"Not intentionally offending?"
Ryan leisurely took a drag from his cigar, smoke rings slowly dissipating before his eyes. His gaze fell upon Raki with a hint of playful amusement: "Then why are you pointing your weapons at me? Are you performing a war dance?"
"We acted impulsively..." Raki's face instantly flushed crimson. Her hand holding the short knife instinctively dropped, biting her lip as her voice lowered: "We shouldn't have attacked. We beg for your magnanimity. We sincerely apologize."
"Apologize?" Ryan sneered, blowing out a smoke ring: "If apologies were useful, what would we need the Marines for on the high seas!"
Raki was momentarily stunned, clearly unfamiliar with the term "Marines," but the mockery in his tone was unmistakable. Knowing begging was useless, her voice carried a desperate resolve: "We can make amends... Whatever we have, we can give it all to you!"
"Raki, shut up!" Wyper struggled to lift his upper body, his shoulder wound tearing open and bleeding profusely: "Our Skypiean honor cannot be bought with such things. Our ancestors would rather die fighting than bow to invaders."
"What honor is there in death?" Raki suddenly looked up, tears finally falling: "Should we watch everyone fall like they just did?"
Ryan couldn't be bothered with their argument. His eyes roamed freely over Raki, from her tightly bitten lips to her dust-stained skirt, finally settling on her white-knuckled grip. A frivolous smile curled at the corner of his mouth: "If you're making amends, you need to show sincerity."
That blatant look instantly made Raki understand. She instinctively stepped back half a step, her gaze sweeping over her unconscious tribesmen on the ground before turning to Wyper, covered in blood but still glaring fiercely. Her nails dug deep into her palms.
"Fine..." After a long moment, Raki bit her lower lip, her eyes determined: "As long as you spare my people, I'll offer any apology, including myself."
"Raki!" Machino suddenly shouted, his voice full of urgent anger: "You can't."
"Enough!" Raki cut off Machino, her eyes red-rimmed yet unusually resolute: "They're too strong... We can't stop them. If we don't compromise, we'll all die here."
Machino clenched his fists, knowing Raki spoke the truth. Wyper was the tribe's strongest War Oni, yet he was easily cut down. When that man had glanced over earlier, it felt like facing an unbeatable beast, unable to even muster the will to resist.
Ryan's eyes showed increased interest as he looked at Raki. He never cared about these Sky Island savages' survival anyway. Tipping his chin toward Raki, he said dismissively: "Come up here."
Raki took a deep breath, as if making some final decision. She pressed the Wind-Spray Shell at her waist, the airflow propelling her Cloud skateboard to glide swiftly across the sea of clouds. Using the momentum, she flipped over, her boots scraping against the ship's rail as she landed steadily on the deck.
Sunlight illuminated Raki's tense profile, revealing deliberately suppressed tremors, yet she didn't retreat another step.
Ryan stepped forward, raising his hand to lift Raki's chin with his thumb, his gaze roaming unabashedly across her face.
Raki's features were exquisitely delicate, her eyebrows sharp as if carved by a blade, her gaze piercing with unyielding resolve. A tied of jet-black hair was neatly tied back, adding both efficiency and an unexpected elegance, unable to conceal the stubbornness ingrained in her bones.
Ryan's gaze slowly drifted downward, settling on Raki's figure.
Slender yet possessing delicate curves, her proportions were perfectly balanced. A patterned purple cropped top revealed her flat abdomen, paired with matching bottoms. The white wing adornments on her shoulders shimmered faintly in the sunlight, unique and eye-catching, accentuating her graceful form to the fullest.
She exuded an aura of calm determination, as if concealing boundless resilience and wisdom. Steady yet mysterious, there was an unexpected touch of wifely gentleness in her demeanor, making her all the more captivating.
Under Ryan's blatant scrutiny, Raki's cheeks flushed crimson. Instinctively, she tried to turn her head away, but her chin was held firmly in place, leaving her unable to move. A flicker of shame and anger flashed in her eyes, yet she suppressed it, her gaze growing colder.
"I'm in a foul mood right now," Ryan remarked, a playful smirk curling at the corner of his mouth as he released her chin and instead pressed a hand on her shoulder. The pressure was neither light nor heavy, but carried an undeniable force. "Whether your tribesmen remain safe depends entirely on your capabilities."
Raki took a deep breath, her knees hitting the deck with a dull thud as she slowly knelt. Her purple garments spread around her, the wing decorations on her shoulders trembling violently. When her fingertips touched the wooden planks, they shook so badly she could barely form a fist.
This kneel shattered not just her pride, but the unyielding spirit of Skypiea that never bowed.
Yet, catching a glimpse of her unconscious tribesmen, any hesitation vanished into thin air. Biting her lip, she raised a hand, her fingers trembling uncontrollably, but she still reached slowly toward the hem of Ryan's pants.
"Raki!"
Wyper's furious roar erupted suddenly. He was struggling to rise, supporting himself with his uninjured left arm, ignoring the blood gushing from his shoulder wound. "Get up! Even if every last one of us Skypieans dies, we won't trade a woman's life for ours!"
Before his words faded, a dark shadow blocked his path. Daz had moved behind him unnoticed, pressing a hand against the back of his neck. A slight twist was all it would take to snap it.
Wyper's body was pinned firmly to the deck, only able to emit a trapped beast's snarl. The veins on his forehead bulged, but he couldn't move an inch.
Witnessing this, Raki's outstretched hand froze abruptly. But she quickly turned her face away, refusing to watch Wyper's struggle. Her fingertips finally landed on Ryan's boot, her voice trembling yet resolute: "...Don't hurt them."
"You hear that?" Ryan, cigar in mouth, glanced through the haze of smoke at Wyper pinned to the ground, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Don't let this beauty's sacrifice go to waste."
"You bastard!" Wyper's roar was mixed with blood-flecked spittle. He thrashed wildly, trying to break free from Daz's grip, but only earned a heavier press. His face was crushed against the deck, forced to watch Raki's bowed back and the drooping wings on her shoulders. A wave of unprecedented helplessness overwhelmed him.
Rage, humiliation, resentment... all these emotions choked in his throat, ultimately condensing into a stifled sob as his eyes uncontrollably reddened.
Ryan clenched a cigar between his teeth, his peripheral gaze sweeping over Wyper struggling on the ground like a trapped beast. Unrestrained contempt surged in his eyes.
This kid had nothing more to offer—all bluster and brute force, quick to draw his weapon at the slightest disagreement, like a wild beast yet to be tamed.
Did he truly believe such a violent temper was something to boast about? If Raki hadn't stepped forward willingly, given his earlier act of aiming the Burning Cannon and firing at Ryan, he would have been nothing more than a pile of unrecognizable flesh on the deck, left for no one to clean up.
If one dares to strike first, they must be prepared to face the consequences. Adults must pay the price for their actions.
If not for his lingering interest in Raki... not just Wyper, but the entire Skypiea tribe would have faced dire consequences.
Ryan extinguished his cigar and abruptly pulled Raki to her feet. Stumbling, she was dragged to the ship's edge, her hands instinctively gripping the railing. The hem of her purple garment fluttered in the wind as she lowered her head, her gaze meeting Machino's from below the deck.
Machino's hands clenched tightly at first, but the moment his eyes met Raki's, the tension gradually drained away. His fingers slowly loosened, hanging limp and trembling at his sides, his face a complex mix of fury, shame, and helplessness.
His lips moved, but no words came out.
Raki's gaze shifted away from Machino's face. Biting her lip, she turned her head to look at the churning sea of clouds in the distance, her eyes filled with humiliation...