"Got it!"
Though stunned that Orion had not only dodged the pirate captain's attack but also counterattacked successfully, Brian quickly regained his composure.
After using his coat to staunch Rogers' wound, he raised his sword and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Orion once more.
Yet just as the two stood ready, warily eyeing the pirate captain, the man suddenly vanished in a blur.
When he reappeared, he was right in front of the marine captain.
Engaged by two pirate officers, the marine captain had no time to evade.
With a resounding boom, he was sent flying backward.
Before the marine captain even hit the deck, the pirate captain activated his Spring Fruit ability again, tearing through the ranks of the marines at terrifying speed.
"Kehahaha! Thought you could predict my moves?"
The pirate captain cackled maniacally as he ruthlessly cut down marine after marine, taunting Orion between kills.
"Come on then! Let's see if you can guess who I'll slaughter next!"
Completely blindsided by the pirate captain's sudden shift in targets, Orion's brow furrowed instantly.
Brian, equally caught off guard, widened his eyes before roaring in furious frustration.
"Damn you, pirate! Fight me one-on-one! Come at me, you coward!"
Unable to stand idle as more marines were sent flying, Brian charged forward with his sword raised.
Orion followed without hesitation.
The brutal melee reignited.
The clang of steel filled the air as both sides fought with reckless abandon—marines and pirates alike threw themselves into the fray, slashing with weapons, grappling bare-handed, and even wielding empty rifles as clubs when ammunition ran out.
Within mere minutes, over a hundred bodies littered the warship's deck.
But with the pirates vastly outnumbering the marines, even comparable casualties left the marines at a severe disadvantage.
Soon, the marines were overwhelmed, their captain—the very officer who had led Orion's patrol—now pinned down by a dozen pirates, unable to break free.
Orion and Brian also found themselves encircled in the chaos.
What began as a united stand gradually fractured under the relentless assault, leaving each isolated and surrounded.
A few more minutes passed.
Only three marines remained standing on the bloodied deck: the captain, Orion, and Brian.
The rest had either fallen in battle or lay unconscious, grievously wounded.
However, the pirates also suffered heavy casualties.
By the time the battle neared its end, their once overwhelming numerical advantage had dwindled to fewer than twenty men.
"Kahahaha! As expected, I'm the man destined to become the Pirate King!"
Seeing only Orion, Brian, and the captain remaining among the marine forces, the pirate captain flashed onto the ship's bow, looking down at the three surrounded men with a bloodthirsty grin.
"What are you waiting for? Crush them! I said crush them all!"
"Kill!"
At the pirate captain's command, the pirates surrounding Orion, Brian, and the captain roared simultaneously and charged forward.
Facing the onslaught from all directions, Orion—drenched in blood—stood atop a pile of corpses, gripping his sword tightly before fearlessly lunging at the first pirate to approach.
The pirate clearly didn't expect Orion to charge without hesitation.
In that split second of hesitation, Orion leaped from the corpse pile, mounted him, and drove his sword cleanly through the pirate's chest.
Before other pirates could react, Orion swiftly picked up a fallen blade nearby and decapitated the pirate as easily as slicing a watermelon.
Rising quickly, Orion held the severed head in one hand and the bloodied blade in the other, his wide eyes glaring like a demon emerging from a pool of blood.
The moment Orion stood, the three pirates charging at him froze as if seeing death itself, stumbling back several steps under the suffocating pressure of his presence.
Unaware of their fear, Orion flung the head at the pirates' feet, his demonic gaze locked onto the surrounding pirates like an emotionless killing machine.
"Come on," he growled, bloodlust dripping from his voice.
"Let's make this fun."
Before the words faded, Orion launched his counterattack, targeting the two closest pirates.
"Kill!"
Though intimidated by Orion's ferocity, the two pirates didn't flee.
Instead, they roared and charged head-on.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The moment they clashed, the sharp ring of metal filled the air.
Fighting two at once, Orion abandoned fancy techniques, relying solely on relentless slashes.
Overwhelmed by his frenzy, the pirates could only barely raise their weapons in defense.
Two more pirates joined the fray, providing temporary relief.
Yet even against four, Orion's brutal, sweeping strikes forced them back with every swing, his blade driving them away each time they neared.
"Aren't you pirates?"
Orion chased them down with bone-chilling roars.
"Why are you running? Fight to the death!"
Crack!
A sudden snap echoed—Orion's blade shattered from the violent impact.
Seizing the opportunity, two pirates lunged, their weapons swinging down at him with deadly force.
However, at the very moment the two men struck, Orion—whose longsword had just shattered—did not retreat.
Instead, he surged forward with even greater speed, closing the distance in an instant.
With one arm around each of their necks, he dragged them down to the deck.
The moment their bodies hit the ground, a shrill scream tore through the air.
Following the sound, the onlookers saw Orion pinning the two pirates to the deck without the slightest hesitation.
Then, in a brutal move, he sank his teeth into one of the pirates, tearing off half of his ear.
Before anyone—including the pirate captain—could react, Orion raised the broken half of his sword and plunged it into the other pirate's throat.
Without pause, he snatched up another fallen blade from the deck, using it to prop himself up as he staggered to his feet.
Chewing on the half-ear with bloodstained teeth, his eyes burned with a chilling crimson light that sent a wave of terror through the surrounding pirates.
None dared to charge recklessly now.
"Disgusting!"
After spitting out the mangled ear, Orion suddenly lifted his head, his sharp gaze sweeping over the encircling pirates.
His lips curled into a bloodstained grin as he enunciated each word.
"Who's next?"
"A… a demon!"
The abrupt movement sent a jolt of terror through the pirates, their souls nearly fleeing their bodies.
One of them collapsed onto the deck, babbling "demon" as he scrambled backward in uncontrolled panic.
"Worthless!"
The pirate captain, who had been watching coldly from the bow, suddenly barked out a curse.
In a flash, he appeared before the gibbering pirate, seized his head, and hurled him overboard.
Then, in another blur of motion, he materialized in front of Orion.
His fist, carrying terrifying force and a howling gale, shot toward Orion's face like lightning.