"Damn it, who did this? Everyone spread out and search!" The captain of the pirate crew, a burly man clad in armor, shouted furiously upon discovering the pirates lying in pools of blood.
"Captain, could it be the villagers?" a bespectacled pirate stepped forward to take a look and suggested.
"Those worthless scum? Hmph, I intended to keep them around for our enjoyment, but they've shown such ingratitude. Everyone, gather up and search house by house! Once we find the killer, I will personally snap his neck!" The pirate captain frowned and bellowed.
As the pirates were gathering to prepare for their search in the village, a scream suddenly rang out from the back of their ship.
Ryu stood at the ship's railing, grinning at the pirates, then dove headfirst into the sea, leaving the few pirates left on board lying in their own blood.
"Bastard, go catch him!" Although they couldn't clearly see Ryu's appearance, such a blatant provocation enraged the pirates, and they all rushed towards the ship.
"Phew, just a few more left. After taking down another batch, I can confront them directly!" Ryu found a place to climb ashore and quietly observed the furious pirates.
Despite Ryu's improved physical condition, he knew that life is precious, so he opted for caution; he wasn't one of those invincible anime characters with plot armor.
"Captain, it seems the enemy is not very strong; otherwise, they wouldn't be picking us off one by one!" The bespectacled pirate adjusted his glasses, looking smug.
"Stop wasting time! Right now, immediately find that little rat! I want his corpse in pieces!" The pirate captain shouted, glaring at the corpses on the deck.
Their numbers had already dwindled significantly, and they still didn't know who their enemy was, which made him furious.
In past battles, they had always fought openly, relying on strength. If they could win, they would; if not, they would retreat. He had never encountered a sneaky opponent like this before.
However, this time the pirates wised up and chose not to split up their forces but to search together.
"Captain, we've searched everywhere, but there's no sign of him. Everyone is getting tired and wants to sleep now!" The bespectacled pirate returned to report after searching with his men.
"What should we do now?" The pirate captain calmed down and asked.
"Let's rest for now. Everyone stay together and rest. When morning comes, we'll go to the village. We can threaten those villagers to draw him out!" The bespectacled pirate smiled deviously.
The pirate captain nodded, saying in a deep voice, "Alright, I'll deal with him myself tomorrow!"
Hiding in the grass along the shore, Ryu heard the pirates' plan, so he didn't dare to leave, fearing they might cause trouble for the villagers. Instead, he remained vigilant and gradually recovered his inner strength.
As dawn approached, Ryu had completely regained his strength and noticed that his internal energy had slightly increased. Checking his attributes, he found that his energy had indeed risen a bit.
"No wonder they say fighting is the best training; I'd never gain this much so quickly by training alone!" Ryu chuckled, looking at the experience bar that was over four-fifths full.
He put his weapons in his backpack and swam back towards the pirate ship, quietly climbing aboard.
All the pirates were sprawled out messily inside, with two guards dozing off at the entrance. In the middle of the cabin sat a burly man in armor, also leaning back with drool pooling at the corner of his mouth, fast asleep.
They were already down to half their number, and not knowing who was attacking them only added to his frustration.
In past battles, they had fought openly, relying on brute strength. This sneaky style of combat was something he had never encountered before.
However, the pirates had learned from their mistakes and decided against splitting up this time, instead searching together.
Hidden in the bushes by the shore, Ryu didn't know the pirates' plans, and he dared not leave his hiding spot, fearing they would go after the villagers. So, he remained vigilant while recovering his energy.
Stowing his weapons in his bag, Ryu slipped back into the water, swimming quietly toward the pirate ship and quietly climbing in.
"Looks like they're all here. That big guy must be the captain!" He crouched outside the cabin, peering through the glass.
Inside, the pirates were sprawled out in disarray, with two guards dozing at the entrance. In the center sat a burly man in armor, snoring with drool dripping down his chin.
"Phew~" Taking a deep breath, Ryu pulled out the handgun he had seized earlier, aiming carefully at the pirate captain. Though he had never used a gun before, he figured he was close enough to hit his target.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Ryu fired repeatedly at the captain until he had emptied the magazine, then he flipped over the railing and leapt onto the upper deck, tossing the now-empty gun into the sea to create the illusion that he had jumped overboard.
"Captain, are you alright?"
"That bastard! I will make him pay!"
Ryu rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. Despite being so close, he hadn't managed to take the captain down with his shots; his marksmanship left much to be desired.
"Did you find him?" Ryu spotted the pirate captain, clutching his arm as he stepped onto the deck.
"Phew~ At least I got a shot in; otherwise, my reputation would be ruined!" Ryu let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Captain, we shouldn't waste time here; let's go to the village! He'll definitely come out!" The bespectacled pirate urged, his temper rising.
"Alright, men! Grab your weapons! We're going to raid the village, take their food and treasure, and then we'll leave!" The captain's sinister grin spread across his face.
"Yay~~" The pirates erupted in excitement, the thrill of slaughter and treasure banishing their fears.
Meanwhile, Ryu crouched on the upper deck, his head down as he retrieved two more handguns from his bag. This time, his targets were not just the captain but all of the pirates.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Gunfire erupted suddenly as Ryu opened fire on the unsuspecting pirates below.
The pirates fell, half of them left dead before the others could find cover.
"Ryu, you little brat! It's you! If you're so brave, come out and fight me like a real warrior!" The captain finally recognized Ryu, remembering their encounters at the bar where they'd shared drinks.
"Bam!"
In response, Ryu fired his gun again.
"You bastard!" The captain attempted to charge at Ryu, but was restrained by the bespectacled pirate, who shook his head in warning.
"Clunk~"
Ryu tossed aside the empty gun, grabbed a long knife from the ground, and jumped down from the upper deck, laughing, "Didn't you say you wanted to fight? Here's your chance! Don't say I'm bullying you; come on out!"
"Die!" The pirate captain roared as he charged at Ryu.
"Is that all you can do? Swinging away like a child?" Ryu dodged the captain's attacks with agile footwork, glancing at the other pirates, wary of their approach.
"Relax, it's just a warm-up; no need to rush!" Ryu finally focused on the pirate captain when he noticed the others hadn't closed in.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Ryu's strikes with the long knife clanged harmlessly against the captain's armor.
"Haha! With your skills, you can't even scratch me, you little bug!" The captain laughed with delight.
The other pirates joined in, their laughter echoing in confidence. After all, Ryu was just a kid; they had nothing to fear.
"This is a headache~ I forgot you're a gear-freak like Captain Krieg! Time to try something different!" Ryu discarded the long knife, clenched his fists, and charged forward with his inner energy.
"You fool! Without a weapon, how do you expect to fight me?" The pirate captain sneered, imagining how he would torture Ryu.
"Boom~"
Their fists collided, and the pirate captain was sent flying, twisting in midair, blood spilling from his mouth as he landed heavily on the deck, creating a massive hole.
The remaining pirates stared in disbelief, unable to process what they had just witnessed. It wasn't until their captain crashed down that they finally snapped back to reality, staring at Ryu in terror.
They couldn't understand how someone with such power didn't just confront them directly but instead relied on ambushes.
Ryu was equally shocked by his own strength but knew this wasn't the time for hesitation. He activated his footwork technique, swiftly taking down the remaining pirates.
"Don't kill me! I know where our captain's treasure is! Just let me go and I'll show you…" Before he could finish, the bespectacled pirate was knocked out cold by a swift kick from Ryu.
"Didn't expect to gain experience for defeating pirates; it seems you don't always have to kill them!" Ryu mused as he glanced at the experience notifications, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
This was better for him, as he didn't particularly want to engage in a massacre everytime he fights.
"Y-You! How is this possible?" When Ryu approached the pirate captain, the man looked at him with disbelief, unable to accept that he had lost to a mere boy.
"Tch, such a whiny guy!" Ryu kicked the captain unconscious and then began to collect his spoils.
First, he bound the unconscious pirates, then gathered their food, treasure, and weapons into his bag. Finally, he stuffed the cash into a pouch before heading back toward the village.
"Village chief, I've taken care of those pirates! Here's the money I found on them; you can give it to the villagers! As for the pirates, I've tied them up on their ship—how you deal with them is up to you!"
Ryu arrived at the village chief's side. After the original owner's parents passed away, he had survived thanks to the village's support, and he felt it was time to repay that kindness.
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Started editing the chapters now ^^
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