Pirate Chronicles - Chapter 131

HE WHO CHEATS ALWAYS WINS! 4

After Kwon buried his sister, he wallowed in grief, melancholy,  and depression. He did not leave the house for an entire month. He blamed himself for what happened to Chyna and countless times he tried to end his life. But, he could not do it! He figured he was too cowardly to do the deed so, he made a decision. He would engage himself into several street fights until someone could put him out. He figured it was the only way to go since he could not do it himself.

However, his dishonest and lowly fighting styles delighted and charmed the crowd! In the end, Kwon became obsessed with winning and being the crowd’s favorite. His contenders began to be more and more formidable, so he had to adapt once more. Kwon upgraded his weapons to fit his underhanded tactics. He bought a jacket and customized it to house all his armaments.

Soon, Kwon was unstoppable! No fighter could read him. He was a CHEAT and a CON! And the more he did it, the better CHEAT he became! He was known in the fighting ring as the CHEATER and he always WON. After all, the only rule in street fighting was “THERE WAS NO RULE.” Because of that, no one dared to fight him anymore in fear of losing their lives.

When his supply was running low, he became desperate to fight some more. Still, no fighting ring would accept him because the challengers feared his reputation. That’s when he went back to Sting to ask for his help.

Sting shrugged his shoulders, “I’m so sorry but your skill set is an upgrade above street fighting. No one dare challenge you. Who could blame them? I WOULD be afraid to challenge you. It’s a gamble I’m not willing to partake.”

Kwon shook his head, “This is how I make a living now. I am running low. Is there something else I could do?”

Sting took a deep breath and looked at him with a serious expression. “Well, there’s something but I’m not sure if you could stomach it.”

Kwon was curious. “What is it?”

“Assassination. As a matter of fact, there are several job offers because of your skill set. However, as the job description entails, you could not leave your assignment undone. I mean unlike street fighting, the other person HAS to die. You have to kill him or her.  It is THE job or you won’t get paid,” Sting answered.

Kwon looked away and clenched his fist. Was he ready to take someone else’s life? He thought of Chyna. She would never be proud of what he had become. Still, she was not there anymore and he was not doing these things to honor her but to punish himself. He remembered his first win and how he did not feel remorse in almost killing his opponent because he reminded himself of the corrupt wealthy men.

He cleared his throat before he spoke, “I’ll take them as long as I get to kill those damn dirty rich bastards.”

Sting smirked. “Of course,” he replied and handed him his first assignment. To Kwon’s delight, it was the plantation owner who gave him only five coppers after a day’s labor when he was in need of money.

Kwon finished the job quicker than he thought. He did not feel any guilt even after he slit the rich man’s throat with his dagger. As a matter of fact, the sight of the man gasping for air satisfied him. He thought the rich exploiter deserved it. When he went back to Sting to collect his payment, another job was waiting for him.

Time passed by and soon he could not count how many assassinations he had completed. His reputation precedes him until it was not just Sting who gave him assignments. Government officials sought him out to take care of politicians and heavily guarded men that contradict them. Kwon did not mind especially if his assignments were rich corrupt men.

*****

I could not help but be attentive to Kwon as he narrated to me his past. I think I found a kindred spirit in him. I looked at him to study if there was a hint of sadness or remorse in his face, but there was none.

“Soon after that, the same government officials declared me a criminal. They posted flyers for my arrest. Before I left my country, I had a big bounty on my head,” Kwon said laughing.

“I would’ve killed those government officials,” I muttered.

Kwon smiled at me, “Oh I did.”

“Whatever happened to the man who owed you money?” I asked.

Kwon’s smile disappeared, “What do you think? I crossed paths with him again in one of my travels and I put an end to him.”

“How did you end up in Pioneer DES?” I inquired once again.

Kwon chuckled, “Oh that is a funny story. As a matter of fact, it is the most humiliating experience of my life.”

I chuckled after hearing that, “”What happened?”

“Ah! Now, I piqued your interest. Hey, you smiled!” he said and pointed at me. “You’re almost pretty when you do that you know,” he added.

I stopped smiling right away and looked away which solicited a mocking laughter from Kwon, “Oh, Angela! You are going to make this crew more interesting.”

“So is that the reason you joined the crew? Because they were interesting?” I asked.

“That and more,” was his answer then he was silent.

I looked back to him, “Well?”

Kwon placed his hands on the deck floor and leaned back a little as he stretched his legs to his right before continuing his story. “I was running out of money at the same time I was on the run. So, it was really difficult to get more assassination jobs. That’s when I heard about piracy. Before I knew it, I got on a boat and started robbing ships. I was unstoppable!” he paused for dramatic effect. I scoffed in response.

He continued, “Then, the thrill of victory was so euphoric.” Kwon’s eyes widened as he said that. “I heard of the Pirate King and his reputation was more amazing than mine. I had to be him. So, I challenged every pirate crew and captain along the way. I killed many. My triumphs compelled me to be on top…”

“AHHHHHHH!!!!!!” What seems to be a scream of agony stopped our conversation. We both looked up to its direction and I grinned after seeing Jeu coming out of our shared room.. Disgust etched on his charming face.