fists and thumping them heavily against his chest, Reiner let out a roar like a victorious gorilla.
Scanning the surrounding sailors and seeing that no one dared to step forward to accept the challenge, a contemptuous sneer appeared on his fleshy face.
"If no one dares to challenge me, the captain's position and the dragon egg will all be mine!"
"Don't be too arrogant, Rainer!"
At this moment, Chris, who had been sent flying, struggled to crawl up from the ground and retorted with a face full of indignation.
"The real experts haven't stepped up yet."
Just as he finished speaking, the bustling crowd unexpectedly parted to form a path; looking through it, a slender man with a ponytail was leaning against the mast, calmly drinking wine with a sheathed longsword in his arms.
The intense battle just now didn't seem to catch his attention at all.
Not until everyone cast expectant gazes at him did the Ponytailed Man seem to realize, looking at the crowd somewhat blankly.
"Don't look at me; I have no interest in the captain's position or the dragon egg."
Yawning listlessly, the man took another sip of strong liquor, completely unmoved by the expectant gazes of the crowd, only casting a nonchalant look at Rainer.
"I'm only interested in true experts; this savage gorilla's meager strength isn't worth my time."
"What did you say!"
The incredibly contemptuous words sent Rainer into an instant rage, the veins on both sides of his temples bulging as he pushed through the crowd toward the man.
"How dare you look down on me, you damn bastard!"
Rainer cursed as he walked up to the man, raising his massive fist to smash it down heavily.
"Hey, big guy."
Just then, a crisp voice rang out in the arena; the man, whose longsword had already been slightly unsheathed, looked behind Rainer in surprise and then slid the sword back into its scabbard.
"How about I be your opponent?"
Hearing the movement behind him, Rainer's raised fist froze in mid-air, and he turned around angrily.
A thin figure stood in the arena, grey-white hair fluttering in the wind, purple eyes filled with a playful expression.
"I wondered who it was; so it's you, the kid who just joined the ship."
Looking at Jaina's figure, which was barely taller than a minor, Rainer let out a disdainful chuckle, not considering her an opponent at all.
"If you have nothing to do, go to the bow and observe the weather; don't cause trouble here."
Saying this, he was about to turn back and attack the Ponytailed Man.
"What, Lord Laina Cross, so eager to become captain, doesn't even have the courage to accept a challenge?"
Faced with Reiner's contempt, Jaina, holding her longsword, spoke out to provoke him again.
Facing her ignorant and arrogant words, the sailors all cast pitying glances.
"fuck, you brat."
Finally provoked to anger, Reiner had to lower his fist again and walk back toward the arena.
"Your name is Daelin, right?"
"Since you're in such a hurry to die, I'll grant your wish!"
As he walked, a sinister smile appeared on Reiner's face, leaving no doubt that his methods would be exceptionally cruel.
The Ponytailed Man, who seemed to have escaped an ordeal, just watched everything calmly with no intention of intervening, because he sensed an unusual aura of danger from Jaina.
"Brat, I'm going to crush every bone in your body!"
Walking to the center of the deck and looking at Jaina, who still watched him with contempt, Reiner cracked his knuckles one by one.
"Can you only talk big, 'Captain'?"
Holding her scabbard and pointing the hilt at him, Jaina mocked him again with a proud expression.
"The!"
Not wanting to waste more words, Reiner charged straight ahead like a running grizzly bear, his steps thumping heavily on the hard deck as he rushed toward Jaina.
To everyone's surprise, just when they thought the thin kid would be sent flying by the impact, her figure flashed to the side like a ghost, dodging the terrifying collision.
Simultaneously, she hooked her foot behind Reiner's knee; the beast-like body flew high into the air and then slammed heavily onto the deck, the massive impact making everyone's ears ring.
"A reckless charge can't hit a moving target."
Easily taking Reiner down, Jaina assumed the same posture as the Ponytailed Man, calmly hugging her sword to her chest and speaking like a master instructing a disciple.
"Damn it!"
Slamming his fists onto the deck, the fall hadn't actually caused Reiner any harm, though his head was a bit dizzy.
Struggling to get up from the deck, he rushed to Jaina's front, his fists swinging wildly like raindrops.
"Too slow! Too slow!"
Under Reiner's tempestuous assault, Jaina's figure was like a butterfly flitting through flowers; no matter how dense the punches or how powerful the attacks, they couldn't touch even a corner of her clothes.
Just as Reiner was losing patience and his strength was beginning to wane, his vision blurred, and her figure instantly vanished from his sight.
Immediately after, a sharp pain shot up from his calf, and Reiner fell to his knees uncontrollably; by the time he reacted, Jaina's half-unsheathed sword was already resting quietly against his carotid artery.
"You lost, Laina Cross."
A crisp voice came from behind; Reiner turned his head in disbelief, looking at the indifferent, handsome youth, unable to understand how he had lost to such a small person.
"No!"
"I didn't lose!"
He roared unwillingly; the captain's position and the priceless dragon egg, which were almost within reach, had been snatched away by this kid who appeared out of nowhere.
"I wasn't using a weapon just now."
"You have a sharp sword in your hand; it's not fair to me!"
With a roll of his eyes, Rainer began searching for excuses for his defeat.
"Fine, you have a point."
Calmly sheathing her sword, Jaina could easily see through his little scheme.
To make Rainer fully accept his defeat, she decided to give him another chance.
"Go get your weapon; I don't want people saying I won unfairly."
Unexpectedly, Jaina was actually stupid enough to let him go; a glint of cunning, uncharacteristic of his appearance, flashed in the gorilla-like giant's eyes as he scrambled out of the crowd.
But the moment he ran out, his massive figure flew back even faster, slamming heavily in front of Jaina.
"How embarrassing, Rainer."
The man with the long ponytail walked into the crowd step by step, holding his longsword; though he was lecturing Rainer, his eyes were fixed excitedly on Jaina.
Looking at Rainer, he had already collapsed on the ground, foaming at the mouth and unconscious, apparently having been struck in a vital spot by the man.
"I'm terribly sorry, Daelin Proudmoore."
The man's black ponytail swayed rhythmically with his steps; a terrifying horizontal scar across the bridge of his nose looked increasingly sinister as a smile began to surface.
"This should be your name; I took a moment to ask Barbossa."
"I'm so sorry for letting such a boring character disturb you."
Cracking his neck twice, he drew his longsword with a "shring," pointing it with one hand at Jaina, who still stood straight, as the fiery Battle Intent in his eyes began to rise.
"Next, I shall be your opponent!"
...Just as all the crew members of the great challenge were drawn to the upcoming duel between experts.
No one noticed that on the distant sea, a pitch-black fleet was silently approaching them.
The lead ship had only one mast and black sails, its dark red hull looking as if it were perpetually coated in foul-smelling blood.
At the bow, a man with a pale face and black hair and beard stood behind the iron maiden figurehead, gazing intently at the fleet in the distance, which appeared only as several small black dots.
He was handsome and tall, but his left eye was covered by an eyepatch, which slightly marred his appearance.
At this time, a lookout hurried from the deck to the man's side, skillfully communicating with him in sign language.
('Captain Crows Eye, ahead is the Braavos fleet, led by the great challenge!')
(Very good, Lars.)
The black-haired man responded with sign language just as skillfully.
On his ship, the serene, were mutes from all over the world; they couldn't speak and could only communicate with each other through sign language, which was how the serene got its name.
(Increase speed, close in on them!)
"Ga!!!!"
Raising the scimitar in his hand high, the lookout let out a sharp cry from his throat, instantly catching the attention of all the sailors on board.
Once everyone's attention was on him, the lookout climbed to the highest point and began signaling rapidly with his hands.
(Signal with flags, notify all ships to approach the other side at full speed!)
(We want the people of Braavos and the Nine Free Cities to know that Captain Euron Greyjoy, Crows Eye, is the King of the Narrow Sea!)
"Ga!!!!"
On the incredibly quiet serene, sharp and piercing cheers suddenly erupted; the mute sailors, eyes red, raised their weapons high above their heads, anticipating the coming slaughter.
Watching the crew descend into madness, Euron Greyjoy narrowed his remaining eye and murmured:
"the great challenge, claimed to never be plundered, and the strongest captain of the Narrow Sea—Blackbeard Barbossa."
"I'll see for myself whether you truly live up to your reputation!"
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