Aeros stepped forward, and as he did, the remaining navy sailors on deck lowered their weapons and made way for him to pass through.

Naturally, a circle was formed around them. Petyr remained close by his captain’s side with his weapon drawn.

"Executive Officer, I am trusting you here." Lieutenant Bushwight stood furthest back with his arms folded behind his back as he watched his second-in-command take initiative.

Aeros nodded his head. "This won’t take long, Lieutenant."

Aeros now stood at the centre of the circle, staring at Roseus, who still stood beside Petyr.

"Brother, I would ask that we talk, but my Lieutenant wishes for me to make this quick. My men are also waiting for me."

After finishing his sentence, Aeros drew his weapon.

Unlike the other navy sailors, he wore it on his back. It was a curved, single-edged sword with a long grip designed for a two-handed hold. The grip was black, whilst the sword itself was white like snow.

Aeros lifted the blade and held it in front of him with the point facing toward the heavens. He stepped one foot in front of the other and squatted slightly.

Just from the look of the weapon, Roseus knew that it was a Treasure.

Beside him, Petyr flinched, as if ready to strike. He only relaxed when his captain placed a hand on his shoulder.

"This is my fight. You have your own battles to face..." he said.

Petyr looked around and saw that Dawn and the others had broken through their side of the bridge and were now on the deck.

That gave Petyr, Dawn, Kruger, Jackson, Adriana, and Silius the chance to fight against the remaining navy sailors. Their job was to cause enough distraction so the navy wouldn’t notice that Pip and Lucas were currently emptying their coal supply.

Afterward, an opening could be created for them all to flee...

Chaos broke out on the deck. The Redflower Pirates and Lieutenant Bushwight’s sailors fought each other. Meanwhile, the Lieutenant watched the battle that was about to take place between the two brothers.

Roseus lifted his sword in a style that came naturally to him. He then spat in the direction of his brother.

"Navy dog."

Aeros didn’t react. His coat remained draped over his back like a cape blowing in the wind.

"You’ve always been naive, little brother."

...

The two charged toward each other, both possessing speed that was above human capability.

The deck beneath them creaked as they met at the centre with a resounding crash, both weapons colliding against one another.

Their speeds were similar, but Aeros’s strength was much greater.

Roseus felt his arms vibrating and becoming numb as his strike was parried away, almost making him drop his sword as his arm flung upward.

Sensing the opening, Aeros let go with one hand from his weapon and lunged forward again.

A blue essence coated his hand, and he drove his palm into Roseus’s chest. The strike almost had no impact, but Roseus felt the wind being driven from his lungs.

He almost wanted to bend over and start coughing, but fought against the urge as he saw his brother following up with another palm strike.

Roseus pushed his feet off the ground and dashed backward, barely dodging the palm.

With his back against the navy ship’s railing, he drew his revolver and aimed it at his brother.

Aeros reacted by crouching lower, waiting for the bullet to come so that he might defend himself.

Then Roseus switched his aim over to the Lieutenant standing off in the distance.

Bang!

The bullet flew from the weapon, past Aeros, and toward Lieutenant Bushwight’s chest.

Or at least it was supposed to.

A great wind blew, causing the bullet to curve in the air and fly past Bushwight, missing the man entirely.

The Lieutenant raised a brow, then chuckled at the petty attempt on his life.

Aeros scowled at his brother.

"You even fight like a pirate now," he said with scorn in his voice. "Just like Father."

...

Roseus felt rage growing inside of him. Not just at his brother’s words, but also at the fact that his revolver shot had proven so useless.

With gritted teeth, he used his foot to push off the railing behind him and dash forward.

The speed even seemed to take Aeros off guard as he watched his brother come in with a piercing strike.

As he thrust his blade, the faint sound of ice forming along the edge could be heard.

Aeros parried the blade just in time, causing it to slide off to the side. However, along the way, it managed to leave a faint slash across Aeros’s shoulder.

It was a mere graze, but the Executive Officer felt the effects immediately as the Frostbite Thrust began to travel through his body.

All of his movements suddenly felt slower, and yet his little brother retained all of his speed.

Roseus attacked with a flurry of strikes, all of which were the result of his father’s combat prowess being passed onto him.

He swung, thrusted, and even shoved when his sword told him it was appropriate. The sounds of metal slicing through the wind filled the air.

Yet no matter how hard Roseus tried, he could not land a decisive hit on his brother. The man used various techniques to turn the attacking blade away, remaining on the defensive despite his speed being affected.

How... How is he doing this?

Does this mean that Father’s combat experience at the time of creating this blade was less than Aeros’s current experience?

Or is the navy simply leagues ahead in terms of sword techniques?

He bit his lip hard to drag himself away from that sacrilegious thought. There was no navy man greater than his father.

Roseus threw out a kick, which hit his brother in the stomach, sending the man stumbling a few steps backward before regaining his balance. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

As he returned to his stance, Aeros heard a voice call out from behind him.

"Executive Officer, why aren’t you using any of your skills and treasures?"

The words made Roseus’s heart sink into the depths of his chest.

He hasn’t used any...

Aeros sighed and nodded his head.

"Apologies, Lieutenant... I wanted to spend time with my brother."

He looked around him and saw that, to his surprise, the navy forces were not winning their fight against the pirates. That purple-haired fencer was causing them trouble.

"No worries," Aeros then said. "I will finish this now."