It is worth noting that Murphy was not one of those who could easily get lost in a crowd of pirates. His clothes, although worn, were neat, and his light skin and thick black hair gave him the appearance of a cultured and educated man. Even in his past life, he often found himself in the center of attention, not to mention in this city, where he stood out like a black sheep.
So, no matter how hard he tried to hide, his presence was impossible to miss. Luckily, the whole scene was now in complete chaos, and the pirates' attention was focused on the scattered belly. Therefore, only a few of them noticed the guy they had just robbed.
In truth, there wasn't much money in the bag, just a month's salary for an intern. But in terms of coins, there was a whole lot of it, and with the attention-grabbing jingle and herd instinct, the whole scene turned into a real disaster.
The situation was as if someone had taken a lot of coins, scattered them at the entrance to the market and shouted: "Money, collect it!"
The result would have been similar - crowding and chaos.
The drunk clearly had not expected this turn of events. The speed with which he collected the coins could not compare with the speed of the entire crowd, and he began to get nervous.
"Go away, everyone! This... this is my money!" he shouted with a slurred voice, pushing aside the surrounding pirates.
Every now and then the coins would slip out of his fingers and roll away.
- Oh, come on! Yours, just because you said so?
— They were yours, and now they are mine, ha-ha!
- You stole them yourself, do you think we are blind?
Unfortunately, no one paid attention to his words. They were all pirates, living on the edge of a knife. The strongest had long since gone to sea, and of those who remained, no one was afraid of anyone. Moreover, people with strong abilities would not push in such a crowd for a handful of coins.
- I didn't steal it! This... this money was originally mine! This is my... drink money!
The drunkard, flushed with rage, pulled the sword from his belt and struck the man standing next to him, muttering something unintelligible.
A short-haired pirate stood nearby, and feeling the deadly gust of wind from the blade, he quickly rolled to the side, barely avoiding the blow.
"Are you tired of living?!" the short-haired pirate, who had just escaped death, shouted with a face distorted with rage. He also drew his sword and without hesitation rushed forward, attacking the drunkard.
At the moment when both of them crossed blades, focusing all their attention on each other, a small figure suddenly slipped out from the crowd, moving at a barely noticeable speed, and appeared behind the drunkard.
Murphy felt like he had never been so focused before. Gathering all his strength into one spot, he clenched the dagger and delivered a sharp blow.
He was worried that with his 5 points of strength he wouldn't be able to penetrate the drunkard's thick muscles, but he sighed in relief when he saw a bright red streak stain the big guy's clothes. Then, without even having time to pull out his dagger, he quickly retreated.
By his calculations, the drunkard would immediately turn around to counterattack, and Murphy doubted he could withstand even one blow. However... the expected swing of the blade did not follow. And even when Murphy had already retreated two steps, the drunkard only discovered that he had been wounded in the back.
His reaction was surprisingly slow, but if you think about it, it was due to the numbness of his nerves caused by the large amount of alcohol. The drunk turned and glared at Murphy, hissing through his teeth: - I should have broken your legs right away! Wait, I'll deal with you soon!
Having said this, he swung his sword with all his might and attacked the short-haired pirate, who also did not retreat.
The fight developed unexpectedly for everyone: the drunkard's strength was enormous, and in just a few blows the scales tipped in his favor.
"Die!" the drunkard thundered.
Ding!
With a loud cry, he delivered a powerful blow with his sword, and a furious force fell upon his opponent, preventing him from moving.
- Look carefully! This is what awaits you!
Thanks to the wound in his back, the drunk seemed to sober up completely in a matter of seconds. He stomped his right foot hard, twisted his entire body, and brought down all his might on the short-haired pirate.
The pirate's sword broke with a crack. Then the drunkard struck again, causing blood to spurt out onto the ground.
The short-haired pirate's body split in two instantly. His legs were still supporting half of his body, while the other half was already lying on the ground. His face was frozen in horror, but his eyes were already glassy.
"Now it's your turn, kid! Prepare to die!" turning to Murphy, the drunkard grinned evilly, announcing his death sentence.
He was covered in blood, looking like a demon, and was walking towards Murphy with heavy steps.
- Poor thing!
- So what if they took my wallet, I would have suffered and that's it, oh, youth!
- Probably, it will all end with one blow!
Just now people were surprised by the unexpected turn of events, but now they were overcome with pity for Murphy. No one suspected that the drunkard would be so strong, and probably the boy would soon follow the short-haired pirate to the other world.
Murphy, like everyone else, was surprised by the drunk's strength, but his gaze remained impassive. He watched the drunk more closely than anyone else and noticed that the big man's steps had slowed and become unsteady.
After a few steps, not only Murphy, but also those around him noticed changes in the drunkard's behavior.
- This guy hasn't sobered up yet?
- Hey, look, his skin has turned blue!
- Maybe he ate some kind of Devil Fruit? The body changes color?
- What's wrong with him? Why did he suddenly start rolling on the ground?!
Murphy stood calmly three steps away from the drunk, watching as he, who had just been walking confidently and firmly, was now shaking, his skin had turned blue, and he himself, as if he were crazy, was rolling on the ground.
The drunkard grabbed his throat with his left hand, trying to say something, but he couldn't make a sound. With his right hand he was convulsively scratching his body, and in a moment he was already covered in wounds.
There was horror in his eyes, and he stared at Murphy standing before him, as if he was certain that this young man was the cause of his torment.
In just a few moments, the drunk's breathing became ragged. His right hand stopped clawing at the flesh, and a trembling index finger pointed at Murphy. His gaze was filled with malice and hatred.
This pose did not change until the last moment.
Murphy watched the drunk's torment the entire time, without blinking, as if he were watching the finale of a theatrical performance.
It was his first kill, but it certainly wouldn't be his last. Two months of experience and observation had taught him that death was everywhere, and he was prepared to both point his sword at his enemies and face his own death. After all, if he couldn't face his enemy's agony, how would he sail and face the madness of the Age of Pirates?
- He died? What did that kid do?
- I don't need these coins, they are cursed!
- Wait, I've seen this before - these are the symptoms of poisoning by the venom of a deadly jellyfish!
Panic swept through the crowd of onlookers like a gale, and everyone retreated a few steps, instantly widening the circle. Only Murphy's small figure remained motionless, standing out in the general confusion.
Just now he stood there with a frozen gaze, and his expression changed like a candle flame in the wind.
He looked at the corpse on the ground. The drunk was rolling around in agony, his sleeve torn open, revealing a strange jagged tattoo on his shoulder.
This was not the first time he had seen this tattoo.
The tavern owner Nelson had the exact same tattoo on his shoulder. They were identical...