Chapter 13 - I want to protect all of you
Before everyone's eyes, the fiery burst of energy danced around Drake's body, giving him a rather impressive appearance, and even causing his clothes and hair to ripple as if a breeze were blowing through them. The boy himself didn't quite know how to react, but the truth was he felt much lighter than ever before.
His wounds had stopped hurting so much, and even the arm he could barely move a moment ago was now fully functional, which he confirmed by opening and closing his fist several times.
“Is the little rat ready yet? I’m bored!”
The colossal brute bellowed, tired of waiting, and activated the internal mechanism of his sword, transforming it into a full-fledged chainsaw. Then quickly, after shaking off his surprise, the referee returned to the center of the circle and pointed his mechanical gun to the sky.
“If everyone is ready then… Begin!”
The loud shot signaled the start of the fight, with the pirate charging at the young man at an unexpected speed for someone of his size and build. He reached him in a blink and delivered a violent vertical slash towards his position.
However, though the blonde seemed distracted until that moment, he sidestepped just a couple of steps, narrowly avoiding the slash by mere centimeters while staring his opponent directly in the eyes.
Bellowing in frustration, Girthblade quickly pulled the blade embedded in the ground, the serrated teeth still spinning, and delivered another ferocious horizontal strike toward his prey. Once again, the young man evaded it, ducking swiftly and allowing the cutting edge to pass over his head.
“You worm!”
One, two, three, four, five... No matter how many directions the pirate swung his sword, Drake evaded them with minimal movements, and it wasn't until the sixth avoided strike that the giant realized what was happening. As the blonde moved to dodge the attacks, he had also been steadily closing the distance between them without the man noticing.
Soon, a ferocious kick landed directly on the hand with which Girthblade held his weapon, causing a small gust of wind from the impact—an unreal feat for a normal human, yet it had just happened.
“Aaaaaarggh!”
The giant roared, the impact was so strong that the weapon flew off to one side, the chain still spinning, causing the pirates watching from that direction to scramble away to avoid the brutal weapon. Meanwhile, the bulky man was left stunned by what had happened, so he didn't have time to react to Drake's next move. Seizing the moment, he pivoted on his support foot and delivered a fierce straight kick, directly to the man's stomach.
“Oooooouuuh!”
It was a direct hit, once again a slight shock wave caused by the impact indicated just how powerful it had been—enough to knock anyone unconscious, or so the blonde thought for a moment. However…
“Don't underestimate me, you filthy animal!”
Without warning and unable to do anything to avoid it, Drake took a powerful punch to his side, catching him completely off guard and sending him rolling violently across the ground. The damage was significant, and the few seconds it would take him to get back up would not be wasted by his opponent. The pirate charged at him again and delivered another downward punch, this time aimed at his face.
His reaction time was spectacular, at least, managing to roll slightly and avoid the direct blow. However, this didn't help much, as during that moment, the pirate managed to grab one of his legs with his free hand.
“Haha, got you now!”
With a swing of his arm, the giant used Drake's entire body like a whip, swiftly lifting him and, without letting go, slamming him forcefully into the ground. Drake attempted to curl up upon realizing what was happening, but it was futile—his back hit the floor hard, the impact accompanied by the sound of splintering wood.
“Hahahahaha!”
Girthblade laughed heartily, knowing he had his opponent completely defeated and at his mercy. He proceeded to lift him again to smash him repeatedly until he was nothing but a stain on the ground. However, this did not happen. As he was lifted once more, Drake forced his body forward and managed to grab onto the fingers that were gripping his leg.
“Raaahh!”
Shouting at the top of his lungs and using all his strength, Drake twisted his ankle forcefully while violently dislocating the hand that gripped him. The pirate's scream of pain echoed throughout the area as he released the boy and clutched his injured limb, now completely vulnerable.
Taking advantage of the moment of descent, the blonde delivered a strong downward knee strike right on the forehead of his opponent, who had lifted his face upward. While it didn't have much impact due to the momentum, he compensated with a rapid barrage of punches, one after another, leveraging his point of balance.
The aura glowed and danced between the boy's fists, enhancing his physical power to levels he had never felt before. He could see how each of his punches landed with the force of steel balls, causing his enemy's face to bleed after each strike.
With another roar of rage, the pirate used his remaining intact hand to shake off Drake and throw him to the ground with force. Drake fell with his guard extended and managed to get back up quickly but with some effort.
Despite the physical enhancement that included an increased pain threshold, he could still feel the twisted ankle stabbing at him like a knife, something he curiously had experienced in the past.
“I will kill you!”
Girthblade roared with fury, and though he couldn't see well due to the previous attack, he clumsily lunged at the boy with his healthy arm extended. It was then that Drake saw his perfect opportunity. Despite the pain in his leg, he stepped forward firmly towards his opponent, dodging the giant's massive arm and seizing it with both hands.
“Raaahh!”
Shouting again to muster all the strength in his body, Drake tensed his muscles to the maximum and pulled... Then, to the total amazement and surprise of everyone present, the huge and heavy body of the fat man was swiftly lifted in a judo throw and slammed headfirst onto the ground.
This produced the loudest impact sound and shockwave so far, after which he simply collapsed completely inert and unable to continue.
image [https://i.imgur.com/FeL0fWO.png]
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A couple of tiny screens appeared above Drake's head but, due to the distance, it seemed that no one noticed.
“It-it is dooooone! I-I-I… I can’t believe it! The challenger has won the last fight with a 10-0 streak!”
Even the referee was dumbfounded, but contrary to what one might expect, all the pirates present cheered enthusiastically, some laughing and others simply celebrating, while the blonde remained barely standing, breathing heavily. Nonetheless, he managed to turn and face the captain head-on, who had shown no emotion whatsoever throughout the entire confrontation.
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“Okay, as per our agreement, the lives of you all are spared, I will take you to Gearspire Stronghold to meet the boss of the Gearforged Raiders faction as recruits”
“Thank you *HUFF* that’s what *PUFF* we…”
Struggling to breathe, Drake's words were cut short when the fiery aura that enveloped him vanished, returning him to his normal state and causing him to feel all the accumulated pain and damage at once. This made him collapse immediately, instilling fear in his still-captive companions, who shouted his name upon seeing him fall.
“Release them.”
Ordered the captain, which his subordinates obeyed immediately, releasing everyone from their bonds. However, instead of staying and watching like Mr. Li was doing, Adam stumbled as he ran toward the blonde's body.
“Drake! Can you hear me?!”
This time he would use his knowledge of first aid; he was determined to do whatever was necessary to ensure the boy was out of danger. But before he could check his pulse, Drake's arm lifted slightly in his direction, fist clenched.
“I got him good, eh?”
He whispered then, with a faint smile that looked very odd beneath the bruises on his face.
“Ha… Yes, you did, you lunatic, we are safe thanks to you.”
A feeling of relief unlike anything Adam had ever experienced washed over him, as if a weight on his back had suddenly lifted, along with a sense of gratitude towards someone else, even though their actions had been entirely illogical. However, this didn't mean that Drake's condition wasn't critical.
After quickly examining him with the help of Kazue, the middle-aged man, and the other young man, Adam could see that his pulse and breathing were normal. He was just very exhausted, possibly had a broken rib or two, and had bruises all over his body, especially on his right ankle, which was severely swollen and had turned black.
“Is he gonna be okay?”
The girl looked worried, but Adam reassured her that he was okay.
“Yes, but he still needs special care… Hey! Don't you have a place where he can rest?”
However, it was imperative to find a place where they could take him to rest and receive better care. So, he decided to address the ship's captain, who had stepped down from his chair and was about to leave.
“You said we are gonna be recruits, right? You've seen what he can do; he won't be of much use in his current state.”
The captain stared at them, which was unsettling given that his eyes were hidden behind dark glasses. Then, he let out a slight sigh and called over one of the pirates nearby.
“Take him to the infirmary and make sure the doctor tends to him properly.”
“Yes, Captain.”
A few seconds later, two new men appeared, ready to take Drake to the infirmary for treatment. The group separated a little from the place while the men carefully lifted the body and took him inside the ship. If all went well, he would recover soon. Although there were some questions Adam would like to ask him, he knew it was best to let him rest for now.
"This was very dangerous. What happened for things to end up like this?"
The boy asked, turning to the others. Moments later, the middle-aged man responded, indicating he had been the second to be taken on deck after Drake.
“I saw it, but it’s difficult to find the words in English”
"It’s okay, he told you we can understand you, remember? When this is over, you'll be able to understand us normally, too. But for now, speak in whichever language you prefer. It will be translated for us immediately."
The man seemed quite confused by all this, but he had to admit that everything happening was already quite surreal on its own.
“Ri-Right… When they brought me here, I saw the young man and the one they call captain arguing. I didn't catch exactly what the first one said because of the rush, but the pirate was speaking in German, so I understood the gist of the conversation."
That was interesting, it seemed to confirm that the interior of the stories changed the language so everyone could understand it, whether or not there was an automatic translation option. This indicated that, despite everything, it did try to provide some sort of balance for newcomers. But well, it wasn't the time to think about that.
“From what I understood, the captain had offered to spare the young man's life if he agreed to join his crew. He seemed pleased after the demonstration of battle prowess during the attack, but demanded that the weapons his companions had used be handed over... I'm not sure what weapons he was referring to, but when he refused, they used me as a hostage, threatening me with a knife to my neck.”
Upon saying this, the man touched his neck reflexively and swallowed nervously, thankful that nothing had happened to him.
"I'm not sure exactly what the young man said at that moment, sorry, but after they let me go, I found out they had made a deal—our lives in exchange for him surviving ten consecutive fights. I still feel my heart in my throat after seeing everything he did."
“Don’t worry about it, he’s a hero.”
Kazue said with a smile, patting him on the shoulder, to which the man only chuckled lightly and nervously.
"Hehe… I don't understand anything you're saying, sorry."
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The following hours passed in a completely weird manner because, truth be told, while they had been forgiven and accepted as recruits for a faction they were heading toward, they expected to be treated little better than prisoners.
However, to everyone's surprise, the pirates welcomed them with an unusually friendly camaraderie, insisting that everything that had happened was just part of the job and that now they were comrades-in-arms.
It was incredible how quickly all the members of the group integrated, something that left Adam stunned, as he had never had so many people around him asking questions unrelated to academics and talking to him every few seconds.
Many pirates hadn't wasted any time approaching the boy, eager to ask about the mysterious page he had used to stop them earlier, as if the fact that many ended up injured or even dead didn't matter to them.
“It’s a cursed paper that induces mental instability in anyone that sees it.”
“A cursed treasure?! God damn!”
“And it didn’t affect you because you are accustomed to it? That’s badass.”
One after another, each pirate concluded the object's properties, something Adam knew could get out of hand. He tried to add more to the conversation but without success.
“No, actually I…”
“Woaaahh, cool!”
Although he tried to roughly explain, the pirates only seemed to hear what they wanted, laughing, joking, and marveling at the strange object he owned. One of them even stepped forward and challenged the boy to show them the paper again, betting that it wouldn't affect him at all this time.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, there are still a lot of unknown factors for it to be safe to use, besides its…”
But they didn't let him finish. One of the men present interrupted him by tapping his shoulder firmly, and when Adam turned to look at him, he realized that this man, unlike most of the crew he had seen up to that point, had two lenses attached to his face as if they were eyes. These lenses moved quickly, bringing other layers of glass to the front, making it clear that they were mechanical appendages.
“Come on boy, do it, I was able to see that cursed treasure earlier without any problem, I will stop him if anything happens.”
The man said with a smile, revealing that he was missing more than just a couple of teeth, something that took Adam by surprise. However, the words he had spoken were even more surprising—he claimed to have resisted the madness skill of the Necronomicon's page. Interesting. There was certainly merit in testing it, whether they wanted to use it as a bet or not.
“Okay then, I will show it to you again.”
Said the boy, stretching his arms and materializing the paper in his fingers.
“Let's go! I bet 5 Iron Shillings that I can resist it.”
“I want in too! I bet 8 Iron Shillings.”
“Me too! I bet 7 Iron Shillings.”
Quickly, before he realized it, two others had jumped into the challenge. Not only that, but everyone had bet with a strange coin that didn't even sound familiar.
“Wait, what? I don’t have…!”
But it was too late; the paper had fully materialized, and its effect activated immediately, leaving the three pirates dazed and completely lost in their eyes. After a few seconds, they let out a scream and lunged toward Adam, who tried to step back while putting the page away again.
However, before they could take another step, the men received a direct blow to their faces simultaneously, which threw them backward and made them stumble.
“Haha, you lost, you numbskulls.”
It was the pirate with mechanical eyes who had repelled them using a massive metal bar he carried with him.
“Say, boy, I'm Chrono Flint, this ship's archivist, and I'm very interested in your treasure and its writings. Do you mind if I take a look? As you may have noticed, its supernatural qualities don't seem to affect me.”
Another pleasant surprise for Adam, as he hadn't thought there would be scholars or researchers aboard that ship. So, he didn't hesitate to respond.
“Oh! Okay, no problem, I've been studying it too. I think we can review it together.”
“Sure, sure, let’s go to my office… Oh, but don’t forget to collect your reward, lad.”
“My what?... Oh.”
The pirates on the ground had recovered and were now joking about what had happened despite the blow they had received, as if it were a very common occurrence. It was something Adam certainly couldn't understand, but it seemed... Well, he wouldn't know how to explain it.
There was much to do, and while Adam would investigate further on his own, the rest of the team members were having their own unique and interesting interactions.