Tyrant Of Seas

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The sun's rays pierced through the thick jungle leaves.

A skull-shaped cave on a remote island was slowly being warmed.

Birds began to sing above the cranium, and leaning against that cave, a tan-skinned man slowly opened his green eyes.

"Well... at least no dreams with demonic creatures or getting killed during a nap. I think that alone is a victory." Talon began stretching his body and slowly looked at the bracelet.

[Saturation: 10% → 25%]

[05:00]

[Initialization: The second stage is about to begin. Prepare yourselves.]

"More than 15% at once, huh... I think this index includes more than just eating beast meat," Talon's thoughts tried to reassemble, but his stomach was going wild.

He quickly ate a few pieces of smoked meat, washed himself as fast as he could, and got ready. Watching the team list slowly shrink as the sun rose.

3...2...1

The world went dark again and the former sailor's balance began to spiral.

When his eyes adjusted, he saw lanterns with flickering flames. The scariest part, they were on the outside of bars... or was he inside them?

The floor was damp wooden planks covered in moss.

The creaking of strained timber.

The sea battling fiercely in all its wild nature.

And finally, the rocking rhythm made Talon's eyes widen.

"Fuck... how I love this..." a smile stretched across the former sailor's lips.

He stood up immediately, but something felt wrong. The sound of metal and the navy blue sleeves on his arms made him realize he was wearing something.

The cell had no mirrors, but farther away, among barrels and crates, he spotted one nailed to the wooden wall.

"Wait... where are my things?" Talon checked every pocket of his new outfit. It resembled a grand coat with brass buttons.

He quickly realized nothing had come with him.

At least the cell door was open, and it didn't take long for Talon to study the space entirely.

"Well... the steel and metal ships from my time are clearly very different. But obviously this place resembles the lower deck of one of those Age of Exploration ships from centuries ago." Talon started analyzing everything as he moved toward the mirror ahead.

When he stopped in front of his reflection, a flicker of unease passed through his mind.

Rocking with the ocean, he saw his green eyes carrying the exhaustion of someone who had lived too much. His hair had grown past normal, thick, smooth, and black.

On his body, a large coat with brass trim that looked almost like gold. A buttoned vest underneath with metal buckles, loose trousers, and boots made of thick leather.

"Holy shit... I look exactly like a pirate from the movies. Even got the scruffy beard, just missing the rum." Talon got lost in thought until a notification pinged.

Beep!

The Scan showed a red dot right in front of him, but clearly, no one was there.

"Is it above? I am in the lower deck, after all." The former sailor began climbing the stairs as silently as possible. He was unarmed, and so far, his Scan had only picked up on creatures.

Slowly, his black hair crested over the staircase connecting the hold to what Talon guessed was the middle deck. His eyes scanned the place, it wasn't much more than the lower level.

Except for some fishing nets hanging from one end to another, probably where the crew slept. And one woman with short red hair.

She wore a black buttoned vest, a long ruffled shirt, and tight black pants. Her boots were high, but what really caught his attention were the six daggers laid out in perfect order across her vest.

She was staring at the hatch leading to the upper deck, where sunlight shone down on her pale skin.

Voices were shouting. Some neutral, others furious. The former sailor couldn't tell what they were doing, but the woman clearly understood the place and was planning something.

But Talon... Talon felt nothing but disgust and overwhelming anger.

"Her eyes... she has the same eyes as Captain Calista Merrow." His eyes shed all fatigue, sharp like a predator's. Talon knew exactly what kind of woman that was.

The kind who would do anything to benefit herself.

Even if it meant tossing her most skilled sailor to the sharks.

A strong wave hit the ship, and Talon saw his opportunity. He walked toward the redhead, but tripped over a crate due to the ship's rocking and fell right on top of her.

Good!

"Shit... Sorry, damn rocking threw me off." Talon quickly began apologizing, trying not to provoke the damn woman with all those daggers on her vest.

The woman's eyes softened.

"Oh my god, a human! Finally! You don't know what I went through on that godforsaken island!" Her voice was a mix of pain and sweetness. Talon almost felt sorry for her... almost.

"Is someone down there?!"

"Obviously there is, dumbass! Didn't you hear a woman's voice?!"

Two voices echoed loudly from above.

"Let's head up, looks like there are more survivors!" The woman's cheerful tone was contagious. Clearly, she hadn't realized Talon had been watching her for several minutes.

"Yeah, good to see some human faces after all those creatures trying to bite my ass off." Talon made his voice as cheerful and innocent as possible.

If she caught his lie, she didn't let it show.

Talon gestured for her to go up the stairs first.

It definitely wasn't out of chivalry.

Who in their right mind would turn their back on a woman with a vest full of daggers???

It didn't take long for the sunlight to illuminate their faces. The sky was a powerful light blue and the sun as merciless as ever. The sea had gentle waves that crashed rhythmically against the ship's hull.

On the upper deck, four men wearing versions of the same outfit as Talon, but each in different colors, were staring at the hatch.

As if the devil himself were about to come out... and maybe if the devil had red hair, they wouldn't be wrong.

Before any of the six could speak-

Beep!

[Initialization: Second stage starts now; Reach 80% saturation within the next 10 days.]