Clack—!
Clack—!
Clack—!
Leather shoes striking the deck made a somewhat hollow sound.
Finally, with a "clack," Steel Ares stopped beside Kong Tai.
He was a Marine. The justice he stood for and years of experience supported him to reach this point, to stand beside Kong Tai, not behind him.
With his strength, even when facing an opponent he could not defeat, he would not allow himself to retreat or feel fear.
He looked at the burly man kneeling before him, his gaze resting on the countless scars on the man's back, a trace of sadness flashing in his eyes.
Some things... the Marines.
Were powerless.
Although he...
No...
As Marines, they all hated that damned slave system.
But...
That thing was the highest authority in this world, established by the Celestial Dragons.
Let alone him, even the entire Marine force could do nothing about it.
Because the authority of the Marines ultimately stemmed from the Celestial Dragons.
Without the World Government, the Marines wouldn't even exist.
The unparalleled military expenditure could easily crush any force.
So...
For the sake of world peace and stability, even if the high command of the Marines, even the Fleet Admiral, all hated that damned slave system, they sometimes had to turn a blind eye.
Sometimes, even when tragedy unfolded before their eyes, they had to selectively ignore it.
Because the consequence of not ignoring it would be expulsion from the Marines.
Once out of the Marines, they would be even less able to uphold their justice.
Most people in this world were ordinary people, and the Marines were no exception. They lacked the talent to grow into powerhouses.
So, most people who wanted to realize their justice could only join the Marines, relying on the Marine's vast fleet, advanced warships, and firearms to maintain peace on the seas.
Steel Ares withdrew his gaze and turned to Kong Tai, asking sternly, "Silver Hair, even if that foolish prince fired at you, or if this slave is in front of you, it shouldn't warrant such great anger!"
Having been at sea for so long, he didn't believe Kong Tai hadn't witnessed darker things than what was on the bow of the ship.
Moreover, Kong Tai had saved Bass a few months ago.
Bass's nation had been destroyed, and the tragedies there must have been far greater!
Not only did he not know, but even Ah Hua, the other two, and Indigo didn't know why Kong Tai was so angry.
Only Kuina vaguely sensed the countless desperate auras beneath the deck.
Although she sensed it, seeing that Kong Tai didn't immediately go down, she suppressed her urgency and waited here.
"Just looking at him."
Kong Tai didn't turn to look at Steel Ares. His gaze was fixed on the burly man from beginning to end.
And the burly man kept staring at Kong Tai.
"You recognize me?"
Before the burly man could answer, Kong Tai squatted down, looking at the chains on the man's limbs, a hint of contemplation in his eyes.
He felt infinite light from this burly man's heart.
This was a man who, though in the abyss, still believed in light.
"I don't know what you are expecting, nor what you are waiting for."
Kong Tai looked up at the burly man's eyes, nebulae swirling in his pupils, and a red light flashed, as if trying to see through the man's numb eyes into the depths of his heart.
"Ka..."
"Ka..."
"Kari..."
Just then, a hoarse, intermittent sound came from the burly man's throat.
The sound was not like normal human speech, but rather as if it came from hell, filled with gloom.
It was only then that Kong Tai noticed that the burly man's tongue was gone, and he was forcing the sound out by rubbing his throat.
"Kari, are you waiting for Kari?"
Kong Tai looked into the burly man's eyes, a trace of sadness flashing within them.
The burly man nodded, the numbness in his eyes disappearing, and he stared at Kong Tai with expectation.
"Save... save..."
"Don't worry!"
Kong Tai interrupted the burly man, "If you want to save Kari, let's save you first!"
He was unsure if the Kari the burly man mentioned was on this ship, or if she was still alive.
Kong Tai lowered his head and looked at the chains on the burly man's limbs. The chains were wrapped around his hands and feet, pulling them taut.
This was why the burly man had been lying on the ground all along.
He couldn't stand up.
The burly man looked at Kong Tai, a hint of gratitude in his eyes.
His only wish now was to see Kari. If not for this wish supporting him, he would have committed suicide long ago.
He had noticed Kong Tai the moment he appeared.
He recognized Kong Tai. Months ago, when he was the guard of his hometown, he had seen news about Kong Tai.
When his town was all reduced to slaves by that cruel king, on the pretext of harboring a fugitive, he often thought of Kong Tai.
He also hoped that someone would come to save them, to save Gamma Island, to save him, and to save his daughter, "Kari," just as Bass had been saved.
Perhaps it was the light he had always longed for in his heart that touched fate.
Just as he was about to fall into complete despair, he met someone who could save him and his daughter.
...
Kong Tai reached out, grabbed a chain, and squeezed.
Crackle—!
With a grating, ear-piercing sound, he easily snapped the chain.
"Stand up!"
Kong Tai stood up and looked at the burly man who had stood up.
Clang—!
He quickly drew his sword.
Swish—!
Everyone saw a flash of light, and the buckles on the burly man's wrists and ankles broke off cleanly.
With a few clangs, the broken chains hit the deck.
The burly man snapped back to reality, moved his limbs, and a flicker of excitement appeared on his face.
"Finally, I'm free."
No one knew what it felt like to be forced to crawl on their knees like a dog for over a month.
He knew.
So he was genuinely excited for this moment, for this hard-won freedom. But after the excitement came deep worry.
Ever since his wife had died, his daughter had become his only family in this world.
He quickly stopped moving, turned to face Kong Tai, and bowed his head.
Kong Tai looked at the burly man and reached out to help him up. "Don't worry. As long as Kari is on this ship, no one can harm her right now."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on the burly man's neck, and he reached out to touch it, but the burly man recoiled and dodged.
The burly man looked up at Kong Tai, touching the collar around his neck, and shook his head.
"It... it will..."
"Explode."
At this moment, Steel Ares said beside Kong Tai, "This is a slave collar specially designed by craftsmen from the New World for nobles to prevent slaves from escaping."
He looked at the collar on the burly man's neck and said grimly, "The collar contains a small bomb. If too much force is applied or it is squeezed, it will explode instantly. Therefore, it can only be opened with a key. Any other means would be a suicide attempt."
The burly man looked at Kong Tai and nodded. This was what he had wanted to say.
"Don't worry."
Kong Tai looked into the burly man's eyes. "Trust me."
Did he not know what was around the burly man's neck?
Let alone that he had already mastered Ryuo, even without mastering it, he could still remove this thing.