Bradrick saw that Bert had acted, and he also broke free from his ropes, laughing loudly, which immediately startled the Mayor and the security team.
"Captain, save me!"
"Boss, save me!"
"Boss, help us untie these ropes!"
...
The subordinates shouted loudly.
Vik said to the Mayor, "Uncle Andre, you all step back first; leave this to us. Getting too close might hurt you later."
After speaking, Vik walked towards Bradrick and stopped three meters away.
"Don't come any closer, or that little girl will die. I am 'Iron Fist' Bradrick, with a bounty of 5 million Berries. I've killed 55 people like you!" Bradrick shouted loudly.
He was all talk, fearless on the surface but terrified inside. He couldn't throw cannonballs with his bare hands, which was why he took a hostage.
His subordinates behind him were still shouting noisily.
Hearing about the bounty, Vik felt a little excited. He turned to Bert and asked with a chuckle, "Oh, then how much is your head worth?"
Andre and the others were a bit confused, wondering why he was asking such questions at a time like this, not understanding the gravity of the situation.
Seeing Vik's smile, Bert's legs felt a little wobbly, but he still said with a strong facade, "My bounty is 3 million Berries. Those who died by my hand... are no less than the Captain's."
"So, the two of you combined are worth 8 million Berries, how interesting," Vik said with a smile.
Then, with Killing Intent, he said, "Act."
The moment the shout rang out, Rebecca's sword was already unsheathed—fast, too fast to see clearly. Only a flash of light passed, and Bert's sword-wielding arm was already separated from his body.
It wasn't until the arm hit the ground and bounced twice that Bert's scream rang out, a miserable and piercing sound.
It all happened in an instant. Under Vik's pressure, Rebecca's sword was now extremely fast; if it wasn't fast, she couldn't block even one of Vik's attacks. So Rebecca had practiced her sword to be very fast, imperceptible to the naked eye.
Bert clutched his wound, rolling on the ground, having lost his combat ability. But how could such a wound be covered? Blood splattered, staining the ground red.
Except for Vik and Rebecca, everyone present had their mouths wide open, eyes bulging, looking utterly shocked. It was too fast! A bounty of 3 million Berries, and that's it? This was the treatment of a mere extra.
Vik smiled as he looked at Bradrick.
"You say your name is Iron Fist, huh? I wonder if a certain old man, if he knew about your title, would fly over and beat you to death. In the East Blue, to be called Iron Fist, hehehe."
...
In Marineford, in Sengoku's office, a certain old man who was snatching senbei sneezed and immediately looked at Sengoku, "Sengoku, you saw that, I'm a bit sick. Give me the senbei, I'll be fine after eating them, hahaha."
...
"Let's spar, 'Iron Fist' Bradrick. Let's see how powerful your iron fist is, hehe," Vik teased.
Looking at Vik's smile, Bradrick felt a chill run down his spine, regretting coming to this island. He slowly backed away, preparing to let his subordinates take the beating while he seized the opportunity to escape.
But before he could turn and take a step, Vik instantly appeared behind him, kicking him a dozen meters away, his face plowing a furrow in the dirt.
After kicking the man, Vik slowly strolled towards Bradrick, who was sprawled on the ground, dazed and shaking his head.
"Running is useless. You're not as fast as I am. To escape, you can only defeat me," Vik chuckled.
Bradrick staggered to his feet, his face covered in scraped blood. He steadied himself and looked at Vik, seeing the astonishing Killing Intent in Vik's eyes, and was filled with terror.
He shouted, "Don't kill me! I'll do anything you want, just don't kill me!!!"
"Boring!"
Vik had originally planned to finish him in a fight, but this way, making him kill someone who wasn't resisting, like slaughtering a pig, still made him a bit hesitant.
Vik had killed many wild beasts and fish since coming to this world, but he hadn't truly killed a person yet.
If he had encountered someone from the Claw Pirates this time, he definitely wouldn't have held back. Vik beat Bradrick into a pig's head, searched him, and then tied him up securely, as well as Bert, the one-armed man.
Vik didn't bother with the subsequent matters, staying on the dock with Rebecca. He knew Andre would handle the follow-up, and the bounty would be sent to them.
Before Vik left, Andre praised the two of them profusely, telling them to continue working hard to protect their home. Andre and the security team left, and Vik and Rebecca remained by the sea.
"Rebecca, what did I tell you? Always stay vigilant. Pirates are very despicable; they'll do anything," Vik said sternly. "Even if your strength is great, you can't relax your guard. Devil Fruit abilities are bizarre and unpredictable, making it hard to defend against them. One moment of relaxation could lead you astray."
"I know, it won't happen next time, hehe," Rebecca stuck out her tongue.
"Currently, our strength in the East Blue surpasses that of ordinary pirates. I estimate it's comparable to pirates with a bounty of around 15 million Berries. Beyond that are special races and Devil Fruit users," Vik analyzed.
"Your own strength is equivalent to about 8 million Berries, and there's still a lot of room for improvement. Don't underestimate pirates just because this group was weak. Most Devil Fruit users are beyond your ability to handle."
"We'll stay on this island for a few years, and once there's a Naval Base here, I'll take you out to sea for an adventure."
"Alright, we've agreed!" Rebecca was very excited and curious about the outside world.
Vik told Rebecca many things about the sea, all of which he learned from watching anime in his previous life. Of course, reality would certainly differ from anime; this was a complete world. From what he saw in newspapers, the common people were just leeks, waiting to be harvested by whoever came along.
A moment later, the cargo ship's Captain returned with his crew. Buck had arranged for someone to relay messages, so they received news of the pirates' defeat immediately and rushed back.
Captain Buck said to Vik very enthusiastically, "Vik, thank goodness for you! Otherwise, my ship and cargo would have been lost. You are truly powerful; you defeated a pirate crew all by yourself."
"Vik, come aboard our ship! I'll pay you handsomely," Captain Buck said sincerely.
"No, I'm still young, and the town can't do without us right now," Vik said calmly without thinking.
"I'm just here to tell you that your ship is perfectly fine; it's just that I used up all the cannonballs. You can get reimbursed for the cannonballs from the Mayor, and then restock in town."
"Oh, it's fine, no need for reimbursement. It's not much money; that's accounted for in the wear and tear costs. We'll buy more cannonballs after we unload the cargo."
"Alright, as you wish. Then we'll be going now; you all get busy." Vik said, then left with Rebecca.
With Vik around, Rebecca usually spoke and made decisions very little. The sword in her hand had changed her personality.
Seeing Vik and his group leave, Captain Buck shook his head with regret. If he could have gotten them on board, his safety would have been guaranteed, and he could have rested easy.
Vik and Rebecca returned to the forest and resumed their tedious and grueling training.
The next day, the cargo ship left. News of yesterday's pirate attack had spread, and everyone knew that Vik had single-handedly taken down a pirate crew.
On the street....
"Did you hear? Vik, the son of the former Mayor's secretary, Olens, he and Rebecca, just the two of them, defeated a pirate crew."
"I heard Vik did it alone."
"Vik sank the ship by throwing rocks."
"I heard he sank it by throwing cannonballs with his bare hands."
"No, he cut the ship in half with one slash, and that's how it sank."
...
The streets were bustling with talk about the pirates and Vik, and some also mentioned Rebecca and the security team.
In the following days, Vik and Rebecca became thoroughly famous. Everyone in town knew that the two of them were incredibly powerful and could protect the town from harm.
Townspeople met the two with great respect, their eyes filled with adoration, which made the pair a bit uncomfortable. They went out even less, burying themselves in their training.
