Chapter 252: Section 40: Son, You Must Be Kind
The next night, the Dragon-man youth once again brought the Big guy to the back mountain for training.
“Watch closely! I’m going to attack,” the Dragon-man youth intentionally slowed down his speed, charging at the Big guy.
Seeing the youth coming at him aggressively, the Big guy let out a “wow” and then squatted down on the spot, hugging his head with both hands and trying to curl into a ball as much as possible.
The Dragon-man youth was dumbfounded.
He slowed his pace, shifting from running to walking until he reached the front of the Big guy and gently patted him on the head: “C’mon, put up a defense.”
“Dad, I… I forgot…” the Big guy lifted his head, looking very ashamed.
Dragon-man youth: …
He had taught the Big guy Combat Skills the previous night and was deeply frustrated. The Big guy’s stupidity was far below the youth’s expectations.
If he could master Combat Skills, the Big guy would have a certain ability to protect himself. But as that path seemed impossible, the Dragon-man youth decided after some thought to start with the basics.
The Big guy had no combat foundation at all, and even lacked the consciousness to fight.
“On Mysterious Monster Island, the Big guy did pretty well.”
Watching the Big guy instinctively squat down and give up resistance, the Dragon-man youth was somewhat puzzled.
“Could it be that the dire situation on Mysterious Monster Island triggered the Big guy’s potential for survival? And because he had to protect the old shipwright, he would rather risk his life than feel fear.”
“But now, in this environment without a threat to his life, has the Big guy reverted to his original nature from aboard the Pig Kiss?”
The Dragon-man youth kept guessing.
“It looks like I need to take another step back. First, I need to foster his courage and the consciousness to fight!”
So, the Dragon-man youth commanded the Big guy: “Get up, kid. You can’t go on like this. First, get a feel for combat. Come on, hit me.”
“Ah?” The Big guy’s eyes widened, suspecting he had heard wrong.
“Hit me!” the Dragon-man youth patted his chest, as his Dragon Claws and Dragon Scales collided, making a loud noise.
The Big guy hesitated.
“Quickly!” the Dragon-man youth grew impatient.
Then, the Big guy balled up his fist and cautiously tapped the Dragon-man youth’s chest.
Dragon-man youth: …
“A mosquito bite packs more punch than you,” the youth shook his head and sighed, “Your punch should be quick and your force should be fierce. I’m pretty strong, I’m not afraid of pain. Come on, experience the feeling of pounding your enemy with your fists.”
“But you’re Dad, not the enemy.”
“Less talk, punch!”
So, the Big guy took aim at the youth’s chest and swung his fist. It was a powerful move, but just before hitting the youth, the Big guy pulled his punch, drastically reducing its speed.
In the end, the Big guy’s fist still only lightly tapped the youth, who didn’t even flinch.
Dragon-man youth: …
The Big guy’s eyes went red, and he was on the verge of crying: “Dad, I don’t want to hit Dad!”
The Dragon-man youth then realized his lofty and inviolable position in the Big guy’s heart. Forcing the Big guy to attack him was a great harm to the Big guy’s young and innocent spirit.
“It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have forced you,” the Dragon-man youth sighed and beckoned, “Come squat down.”
The Big guy squatted.
The Dragon-man youth rubbed the Big guy’s thick hair with his Dragon Claw.
Comforted, the Big guy’s childish heart was hugely satisfied, and his anxious fears quickly settled down.
From the youth’s head-patting gesture, he felt love and safety.
But the next moment, the Dragon-man youth’s voice came: “Next, let’s have Dad hit you!”
Big guy: “Ah?!”
The Dragon-man youth took another step back.
Since the Big guy couldn’t attack, he would resort to dodging and being hit. In the process of dodging and taking hits, he could also get a feel for combat.
“This is sidestepping.”
“This is how you do a front and back leap.”
“Whatever movement we’re going to make, our bodies should crouch slightly, keeping our knees bent. This way, it’s easier for us to generate power!”
The Dragon-man youth carefully taught the Big guy the most basic movements.
But the Big guy scratched his head, unable to remember any of it.
The Dragon-man youth could only sigh: “Follow me.”
The Big guy did have the ability to imitate.
In the darkness, the youth performed a move, agile and powerful. The Big guy mimicked him, performing the same action, looking clumsy but honest.
Even though it was dark, the Dragon-man youth had a clear field of vision, and Half-Giants could see as well.
The Dragon-man youth guided patiently, and he gradually found that, compared to criticizing the Big guy, encouraging him made him perform better.
“You’re doing great.”
“Keep it up.”
“Hmm, this one is better than the last.”
Flushed with continuous praise, the Big guy’s eyes gleamed with excitement, and he became increasingly enthusiastic.
He seemed to have a natural talent for dodging rather than defending.
“Next, I’m going to attack you. You use the stance you just learned to dodge, understand?” the Dragon-man youth proceeded with the next phase of training.
“Okay!” the Big guy looked serious and tense.
The Dragon-man youth threw slow punches, the Big guy instinctively stepped back but then remembered the movements he just learned and jumped back, dodging the attack.
“Very good!”
“Well done!”
“Dodge just like that, hmm, you’re better than I thought!”
With the youth’s continuous praise, the Big guy kept improving his performance.
Seeing the Big guy all sweaty and completely immersed in training, the youth couldn’t help but recall his days on Mysterious Monster Island.
He clearly remembered, during a camp defense battle, the Big guy armed with a club joined the fight. The result was that he got his belly pierced by the horn of a Strong Life White Rhinoceros and was too badly hurt to continue fighting.
Under the Magic Ban conditions, the Big guy’s physical strength was far above average, and he could have performed even better. However, in the beginning, he was easily defeated by Zong Ge. Later on, he became a laborer for shipbuilding, only able to offer his brute strength.
His ferocity wasn’t his nature but rather a response to protect the old shipwright, in a state of stress caused by a threat to life, or following the old shipwright’s orders to focus on protecting the newly built ship.
“Alright! Next, I’ll put in more fierce power. Be careful, if you get hit, it’s going to hurt!” the Dragon-man youth saw the Big guy was doing really well and shouted, increasing the difficulty of training.
Swoosh.
The Dragon-man youth’s fist whipped up a gust of wind.
The Big guy was intimidated by the youth’s punching force and became scared. Once again, he squatted down, hugged his head, and curled into a ball.
The Dragon-man youth held back his punch, looking at the Big guy helplessly.
The Big guy was just an ordinary person.
Faced with battle, he was filled with dread. Yet, if provoked, he could become extremely impulsive.
The punch he imagined never actually hit him, and the Big guy lifted his head cautiously, only to see the Dragon-man youth’s expression. He said, feeling downhearted and nervous, “Dad, I… I’ve let you down.”
As dawn was breaking, the Dragon-man youth let out a heavy sigh and gently patted the Big guy’s head, “It’s about time.”
“You’re actually very brave.”
“I still remember very clearly how you acted on the island.”
The Big guy lowered his head, enjoying the youth’s touch and said earnestly, “Sometimes I’m scared, sometimes I forget to be scared.”
The Dragon-man youth withdrew his hand, “You have the potential to become a powerful warrior. You have a strong enough build, good talent, it’s just that you lack confidence for now.”
“But that’s okay, confidence can be built.”
“Even if I don’t train you, as your strength grows, you’ll find that the people and objects around you become weaker and weaker, so weak that a casual slap from you could send them flying. With just a pinch of your fingers, you could easily crush hard stones.”
“Your confidence will grow stronger.”
“But you know, Little Darling,” the Dragon-man youth said, pausing for a moment.
The Big guy jolted and, hearing his dad call his pet name, immediately sharpened his focus and listened intently.
The Dragon-man youth swept his gaze over the surrounding disarray; even the Big guy’s mere dodging and rolling had caused massive damage to the nearby vegetation.
The youth spoke deeply and earnestly, “If all goes well, your strength will continue to grow. It will help you, but at times, it might also ensnare you.”
“Hold on to your original heart, to the kindness within you.”
“When facing the weak, try to be kind. Don’t misuse your strength, don’t let bullying the weak become a habit.”
“Remember, you were once weak as well, you’ve also been bullied.”
“You can seek revenge for wrongs that have been committed against you, but when it comes to the innocent, I hope you’ll endeavor to be kind. You can help others, using your strength to help them through tough times. You may not receive tangible material rewards, but trust me, the joy you get from helping others will make you genuinely happy.”
The Big guy was a bit confused: “Like what you do, Dad?”
“Exactly,” the Dragon-man youth smiled.
He continued, “Like how you protected the ship without regard for your own life; for this, everyone is truly grateful to you.”
Mentioning others, the Big guy’s face immediately revealed a hint of fear.
The Dragon-man youth sighed, thinking to himself: It won’t do for the Big guy to continue being so solitary. He needed to guide him to truly integrate into the group.
Thereupon, the Dragon-man youth said, “Don’t be scared, everyone is actually very nice.”
“Like Dad?” the Big guy asked.
“Of course. Don’t be fooled by their fierce appearance at times; they all have their own difficulties. They all have kindness in their hearts, and we need to understand each other,” the Dragon-man youth patiently explained.
“But, some of them have beaten me up!” the Big guy pouted.
The youth knew he was talking about Zong Ge.
The youth chose his words carefully, “Sometimes actions don’t reflect what’s in the heart. Besides, hasn’t he become our companion now? In every battle, he’s at the forefront, always protecting those behind, isn’t he?”
The Big guy shook his head, not understanding.
The Dragon-man youth felt a headache coming on, and he thought for a moment, trying to gently guide the Big guy with words he could understand: “Actually, many times, even though we might seem fierce, deep down we really care about others.”
“Like when I used to hit you on the island, it was to stop you from going crazy, for your own good, right?”
“It’s the same with Zong Ge.”
The Big guy shook his head then nodded, clearly his thoughts were somewhat muddled.
“Let’s tidy up, and we’ll leave,” the Dragon-man youth said, feeling exhausted.
The big guy took the initiative, “Dad, are we coming back tomorrow?”
He cherished the moments he spent alone with the dragon-man youth. Although the training was tough and exhausting, he felt happy and blessed.
The youth’s reply disappointed him, “No, we are setting sail again tomorrow.”
“Oh,” the big guy lowered his head, “then I’ll just stay in the cabin and continue cultivating my fighting energy.”
“Mhm, become a bronze fighter as soon as possible. By then, you can help everyone more,” the dragon-man youth patted the big guy, encouraging him.
However, problems arose on the day they were supposed to set sail.
Not many pirates returned.
Many of them had directly left.
On the deck of the Justice, the core members gathered.
Among them, Zong Ge’s expression was particularly grim.
Less than half of his Little Bird’s crew had returned; clearly, the grueling training had intimidated the pirates, who were unwilling to return to the Justice Pirate Group and suffer again.
“It seems we have to recruit new hands,” the dragon-man youth frowned slightly, “What do you think?”
“Hmph, they are all deserters. According to military rules, they should be executed, to set an example!” Zong Ge snorted coldly.
The big guy was startled and slightly shifted his steps, distancing himself from the half-beast who was full of murderous intent.
The dragon-man youth keenly noticed this, “Yes, the Lion Flag considers everyone. Indeed, if there are deserters on the battlefield, it would endanger us all. So, being strict with everyone normally and helping them understand the consequences of desertion is caring for and loving everyone.”
“What should we do now, Captain?” Little Bird addressed the dragon-man youth, her tone very natural.
“We need to recruit more people. Forget New Moon Port, it’s too boring. There are too few people here, let’s head to other ports,” Di Lou was clearly disappointed with New Moon Port and the Mermaid Tavern.
Cang Xu spoke indifferently, “It’s true we need more hands, but the root problem hasn’t been solved. Even if we recruit more people, as long as we dock for supplies, today’s situation will happen again.”
Zong Ge and Sanda both furrowed their brows.
Cang Xu’s words were a veiled criticism towards Zong Ge.
One in grey said, “Pirates are pirates, training them too much, imposing strict military discipline on them, will cause resentment. Once they get the chance, this resentment will cause us trouble.”
As an experienced pirate ship captain, One in Grey disagreed with Zong Ge’s tactics as well.
“How do other pirate captains keep their subordinates in line?” the dragon-man youth inquired.
“Well, we could learn from our enemy—Rou Cang,” Di Lou mused, “Rou Cang is extremely brutal, and his pirates dare not leave him rashly for fear of being hunted down. Those pirates who left us underestimated us too much. Let’s execute a few, then others will know to fear, and some will rush back. Those who stay on the ship won’t dare leave easily either.”
The big guy quietly stepped back again, distancing himself from Di Lou, and looked toward his dad with a puzzled gaze.
The dragon-man youth shook his head firmly, “That’s not good, it’s precisely because of this that Rou Cang is our enemy.”
Little Bird then suggested, “Perhaps we can emulate Kou Zhao. He too is a Golden Level pirate captain, and often deducts his subordinates’ salaries for various reasons. He usually withholds three months of their salaries, delaying the payment. In this way, the pirates thinking of leaving privately would lose a substantial amount of money. There are many advantages to this, sometimes when a pirate dies in battle, Captain Kou Zhao could pocket the deceased’s salary, haha.”
The big guy froze, looking again toward the dragon-man youth.
The dragon-man youth shook his head, speaking with principled resolve, “That is unfair and unethical. As captain and as someone strong, being more tolerant is better.”
“I could use magic, and cast a curse on all the sailors,” Cang Xu suggested.
The big guy was shocked.
The dragon-man youth’s throat went dry, and he began to get a headache.
Di Lou was about to speak; he seemed to have thought of a good solution.
The dragon-man youth quickly raised his hand to stop him, “Enough, I’ve made my decision. Increase the salaries, any sailor who joins the Justice will be paid one and a half times the going rate.”
“No need to discuss this further.”
“Set sail, let’s go!”