Chapter 26 - Vs Bandit and Cruel Reality

After understanding clearly what had happened in the village, anger surged in Coby's heart. These bastards dared to extort the village where he used to live.

Huft, Coby took a breath to calm himself down and quickly headed towards the location indicated by the villagers, where the bandits usually gathered.

After walking for a while in the direction pointed out by the villagers, Coby heard the distinctive laughter of anime villains. "Hahaha, let the trash in that village suffer. Today's haul was pretty good. How dare those trash hide some valuable treasures from us," one bandit said.

Upon hearing the laughter, Coby estimated that it was about 200 meters south from his current position. Coby could sense it through his Kenbunshoku Haki.

Coby continued walking south without concealing his presence. He didn't care if the bandits noticed his arrival. As he got closer, the bandits finally realized someone was approaching them. They immediately became alert, grabbing their swords and makeshift weapons.

Upon reaching the location, Coby saw the bandits he was looking for busy celebrating. Through his observations, Coby felt that they didn't look wealthy at all. Their faces, bodies, and clothing were like typical bandits, nothing special about them.

After observing for a while, Coby focused his attention on someone who seemed to be the leader of these scoundrels. "Oh, so you're the bastards who have been extorting the village all this time," Coby calmly remarked.

Upon hearing Coby's words, the bandits burst into laughter, seeing a seemingly arrogant kid in front of them.

"Hahahaha, foolish kid, drop your sword and get out of here, or I'll kill you," one bandit with a gold earring in his ear said.

Coby ignored what the bandit said. He drew his sword from its sheath because, in Coby's opinion, there was no need to waste time talking to these trash.

Quietly observing through his Kenbunshoku Haki, Coby noticed every small movement of the bandits. He saw that there were only twelve of them. With graceful movements, Coby swung his sword towards one bandit who arrogantly approached, considering Coby just a kid who had recently picked up a sword.

His speed and swordsmanship were so impressive that his movements were almost invisible to the naked eye.

In an instant, the first bandit was taken aback as Coby's sword struck with deadly precision. The sword swiftly injured the bandit's arm, causing immense pain. The bandit had no chance to respond to the attack.

Ignoring the bandit's cry, Coby swiftly moved his sword again, striking the bandit's body precisely and causing a major wound that made him fall.

The awakened bandits saw one of their comrades easily defeated by Coby and immediately became cautious.

Suddenly, an arrow flew quickly towards Coby. With his Kenbunshoku Haki already aware of the arrow, Coby tilted his body slightly to avoid it. While saying, "so slow," he looked at the bandit who had shot the arrow towards him with an indifferent expression, his eyes empty and calm.

(Imagine it like Luffy avoiding the beam attacks from the Pacifistas on Sabaody Island after the two-year timeskip.)

Seeing Coby being so arrogant and cocky, the bandit became angrier and tried to shoot arrows as quickly as possible at Coby. However, Coby remained calm and unaffected by the continuous arrow attacks. With his Kenbunshoku Haki and his body trained day and night for four years, he easily dodged every arrow coming his way.

When the bandits saw that their attacks had no effect on Coby, their anger reached its peak. Two bandits exchanged glances and decided to attack together. They rushed forward, wielding large wooden clubs.

Coby saw the two bandits approaching with clear intent to harm him. However, he remained calm and stood firmly. There was no fear or doubt within him. He recognized that this was the perfect moment to demonstrate his mastery of swordsmanship.

In an instant, Coby darted forward at lightning speed. His sword moved with incredible skill and precision. He thrust his sword towards one of the bandits, inflicting a deep wound that halted the bandit's attack before he could react.

Meanwhile, the other bandit attempted to attack from the side. However, Coby agilely evaded each strike with graceful movements. He combined speed and strength in every swing of his sword, delivering deadly counterattacks.

In the battle against these villains, Coby showed no mercy. He charged at both bandits with ferocity and extraordinary courage. His sword continued to move with astonishing speed, relentlessly slashing and injuring the bandits.

Blood poured from the wounds inflicted by Coby. The sound of sword strikes and cries of pain filled the air. Coby remained focused and unwavering in this fight. He didn't allow himself to be disturbed by anything. All that existed was a strong determination to defeat these bandits.

After a brutal and fierce battle, the two bandits lay on the ground, seriously wounded and helpless.

Upon seeing the bandits lying on the ground, Coby kicked the large club towards the archer who had been continuously harassing him, shocking him as he saw his two friends defeated by a small child. The club struck the archer's head accurately, causing him to instantly faint.

Coby didn't give the bandits any time to adapt after what had happened. He continued to advance, challenging the remaining seven standing bandits. In an instant, the fight heated up once again.

Coby moved at lightning speed, slashing and injuring the bandits with each swing of his sword. He utilized the superiority of his honed swordsmanship to defeat the bandits who attempted to fight back, but all in vain. No mercy was given, and there was no room for weakness.

As each member of the bandits fell one by one, only the remaining leader, armed with a sword, stood before Coby. He stood upright in front of the leader with a sharp and empty gaze.

"You won't get away so easily," Coby said calmly. "After what you've done to the villagers and the crimes you've committed, you deserve this end."

The bandit leader grinned while swinging his sword. "You will regret interfering in our affairs, little kid." There was a hint of panic in his voice after seeing all his members defeated.

Coby smiled. "You have to take responsibility for everything you've done. I will teach you a lesson you won't forget."

The battle between Coby and the bandit leader began. Their sword swings clashed with incredible strength and speed. They attacked each other with their respective abilities.

However, Coby showed absolute superiority in his swordsmanship. Each movement of his sword was filled with precision and devastating power. He evaded the leader's attacks with astonishing speed and agility, while his sword hit its mark with deadly accuracy.

Throughout the intense fight, Coby relied not only on his sword skills but also on reading the sword movements. By observing through his Kenbunshoku Haki, he anticipated every attack and found openings in his opponent's defense.

Finally, with a swift and lethal strike, Coby unleashed his finishing attack. His sword slashed with full force, the sword's energy penetrating the

bandit leader's defense and piercing directly into his body. The sword's energy cut a significant wound from the right shoulder to the left waist.

Coby stared at the bandit leader. "This is the end of your journey. May your wicked deeds serve as a warning to others."

In his glorious victory, Coby emerged triumphant in his battle against all the bandits with absolute superiority.

However, he did not celebrate the victory with excessive joy. To him, it was a responsibility as someone who possessed the power to overcome threats and protect the weak.

Coby bound all the defeated bandits. "It's better not to kill them. It's better to hand them over to the villagers. Let the villagers be the ones to pass judgment on those who have terrorized them," Coby thought.

Upon surveying the chaotic aftermath of the battle, Coby decided to take a moment to rest. He sat down while keeping a watchful eye on the unconscious bandits.

"In this first battle in this world, defeating bandits like this is an extraordinary victory," Coby thought, gently stroking the hilt of his sword. Sensing that all his struggles over the past four years had not been in vain, he smiled contentedly.

After a brief rest, Coby came across a wagon that the bandits had used to transport their loot. Seeing that it was still in decent condition, Coby decided to make use of it.

Coby lifted the bound bandits and brought them all back to the village to stand trial. After a while, Coby finally arrived at the village, which was still in disarray due to the bandits' actions.

When the villagers saw Coby approaching with a wagon carrying injured individuals, they felt curious and wondered who this child was. They continued to watch the figures on the wagon, and after a moment, they realized that they were the bandits who had been terrorizing their small village all this time.

The villagers looked towards Coby with a mix of disbelief and astonishment at what they saw before their eyes. They couldn't believe that someone as young as Coby had managed to defeat such terrifying bandits. However, they also felt happy and relieved that the threat that had haunted them had finally ended.

Coby looked at the villagers with a calm and understanding demeanor. He knew that they had suffered for far too long and deserved justice.

One of the village residents, an elderly man, approached Coby, paying no attention to the bandits lying around them. His eyes remained focused on Coby, observing carefully. Coby felt uneasy under the old man's gaze.

As soon as the old man noticed Coby's discomfort, he spoke up, "Young man, are you Coby, the child of Masaru and Yumi?"

Seeing Coby's hair color and eyes reminded the old man of the village residents who had perished in a pirate attack four years ago.

Upon hearing the names from the old man in front of him, Coby involuntarily felt a tremor in his body. With a trembling and hopeful voice, Coby asked, "Do you know them, sir?"

The old man nodded, "Yes, I know them, young man. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gyuro, the head of this village."

"Head of the village Gyuro, do you know my parents? Where are they now? Did they survive the pirate attack?" Coby asked in panic, seeking to know the fate of his parents.

Upon hearing Coby's questions and seeing the eager and anxious expression on his face, the head of the village Gyuro's heart felt bitter and sad. "Forgive me, Coby, but your parents did not survive that attack. They fought against the pirates to protect you, but when the Navy arrived at their home, they were already gone, Coby," the village head answered with a voice full of sadness.

Upon hearing the village head's response, Coby felt a momentary emptiness. In reality, he had already had a suspicion that his

parents hadn't survived the pirate attack. Vague memories of hiding in his parents' fish barrel crossed his mind. He could sense his parents' presence as they fought the pirates, but after that, only silence filled the room.

However, despite having had that suspicion, he didn't fully believe it, and there was still a glimmer of hope that they were still alive. But now, all those hopes and the realities of the world slapped him cruelly. What he had hoped and longed for all this time was nothing more than an illusion he created to convince himself, something he fabricated to comfort himself.

Seeing this harsh reality, Coby stood dazed for a while, his eyes unfocused.

Observing Coby on the verge of crumbling, the village head quickly spoke up, "Coby, your parents protected you with all their strength. You must be strong, Coby. They wouldn't want to see you sad and blaming yourself."

Upon hearing the village head Gyuro's words, Coby snapped back to reality. "Thank you, Gyuro-san. I'm okay," Coby said with a smile. Then he continued, "I'll leave these bandits in your care. I'll go to my parents' house first." Coby immediately left without paying attention to anything else.

Seeing Coby leave like that, the village head Gyuro wasn't angry at Coby's behavior. He realized that Coby needed time to calm himself and face this cruel reality. "I hope that child will be fine," Gyuro said to himself.

After gathering his focus once again, he looked at the bastards who had been terrorizing their village all this time. Firmly, he informed the villagers to bring these bandits to trial as soon as possible.

The villagers cheered with joy, feeling the freedom after the threat that had haunted their village for so long had been eliminated.