Pirate: Crew of Desire and Bonds

Jake grinned.

”So this is what Issen is...”

Then he pushed.

His wrist turned a fraction, and the locked blades stopped being equal.

CLANG!

Aria’s world lurched.

The short sword shoved hers aside as if her full-strength strike had been nothing more than a branch caught in a river.

She slid back three steps before her foot caught against the stone and brought her to a stop.

Her eyes widened.

Such inhuman strength...

And even more terrifying was Jake’s control over it.

She could tell that if Jake had wanted to, that single push could have seriously injured her.

Yet his control was so precise that instead of being thrown away or having her arms broken, she had only felt a gentle force pushing her backward.

Aria immediately resumed her stance and gripped the sword hilt with both hands.

Strangely, a hint of excitement rose in her chest, and her heart began beating loudly in a way that felt different from before.

Her blue eyes seemed to glow as she looked ahead.

However, Jake didn’t follow up immediately.

He frowned as he looked at her grip.

Everything about Aria’s stance and timing had been perfect, and yet...

’Hmm... That strike still felt a bit wrong.’

It was almost as if the attack wasn’t as perfect as it should have been.

Then Jake suddenly remembered one of her skills that was called Katana Mastery.

’Could it be because she wasn’t using a katana?’

’It seems I’ll have to get her a katana once we get out of this place if I want her to reach her full potential.’

Jake thought inwardly.

Then, sensing the battle intent coming from her, he smiled wryly.

It seemed she truly wanted to test herself after finally awakening to something she had been missing all this time...

...And she hadn’t even realized it yet.

With that thought, Jake suddenly moved and his figure blurred.

Aria’s eyes widened.

She could barely react before Jake was already in front of her.

’Too fast...!’

She hurriedly tried to raise her sword, but her arm suddenly trembled.

”...!”

A pain ran through her arm as her movement slowed.

She couldn’t raise it properly.

Before she could recover, Jake reached her.

He casually lifted one hand and flicked the side of her blade with a single finger.

Clang!

The sword was knocked out of her hands and flew to the side so effortlessly that Aria froze.

She stared at her empty hands in disbelief.

After all, one of the core lessons she had learned from her master was to never let go of her sword...

And yet...

WHOOSH!

Aria’s eyes widened.

Before she could even turn around, Jake suddenly appeared behind her.

He wrapped one arm around her upper body and hooked his leg behind hers.

Then he tugged her knee.

Aria’s balance immediately broke.

”Ah—!”

Her body tilted backward, and Jake tightened his hold around her neck and upper body, locking her in place as she fell.

The next moment, both of them went down.

Thud!

Jake landed on his back with Aria falling against him, still firmly held in his grip yet gentle enough not to hurt her.

Aria’s eyes widened as she realized what had just happened.

She hadn’t even seen him move.

And once again, her swordsmanship had been completely bypassed.

But Aria wasn’t about to give up.

As a samurai, giving up was never an option.

They were stubborn to the point of death, and Aria was no different.

She struggled against Jake’s hold, trying to free herself.

Yet Jake casually locked down her limbs one after another, completely preventing her from moving.

No matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t find an opening.

Soon, Jake had completely restrained her without using much strength at all as they lay there.

He grinned as he easily maintained the hold.

Aria struggled for a moment longer, but she still couldn’t break free.

Feeling her frustration, Jake couldn’t help but tease her.

He leaned closer to her ear and said with a smug grin,

”Hehe... Are you going to give up now?”

”...”

Aria didn’t say anything, but Jake could still feel her silently struggling against his hold.

At this quiet strength exerting itself, Jake sighed.

”I know being determined is a good thing,” Jake said calmly. ”But you also need to know the condition of your own body.”

Aria’s movements paused slightly.

”Didn’t you notice?”

Jake continued. ”After using Issen, your body is already exhausted. Heck, even your arm is strained. If you keep forcing yourself like this, you’re only going to hurt yourself.”

At Jake’s words, Aria finally noticed the soreness in her arm.

”Hmm..?”

Her arm trembled slightly, the muscles clearly strained from overexertion.

She had been so focused on the battle that she hadn’t noticed it until now.

It seemed that the Issen she had unleashed was already beyond what her current strength could handle.

Jake noticed Aria relaxing and loosened his hold slightly.

”See? That’s what I’m talking about,” he said.

”You were so focused that you didn’t even notice your own body was already reaching its limit.”

”...”

Aria remained silent, listening carefully.

”Your understanding of Issen is good... or way too good but your body hasn’t caught up yet,” Jake continued.

”You have the technique, but you don’t have enough strength and endurance to use it at its full potential.”

He paused for a moment before adding,

”So don’t force it. First, get used to the technique and learn how much your body can actually handle, so you don’t accidentally hurt yourself. Once your body becomes stronger, you’ll be able to use Issen without putting this much strain on yourself.”

Jake, with his new powerful sense, could tell that Aria’s way of using the skill was already pushing her body beyond its limits.

If she kept using it like this, she would become a cannon that could fire one powerful shot before immediately exhausting herself.

Aria silently absorbed every word Jake said.

She looked down at her trembling arm for a moment before slowly nodding.

”...I understand.”

She paused, then looked at Jake and gave him a small nod of gratitude.

”Thank you for the advice.”

Jake smiled at her response.

However, it was only then that he finally realized just how close they were.

They were still lying on the ground, with Aria held firmly in his arms.

A faint, pleasant fragrance from her hair reached his nose, and Jake suddenly felt a strange warmth rise in his chest.

His gaze instinctively lowered for a moment and saw Aria’s shirt had been pulled open by the fall and the struggle.

The front had slipped enough to show the pale, flawless skin of her breasts.

Soft, heavy curves pressed against the thin fabric that remained, and from his direction he could see the beautiful... valley between them.

The faint sheen of sweat from the fight made the skin there catch the light.

”...”

Jake swallowed and slowly moved his hand.

Aria flinched a little when she felt his hand on her stomach.

He rubbed her skin there first, then slowly slid his hand up under her open shirt.

Soon, his rough palm covered her bare breast and squeezed.

”Mhm....”