Toby led the way while nervously asking, "Can your puppets really defeat the pirates?"
He whispered, his voice filled with unease, "I'm not doubting you, big brother, but they have real guns..."
Bai Yu lifted his eyelids, "Firearms aren't invincible."
Scattered gunshots echoed from the distance, startling birds from the forest.
Toby Toby accelerated again.
He was genuinely worried about the village's situation.
Thick smoke continuously rose from the village's direction. Toby's legs felt as heavy as lead as he tightly clutched the small puppet, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force.
"Listen, kid."
Bai Yu pressed down on Toby Toby's shoulder.
"Stay far outside the village later. No matter what you see, don't make a sound. I'll handle the rest."
The watchtower at the village entrance had collapsed, with burning beams crushing several corpses wearing navy uniforms.
About twenty drunken pirates gathered around the central square. One bearded pirate was skewering grilled fish with his bayonet, the dripping fat sizzling in the fire.
"Boss, we've taken everything. Let's retreat before the navy discovers what happened here."
The one-eyed pirate kicked an iron cage, causing the curled-up women inside to emit suppressed sobs.
"Hehe, before we leave, let's just kill all the men in these cages and take the women with us."
"Idiot! If I wanted to kill them, I would have done it already. Why do you think I spared these people?"
A tall, dark-skinned man stood up, the flintlock at his waist gleaming coldly in the firelight.
"These are prime slaves. There are several gangs in the West Sea now, and some high-quality, undamaged female slaves can fetch a good price."
"But boss, we could enjoy them first ourselves..."
"Shut up! You horny bastard! We haven't even left this village yet. Save the enjoyment for later. Eat and drink your fill tonight, we leave first thing tomorrow morning. Say one more word and I'll throw you to the sharks!"
Uchiha Bai Yu had Toby hide outside before shrinking the puppets and placing them at his waist.
He then stealthily approached where the pirates were drinking.
Seeing these pirates, Bai Yu finally relaxed. Good, these guys didn't seem particularly strong.
Since that was the case, Bai Yu had no reservations and released seven large puppets all at once.
Meanwhile, as the pirates were drinking heavily and happily singing and dancing around the bonfire, a strange clicking sound suddenly emerged from the shadows.
Embers from the bonfire were swept up by the night wind, tracing trajectories through the air.
"Who's there?"
The one-eyed pirate spun around abruptly, his bottle shattering on the ground, amber liquid soaking into the sand.
Seven dark figures slowly emerged, their wooden joints deliberately emitting grating, teeth-chattering sounds.
The lead puppet stood two meters tall, carrying a large sword on its back, its empty eye sockets completely dark.
"Trying to scare us with cheap tricks!"
The bearded pirate drew his flintlock, smoke erupting along with the deafening gunshot.
The bullet pierced through the puppet's chest, sending wood chips flying, but it seemed to heal almost instantly.
The struck puppet suddenly accelerated, charging through the barrage of two firearms to appear before the bearded pirate in a flash. Before the bearded man could react, a large wooden hand wrapped around his neck.
The crisp sound of shattering bones mixed with the pirate's piercing screams, echoing clearly under the moonlight.
"What the hell is that?"
The dark-skinned leader staggered backward, his drunkenness instantly turning into cold sweat.
"Don't be afraid, charge together!"
At the leader's shout, the drunken pirates, fueled by alcohol, surged forward with weapons drawn.
However, the leader was clever. While the other pirates charged ahead, he slowly retreated, using them as a shield while preparing his escape route.
Wood chips and dust swirled in the air as seven tall puppets reaped lives like grim reapers.
One of the puppets violently swung its wooden club, smashing into two sword-wielding pirates.
"Bang!"
A loud crash followed as blood splattered across its coarse wooden grain.
"Damn puppets!"
The one-eyed pirate roared, drawing the curved blade from his waist. The blade gleamed coldly in the twilight.
"Are you their leader? Trying to leave without saying goodbye—where do you think you're going?"
Just as the leader attempted to flee, Uchiha Bai Yu appeared before him.
"Get out of my way!"
Seeing the young man, the leader immediately drew his gun.
"Oh? You dare point a gun at me?"
"Descent to Hell Technique!"
The one-eyed pirate, about to pull the trigger, suddenly froze when he met the man's crimson eyes, his pupils contracting violently.
In his distorted vision, countless skeletal hands burst from the ground beneath him, sharp finger bones piercing through his leather boots. Then, wooden vines erupted from the earth, entangling his ankles as the fibrous tendrils climbed his body like living creatures.
"Too weak, far too weak!"
Uchiha Bai Yu felt a wave of disappointment as he watched the pirate, trapped in the illusion, become completely unresponsive. He had been prepared for a fierce battle.
He had assumed that anyone who became a pirate would have some skill, but he never expected them to be this feeble.
Such an anticlimactic end—if this were a novel from his previous life, readers would be sending him hate mail.
"What's happening? What's going on!"
Toby, waiting anxiously outside, grew frantic when the screams from the village abruptly ceased.
Suddenly, a warm hand rested on his shoulder, startling him so much he nearly jumped.
"It's over. Everything went smoothly."
Bai Yu stood behind Toby, speaking calmly.
"Go check on your family."
Toby stood frozen for two seconds, then shot toward the village like an arrow from a bow.
Bai Yu followed at a leisurely pace; dealing with this group had been trivial for him.
Broken bottles and extinguished torches littered the village entrance. Toby stumbled toward the iron cage at the center of the square, packed with villagers.
An elegant woman spotted Toby rushing over and threw herself against the bars, reaching out her arms.
"Toby!"
"Mom!"
Toby hurled himself at the cage, his small hands desperately tugging at the rusted lock.
Bai Yu approached and gestured for him to step back.
The puppet Xiao Huang raised its heavy wooden fist, shattering the chains to pieces in just three strikes.
The villagers swarmed out, some wailing loudly, others kneeling to kiss the earth.
Bai Yu leaned against a broken wall, quietly observing the scene, when he suddenly felt a gentle tug on his sleeve.
"Thank you, big brother!"
Toby Toby looked up, his grimy little face streaked with tears but beaming with a radiant smile.
After the villagers had released their pent-up emotions, they noticed the distinguished Uchiha Bai Yu by the broken wall and hurried over.
"You must be the savior who rescued us."
An elderly man leaning on a cane trembled as he stepped forward, his wrinkled face etched with gratitude.
"I am the village chief of Yaxi Village. Please allow us to express the gratitude of our entire village."
Bai Yu gave a slight nod, his gaze sweeping over the survivors.
Some women held their children, sobbing quietly, while a few men silently began cleaning up the aftermath.
"No need for formalities. I was merely passing by—just an ordinary ninja, you could say."
"Savior, your injuries..."
The elder noticed that Bai Yu seemed to have sustained serious wounds.
"Yes, these are from an incident at sea."
"Then you must stay in our village for a while to recover!"