Chapter 966

"Now, all you lack is time to grow."

"So…"

"You must protect your own life at all costs—don't let anything happen to you."

"Even if you face a powerful enemy, believe this: even if you can't defeat them now, you'll still have a great chance to surpass them later. There's no rush to strike back then."

The old village chief's concern for Lu En was equally heartfelt.

"I'm old, Village Chief."

"I'm truly fine."

"You don't need to worry about my injuries. I know my limits."

Lu En sighed and shook his head helplessly.

Then,

Little Lufei beside him woke from his daze.

He lifted his head, his small face filled with hesitation and doubt.

"What do you want to ask? Go ahead."

Seeing Little Lufei's hesitant expression, Lu En couldn't help but chuckle, patted the boy's shoulder, and asked.

"Big brother, are all the pirates out there on this sea…"

"Like this?"

"They'll stop at nothing to achieve their goals."

"Even Shanks and his crew aren't exempt?"

"That's too vile!"

"The villagers here never provoked them. So why did they attack the villagers? Why kill them?"

"I just can't understand it."

"Why is this happening?"

"Shanks isn't that kind of person. And his pirate crew—they're clearly not cruel pirates."

"But just now…"

Little Lufei clenched his teeth, his face twisted with confusion and fury, and demanded, "Then why did they attack Windmill Village?"

Though he was young,

he wasn't foolish.

He saw everything clearly.

If Grandpa Captain Kapu hadn't acted in time,

and blocked all the incoming shells,

it might have been…

Those shells,

might have struck Windmill Village!

How powerful were those shells?

Little Lufei didn't fully understand,

but he knew well enough.

If those shells had truly hit Windmill Village,

then,

Windmill Village would have suffered heavy losses.

Causing countless villagers to die.

Leading to…

The villagers of Windmill Village dead or maimed.

Under that overwhelming barrage of shells, Lufei didn't believe the villagers' frail bodies could withstand the terrifying power of those explosions.

Not everyone is as strong as Big Brother!

Who can stop shell blasts with bare hands.

Those villagers…

None of them had any martial strength.

They certainly couldn't block the shells' attacks.

The most likely outcome was…

Under the terrifying power of the exploding shells,

all the villagers would die.

Reduced to ashes.

Killed instantly.

Not even their corpses would remain intact.

This was the most likely outcome!

The number of shells was simply too great…

Lufei had reason to believe,

that these shells were meant to destroy Windmill Village!

To kill every single villager.

But.

The question arises.

Why are they doing this?

Little Lufei's small head racked his brains but found no answer.

Even if he strained his mind, he could not uncover the truth.

A one-year-old Little Lufei thinking about such profound questions was truly beyond him.

After all,

he was never someone who excelled at thinking.

So,

under Little Lufei's hopeful gaze,

Lu En let out a light laugh, his eyes holding a touch of depth and sharpness, quietly gazing at the massive pirate ship across the sea, thousands of meters away.

He fixed his gaze on the Red Hair, and explained to Little Lufei beside him: "This is a pirate! Every pirate never reveals their ferocity casually!"

"Only when they face life-or-death peril do they show their true pirate nature."

"Only then do people see."

"What a vile group pirates truly are!"

"For example,"

"right now!"

"Little Lufei, you must understand. Before, Red Hair and his crew treated you and the villagers kindly—only because they felt like it."

"You cannot, just because a vicious pirate suddenly shows kindness to you, mistake them for good people."

"Perhaps..."

"it's merely a disguise they wear."

Changing tone,

Lu En slightly narrowed his eyes and continued, "Due to the old man's oppression, Red Hair's crew has been driven to the brink. If they don't find a way, they will be annihilated here today."

"So the question arises."

"How can they escape from danger?"

"The old man's strength is like a towering mountain, firmly blocking their path, making it utterly impossible for them to cross this mountain."

"So, they racked their brains and finally came up with a despicable plan."

"If they attack the villagers of Windmill Village, the old man will naturally dare not pursue them—he will turn back to Windmill Village to intercept the cannons aimed at the village and prevent harm to the villagers."

"This is the despicable tactic they used to escape their current predicament!"

"This is a pirate!"

"They stop at nothing to achieve their goal!"