Riddle's method was simple enough—he just dragged the Celestial Dragon's corpse over and tossed it into the sea.
"That little girl's got a ruthless streak." That was Riddle's first comment upon seeing the Celestial Dragon's body.
Because he could see the Celestial Dragon had been killed by a direct headshot. That wasn't something you'd expect from a first-time killer.
What he didn't know was that Taeyeon had fired that shot completely blindly. Hitting the head had been pure luck.
"Captain, what do we do now?"
By now everyone had finished eating and gathered on the deck. Yuristin asked Shirakawa, though his real question was what to do about Taeyeon.
After all, they were pirates. What kind of pirates sailed around with a kid on board?
"Find an island, find a good family, and entrust Taeyeon to them."
Shirakawa said, looking at Taeyeon, who was currently with Adara.
He'd thought long and hard about Taeyeon's future, but in the end, the plan he'd just mentioned was the most sensible option.
"No, I don't want to leave. I want to stay with you."
Just then, Taeyeon somehow overheard Shirakawa's words and immediately rejected his proposal.
"We're pirates. Being with us is extremely dangerous."
Shirakawa told his crew to give them some space—he wanted to talk to Taeyeon alone.
"I'm not afraid of danger. My father is already dead. I have no family left in this world. You're the only person I still know. Do you not want me either?"
At that last sentence, tears welled up in Taeyeon's bright, sparkling eyes again.
"It's not that I don't want you. It's just that following us is too dangerous."
Shirakawa reasoned patiently.
"I don't care. I want to stay with you, and I want to become as strong as you. I still have my revenge."
"Revenge? Haven't you already gotten your revenge? What more revenge is there?"
Shirakawa asked, puzzled. Hadn't she already killed her enemy with her own hands?
"I want revenge on all the Celestial Dragons. If they weren't Celestial Dragons, they wouldn't be able to run wild like this."
Now Shirakawa understood what Taeyeon meant. She had transferred her hatred onto every single Celestial Dragon.
"Even if you don't want me, I'll still find a way to take revenge on the Celestial Dragons."
Hearing this, Shirakawa was at a loss. He couldn't make Taeyeon let go of her hatred, and therefore had no way to stop her from seeking revenge.
"Fine then. I'll let you join my crew. But while you're on this ship, you have to follow my orders. Understood?"
"Understood, Captain."
Taeyeon said happily. Hearing her call him "Captain" made Shirakawa smile wryly.
"Captain, how did it go?"
Yuristin asked when he saw Shirakawa come out.
Shirakawa shook his head at the question, while Taeyeon shot Yuristin a triumphant grin.
Seeing the two of them like that, how could Yuristin not know what the outcome had been?
"Gather the crew. Since Taeyeon's joined our ship, we should at least let her get to know the other crew members."
"Fine." Yuristin sighed. With a kid on board now, he had a feeling the ship would never be as peaceful as before.
Not that it had ever been peaceful to begin with.
Once all the crew had been called over and they heard Shirakawa announce that Taeyeon was joining, every single one of them wore a baffled expression.
They'd had this suspicion since yesterday—they just hadn't expected it to actually come true.
"Now then, introduce yourselves so Taeyeon can get to know you."
"No need. I already know all their names." Taeyeon answered Shirakawa directly.
Back when she'd first learned Shirakawa's identity, she had gone and looked up every member of the Silver Pirate Crew in order to know him better.
Even Mor, who'd never been wanted, and William, who'd only just joined, were names Taeyeon had learned from Adara.
"Is that so? Well then, I guess we can skip the introductions. Get your things together and prepare to set sail."
"Yes, Captain." The crew scattered to handle departure preparations.
"Captain, can I go see my father?"
Taeyeon tugged at Shirakawa's pant leg and asked quietly.
"Of course. I'll take you. I buried your father myself."
Shirakawa had been about to add "don't cry when you get there," but he swallowed the words.
Facing the grave of your dearest family member—how could you possibly not cry?
Shirakawa picked Taeyeon up and flew toward the island, landing before Taeyeon's father's grave in no time.
The offerings the crew had brought over yesterday were already laid out in front of the grave.
"Father."
The moment she saw the grave, Taeyeon dropped to her knees. Tears poured down like rain, falling without restraint, even more violently than the crying fit she'd had that morning.
All Shirakawa could do in that moment was pat her shoulder comfortingly.
After all, at a time like this, any words of comfort were hollow and powerless.
"Father, don't worry. I will definitely avenge you, and the villagers too."
Shirakawa's original goal had simply been to sail the seas freely. He'd never intended to oppose the World Government or overthrow it.
But after witnessing what this Celestial Dragon had done, Shirakawa was truly filled with rage—and this was just one of many Celestial Dragons.
He didn't know exactly how many Celestial Dragons there were, but the number was definitely not small.
Even if not every single one of them was like this, if even twenty percent of them had this kind of nature, the world was a tragedy.
But was it even possible that only twenty percent were like this? After eight hundred years of pampered privilege, the Celestial Dragons' natures had become as rotten as they could possibly be.
It would be a miracle if twenty percent of them were normal.
"Captain, will you overturn this world with me?"
Shirakawa, who'd been spacing out, suddenly heard Taeyeon's words. Then he smiled.
"Of course. And not just me—everyone in the crew will stand with you."
"Thank you, Captain."
Hearing this, Taeyeon broke into a smile, one that Shirakawa could tell was genuinely from the heart.
"If you're going to raise hell, then I'll go crazy right alongside you."
Shirakawa thought to himself as he carried Taeyeon back to the ship. Gazing out at the distant sea, ambition swelled in his heart.
But overthrowing the World Government wasn't something that could happen right away. Their current strength was nowhere near enough, and Taeyeon intended to take part personally.
That would take several years at minimum—he'd have to help Taeyeon grow stronger first.
"Though I suppose my goal now is more or less the same as the Revolutionary Army's."
Shirakawa thought with a self-deprecating chuckle.
/-\
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