Captain – Chapter 165 – The Captain’s Duel

“Victor is like a scale, never becoming an accomplice in power struggles, but silently watching, waiting for a true leader who can take the Mermaid further to emerge. This is why Captain Ilias entrusted such an important responsibility to him.”

Examining the young man’s proper captain’s attire, Roy did not shake her head with laughter as usual or tease him about his somewhat childish behavior. Instead, she said solemnly: “He has witnessed many power shifts on the Mermaid, saw Red Beard ascend to the captain’s throne, and witnessed our conflict with Algernon. This time, whether he will take up this responsibility again depends entirely on you.”

“Little bastard, Richi…”

The captain gazed at those impassive blood-red eyes and asked softly: “Captain Richi, have you made up your mind?”

Algernon was Red Beard’s mate and one of the most troublesome enemies Roy and Richi had faced together.

By mentioning this name now, she wasn’t trying to use their past camaraderie to coerce or salvage anything, but merely reminding the young man that once he took this path, there was no turning back—only a fight to the death.

“Yes, Captain Roy.”

The young man’s answer was like pushing on a heavy door, slamming shut the gate inscribed with fateful patterns, leaving no room for return.

Hearing this, Roy smiled. There was no disappointment in her eyes, only satisfaction and appreciation, perhaps even a trace of pride.

She was proud that the young man dared to face her, dared to speak those words.

From this moment on, the Blood-Eyed Butcher no longer bore the mark of the Golden-Eyed Devil. He had achieved his wish of becoming the captain of the Mermaid, becoming a legend in his own right.

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“Then, as per the old rules, the supreme power of the Mermaid and the life and death of the crew are entrusted to each leader, and the method to determine the victor is…”

As she spoke, the smile gradually faded from Roy’s face. She rolled up her blood-stained sleeves, her dark golden pupils reflecting only indifference and coldness: “The Captain’s Duel.”

Simultaneously, Richi meticulously rolled up his sleeves, then slowly drew his short sword. The blood-red eyes beneath his hat brim were calm and unwavering: “Agreed.”

At this moment, the sea breeze seemed to grow stronger, making people’s robes flutter loudly.

The entire Mermaid seemed bewitched. Apart from the rapid “pitter-patter” of raindrops striking the deck like war drums, there was only a deathly silence.

Everyone’s attention was focused on the two captains. Everyone’s fate rested with the person they had chosen. They watched the pair circle the open space in the center of the deck with drawn blades, as if they had forgotten how to breathe, hearing only the powerful beating of their hearts.

“Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”

Dragging her gleaming curved blade, Roy vigilantly observed the young man’s every move. Only when the distance between them had narrowed to about ten meters, with battle liable to erupt at any moment, did she narrow her eyes and ask somewhat displeased.

After a moment of silence, Richi asked hoarsely: “Do you need to rest, Captain?”

The girl was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized what he meant—referring to her current wounded and exhausted state. Fighting the Captain’s Duel in such physical condition was clearly disadvantageous.

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And now, faced with Roy’s question, the young man had given her this choice—a choice that could potentially squander all the advantages Cassius had secured, even pushing him and his supporters into a desperate situation.

It was worth noting that the civilian vessel loaded with fierce thugs was now very close to the Mermaid. If those people boarded the deck, there would be no need for a Captain’s Duel; everything would quickly end in the face of the massive power difference.

Of course, Roy, deeply embroiled in battle, was unaware of the Osprey’s situation, unaware that her mate was less than a hundred meters away. But even if she knew, her choice would likely remain unchanged.

After all, as she said, this was between him and her. Even Caine could only be an outsider.

“You know that’s not what I meant, but never mind, it’s all in the past. As for resting…”

Roy shook her head, her eyes reflecting brilliant lightning: “If I did that, wouldn’t everything you’ve done lose its meaning? Besides, Richi, my pride won’t allow me to retreat at a time like this, not even a single step.”

Everything he had done?

From beginning to end, he had only stood behind Cassius, serving as an intimidating idol. He had done nothing…

Yet he had done everything.

Richi smiled silently, a faint smile quickly obscured by the rain, making it difficult to see clearly.

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“Then let’s begin, Roy.”

Still that slightly hoarse voice, still naturally intimate like family. But with these words and when those two pairs of eyes directly met, the conversation that seemed as if it would never end before this life-and-death struggle abruptly ceased.

Black boots splashed through puddles, coat tails whipped in the cold rain, curved blade and crossed short swords harmonized for the first time in the stormy night!

Unlike any other battle, this most synchronized pair of comrades and enemies seemed able to predict each other’s next move at any moment. Thus, it wasn’t like a duel to the death, but rather like two people dancing an elegant yet dangerous dance.

The trails of curved blade and short sword cutting through wind and rain, the young man’s sudden leaps, the angle of the captain’s turning body—everything seemed pulled by invisible threads, walking a predestined path. And at the end of that path remained only emptiness and sorrow.

No blood-boiling roars, no flippant mockery, only the sounds of breathing, footsteps, and blade collisions arising one after another. The rhythm was quick like a dance tune, yet the atmosphere was as solemn as a symphony.

The short sword dangerously grazed Roy’s neck, leaving a shallow bloody mark. She struck the young man’s tiger’s mouth with all her strength, allowing the sharp blade to sink into the back of her hand, willing to sacrifice one hand to knock away the short sword, then raising her curved blade diagonally to block the next incoming blade.

With his left hand nearly shattered, Richi’s already pale complexion grew even paler, but the tide of excruciating pain did not affect his extremely violent attack.

Short sword and curved blade collided fiercely, then scraped rapidly up the blade.

A piercing sound reached their ears as brilliant sparks flashed momentarily. If they didn’t let go now, Roy’s four fingers except the thumb would certainly be sliced off, while the young man’s arm might be cut off directly by the curved blade!

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But as if sharing one mind, the two locked eyes at close quarters and simultaneously released their weapons. Curved blade and short sword flew away entangled, only separating when they crashed onto the deck with a dull thud.

Almost simultaneously, daggers were drawn from their waists, mercilessly stabbing toward each other.

At this point, the battle transformed from blade fighting to primitive combat like beasts tearing at each other. Pale golden hair cascaded like a waterfall over the blood-colored coat. The sound of daggers tearing through clothing occasionally rang out, blood spraying and vanishing instantly in the cold rain.

After leaving countless wounds on each other’s bodies, the two identical daggers with their fierce blood grooves slid away diagonally, disappearing into some inconspicuous corner.

“Thud!”

Her hair pulled viciously as her head smashed against the ship’s railing, suppressing both the weakness from excessive blood loss and the dizziness from the head impact. Roy clenched her right fist—the only one she could still move—gritted her silver teeth, and punched the young man pinned beneath her in the abdomen.

Seizing the moment when Richi was briefly stunned by the heavy blow, the captain finally broke free from his grip. Trembling violently, she rose to her feet and stomped on his chest with all her might.

“Crack.”

This crisp, teeth-setting sound of breaking bones was like the powerful final stroke of a conductor’s baton at the end of a symphony, finally bringing this crazy, no-holds-barred battle to an end.