"...Hmph. Is that all you have to say? What of it? If you have time for such idle thoughts, focus on the fight!"
Gomez fell silent for a moment at Yugo's words, then let out a roar as he lunged forward with his harpoon.
The thrust, bolstered by the power of his Clear Plate, carried immense weight. A direct hit would have been devastating, yet Yugo didn’t move to dodge. He met the strike head-on.
"What...?"
Gomez’s eyes widened as the impact reverberated through his hands. From the sensation alone, he realized Yugo had intentionally taken the hit just an instant before the thrust’s destructive force peaked. As Gomez stood momentarily stunned by the sheer recklessness of such a defense, Yugo seized the shaft with both hands and threw his entire weight into his arms.
"Uooooooooh!"
"Ugh?! G-gah!"
Yugo swung the weapon like he was executing a shoulder throw, pivoting with the pole. Despite his massive frame, Gomez was overwhelmed by the sudden surge of momentum. He found himself hoisted into the air and slammed hard against the deck, his grip on the weapon finally failing.
Gomez bounced off the planks and rolled, scrambling to regain his footing. Yugo stared at the stolen harpoon for a brief second before tossing it far away.
"Why... why didn't you use it?" Gomez panted. "Your Blaster has a weapon generation function, doesn't it?"
Fee had told him about the Blaster’s capabilities. If Yugo had truly wanted to win, he could have reshaped the harpoon into a blade or a staff to gain the upper hand. Instead, Yugo looked him square in the eye.
"Because I don't need it. I need to know why you're doing this. I have to know the truth."
"..."
Gomez fell silent.
Yugo wasn't trying to force the information out of him; he was trying to understand. Gomez narrowed his eyes, sensing the boy's resolve to end the conflict if it turned out to be a solvable problem.
"Gomez-san... if you were truly as cynical as you claim, the Clear Plate would never have granted you this power. You wouldn’t have awakened an ability that turns the scars you earned protecting this island into strength."
"!"
"It makes sense, doesn't it? To reject yourself as a hero would be to reject those scars. But here you are, fighting me by weaponizing them. To you, those marks are proof that you stood your ground for this island. They are your pride as a hero!"
Though Gomez held Clear Plate S, it was not a foregone conclusion that he would manifest the Ability of Scar. For a fisherman like him, it would have been more natural to obtain the Ability of Sea, drawing power from the ocean surrounding Wind Island.
And yet, that wasn't what happened. His internal self-image had caused him to awaken the power to turn his wounds into strength. A man who loathed his past as a hero would never have been granted such a gift. To turn a scar into power was to embrace the battle that caused it. Gomez could find no retort for Yugo's logic.
"Shepherd, Fee, the passengers... no one thinks you've truly turned into a villain. Everyone believes in you! So do I! There has to be a reason, right? If there is, then tell me!"
"And what then? What could a boy like you possibly do even if you knew?"
"I don't know. But I can't bring myself to take you down while I'm still in the dark!"
Earnest to a fault, naive, and soft-hearted. Gomez let out a weary laugh as he listened to Yugo’s shout, thinking that perhaps this was the essence of youth. He finally unclenched his fists and looked back at the boy.
"You are young. And far too kind. It’s precisely because you’re like this that I didn't want to tell you. I knew that if I did, you wouldn't be able to fight me properly."
"What...?"
Yugo's eyes widened as the heavy, oppressive aura around Gomez finally began to shift.
"You’re right," Gomez said quietly. "This isn’t my choice. I was forced to cooperate by the people who planned this sea-jack."
"But why? Why would you help them?"
Gomez’s voice cracked, heavy with a hollow, tragic grief.
"My granddaughter... they took her as a hostage. To save her, I had no other choice."