The pirate was just about to pull the trigger, but before he could, an invisible bullet pierced through the air and directly struck his wrist.
"Aaah!"
With a scream of agony, the pirate recoiled as if shocked by electricity. Blood splattered in all directions, and the pistol in his hand was flung up into the air.
The spinning pistol landed on the ground, only to be casually kicked aside by a black leather shoe.
The terrified Ulti turned her head, only to see a young man stepping forward, his back facing the sun, walking towards them through the light.
She was stunned, staring blankly at the newcomer.
Ian retracted his right hand and glanced at the young girl lying on the ground, along with the young boy not far from her. He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
That was really close.
Just a bit later, and the Beasts Pirates would have lost two of their future Tobiroppo members.
I have to say, the pirates on Beehive Island are surprisingly friendly.
After Ian asked a few questions and released a little bit of Conqueror's Haki as a sign of goodwill, a pirate actually answered him.
They told Ian about Ulti and her brother's recent activities and the areas they frequented.
Ian rushed over right away. Along the way, he had a few more "friendly conversations" with some other pirates, which eventually led him here.
It seems I arrived just in time, like cutting it close to a rescue deadline.
But, is this some kind of butterfly effect?
If I had been a bit later, Ulti would've died.
Yet, in the original story, this stubborn-headed girl was perfectly fine.
No, wait.
Ian quickly thought of a more reasonable explanation.
The reason is, if I weren't here, someone else would have come instead. Without detours, they would've definitely arrived even faster, right?
Thinking this, Ian couldn't help but glance at Yamato.
If I hadn't made it in time and caused these two siblings to die, this girl would've been the one to bear the most responsibility.
Yamato, of course, was completely unaware of this thought. She was merely curiously observing the siblings lying on the ground.
The sister's hair was divided into thick blue strands and thin pink ones, giving her a very unique appearance. Her eyes were large and round, and at this moment, she was staring blankly at Ian.
The brother, like his sister, wore a mask. However, he also had on a hat that almost completely covered his features.
Both siblings, like Yamato and Black Maria, had a pair of horns growing from their foreheads.
"Ian, is it really them?" Yamato asked.
"It should be," Ian replied as he stepped forward. "You're Joseph's children, right? We're friends of your father. He sent us to bring you back. Come with us."
Ulti's eyes widened even further.
She knew!
Before her father died, he held her hand and told her that he had entrusted his friends to take care of them!
Was this handsome big brother the one who had come to take them in?
"You brat! I don't care who you are! These two kids must die!"
The pirate, clutching his injured wrist, roared in fury, "No one can stop me! I said it!"
"Everyone, get them! Kill them all!"
The other pirates rushed toward Ian.
"Big brother, be careful!"
Ulti instinctively called out to him.
After all, big brother had saved her just a moment ago.
Ian simply raised his right hand, extending his index finger.
With a gentle motion, his right index finger lightly tapped the air.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
A series of soft sounds followed.
The pirates immediately fell to the ground.
Each of their chests now bore a wound at the center, as if they had been shot by bullets.
"I told you, it's not nice for adults to bully children."
He was a child himself, after all—only thirteen years old this year.
"Finger Pistol!"
Jack exclaimed in admiration, "As expected of Big Brother Ian! Its power is much stronger than a real firearm!"
"This—this—"
The pirate clutching his wrist turned pale, "Who exactly are you—ah!"
He hadn't noticed that behind him, the little girl he had just knocked down had already gotten up. She picked up a pirate's curved sword that had fallen to the side and stabbed him in the lower back from behind.
"You little brat—!"
The pirate, in pain, spun around and flung Ulti away. But before he could do anything else, Ulti had picked up the firearm that Ian had kicked away earlier.
"Die!"
She fired.
With a loud bang, a blood hole appeared on the pirate's forehead, and he slumped to the ground.
Ha—ha—ha—
Ulti was a bit shaken, breathing heavily as she held the gun with stiffened hands, her eyes fixed on the pirate lying on the ground.
It wasn't until she confirmed he was dead that a jubilant smile broke across the girl's face.
"Wow ah ah!!"
The boys leading the way finally reacted, screaming in panic as they rolled and crawled away in a desperate attempt to escape.
"Everyone, die!"
Ulti charged forward with a sword in one hand and a gun in the other.
Bang! Bang!
Two shots fired, and swoosh! Swoosh! Two swift strikes silenced the noisy boys instantly.
"Haha!"
After taking down all the enemies, Ulti couldn't help but burst into joyful laughter.
Anyone who wanted to harm her or Page One had to die!
Ian couldn't help but smirk.
She was only seven years old. Should he say that she truly resembled Kaido's daughter more than Yamato in the original story?
This is the innate attribute of the Beasts Pirates, fully charged with a bloodthirsty attribute.
"Haha, she's so interesting!"
Yamato commented with a cheerful smile.
Fortunately, compared to the bloodthirsty ones, our Yamato holds her own as well.
"So,"
Black Maria said with a grin, "you must be the ones we've been looking for, right?"
"Joseph," Ulti sniffed, her big eyes squinting slightly due to her drooping brows. "That's my dad's name. He asked a friend to take care of me and Pay-tan."
"Then it's definitely you guys."
Ian pretended to just believe her, "Alright, let's go back with us."
"Okay!"
The little girl nodded happily, hoisting her weak brother onto her back. Finally, they were safe!
She looked at Ian and blinked, "What's your name, big brother? I'm Ulti!" She shook her brother gently, "This is Pay-tan, Page One!"
"I'm Ian."
Ian introduced himself and then patted Yamato on the shoulder. "This is Yamato, and behind her are Black Maria and Jack."
"I'm Yamato!"
Yamato cheerfully repeated her name.
"I'm Black Maria, little Ulti."
Maria seemed to really like Ulti, beaming at her.
Jack, as usual, remained aloof, quietly standing in place, silently playing the expert.
"Ian?"
The little girl murmured, then looked up with a bright smile and shouted, " Big brother Ian!"
Ian raised an eyebrow.
Ian, big brother?
This is a whole new experience.
"And me, and me!"
Yamato shamelessly leaned over, pointing to her own face. "I'm big sister Yamato!"
She had never been called sister before.
Ulti pouted.
Big brother Ian is our savior! Who are you?
Huh?
Yamato blinked.
What did I do wrong to make you so disrespectful? Not even willing to call me sister?
"In any case," Ian clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention. "Let's head back."
"You want to just go back like this?"
A cold voice interrupted him abruptly.
Ian turned to see the tall, slender man he had encountered earlier standing against the wall.
The man looked down at Ian and the others, speaking as if to himself, "I believe I made it very clear earlier. Boss Ochoku doesn't want you causing trouble here."
"So, kid, can you tell me what you were just doing?"
Ian glanced at the scattered corpses and then surveyed the strangely silent pirates around him.
He raised his head to look at the man, who resembled a stick insect. "It was just self-defense."
"Wherever you are, you must abide by the local rules. Even a child knows that."
The stick insect gracefully leapt down from the wall, floating like a willow leaf. "Even being a member of Beasts Pirates doesn't give you an excuse to violate Boss Ochoku's rules."
Ian loosened the button on his collar. "So, what are you trying to say?"
"For disobedient kids, they need to learn their lesson."
**********
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