The Final Desperation

"Hand over all your valuables!"

Genji watched as his newly subjugated crew raided and threatened a passing merchant ship. Since there were no significant threats, Genji didn't get involved. He simply watched everything from his meditation spot, remaining indifferent to the ongoing events.

He didn't care about the piracy his crew was engaged in. As long as they obeyed his orders and provided him with transportation, they were free to do as they pleased.

He wasn't a saint, nor did he care to expend the time and energy to stop it. Vice-captain Hendrickson also recognized this and successfully gained significant influence among the crew, showing remarkable intelligence for the era.

Genji allowed this, as it reduced the time he needed to command the crew. He wasn't native to this world, so fighting for power was pointless. He might as well train more with that time and brain power.

After plundering the ship's wealth, the pirates ceased their harassment of the merchants and began loading their own ship. Hendrickson approached Genji, carrying a pile of coins, and offering it to him.

Genji glanced at it and waved his hand. He wasn't interested in the currency of this world. If it had been a local delicacy, he might have considered sparing some of his limited storage space for it, but coins were useless to him.

The pirate ship detached from the merchant vessel and set sail. The crewmates retrieved some rum and celebrated their success. Over the next few days, everything proceeded as usual, with Genji remaining indifferent to the proceedings and allowing the crew to go about their business.

Soon they landed on an island to restock.

"Hello, sir. I see that you are new to this island. Would you like me to introduce you to this place?" Someone approached him when he wandered around town.

"What's your price?"

"80 coins, sir. For that price, I can give you a complete introduction to this place."

It was a hefty price, but Genji was curious. He took out a small bag and tossed it over.

"If the experience doesn't match the price, prepare to lose your head."

"No problem, sir." The guide was very calm in the face of the threat. It could be seen that he has his fair share of experiences.

"That over there is the Miko shrine. Legend has it that a goddess once descended there and blessed the townspeople, allowing them to fight off the plague at the time..."

The tour guide continued his comprehensive introductions until he came to a giant cave on the coast of the island where a crowd of busybodies was gathered.

"What's with them?" Genji asked.

"Oh, that? They're here for the legend of El Dorado," the guide scoffed with disdain.

"Legend?"

"Yes. Legend has it that a famous pirate named El Dorado once hid his life savings on this island. Many treasure hunters speculated that it was in that cave as it went deep. No one has managed to fully explore, but I think they are wasting their time. If such a treasure did exist, why would it be their turn to find it? It's been hundreds of years since the guy was said to live. Hell, I doubt the guy even existed. I bet someone made the story up to attract more visitors to the island."

"I see. How about you show me the specialties of this place?"

"Of course."

Hours later, Genji returned to the ship with a satisfied stomach and a relaxed mind. He leaned against the railing and overlooked the island.

"A treasure, huh?"

Genji had an idea that was unlikely to work, but he might as well try it. Genji reached into his storage and brought out [Badge of the Red Fox]. Looking at the ability description, Genji activated Stalker's Mark.

Stalker's Mark (active): Allows for tracking of a target that meets a condition. Only one condition can be set at once. 1-day cooldown between uses.

[State the condition.]

"A treasure on this island."

Time passed. Genji's idea was that since the skill never specified if the target had to be a living person, could he use it as a treasure compass? Since he hadn't received a response, Genji was leaning towards no. But as he was about to put it away, he got a prompt.

[Please keep the item out until the effect finishes.]

"So it does work. Too bad it seems to have difficulties fulfilling the request."

[Target found!]

A mini-map appeared in the corner of his view as a big arrow pointed off into the distance.

"Hey, Hendrickson. Get a few people to follow me. I found something interesting."

"Right away, captain."

Although Hendrickson didn't know what this captain wanted to do, he knew he shouldn't ask. Just follow the orders and make the captain happy. That's how he survived.

Genji and some pirates followed the arrow and came to the middle of the island. To be specific, the shrine he visited with the tour guide. Genji looked around the deserted place and looked for where the arrow was pointing. The statue of the goddess. Genji walked over and put his hand on it.

Solid, but moveable? Now that's odd. Why would the statue not be nailed down?

"Take this back to the ship," he ordered, causing the crew to exchange confused glances.

Then they turned to Hendrickson, who signaled for them to comply with the order. Just indulge in him. At worst, they throw the statue offboard when he gets bored with it. Despite their bafflement, they began preparing for the task. It was a heavy statue after all.

Hours later, the group pushed a makeshift cart through the town. Onlookers gave them peculiar looks, leaving them embarrassed at their circus act.

"What are you looking at?"

Someone couldn't bear the shame any longer and yelled at the crowd. The people didn't answer and simply moved aside, letting them continue their questionable behavior.

 

---

 

When they got back to the ship, the other crewmates gathered around to look at the sight. Why had their crewmates stolen a statue and brought it on board? If they wanted a decoration, they could have just gotten a plant or something.

"What's this about?" One of the pirates pulled a friend aside and asked.

"Don't know. Captain just ordered us to do this."

Genji, ignoring the whispers; stepped into the ring and started observing the statue.

*Donk donk*

It was solid, but Genji was able to discern a few different sounds.

"Give me a hammer."

Once Genji got his hammer, he raised it and slammed down.

*Thunk*

The hammer bounced off and chipped the stone. Genji raised his arm again and channeled some energy into it.

*Crack*

The hammer shattered from the impact, and a large crack appeared on the surface of the stone. Through the cracks, a glimmer of gold can be seen.

"Again."

Someone handed him another hammer and stepped back to allow Genji to take another swing. This time, the surface burst open, and a pile of gold coins spilled out.

[You have obtained the treasure of El Dorado]

[You have obtained: Lucky Coin]

 

[Lucky Coin]

Rating: Rare

Effect: +1 luck for 5 minutes when flipped

Description: A lucky gold coin owned by the pirate that plundered this treasure.

Note: Why would you break such a revered statue?

 

It seems like the treasure was not in the caves, as people thought, but inside this inconspicuous statue. Since there were no openings, it must mean the statue was cast around the coins and then sealed. Really makes people question the tale of the goddess, but that's beside the point.

"Clean up," Genji ordered the pirates. As for how they deal with the dent in the floor, that's not his problem. Hearing this, the eyes of the pirates lit up and enthusiastically crowded around the glimmering treasure.

 

---

 

[You have slain the captain of the Sea Normies]

[You have obtained: Pirate hook]

 

[Pirate Hook]

Rating: Uncommon

Attack: 7

Durability: 40/40

No effects

 

"Captain is mighty!"

His pirates cheered as Genji cut down a pirate. Since this was a weaker mini-boss, the drops were less than favorable. And this wasn't the first one he had obtained. Throughout the past two weeks, Genji had killed a decent number of captains around the same strength, all dropping uncommon equipment.

It was a welcomed contrast compared to the sea beasts he had fought before. Although the sea beasts were dangerous, that was because of their numbers and not their strength. As a result, he earned nothing from them. With the recent battles, Genji had also gained the recognition of his crew. Nothing was better than power to gain control over these unruly people.

"So this is what a normal sea route is like."

"No. Since we are near the domain of one of the four emperors, there are actually fewer pirates than normal," Hendrickson replied.

"Fewer? Just what do you deal with every day?"

Hearing this, the other crew members started laughing.

"Captain, you might not know this since you're new to this, but if we don't encounter two ships a day, then we are in dangerous territory."

"What a weird way to measure that. So where does going a whole month without seeing another boat rank?" Genji asked, causing the group to fall silent.

"Are you joking, captain?" One pirate asked, unsure if Genji was ignorant or musing.

"No. Do tell. I'm curious."

"That's not possible, captain."

"But entertain me."

Genji pushed on, receiving a loud gulp in response when the group thought about it.

"How are you not dead level."

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

"Because there must be a reason why no one enters that place. And to survive a whole month in like that is a miracle."

Genji let out a crazy smile at that statement.

'That wasn't too bad. Could I have scared the Kraken when I fought that shark?'

The more he thought about it, the more feasible the idea seemed. When Genji burst out with his shadow flames, the Kraken calmed down its attacks. Maybe it was stalking them and decided to slowly weaken them when it realized his threat. But when Ed discovered the danger and tried to leave its territory, it had no choice but to step in.

"What an interesting creature."

 

---

 

"WHAT THE HELL? What is the Flying Dutchman doing here? We are far from their territory."A series of panicked yells came from the crow's nest, alarming everyone.

"What?!" Hendrickson screamed in alarm and rushed to the top of the tower. After taking the telescope, he burst out again. "Shit! Shit! It's really them. What do we do now?"

"What's going on?"

Genji climbed up and looked through the scope. In the distance, he saw a wooden boat with a green glow coating the ship. A white skull and cross adorned the black sails. It was an eerie sight because the ship resembled a ghost ship from his position.

"It's the Flying Dutchman!"

"What's so special about it?"

Hendrickson wondered how his captain didn't know about this but answered nevertheless.

"It's the ship of Vanderdecken, one of the emperors. He bears the haunted curse, and all his crewmates are like the undead. Rumor has it that not even death can allow you to escape his service. Because of this trait, he has the strongest crew among the four emperors. What shitty luck to encounter them."

"Well, bad news. It seems like they are heading right for us."

Genji stepped back from the telescope and started climbing down. While doing so, he could hear the faint curses from Hendrickson.

"What the fuck! Why did we become a target? Shit. We need to escape! Adjust the sails. Let's hope they didn't see us."

"Too late," Genji muttered.

*Boom boom*

The ship zoomed toward them at an uncanny speed and started firing cannonballs at them. And these were not normal shots either. Every time their ship got hit, the surrounding wood corroded away at a rapid rate. The crew tried to fire back, but the Flying Dutchman was too fast.

The ship used this superior speed to circle around their ship and bombard them with these cursed projectiles.

Soon, the entire boat was falling apart as the floor buckled under the feet of the crew. Despair formed on their faces as water flowed into the holes, starting the sinking process.

Genji stared at the scene and decided to take a gamble. Taking a few steps back, he built up as much speed as possible before leaped toward the ship.

Lightweight, Swift Movement, Wolf Step

Genji soared through the air, injecting large amounts of energy into [Jaguar]. A shadow flame burst out, covering the saber as he raised it over his head. As reluctant as he was to use this move, Genji had no other large-scale attacks.

As Genji slashed down and hit a green barrier. The flame spread out across the barrier and started wearing it down, but this was not the result Genji wanted. From the look of things, the ship was unharmed despite the damage to the barrier. Then Genji smacked into the rapidly moving barrier, feeling like he was hit by a speeding truck.

*Plop*

The impact of the crash sent him flying into the sea. When Genji resurfaced, he heard a loud snapping sound from behind. Genji looked back to see his ship had splintered in half. The two sides of the ship collapsed inward, sending a huge wave that rocked him violently.

Some of the smarter pirates jumped off before they went under, but Genji suspected a few unlucky souls got trapped at the ends of the ship and ended up drowning.

It was a complete annihilation. Their ship stood no chance against the prized vessel of the emperor. Genji watched in dismay as everything he had worked for fell apart. But it was not the time for that. 

As he was swimming, a looming shadow blocked the sunlight. Looking up, he saw the ship had stopped next to him in a fashion uncharacteristic of this era. A rope ladder was tossed down to him, but Genji didn't grab it. Compared to climbing an enemy ship, he would prefer taking his chances at sea.

"Climb up or we will shoot," someone hollered from above.

Left with no choice, Genji clutched the ladder and started climbing. He deliberately slowed his movements to buy time, but the ship started moving again. Feeling the rope swing, Genji held on tightly, trying to avoid slamming into the boat. A few seconds later, the boat stopped again, and Genji felt the ladder wobble from below.

Someone else had grabbed on and started climbing. To avoid experiencing the sudden motion again, Genji started to climb normally. Seconds later, he was on the ship, coming face to face with a pirate with a red bandana wrapped around his hair.

"So are we going to do this the hard way or the easy way?"

The pirate yanked on the rope in his hands and asked Genji. Understanding his intentions, Genji held his arms out for him to tie. Might as well take the initiative so his arms are in a position easier to break free later.

The pirate grinned and tied Genji's arms together, leading him to the side. Genji sat down casually and watched as the other person climbed up and got tied as well. The only difference was that this person struggled more and caused himself to be tied up roughly after a beating.

Genji watched as the remainder of his crewmates got apprehended and gathered up. Hendrickson was among the smart ones and surrendered easily.

"Seems like we are in a bind," Genji joked as Hendrickson sat down next to him.

"How are you still in the mood for that?" He asked Genji with disbelief.

"Confidence." He replied shortly as the pirate with the red bandana approached them.

"We have some ballsy ones, don't we? But that's ok. We like ballsy people."

"So what do you want with us?"

Genji wiggled his wrist and felt for the weakest part of the rope.

"The captain was running low on souls, so we need to restock."

"Souls? Restock? What the hell are you talking about?" One hot-tempered pirate yelled at the person.

"That's a good question, so how about I show you?"

The pirate with the red bandana walked over to the person and dragged him in front of the group. Then he drew his scimitar and slit his throat, inducing a squirm of pain. The bandana pirate threw the body down onto the floorboard and watched as he bled out.

Seconds later, the pirate stopped moving, and his eyes dimmed. The blood soaked into the ship and started fading. It was like the ship was alive and feeding off this sanguine fluid. After all the blood faded, the wood of the ship flashed a green light. Subsequently, a translucent silhouette of the recently diseased pirate appeared above the body.

The soul looked around in confusion, as he could have sworn he had perished. Then he looked down and saw his body. Seeing this unusual sight, dread overtook his mind. Ye this state didn't last long. The tied-up crewmates watched in horror as this soul distorted and sucked into the ship.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh."The agony-filled screams of the soul terrified the captives, as they knew they were next. 

"What a vicious method," Genji commented.

"You're very calm," the bandana pirate responded, "For that, I will leave you for last."

He waved his hand, and some lower members came over to pick up the body. Then they dumped it to give the fish below a free meal.

"Should I thank you for your generosity?" Genji asked, unfazed and continuing his banter with his captor.

"No. No, you shouldn't." The tied crewmates got dragged out and cut down by the surrounding pirates as this conversation continued.

"You're right, but I still want to thank you."

"For what?"

"For buying me so much time to recover."

As he finished this sentence, Genji yanked down and snapped the rope tying his hands together. Then before anyone could react, he pressed his left hand onto the floor.

Summon Jaws