Captain – Chapter 67 – Deadly Target

“Clang!”

The tip of the rapier collided with the belly of the curved sword, producing a crisp, pleasant metallic sound. But clearly, this swift and precise thrust had failed to break through the captain’s defense, leaving only a white scratch mark on the curved blade.

“Good speed, good accuracy, but as for power…”

Roy glanced at where the curved sword and rapier had collided, then spread her hands at her first mate with a somewhat disappointed expression and taunted: “Even the dancing girls of Yadris thrust with more power than you.”

Facing the captain’s mockery, Caine maintained his composure and said: “Having not picked up a sword for so long, it’s only natural that my skills have deteriorated.”

“No matter, we have plenty of time. Let’s go again.”

Having successfully provoked her first mate, Roy’s malicious smile gradually faded, becoming serious and focused once more. She adopted a solemn stance, then beckoned to the young man with her finger, signaling him to attack again.

Caine took a deep breath. In his azure eyes reflected the curved sword rippling like a silver stream. All background noise disappeared in that moment, leaving only his powerful and rhythmic heartbeat.

From now on, standing before him was no longer an undefeatable legendary pirate, but rather the wooden training post from his military academy years long ago. Each mark on that post represented a vital point that could be fatal.

“Swoosh!”

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The rapier cut through the air, the piercing sound remarkably similar to the “hiss” of a venomous snake lurking in darkness—terrifying and dangerous.

When the rapier found its target and thrust forward, the captain had already moved. She slightly shifted her body, and the gleaming thin sword seemed to coincidentally brush past her arm, tearing only the poor-quality fabric without drawing any blood.

But just as the young woman prepared to close in and minimize her opponent’s weapon advantage, she was surprised to find that the next thrust had already arrived, silent and swift.

Though Roy managed to parry that thrust by instinct, she lost her opportunity to close the distance. In mid-to-short-range combat, this slender, light weapon, as sharp as a bee’s sting, could fully demonstrate its speed advantage.

What followed was a series of crisp metallic sounds, accompanied by steps that were steady yet agile as they pressed forward.

Finally, during her defense, the captain found her first mate’s weakness. Taking advantage of the brief moment as he withdrew his sword, she flicked upward, sending the rapier flying and disarming him.

The thin sword flew far away, landing beside the wooden barrel filled with weapons.

“Not bad at all.”

Roy narrowed her eyes as she examined this former naval officer, as if seeing him anew.

Caine hadn’t lied. After just a few thrusts, his technique had quickly become proficient again. With his high-speed and precise thrusts, he certainly didn’t lack lethality, but…

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“But it’s still far from enough.”

Roy frowned slightly as she walked past her first mate who was regulating his breathing. She picked up the rapier and handed it back to him, frowning like a teacher pointing out errors: “In my view, your biggest problem isn’t actually lack of power, but rather your choice of targets.”

“Choice?”

Caine fidgeted with the rapier, asking in confusion: “I chose all the fatal spots listed by the military academy. Theoretically, hitting any of them should be enough to take a life.”

“Do you think we pirates are all as physically delicate as noble lords?”

Roy rolled her eyes at him, smoothing out her slightly wrinkled short shirt before continuing: “If you were facing a strong man like Ben, just aiming for the heart or lungs, with your level of power, you might not even penetrate his muscles.”

“And in a real battle, facing consecutive attacks like yours just now, I absolutely wouldn’t defend as I did earlier. Instead, I’d risk taking two or three thrusts from you and directly cut off your hand.”

Caine made a quick assessment and confirmed that the captain wasn’t wrong. Given his chosen attack angles from before, against Roy’s agile movements, two or three thrusts would indeed be unlikely to threaten her life.

Being unable to end the fight before the opponent closed in meant death—this was the most obvious principle.

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“Then what guidance does Captain have to offer?”

Seeing her first mate showing rare humility, Roy’s lips curled upward as she grabbed the blade of the rapier and pointed its tip toward her own dark golden pupils.

“I wouldn’t call it guidance, just a small hint. Since your strength isn’t that great, why not aim for softer parts, such as… the eyes.”

Caine impassively withdrew the thin sword from the captain’s hand. Although he knew Roy’s hand was incredibly steady, and even if he suddenly applied force, he might not be able to drive the rapier into her eye, some emotion made him dislike having such a deadly weapon so close to the young woman’s eyes.

Seeming to perceive the first mate’s concern, the smile on Roy’s face grew wider: “Of course, not just the eyes, but also the ear canal, the neck, or…”

The captain didn’t mention that most fatal spot, but Caine still understood the viciousness in her words, and couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth: “Isn’t that rather dishonorable?”

For someone educated as a nobleman and gentleman, he found it truly difficult to imagine attacking an opponent’s… that particular area during combat.

“Dishonorable? No, no, no, my dear first mate. You should know that on a pirate ship, there’s no such thing as a fair duel. In a real fight with real weapons, not only would using a sword to stab certain places be acceptable, but even biting through an opponent’s throat with your teeth would be considered a victory.”

Roy methodically put away her curved sword and gently patted her first mate’s shoulder, as if encouraging him to develop these darker thoughts.

Caine shook his head helplessly, stepped forward, and reinserted the thin sword into the wooden barrel: “I’ll try… try to grasp the key points you mentioned.”

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“That’s best. Anyway, we still have quite a journey to Yadris. During this time, I’ll spare some time each day to practice with you.”

Roy clapped her hands as if having accomplished something significant. Her movements were utterly relaxed, but her expression was particularly serious.

Caine understood the captain’s meaning. Their journey to Yadris wasn’t a vacation to that pirate paradise, but rather like plunging headfirst into the enemy’s lair.

If they happened to encounter the Mermaid there, no matter how powerful the Golden-Eyed Devil might be, she couldn’t spare attention to protect him. She would need to focus entirely on facing another legendary pirate and her former crew members who were as fierce as wolves and tigers.

“I understand.”

Seeing the young woman rising on her toes, about to slip out of the captain’s quarters, Caine placed his hand on her shoulder: “Captain, you seem to have some promises yet to fulfill. Don’t be in such a hurry to leave.”

Roy turned around with an awkward smile: “Wh-what promises? My memory hasn’t been very good lately.”

Caine didn’t say much, but simply and decisively placed his hand on the young woman’s waist, then gave the captain a look that said “don’t try to weasel out of this.”

Knowing she couldn’t escape, Roy could only put on a pained expression and reluctantly said: “Don’t hold so tight. I’ll dance with you, alright?”