"You're angry again," Wakaï remarked.

"As you see!" Seokjin replied, throwing his bow at him, being even more irritated to see him catch it without any problem.

"That's strange, I thought I had managed to get this anger out of you," the pirate said with sincerity, delicately resting the bow against a wall.

"A new one has taken its place!" Seokjin roared.

"How is this possible in such a short time?" the Japanese asked with a frown. "What could have made you angry now, when you managed to hit your target?"

He seemed genuinely perplexed.

"It's not a what, it's a who and it's you, again!" Seokjin replied. "You used my emotions just to make me succeed in aiming for that damn target!"

"Aren't you happy you succeeded?"

"There are many things that make me happy in life, but this is not one of them!"

Killing wakos, on the other hand, made him happy, he thought, clenching his fists.

"I thought you would be happy to go out since that's what you wanted."

"Of course I would be-" Seokjin started then paused, frowning. "Wait, what?"

"I thought you would be happy to go out since that's what you wanted," the other repeated.

"But you said I would only get out if I succeeded on my first attempt, didn't you?"

"I did and when you asked me for three tries, I gave them to you. This means that the real attempt was the fourth, the one I-"

"The one you helped me achieve," Seokjin cut him off, stunned.

Wakaï could have said nothing to him. He could have told him that he had simply failed and refused him what he asked before. Instead, he had helped him and now made him believe that it was he who had succeeded when without him, he would not have succeeded in piercing his target.

"Would you by any chance try to... please me?" he asked cautiously.

"Why would I try to please you?" the other asked, smiling. It was almost becoming normal on his face and it suited him, Seokjin thought.

"I don't know, so that you rally me to your cause?"

"You think I'm trying to make you a pirate of my crew?"

"I don't know what you want and it's driving me crazy!" Seokjin exclaimed.

Wakaï was about to say something when their attention was suddenly diverted by two shots fired almost simultaneously.

"Come on, let's go join Yoongi and Taehyung on the shooting range, they didn't wait for us."

They quickly joined them further into the garden of the Usagi property, after walking in silence, Wakaï in the lead, Seokjin following, eyes glued to his massive back. Despite his loose black kimono, his muscles were prominent, more so than any soldier he'd encountered at the military base. What monstrous training had he undergone to achieve such a body?

He himself had tried to build muscle, but with the exception of his shoulders, which nature had given him broad, he couldn't really develop his muscles. It was an injustice beyond words, he thought.

When they arrived, his gaze moved away from Wakaï to position itself on the two armed men. Positioned in parallel, Yoongi and Taehyung fired as they reloaded their weapons but it was obvious that Taehyung was having difficulty keeping up with Yoongi who was very good in handling the pistol. Taehyung seemed to not come from the same era as these weapons, thought Seokjin, who understood better why he never carried a pistol on him.

Wakaï went to take a weapon and positioned himself in front of a target, next to Taehyung. Seokjin had already seen Wakaï use a pistol without even looking at his opponent so he knew he was very skillful. No sooner had he thought that than the captain shot right in the center of his target.

Leadership, navigation, mastery of Japanese arts, of the pistol... was there anything this man didn't know how to do perfectly apart from cooking? Seokjin crossed his arms, unhappy, meeting the satisfied look of Wakaï.

"Hey, Joseon!" Yoongi called him. "Come and show us what you can do."

"Aren't you afraid to put a pistol in my hands? I shoot pretty well, you know? Probably better than your captain," Seokjin added pretentiously.

"No risk. You'll only have time to kill one of us before I put a bullet in your head," Yoongi retorted with a grin.

"Not if it's you I aim for first," Seokjin affirmed in a mocking tone.

"Then the captain will kill you," Yoongi said lightly, confident that the admiral would not take such a risk. "In any case, it won't be the pathetic samurai who still doesn't know that gunpowder is replacing our swords in this new era."

For a moment, Taehyung seemed to wonder if he should change his target and choose Yoongi's head instead.

"I'm sorry, sensei, but he's not entirely wrong on that one," Seokjin told him with a grin. "This time, it's up to me to teach you something."

He took the remaining pistol and approached the last target, positioning himself to Yoongi's right, his back straight. He checked that his pistol was loaded and without thinking more than reason, he closed one eye to aim and he fired.

"Beautiful," Taehyung said, his eyes amazed. "It's really something that doesn't require patience but, on the contrary, liveliness."

"See?!" Seokjin exclaimed triumphantly, delighted by the admiration he aroused in the samurai.

"It's not as good as kyudo, but your posture is quite impressive. And you have to be very good to shoot that fast and aim correctly. I understand that you were considered the best on your land."

Seokjin's ears reddened with pleasure, but Yoongi's unpleasant voice intervened in front of his ego.

"Really?" the Ming said, half mocking, half surprised. "Joseon shooters must be really bad then because last time in the crow's nest, you made me feel like you were afraid of my pistol."

"You were wrong!" Seokjin replied through gritted teeth. "I just thought your sword would be more interesting to kill you with. You probably know how much I enjoy cutting off wako heads. I've never tried it with a Ming wako, though, I can't wait to try it."

"Pfff, to others! I'm sure you've learned to shoot at targets but not at humans and that scares you."

"Nonsense!" Seokjin fumed.

"Why not check?" Wakaï intervened, after having listened to their conversation in silence for a long time. "The two of you have a duel and if the admiral wins, he will have the right to shoot only once the pirate he most wants to kill."

"Who?" Taehyung asked immediately.

"Me," his captain replied.

"Captain, no!" the samurai replied, scandalized.

Seokjin widened his eyes. A single bullet seemed small but well placed, it would be enough for him to kill his opponent.

"Will you let me shoot you if I win? Even if it means killing you?"

"Yes, and as I am dead, nothing will keep you here anymore. I will entrust Taehyung with the task of bringing you home safely."

"I cannot do this," Taehyung replied.

"What you cannot do is disobey your lord's final orders."

The two men stared at each other for a long time, as if they were exchanging a silent discourse, and the samurai ended up bowing his head, entirely submissive to his lord, even if he remained in deep disagreement.

"What do you think, admiral?" Wakaï asked, turning back to Seokjin.

Seokjin looked into Wakaï's eyes to see if he was joking, but there was no trace of mockery or duplicity in his cold gaze. He could kill the captain of this band of wakos, go home and then returned to Honshu with men to destroy this pirate crew. All he had to do was beat Yoongi with a weapon he was very good at.

"I like it, I accept," he declared with confidence.

Wakaï nodded and turned to Yoongi.

"What about you, Yoongi, what do you want in return?"

The Ming had a wicked smile that revealed his gums.

"I want him," he said, pointing to Taehyung. "Give me your samurai to serve me."

Taehyung glared at Ming, telling him that it wouldn't happen.

"Taehyung is not a commodity I can give you," Wakaï said.

"Oh really? I must have made a mistake," Yoongi said in a falsely apologetic tone. "Yet, his life belongs to you as you are his master, and he obeys you hand in hand. Order him to obey me for a week and I will accept this duel against Joseon. I want to make him my dog."

Wakaï exchanged a look with Taehyung as if to ask his opinion and the samurai nodded without hesitation. He seemed to prefer Yoongi to win rather than Seokjin, as if his life had less value than his captain's.

"Taehyung will serve you only for one day and one night," Wakaï declared.

Yoongi seemed unhappy but eventually agreed, knowing he couldn't get more.

"This should be enough to inflict on you all the humiliations I have in mind," he said to the samurai.

"I'll make you pay for it as soon as it's over," Taehyung retorted fiercely.

"If it makes you feel any better, you won't do any of this because I'm going to win," Seokjin interjected.

Instead of being satisfied, Taehyung glared at him.

"I wish for your defeat. If you win and shoot the captain, I will take you home safely but then, when I have accomplished this mission, I will kill you."

He was so sincere that Seokjin frowned. He had thought that their relationship had developed enough for him to agree to help him return home and leave without attacking him but once again, he always put Wakaï, his master, before him whom he had nevertheless taken under his wing as a disciple. Even though he knew it was a question of honor, Seokjin was tired of it. It was annoying.

"That won't happen since I'll be the one to kill you first. Like this, you will go and join your beloved master very quickly in the other world," he replied, giving Taehyung a dirty look.

Taehyung looked shocked at his attitude, and Seokjin almost expected him to order him to go practice takigyo immediately to think about his insolence. Which he would have refused of course because respect and loyalty had to go both ways.

"Alright, enough with your bickering," Wakaï said in his sharp voice attracting the attention of the three men, one of whom, particularly annoyed, glared at him when he heard him talking about bickering as if the issues were not serious. "Now that we have agreed on the terms, let's get started right away."

He explained the rules of the duel to them, pointing out targets which he had Taehyung move to make them more difficult to hit. Each of them would have an attempt each time to shoot at the same target.

Seokjin remembered that Yoongi had keen eyesight. He would have an advantage with the distant targets but that didn't matter. He was confident in his abilities. He had worked hard for years to refine them. And with the concentration that Taehyung ​​had taught him – and Wakaï more recently, even if he doubted whether he already knew how to put perfect harmony into practice alone – he felt more up to it than ever.

So, when the duel began, he had no doubts. He fired quickly, regaining his old instincts as if he had never stopped being the formidable admiral that he was. In front of him, his opponent was just as strong.

Yoongi was a former soldier, it had been obvious to Seokjin for a long time but despite what he had told Taehyung, he wasn't about to leave his sword aside for the pistol. He was a formidable fighter who chopped his enemies with his sword and when he fought, he looked a bit like the fierce Ming dragon that adorned his soldier's uniform and which he had not gotten rid of even when he became a pirate. Moreover, when he held his pistol, he looked like he wanted to shred everything with it, just like with his sword.

This made him less precise than Seokjin, more messy in his gestures and what was supposed to happen did not fail to happen: he missed a complex target to hit without maximum precision.

Seokjin, using the meditative technique he had just learned, did not rush unlike his other targets and took the time to aim carefully. For the first time he considered the force of the wind, because he realized that something so simple could make or break us.

He breathed in and out deeply several times, trying to become one with the elements, managing to ignore Yoongi's attempts to distract him criticizing it for his slowness, and the weight of Wakaï and Taehyung's gaze who stared at him attentively.

Taehyung sighed when Seokjin hit the mark. It was he who had given their enemy the techniques that allowed him to defeat Yoongi and therefore, he was himself responsible for the fate of his captain. And yet, he couldn't help but be proud of his disciple.

Emerging from his state of deep concentration and realizing he had won, Seokjin jumped for joy, twirling around Yoongi to taunt him.

"I'm the best, admit it! Joseon surpasses Ming!"

Yoongi's face turned pink with humiliation.

"You were lucky, that's all!"

"Only weak people say that," Taehyung told him, defending Seokjin without thinking.

"And you look pathetic, siding with him. You're so happy that your disciple won, right?" the Ming soldier replied.

"No, not at all," Taehyung replied. "Because now it's between the captain and him."

Hearing that, Seokjin stopped spinning and screaming with joy and turned to Wakaï, his expression suddenly serious.

"Are you going to keep your word?" he asked the wako, skeptically.

"Of course."

"Then let me go."

"Of course."

Seokjin couldn't believe his luck: he had won his freedom easier than he thought. Had he really succeeded in weakening the monstrosity of this wako by making him laugh and think about his past? But if he hadn't done it voluntarily, he felt proud of himself and he grinned.

"You can leave when you shoot me with this pistol," Wakaï clarified, pointing to the pistol that Seokjin still held in his hand.

Seokjin lost his grin and looked at his pistol then back at the pirate. The man stared at him without any fear. He was unarmed and simply waiting for the admiral to shoot him.

"It's okay, I'll let you live this once because you saved me from drowning. Now we are even, but that doesn't mean I'll spare you the next time we meet," Seokjin finally said. "Now, pack your things and take me back to Joseon right away."

Taehyung raised his eyebrows in surprise and Yoongi smirked. As for Wakaï, he responded with an inscrutable look and Seokjin was going to leave in the direction of the big house where his meager possessions were, but Wakaï stopped him.

"Stop, admiral."

Seokjin froze, wondering if the other was not going to tell him that ultimately, he refused to honor his word.

"What do you want?"

"I asked you to shoot me and you haven't done it yet."

"And I told you I was sparing you this time," Seokjin replied, annoyed.

"Do not give your pity to your enemies, they have none for you."

"I have no pity for you at all!"

"Then why don't you shoot me? Am I not your enemy? One of those cruel wakos you want to eradicate forever? Or has living here with us suddenly made you change your mind about us?"

"No, it does not!" Seokjin yelled, suddenly aiming his pistol at Wakaï's head, his hand trembling.

Why? Why was the other provoking him like this? If he was looking for Seokjin to kill him sooner than expected, then he would!

He remained like that with arm outstretched, doing nothing other than staring at the wako he held at gunpoint. The moment of proximity they had shared earlier had not made him forget what the man was. A wako who had murdered his crew and undoubtedly had the blood of many innocents on his hands. The seas would be infinitely better off without such a man to sail them.

And yet, he couldn't shoot. Sweat trickled down his temple. He suddenly noticed how hot it was.

"So, Yoongi was right, you're afraid to shoot a man," said Wakaï who was watching him carefully. It was as if everything that had just happened had only happened to verify this simple theory. Not for a single second had he feared for his life, Seokjin realized with resentment.

Taehyung and Yoongi watched them in silence.

"I'm not afraid of killing," Seokjin denied fiercely, "I'm the Wako Slayer, I kill wakos without any regret!"

"But you don't kill them with a pistol," Wakaï guessed. "Just as you didn't want to take Yoongi's loaded pistol to save your life, you are incapable of securing your freedom now by killing me with this pistol."

Seokjin turned pale, proving the pirate that he was right on target.

"All things considered, I don't think this samurai from ancient times is the strangest here," Yoongi said with a chuckle, pointing at Taehyung with his thumb. "It's more like this Joseon, an admiral who's afraid of water and a wako killer who's afraid of killing! It's pitiful! You became a wako hunter because you couldn't stand being a coward against them, am I right?"

His words filled Seokjin with a dull rage. These pirates had discovered all his weaknesses that he had taken care to put aside during all his last years and they were now having fun showing them off. It was unbearable.

Bam!

Yoongi and Taehyung widened their eyes when they heard the metallic punch that Seokjin put in Wakaï's jaw with his pistol and which made him stagger but while Taehyung ran towards his captain, Seokjin rushed at Yoongi and in an instant, knocked him to the ground and began to punch him hard without respite.

"Captain, are you okay?" Taehyung asked, examining Wakaï's red and cracked jaw which was visibly swelling. Blood was already starting to flow from it.

"I'm fine," Wakaï said, pushing him away.

"It's surprising he managed to get you to let your guard down enough to hit you in the face," Taehyung remarked, frowning. "Besides, to begin with, I don't understand why he hit you when it was Yoongi who pissed him off."

"I hurt him first pushing him to the limit, that's why. I wanted to understand something, and I have. Now, take him away from Yoongi."

Taehyung looked at Yoongi, on the ground, who was trying as best he could to defend himself against the admiral's angry blows. Yoongi was the strongest in hand-to-hand combat, but he didn't have the rage of his opponent who seemed to strike to kill at that moment.

"Didn't he deserve it?" Taehyung asked. "He never stopped having fun with dishonoring him."

"Yes, he deserved it," Wakaï said simply. " Now get the admiral away from him and take him to calm down."

Taehyung tilted his head and went to grab Seokjin under the armpits to lift him up and away from Yoongi.

"Let me go!" Seokjin yelled, struggling. "Let me go, Taehyung!"

"No, I am your sensei, and I order you to calm down. Haven't I taught you the importance of controlling your emotions?" he asked, tightening his arms around Seokjin's to stop him from trying to hit him.

"Fuck you," Seokjin roared, continuing to struggle, provoking Taehyung, "I only called you sensei to learn your techniques. You are nothing to me!"

"Okay. Are you done now?" Taehyung replied without letting go, not letting himself be controlled by Seokjin's hurtful words that he knew were dictated by anger.

"No, I'm not done!" Seokjin yelled, looking at Yoongi who was holding his bloody face. "You're nothing more than a scarred man with no purpose in life other than to take it out on others and you dare talk about my cowardice?!"

Yoongi, whose face was even more damaged than usual, gave him a death glare but Seokjin wasn't done. He turned to Wakaï and continued:

"And you are the worst of all, the captain of a band of scoundrels who think they are the kings of the sea because they rule through fear. I hate wakos and I hate you more than all the others for almost making me forget this hatred!"

Wakaï stiffened. Yoongi quickly got up, his bloodied face and furious expression, and tried to hit Seokjin. However, Wakaï grabbed his arm with force and stopped him roughly.

"Why?!" Yoongi yelled as he watched Taehyung force Seokjin away. He turned his angry and hurt face towards Wakaï. "Why are you protecting him?!"

"You're even, so leave him alone."

"We are far from even!" Yoongi roared. "I said what I thought, this coward just had to accept it."

"Yoongi, if you say that again, I'll kill you," Wakaï said in a cold voice, like sharp steel.

Stunned, Yoongi realized his captain was serious and was squeezing his arm like he was going to crush it, making him grit his teeth from the pain. His dark aura had reawakened.

"You don't know anything about him, so don't ever say that again."

"What do you know about him?!" the Ming replied, astonish.

Wakaï did not respond but released the pressure on his arm. Yoongi angrily pulled his arm away and started rubbing it.

"I thought it was Taehyung who fell for the admiral, but it turned out to be you."

"You don't know what you're saying."

"Then why did you let him hit you?" Yoongi replied harshly. "I know you, you could have avoided the blow he gave you, but you let him do it before letting him attack me. Why?!"

"Because he has the right to do so."

Stunned, Yoongi said:

"I can't believe what I'm hearing, it's not you talking."

"Believe what you want but I forbid you from attacking him. If you want revenge, you will have to attack me."

"What?!"

"You can lash out at me, but I will defend myself. What do you think, Yoongi? Do you want to finally see if you can defeat me?"

Yoongi challenged him with a look, seeming ready to confront his captain.

"Are you trying to kick me off the crew?" he finally asked, aware of what a vengeful duel against his captain meant.

"No, that's not what I want," the other contradicted him.

He seemed sincere but Yoongi asked anyway:

"But are you willing to do it if you have to choose between me and this admiral?"

"Yes."

The Ming's rage was mixed with his incomprehension. He violently kicked Seokjin's abandoned pistol on the ground and took off with long strides, towards the entrance of the house.

"Don't go out, you know the rules Yoongi," Wakaï warned.

"Why?" Yoongi asked bluntly, turning around. "I would rather face the ronins than be humiliated like this by staying here."

"You have trusted me until now, don't let your anger cloud your judgment or you will regret it."

"I trusted a powerful man, not a man who weakened in front of the beauty of Joseon and decided he was more valuable than the man who fought alongside him!" Yoongi spat.

"You misunderstand my feelings regarding the admiral."

"Really? So if that's not it, what is it?"

"If I explain it to you, you will have access to a part of me that I have never revealed to anyone."

"If I understand correctly, I can go fuck myself, right?"

"I didn't say that."

Yoongi seemed to calm down.

"So? Are you going to tell me?"

Wakaï replied with a serious air:

"Yes."