Three pirates rushed Drake simultaneously, spreading out to flank him.
Smart. These weren't mindless thugs they'd done this before.
[Analysis Eye Lv.2 activated - Multiple Targets]
Drake had maybe two seconds before they closed the distance. His mind calculated angles, speeds, vulnerabilities the medical student and the System working in perfect sync.
The right-side pirate reached him first, swinging a rusty machete in a wide arc aimed at Drake's neck.
Drake ducked under the swing, hearing the blade whistle over his dreads, and drove his hunting knife up into the man's exposed armpit.
The pirate screamed. Drake twisted the blade felt it grate against bone and ripped it free in a spray of arterial blood. The man dropped his machete, clutching at the wound as blood pumped between his fingers.
[Brachial artery severed. He has maybe two minutes before shock sets in.]
Drake didn't have two minutes to spare.
The center pirate the experienced one was already adjusting, coming in low with a short sword aimed at Drake's gut. No wasted movement, no unnecessary flourish. Just efficient killing technique.
Drake twisted sideways, the blade grazing his ribs and tearing through his shirt. Pain flared hot and immediate, but his Natural Recovery was already working, the shallow cut clotting even as he moved.
He couldn't match this one in pure skill. Not yet.
So he cheated.
Drake kicked sand directly into the pirate's face. The man flinched just for an instant and Drake's knife found his throat. Not a killing blow, but enough to open the carotid artery. Blood fountained, and the pirate staggered back, eyes wide with the sudden understanding that he was dead and just didn't know it yet.
[Enemy Defeated: 8/20]
[Enemy Defeated: 9/20]
The left pirate the one with the shoulder injury showed by analysis had hesitated, seeing his companions fall in seconds.
Drake could see the calculation in his eyes: fight or flee?
Drake didn't give him time to decide.
He closed the distance in two quick steps, feinting high. The pirate raised his cutlass to block, and Drake read the micro-adjustment in his stance the way he favored his right side, keeping his damaged shoulder back.
Drake's knife plunged into the left side of the pirate's chest, finding the space between ribs. Not the heart that was too protected by bone but the lung. The pirate gasped, breath whistling wetly, and Drake yanked the blade free.
The man collapsed, drowning on dry land.
[Enemy Defeated: 10/20]
[Combat XP gained]
Drake stepped back, breathing hard. Three enemies down in maybe ten seconds. His hands were slick with blood, his shirt was torn and bloodstained, and every nerve in his body was singing with adrenaline.
*This is insane. This is brutal. This is—
Exhilarating.
"DRAKE! YOUR SIX!"
Marcus's shout spun Drake around. A massive pirate easily six-four, built like a brick wall was charging at him with a two-handed axe raised high.
[Analysis Eye activated]
[Target: "Crusher" Kane]
Level: 9
Threat Level: Medium
Abilities: Overwhelming Strength, Axe Mastery
Weakness: Slow, commits fully to attacks
The axe came down like a guillotine blade.
Drake rolled left, feeling the displaced air as the weapon buried itself in the sand where he'd been standing. The pirate Kane grunted and yanked the axe free, already swinging again.
Horizontal this time. Meant to cut Drake in half at the waist.
Drake jumped. The axe passed beneath his feet, and he landed on the flat of the blade, using it as a springboard to launch himself at Kane's face.
The pirate's eyes widened in shock as Drake's knife found his eye socket.
The blade sank deep, and Kane screamed a horrible, wet sound. Drake yanked the knife free and kicked off the man's chest, backflipping away as the giant collapsed, clutching his ruined face.
[Enemy Defeated: 11/20]
[Level Up! Level 7 → Level 8]
[New Skill Available: Intermediate Combat Lv.1]
Warmth flooded Drake's body, that familiar sensation of growth and adaptation. His muscles felt stronger, his reflexes sharper. The cuts on his ribs stopped bleeding entirely, already healing.
But there was no time to check his status.
More pirates were landing on the beach, and the villagers who'd stayed to fight were being pushed back. Drake spotted Marcus about twenty meters away, fighting three pirates at once. The old man was a whirlwind of steel and violence, but even he was slowing down.
And Miriam—
Miriam was engaged with someone who actually matched her skill. A wiry pirate with twin daggers who moved like a viper, all quick strikes and evasive footwork.
[Analysis Eye activated]
[Target: "Venom" Vic]
Level: 11
Threat Level: Medium-High
Abilities: Dual Dagger Expert, Poison Coating
Drake started toward Miriam, but two more pirates blocked his path. They were smarter than the last group staying just out of knife range, circling him with spears.
[Target: Pirate Spearman]
Level: 6
Weakness: Relies on reach advantage
[Target: Pirate Spearman]
Level: 6
Weakness: Relies on reach advantage
Spears. Long reach, good for keeping knife fighters at bay. Drake could try to close the distance, but they'd skewer him before he got within striking range.
His medical training kicked in, analyzing the problem like it was a case study.
Spears are effective because of reach and leverage. Remove either advantage, and they're just sticks with pointy ends.
Drake sheathed his knife.
Both pirates hesitated, confused. Then Drake grabbed the fishing net from his inventory the one he'd received from the Village Integration quest.
Understanding dawned too late in the pirates' eyes.
Drake threw the net. It spread out perfectly, weighted edges pulling it wide, and caught both pirates in its mesh. They stumbled, tangled, spear points dropping as they tried to free themselves.
Drake closed the distance in two seconds.
His knife came out. One thrust through the net into a throat. He pulled free Pull free pivot the Second thrust into a heart. The pirates thrashed and died, still wrapped in the net.
[Enemy Defeated: 12/20]
[Enemy Defeated: 13/20]
"Creative!" Marcus called out, having dispatched his own opponents. Blood dripped from his cutlass, and he had a new cut across his cheek, but he was grinning. "Didn't know you were a fisherman!"
"I'm a fast learner!"
A crossbow bolt whistled past Drake's head, close enough that he felt the displaced air. He spun, spotting a pirate on one of the boats, reloading.
[Analysis Eye activated]
[Target: Pirate Marksman]
Level: 7
Threat Level: Low-Medium
Range: 30 meters
Drake looked around, spotted a pirate's dropped sword, and made a split-second decision. He grabbed the blade heavier than his knife, but better balanced and threw it.
His enhanced Strength and Speed combined. The sword spun end-over-end, closing the thirty-meter gap in under a second, and caught the marksman center mass. The man flew backward off the boat, the sword buried in his chest.
[Enemy Defeated: 14/20]
[New Skill Unlocked: Improvised Weaponry Lv.1]
"OKAY, NOW YOU'RE JUST SHOWING OFF!" Marcus laughed, engaging another pair of pirates.
Drake didn't have time to celebrate. The beach was a charnel house bodies littered the sand, blood soaked into the ground, screams and steel rang out. And more pirates were still coming.
A thrown knife whistled toward Drake's back. He sensed it more than saw it and twisted. The blade sliced across his shoulder instead of his spine. Pain flared, but he was already moving.
[HP: 144/160]
[Natural Recovery Lv.2 active]
The knife-thrower stood fifteen meters away, already pulling another blade. Drake picked up a fallen spear, tested its weight, and hurled it like a javelin.
The pirate tried to dodge. Too slow. The spear took him through the stomach, the force lifting him off his feet and pinning him to the side of a fishing boat.
[Enemy Defeated: 15/20]
Movement in his peripheral vision. Drake spun, bringing up his knife to block a descending cutlass. Steel rang on steel, and Drake found himself face-to-face with a female pirate, scarred and snarling.
[Analysis Eye activated]
[Target: "Scarlett" Moira]
Level: 10
Threat Level: Medium
Abilities: Aggressive Fighting Style, Enhanced Speed
She was fast faster than anyone Drake had fought so far except maybe the tiger. Their blades met again, and Drake barely parried the strike aimed at his throat.
She followed with a kick aimed at his knee. Drake twisted, taking it on his shin instead. Pain shot up his leg, but he'd protected the joint.
[HP: 138/160]
They circled each other. Scarlett was grinning, blood on her teeth. "You're good, kid. But not good enough."
She lunged. Drake read the attack Analysis Eye highlighting her approach vector and sidestepped. Her cutlass bit into empty air, and Drake's knife opened a line across her ribs.
Not deep enough to kill. Just enough to hurt.
Scarlett hissed, stumbling back. Her free hand went to her side, came away red. "You little—"
Drake was already moving. He closed the distance before she could recover, grabbed her sword arm, and drove his knee into her elbow. Something popped probably the joint separating and the cutlass fell from nerveless fingers.
His knife found her throat before she could scream.
[Enemy Defeated: 16/20]
[Level Up! Level 8 → Level 9]
Another wave of power. Drake's HP jumped to 170 max, the wounds on his shoulder and shin healing completely. His muscles felt like steel cables, his reflexes razor-sharp.
[Status Update]
[Power: 34] [Speed: 34] [Durability: 31]
He was getting stronger with every kill. Adapting. Evolving.
This is the System's true power, Drake realized. *Not just the stats, but the rapid progression. I'm learning and improving in real-time.*
A scream cut through the battle not a warrior's cry, but terror.
Drake spun to see a pirate dragging Sarah from the treeline, a knife to her throat. The girl struggled, but the pirate had her hair wrapped around his fist.
"EVERYONE STOP!" the pirate shouted. "Stop, or I open her throat!"
The fighting paused. Marcus froze mid-swing. Miriam stepped back from Venom Vic, her cutlass raised but steady.
The pirate a scarred man missing several teeth grinned at the standoff he'd created. "That's better. Now, you're all going to—"
Drake moved.
[Speed: 34]
He crossed the twenty meters in under two seconds faster than the pirate could process. The man's eyes widened, the knife starting to move toward Sarah's throat, but Drake was already there.
His knife took the pirate's wrist, severing tendons. The blade clattered from useless fingers. Drake grabbed Sarah, pulled her away, and drove his knee into the pirate's groin with everything he had.
The man folded. Drake's knife found his kidney, twisted, and ripped free.
[Enemy Defeated: 17/20]
Sarah stumbled away, gasping. "You—you just—"
"Stay back," Drake said quietly. His voice sounded strange to his own ears. Calm. Cold. "This isn't over."
The remaining pirates had seen what happened. Some of them were backing toward their boats, clearly reconsidering their life choices.
Then a voice boomed across the beach.
"ENOUGH."
Captain "Bloody" Rake stepped off the merchant ship, his massive frame making the smaller boat groan as he climbed down. His dual curved swords gleamed in the sunlight, and his gold teeth flashed as he smiled.
[Analysis Eye activated]
[Target: Captain "Bloody" Rake]
Level: 15
Threat Level: VERY HIGH
Abilities: Enhanced Strength, Dual Blade Master, Ruthless Combatant, Combat Veteran
Bounty: 3,000,000 Berries
Warning: Enemy significantly outlevels you. Extreme caution advised.
Rake surveyed the beach the bodies, the blood, the three fighters who'd decimated his crew. His smile never wavered.
"Well," he said conversationally, "this has been educational. You—" he pointed at Drake with one sword, "—you're the one who killed half my crew?"
Drake met his gaze, unflinching. "Yeah."
"You're just a kid."
"I'm old enough."
Rake laughed a deep, genuine sound. "I like you. Got fire. Tell you what join my crew. I'll even make you my first mate. Better than dying on this shithole beach."
"Not interested."
"Shame." Rake's smile faded. "Then I'll just have to kill you and everyone else here."
He stepped onto the beach.
The air itself seemed to change pressure building like before a storm. Drake's instincts screamed danger, every sense telling him this was different from the other pirates.
This was a predator. A killer. Someone who'd survived the East Blue and built a reputation on corpses.
Marcus moved up beside Drake, cutlass ready. Miriam joined them, positioning for a triangle formation.
"Three on one," Marcus said. "Might be enough."
"Might be," Drake agreed.
Rake twirled his swords, the blades singing. "Let's find out."
And the real fight began.
End of Chapter 7