The Surrey was massive.
By now, Tsuneo had already dealt with five or six sentries on patrol. One had to admit, this pirate crew possessed a decent sense of vigilance. The entire crew numbered over two hundred men, though half of them had gone ashore to drink and unwind. During the first half of the night, they had been busy replenishing supplies; it was only in the early hours of the morning that their guard had finally slackened.
"We can have a little chat."
Tsuneo caught another one, dragging him into a dark corner. Seven or eight men were gathered on the deck further up, drinking and chatting, which made them difficult targets for a silent approach.
"Who... who are you?" the man whispered, his voice instinctively dropping as he felt the cold edge of a blade pressed against his throat.
"I ask, you answer."
"How many men are left in the cabins?" Tsuneo asked. It was as if he had reverted to that knight who only moved under the cover of darkness—though without the mechanical filter of his voice-changing mask, his tone wasn't quite as bone-chillingly cold.
"A-about seventy or eighty," the man stammered, his skin crawling as he answered honestly.
"How many muskets?"
"We have about thirty muskets in total, but they're all in the armory. The Captain doesn't let us mess with those things during our downtime. Last time, someone got too drunk, a fight broke out, and they actually pulled their guns."
"But the men on watch and patrol are allowed to carry them?"
"Yes... Also, our Captain's wife is very beautiful. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty. They say she's the daughter of a legendary pirate who ended up as the Captain's trophy. I know David has peeked at her while she was bathing. Fine, I've looked too—there's a small hole in the wood that's usually plugged up..."
The man rambled on, even volunteering some scandalous gossip.
"It seems not everything was scrubbed from the game..." Tsuneo mused.
After hearing the story, Tsuneo personally sent this voyeur on his way. The "Repairman" couldn't help but wonder if a player like himself tried to look through that hole, would his vision be obscured by some "evil" mosaic?
"The muskets are all locked away. That makes things much easier."
A smile played across Tsuneo's face. Among the sentries he had just neutralized, two had indeed been carrying old-fashioned muskets. That was why he had bothered to capture a live one for questioning. It wouldn't be a pretty sight if he burst in only to find an entire cabin full of men pointing firearms at him.
"What rotten luck. It's me stuck guarding the deck with you lot again. I don't see the point in guarding an island transit port like this anyway," a bearded old man on deck grumbled, letting out a loud, alcoholic burp.
He glanced at the dilapidated little boats docked in the harbor. If the Surrey so much as grazed them, they'd fall apart. Who would be stupid enough to harbor ill intentions against them?
"Quiet down. With those youngsters on patrol, we can afford to have a few drinks and relax," a burly man said with a grin, waving a hand to signal the others to drink.
Sure, the cabins were lively, but watching the night sky and feeling the sea breeze wasn't a bad alternative!
"Hehe... look at that. Those useless brats have already passed out!" The burly man glanced at three figures slumped against the railing and chuckled.
What idiots, he thought. Getting so drunk they collapse on the floor with their eyes wide open.
The burly man's consciousness was beginning to blur. He slapped his thigh hard, seemingly unable to feel the pain, as he mocked his comrades.
"D-David!" The old man's eyes widened as he stared at the space behind the burly man. He reached out frantically, trying to grab his weapon.
In the next heartbeat, "Big David" hit the floor, his life force completely extinguished.
"Shh!"
The "Repairman's" movements were violent and swift. He clamped a hand onto the old man's jaw, pinning it so hard the man couldn't make a sound.
Why wasn't he covering their mouths anymore?
Because the stench of their breath was too much to bear...
"D-don't... please..." the old man whimpered, his words muffled as he was pinned to the deck.
He could swear that even when facing the combined assault of several pirate fleets, he had never been as terrified as he was in this moment. The person before him was like a ghost of the night—his strikes were decisive, ruthless, and utterly devoid of mercy.
"So, this is the David who peeked at the Captain's wife?" Tsuneo muttered, glancing at the burly man.
Peeking at her bath?
The old man's eyes bulged. It seemed this was the first time he had heard this secret.
You bastard! You deserved to die! How could you not invite me to something that good?! I'm furious!
"Crazy..." Tsuneo finished him off, noting that the old man spent his final seconds glaring at the corpse named David.
With that, the dozen or so men responsible for patrolling and guarding the deck were all dealt with.
Tsuneo walked boldly into the ship's interior.
The scent of strong liquor hung heavy in the air of the second-floor dining hall, completely overpowering the aroma of food. A pirate's dining hall was a simple affair: as long as there were tables, chairs, and booze, it was enough. Sometimes, even the tables and chairs were optional.
Captain Surrey sat at the head of the main table, his arm around his wife. He looked exceptionally happy tonight. They had just completed a massive score, bringing in two large chests of gold coins. They had already upgraded their cannons and recruited more men, taking a giant leap toward becoming top-tier pirates.
After resting here for two days, they would take that gold to do business with the "big lords" and purchase some of those new-model muskets. Then again, doing business with those people was like getting fleeced; not only were their hearts black, but everything about them was dark—much like the man in black who had just walked into the dining hall.
Wait... a man in black?
Just as Captain Surrey set down his glass of spirits to get a better look, the stranger spoke.
"From today onward, this ship belongs to me. Does anyone have an objection?"
The man in black turned and calmly closed the door behind him. The smile on his face was every bit as arrogant as his words.
The boisterous dining hall, packed with dozens of men, suddenly fell into a deathly silence.
"Zzzzz... snore..."
A drunken crew member slumped on the floor, clutching a bottle, snored loudly.
"It seems you have an objection," Tsuneo nodded, delivering a swift kick that sent the man on his way.
Sleep then. You'll never have to wake up again.
"Kill him!"
Things had reached a point where words were no longer necessary. Captain Surrey slammed his fist onto the table and roared.
While they hadn't been carrying their muskets while drinking, every pirate had a cold weapon on them. As pirates, those blades rarely left their sides. Of the dozens of men present, about half were still sober enough to fight back after a night of celebration.
Still, the sight of forty or fifty men drawing their blades and charging forward with a roar was a daunting spectacle.
"Now, that's more like it!"
Tsuneo didn't even keep his knife; he hurled it through the air, pinning it directly into one man's forehead. He nodded in satisfaction.
"Madman!" Captain Surrey had never seen anyone throw away their weapon like a piece of scrap wood the moment a fight started.
"Try not to break my furniture," Tsuneo remarked.
He grabbed a pirate by the wrists, using the man's own body as a shield to block several incoming blades, not forgetting to offer his "reminder."
With a dull thud, the "Repairman" kicked the human shield away, knocking down two more pirates. Seizing the opening, he cut loose!
Opening Cannon! Two-Form Stance! Heart-Piercing Elbow! Heaven-Reaching Palm! Overlord's Bridle-Snap! Fierce Tiger Climbing the Mountain!
It was rare for Tsuneo to be in a situation where he didn't have to hold back at all. Every strike was a lethal technique. Not a single soul could withstand a second move.
Watching these forms and techniques unfold, Captain Surrey began to break out in a cold sweat. His crew were all hardened fighters—even if they were drunk, they shouldn't be falling like this!
"So fast!" the beautiful Captain's wife exclaimed, her voice filled with shock. The stranger's movements were so rapid that the "siege" had become a complete joke.
"It looks like none of them have any objections anymore," Tsuneo said, adjusting his breathing. He glanced at the floor where the bodies were already beginning to vanish, one by one, before turning his smile toward Captain Surrey.
"N-no... no objections. I don't have any objections either!" Captain Surrey's face was a mask of terror. He shook his head frantically. Several times he had wanted to stand up and run, but every time he caught the stranger's gaze, he found himself glued to his seat.
He knew that the moment he tried to flee, he would be the first one killed. Sitting here might actually leave room for a negotiation.
"I see you have a gun at your waist. Why aren't you using it?" Tsuneo pushed open a wooden window and glanced toward the island.
"Hah. His 'gun'?" The Captain's wife let out a cold, disdainful sneer. "It's purely for decoration."
Tsuneo tilted his head slightly.
"Please... tell your story!"
[Chapter End]
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