Martial Arts Worlds

The passengers were shuddering. They were wearing very thin gowns and pajamas. If it continued like this, they might freeze to death.

"It's cold; can't we go inside?" One of the passengers asked.

"Shut up!" A pirate kicked the passenger in the face and silenced everyone who had questions in the back of their minds.

Faelan waited patiently with his foot tapping against the deck, but then a couple of the pirates returned to the deck, shaking their heads.

"Sigh…" Faelan looked at the two young men and said, "Final chance. Where the hell is the money?"

The two young men didn't say a word.

"Alright then…" Faelan grinned. "Well, once we're back at the Pirate Kingdom, Count Sander himself will be able to tell whether you two are lying or not."

"P-Pirate Kingdom?" The passengers paled. "Please don't take us. We're not worth anything, please!"

"Silence!" Faelan screamed. "Your old lives end here. The faster you understand that, the easier your new lives will be."

The passengers started shaking from other than the cold. It was fear. The cold tears rolled down their faces.

"Well, this is one way to get to the Pirate Kingdom." Julian said with a scoff. "Kiernan, it looks like you're in for a longer adventure."

"I would've preferred to avoid that place." Kiernan said with narrowed eyes. "I guess it can't be helped."

The pirates then pushed the crying passengers to the pirate ship. A couple of pirates stayed with the passenger vessel.

They were also taking the passenger vessel to the Pirate Kingdom in case the money was somewhere hidden in the ship.

They were going to search every nook and cranny when they were back in the Pirate Kingdom. If they still hadn't found the money, they would sink the ship to avoid any proof of the kidnapping.

The outside world might just think that they were attacked by the sea monsters and sunk to the bottom of the sea. It was better for the pirates if they thought that.

Everyone was taken to the pirate ship's brig, where they were locked inside.

The dawning realization of their situation came crashing down. The weak-willed passengers didn't do anything except cry their sorrows away.

The captain and the sailors were sitting silently in the corner, their eyes blank as they were daydreaming about their families.

Some of them were thinking about their wives and children, whom they might never meet again.

"What the hell were they talking about to you two?" A middle-aged passenger shouted to the two young men. "Are you two the reason why they attacked us?!"

A few other passengers turned to look at the two young men, looks of suspicion on their faces.

"Are you stupid?" Julian asked with a frown. "It is obvious that these pirates are slave traders. I don't know why they asked about money, but they're certainly not here for us!"

"We're not stupid!" The angry passenger shouted. "Why did you anger him? Are you happy now that we've all become slaves?!"

"I don't bother to talk to morons." Julian leaned back and closed his eyes. "I'll be taking a nap. I suggest you do the same."

"You fucker!" The angry passenger wanted to rip through the shackles restraining him. "You're lucky that I am bound!"

"Yaaaawn!" Julian let out a long yawn and placed his head on Kiernan's shoulder. "Be my pillow, Kiernan."

Kiernan pushed his head away and said, "No way."

The angry passenger's face turned red. He hated to see the two young men act so casually. It made him almost pop a vein.

They were the youngest of everyone here, and one would think that they would be most afraid, but they acted like they were on a holiday!

"By the way, captain, can we get a refund on the trip?" Julian asked with a grin.

"…" The captain wasn't in the mood to talk as he kept thinking about his family.

'They might think I was attacked by the sea monsters.' He sighed. 'Maybe that is better. If they find out I was taken as a slave, they might do something reckless to save me.'n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I am so sleepy…" Julian lay down on top of Kiernan's legs. "This is better."

"Fuck off." Kiernan kneed him in the back of the head, but he didn't flinch and just closed his eyes.

"Sigh."

"By the way…" Julian looked towards Kiernan's right arm. "Since when did you have a tattoo? I don't remember you having one. When we were sparring, I should've seen it!"

"What do you mean?" Kiernan raised an eyebrow. "I always had the tattoo."

"Have you?" Julian frowned. "I don't remember you having one."

"You missed it, it seems like." Kiernan shrugged his shoulders.

"What do those words mean on your finger?" Julian asked, squinting at the small characters.

"Iron, Valor, and Mortality."

"Why did you choose those three words?" Julian asked.

"Well, Iron is my style—Iron Style." Kiernan said. "And Valor and Mortality represent the core values I live by."

"Mortality? Why Mortality?"

"…" Kiernan let out a deep sigh. "There was a moment in my life that I thought I was immortal. I became reckless, almost suicidal. I thought nothing could kill me, but then I almost did, so yeah…

"I tattooed it on my finger so that I would never forget about it."

"Really?" Julian frowned. "What kind of fucked-up childhood did you have?"

Kiernan wryly smiled.

When he was talking about his stories, everyone would obviously think that they happened in his childhood, but they happened back on Earth, when he was in his early forties.

It was around his prime strength.

He'd become so strong that nothing could harm him. He visited the most dangerous battlefields and came out without a single scratch on his body.

A thought of immortality came across his mind.

However, then he almost died because of his reckless nature.

'I guess this robbery showed that I still have some of that recklessness in me. However, I am not the type that would be too scared to take risks.

'Thus, Valor is another one of my core values: great courage in the face of danger. I am always willing to push the boundaries and test my limits.'