Captain – Chapter 166 – Yes, Captain

“Now can we talk properly? What the hell were you thinking? Why did you oppose me? Why did you turn against me for those people? Do you understand your position at all? Do you even remember how I pulled you out of Ilruwin, that hellhole where people devour others without spitting out the bones?”

Stepping back while catching her breath, Roy looked at the young man leaning against the ship’s railing, too injured to move even a finger, at his face pale with pain, and at his still calm gaze. For some reason, her heart tightened, followed by uncontrollable anger.

The girl’s questions echoed in the cold rain, reaching everyone’s ears.

Roy’s enemies, the young man’s supporters—though each person had an answer in their heart, they remained ashen-faced and silent, utterly silent.

Facing that wounded girl swaying in the wind and rain, knowing that perhaps just one punch could knock her down for good, knowing that this was the Golden-Eyed Devil’s weakest moment ever, the last chance for a desperate fight, yet…

None of them dared to step forward.

The war was over. Captain Richi had lost. They had lost. Their fate was decided. So what did the question’s answer matter anymore?

Only two people didn’t think so—the two at the center of the storm.

“I remember, Brother Roy.”

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After what seemed like an eternity, the young man’s hoarse voice finally sounded.

Roy’s once-brilliant eyes had dimmed, and the pale golden markings on the back of her neck had retreated and disappeared. At this moment, all the radiance about her had scattered.

The notoriety built from killing and cruelty, the charm drawn from appearance and social manner, the reputation earned through kindness and compassion, as well as wealth and power—everything gained since becoming a pirate seemed to dissipate with Richi’s call.

She seemed to transform back into that boy, returning to that narrow, cramped cell, seeing that rotting corpse and the rats gathered around it, gnawing on putrid flesh with crunching sounds.

That was a grim and distant past. Roy could barely remember how he escaped from that cell. He only remembered running in the pouring rain, amid hurried footsteps and vicious dog barks, running without stopping until collapsing in a wheat field, unconscious.

Afterward, he was rescued by a family and lived a relatively peaceful life for a while.

But fearing pursuit, or perhaps not wanting to endanger these kind people, he once again set out on a journey of escape. Following remote mountain paths, after walking for an unknown distance, he finally entered Auran’s most chaotic place by hiding in a hay-filled cart passing through an imperial checkpoint.

The port city of Ilruwin—a place with smuggling connections to the Southern Islands’ pirates, filled with criminals and thugs.

There, the guilt-ridden boy met a little beggar in tattered clothes, together creating the legend of the Golden-Eyed Devil and the Blood-Eyed Butcher.

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“I was your dagger—a sharp dagger that could cut the throat of any enemy. But no matter how sharp it is, what materials it’s forged from, or how much wealth was invested in it, it remains just an object.”

The memory abruptly ended. Roy looked into those clear blood-red eyes, feeling the emotions surging within them. Her pale pink lips trembled slightly, but she said nothing.

“You valued me, cherished me. I felt all your kindness toward me. I knew I was different from…”

The young man suddenly coughed, blood slowly seeping from the corner of his mouth.

With most of his ribcage broken and stab wounds continuously bleeding, cold raindrops pouring down on him, Richi felt as if he’d returned to Ilruwin’s winter—that hungry winter when people could barely clothe themselves.

Pressing his increasingly pale lips together forcefully, suppressing his body’s shivers, the young man continued speaking, though his voice grew weaker: “Different from anyone else on the ship. Not to mention those cowards who could only be manipulated in the palm of your hand—even Old John doesn’t deserve to be mentioned alongside me.”

“Yes, how could they compare to you? No one can compare to you.” Looking at the young man whose life force was rapidly fading, Roy lowered her head slightly and whispered.

“But even so, I was still just an… unusual object. Perhaps with some sentimental value, but… when I lost my usefulness, or when I posed a threat to you, I could still be discarded at will.”

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As time passed, the young man’s words became increasingly fragmented, requiring long pauses to breathe after each sentence.

“Perhaps my resolve was formed… when I realized this couldn’t be changed. Finally, when you went to that lonely island, I saw an opportunity…”

Richi’s pupils gradually dispersed, and his voice became increasingly faint: “I saw the crew’s profound exhaustion, their numbness before… eruption, and their fear. At that time, the Mermaid was already on the verge of collapse. Even if you had returned, it would only have… triggered this mutiny earlier.”

“So, I thought, could I step forward and try to change everything, try to become… you? And everything happened, and the facts prove I was just one step away from success.”

At this point, some unknown force seemed to support Richi’s severely damaged body, allowing him to regain some vitality, making those mist-shrouded eyes bright and focused once more: “Establishing authority, erasing your traces, thoroughly eliminating Solomon’s plans, preparations for rebuilding Yadris—everything was under my control, but…”

“You came back, so I failed. It’s as it should be, nothing to resent.”

Listening to the young man’s seemingly passionate yet still autumn-rain-cool narration, Roy gently shook her head: “You’ve already done very well, little bastard. Actually, you had many chances to kill me, but why didn’t you take them? You know, to become me, you must be ruthless and stop at nothing.”

“Where was the poison on your dagger? The venomous insects that should have been placed in the captain’s cabin? You knew Victor would drag the situation into a stalemate, knew releasing Old John would introduce variables, knew…”

The captain suddenly stopped speaking. After a long moment, she asked with difficulty: “Why?”

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“Why? What do you mean—the poison and venomous insects, Victor, Old John, or those still alive who firmly support you? In the end, none of those were the reason for my failure. The real reasons were weakness, fear, and unwillingness.”

“I understood you, knew that no matter whom I killed, it wouldn’t matter to you. They were just tools, pawns that could be discarded at any time. But on the surface, you never revealed this. So they supported you until death, protecting a cold-hearted devil until death.”

Having said all this, Richi suddenly lost his strength. He closed his eyes wearily: “This is… your charm, Captain, they fall for it, and so do I.”

“Only by… confronting you could I know whether I had the courage to sever the past, whether I had the courage to become… you. So, did I… succeed, Roy?”

“Yes, Richi, you did. If you’re tired, then sleep. Walk toward hell in your dreams. We’ll meet again there. And remember, don’t betray me again.” The girl’s voice, full of weariness, drifted like a lifeless fallen leaf.

Seemingly having received the answer he wanted, a faint smile finally appeared at the corner of the young man’s mouth. In the brief interval before embracing eternal sleep, he may have left one last sentence, or perhaps not.

“Yes, Captain.”

Translator Note

Rest in peace Richi Quake, precious little brother of Roy.