Tyrant Of Seas

His hands were freed right after, and the dagger clenched between his teeth. Now he could swim just fine, despite the heavy clothes.

"The first stage was about cunning and trickery. Pure skill to deal with and defeat the strongest while being nothing more than an ant. It had nothing to do with individual power."

Talon's hands touched the side of the ship's hull. Unlike the large galleons, there was no way to climb. Its cannons were on the upper deck, and being a small ship, its outer side was smooth and plain.

Screams and sobs reached high above Talon. The bitch was starting her show, and the audience was about to wake up.

The ex-sailor's eyes locked onto the lifeboat hanging on the ship's side. Earlier, when the retired marine had approached him, he froze with fear and had to come up with a decent excuse. Apparently, the big guy didn't notice.

A rope had been hidden in the boat's shadow, placed in such a way that no one could spot it. Talon grabbed the soaked knots and pressed his feet against the ship's side.

Up on the upper deck.

"Ask the boys! He jumped into the sea! He dove in saying something like he couldn't stand this place anymore, that he had people waiting for him back home. He seemed like such a good man! Why, God?" The performance was worthy of a global award. Even tears rolled down the redhead's cheeks.

The teenagers looked down. Some might say it was out of sorrow, but what they really felt was something closer to guilt. That woman's silver tongue had used them well as labor, and now that someone had died, they were guilty too.

The nerd looked shaken, and the retired marine was analyzing the situation, a deep frown on his face, but his years of wisdom made him stay silent.

"Alright... We can continue navigating. Let's keep an eye out for more psychological breakdowns in case someone else decides to go swimming with the squids. We won't be able to sail otherwise," the nerd said. He was analytical, probably reaching conclusions on his own by reading the situation.

A faint smile appeared on the red-haired captain's face.

Something only the twins noticed.

A sudden gust hit just as everyone was about to walk away. The ship tilted slightly to port, something they were getting used to, but what rose up from the side was anything but normal.

A man in soaked clothes burst up like the devil from hell, a gleaming dagger in his hand. In mere moments, the blade's tip was in her eye and then pierced right through her skull.

Thunk!

Both bodies hit the deck. Talon, on top of the corpse, the dagger embedded deep in the redhead bitch's eye. A satisfied grin stretched across his face, savoring the fear frozen in her final moments.

For a second, he imagined Captain Calista Merrow's face, but that daydream ended the moment the boat steadied and the twins' screams called attention.

The nerd was pale.

But the retired marine was eerily calm... almost like he was holding back a smile.

"This second part of the cursed game could never be about cooperation. A group of cunning survivors would never work together without betrayal games like the one the redhead pulled. From the point of view of that abyssal being I made a pact with, there's only one thing I believe it's looking for in its candidates: the power of submission. The power to dominate even the sharpest minds."

Talon's thoughts ended.

His tyrant's eyes stared down the crew, and he pulled the daggers from the woman's vest.

"Fear is the perfect tool for submission, followed by respect. And this is the perfect chance to get both," Talon's thoughts settled as he began his act.

Five daggers clattered onto the deck, and the sea itself seemed to hush. No wind, no clouds, no sway.

"Come on! Don't hold back... Anyone else on this ship think I'm a burden, step up! KILL ME!" Talon's voice now roared like the growl of a beast. His hatred was palpable. 

He channeled everything he'd felt.

The hatred for his ex-captain, the judgmental stares he got earlier, and the deep disgust for the redhead. Whose name he hadn't even bothered to ask.

"From sailor to ship's captain. I like how that sounds," the retired marine picked up a blade. For several seconds, Talon thought he'd have to fight the man too, but the old guy just leaned on the stairs and watched in silence.

"Can I at least know what her bracelet does? I get curious about these things..." the nerd asked, voice shaking, but his survival instincts didn't let him pass up the chance to grab a dagger.

"Uh... Captain... there's one extra dagger over here."

"Yeah... that's right. Keep it."

The twins had never been more united than now. One of them handed the extra dagger to Talon. 

He didn't turn it down.

Silence hung heavy as Talon walked slowly toward the dead redhead.

But something caught his attention. Inside her vest was a large folded piece of paper. When he opened it, he saw a full map of an island.

"Fist Island," Talon read out loud on purpose, drawing many eyes back to him.

"Here, take this... Can I get your name at least?" Talon said with a slight scowl that made the nerd tremble.

"S-Simon, Captain." Simon took the map, hands shaking.

"I'm Talon." He said it plainly and went back to looting the woman's body.

The sheaths were perfect, fitted into her vest. He pulled them out and handed one to each person.

"Bread and circuses," Talon thought.

In the end, he found nothing else and moved to the woman's left forearm.

Beep!

[Custom fusion function about to activate: Yes/No]

Talon confirmed, impatient.

[Loading... 15%]

[Previous user Leonora, confirmed deceased]

[New function acquired: Geoscanner]

[Internal function fusion possible: Yes/No]

"So that's how that bitch managed to map an entire island. Probably the one she was on during the first stage," his mind put the pieces together as another [Loading] bar appeared.

Finally, he tested the new [Scan].

And a faint smile stretched across the lips of the now Captain Talon.