Chapter 3: The Evil of Pirates
Stepping onto the deck, Su Xiao held Dragon-Slashing Flash as he stared at the pirates before him.
Dozens of pirates gathered around. This was a small to medium-sized pirate crew. From their tattered clothes and sallow complexions, it was clear these pirates hadn't been faring well at sea.
"Drop your weapons and lie down on the deck."
A pirate pointed a flintlock at Su Xiao, swallowing subconsciously. There wasn't much 'meat' left on the ship, and the remaining companions all had weapons, so they couldn't become rations.
Su Xiao looked around. A strong stench of sweat hit him—these pirates had been at sea for at least a month.
A one-eyed man with a black headband stepped out from the crowd. The pirates quickly made way. This was the captain.
The one-eyed captain sized up Su Xiao, his gaze eventually settling on the Dragon-Slashing Flash in Su Xiao's hand. A trace of barely concealed greed appeared in his eyes.
"What are you doing? Our 'Wave-Splitting Pirate Crew' never harms innocent people. Put away your weapons."
The one-eyed captain barked an order. The pirates immediately sheathed their weapons, forcing friendly smiles onto their faces. Their 'Starving Wolf Pirate Crew' had become the 'Wave-Splitting Pirate Crew' again. This scenario had played out a few times before, and these pirates had some experience with it.
"Sorry, I scared you earlier. The ship's hull was damaged, and we lost control of the direction. Did you get hurt?"
As he spoke, the one-eyed captain untied a small barrel from his waist and tossed it to Su Xiao. Inside was fresh water.
"Have some water and rest for a while. We're heading to Water Seven."
Thud. The barrel landed on the deck. Su Xiao didn't even look at it.
"Don't be ungrateful. Pirates as easygoing as us are rare."
A pirate frowned in displeasure.
The one-eyed captain turned his head. When his gaze landed on that pirate, it was ice-cold. The pirate quickly forced a smile and apologized.
"It's good to be cautious, but we really don't have any ill intentions."
The one-eyed captain waved his hand, signaling the pirates to step back.
Bullying the weak and fearing the strong was the norm for pirates. Su Xiao held a sharp blade, and Dragon-Slashing Flash was clearly no ordinary weapon, so the one-eyed captain acted this way. He actually had his eye on Dragon-Slashing Flash. Besides, Su Xiao was young, easily mistaken for a newcomer who had just set sail, whose ship had been destroyed by a storm—a common occurrence.
"Is that so? I happen to be heading to Water Seven as well."
Su Xiao inwardly pondered how to deal with this captain. He had already confirmed the man's malicious intent.
"Then we share the same destination. Meeting on this vast sea is fate, but..."
The one-eyed captain changed his tone, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"While we don't actively harm civilians, riding our ship comes at a cost. How about this: you pay 1 million Berries, and we'll take you to Water Seven. Don't think the price is too high—this is your lifeline. Without a ship, you can't swim to Water Seven. Who knows how far it is?"
A cold sneer formed in Su Xiao's heart. He had already guessed what would come next. He'd say he had no money, and then the other party would suggest using the sword as collateral, or he'd pay up, and then the pirates would turn on him.
"Unfortunately, I don't have any money on me."
Su Xiao tightened his grip on the hilt of Dragon-Slashing Flash. He was ready to act.
"That's a problem. How about this: use that sword as collateral for now..."
The one-eyed captain stopped mid-sentence, staring blankly at Su Xiao's left hand, his eyes seemingly glowing green.
In Su Xiao's left hand was a meat bone—a snack for Bubuteni.
"Bring that here, now!"
The one-eyed captain had stopped pretending. Tempted by food, his ferocious nature was fully exposed.
"So you really are starving."
Su Xiao tossed the meat bone in his hand into the distance. Dozens of pirates' eyes followed the bone's trajectory.
Thud. The meat bone landed on the far deck. The pirates swarmed over, the deck creaking under their feet.
"Get lost, this is mine."
"Fanta, do you want to die?"
"Ah!! Don't bite my hand."
The pirates were in chaos, like a pack of hyenas drawn by meat, biting, kicking, and even drawing knives.
The one-eyed captain's expression changed drastically. Though he craved food too, his status was more important.
"Stop it! Whoever moves again, I'll blow them away!"
The one-eyed captain roared, but it had no effect.
Bang!
A muffled gunshot rang out. A pirate was shot in the head. The splattered brains snapped the others back to reality.
A puff of gunpowder smoke was blown away by the sea breeze. The one-eyed captain held a thick flintlock, modified for immense power.
"Have you all rebelled? Keep fighting!"
The one-eyed captain raised his gun and shouted, the muzzle sweeping over the heads of dozens of pirates.
"Captain, behind you!"
A pirate's face filled with terror, but it was too late.
Pfft. The one-eyed captain's body lurched forward. His eyes bulged, pupils contracting sharply. His mouth opened wide as he struggled to breathe.
He looked down. A bloodstained blade tip protruded from his chest, dripping blood.
"When did..."
The one-eyed captain collapsed onto the deck. Su Xiao pulled out Dragon-Slashing Flash, stepped on the captain's head, and slit the artery in his neck with the blade.
Blood sprayed several meters. Su Xiao sidestepped to avoid it, then looked up and scanned the pirates while still stepping on the captain's head.
"Who wants to be next?"
The pirates were dead silent, all lowering their heads.
"Brothers, we..."
A pirate drew a sailor's knife from his waist, but at that moment, over a dozen knives stabbed at him from all sides.
Pfft, pfft...
The sound of blades piercing flesh was especially clear. After more than ten seconds, the speaking pirate was riddled with holes, no longer human.
"This young swordsman, let's keep to ourselves. We've wanted to kill that dog captain for a long time."
"Yeah, he cut off my arm just because I bumped into him while looting a village."
"You're heading to Water Seven, and so are we. Even if you have the strength to kill us all, you can't sail the ship alone."
Unlike the mindless fodder in the anime, these pirates, though weak, each had their own thoughts.
Su Xiao pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"Fine. You handle the sailing. We keep to ourselves."
What the pirates said made sense. Without them, Su Xiao couldn't sail this three-masted ship, especially a wreck that could fall apart at any moment.
The pirates breathed a sigh of relief but didn't let their guard down. They remained wary of Su Xiao. The fact that he could silently approach their captain from behind already proved his strength.
The pirates threw the one-eyed captain's body into the hold. Some even went in to kick it a few times. As for the one stabbed to death, that was the first mate, who always sided with the one-eyed captain. He wasn't weak, but today he was ambushed by his 'own people.'
This was the downside of ruling with brutality: when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; when the wall collapses, everyone pushes.
Su Xiao stopped paying attention to the pirates. This broken ship could fall apart any moment. He didn't believe the pirates would steer it elsewhere. The direction was set by the 'Eternal Pointer,' a specialty of the pirate world, similar to a compass but pointing to a fixed location.
The pirates returned to their posts, controlling the sails and rudder. The ship moved slowly, only a bit faster than Su Xiao swimming.
Su Xiao headed toward a cabin with a large hole, crudely patched with wooden planks. This was the captain's quarters. He planned to loot it.
As soon as he entered, a pungent burnt smell hit him. The cabin was small, at most ten square meters.
One wall of the cabin was charred black, and the floor was very damp. It seemed there had been a fire here, put out with seawater.
The cabin was simply furnished: a display shelf, a wooden table resembling a desk, and a bed.
Su Xiao first searched the display shelf. After a while, all he found were bottles of cheap liquor. One bottle stood out—a transparent bottle containing the dried penis of some animal.