Villains Fight Dirty: Crushing the Pirate King
Villains gotta villain! Against Pirate King Samuel and his Pirate Alliance, I knew from the start that even a surprise attack wouldn't guarantee victory. The enemy numbered ten thousand from the get-go. Sure, our North Face Family were one-man armies, but we weren't trained mages from a proper guild or knights drilled in formal academies. Among the owners of the faces I'd collected in this North Continent, there were some infamous mercenaries and wandering knights turned criminals, so I'd taught swordsmanship, spearmanship, and even something like the inner energy cultivation from martial arts novels that knights call aura. The whole family could hold their own against most outfits, but they'd only been training for about five years.
Magic and aura take a lifetime to master even in one discipline—let alone as half-assed crash courses. How strong could you really get in just five years? We couldn't charge on horseback like knights, cleaving through everything in a fair stand-up fight. We couldn't unleash massive attack spells like mages. But by teaching mercenary war experience and combat know-how, we'd built a versatile force: aura up close, magic at range, bows or guns as needed. True all-rounders. Still, the enemy was the Pirate King who'd dominated the seas for decades, with ten thousand under him.
Do you know how many ten thousand really is? Even when Seoul rallies claim tens of thousands show up, the actual count's often just a few thousand. Ten thousand is on another level entirely. No way our under-a-hundred crew could handle that. And these weren't rookies—they were pirates infamous on the seas for decades. Battle-hardened veterans we couldn't compare to. Down here at the bottom, it's not the strong who survive; it's the survivors who get strong! In that cutthroat world of sea monsters, beasts, pirates, and navies, lasting decades wasn't for just anyone.
That's why I planned to assassinate the Pirate King from the jump. The method: collect the faces of his captain underlings, disguise as them, and get close. Jean and Pablo stir shit right in the Pirate King's face with the family backup. Meanwhile, Estelle and Allen hit likely spots to neutralize command fast. Rina and the crew rescue the slaves in the chaos. Everything went to plan.
Except... the Pirate King's power was way beyond what I expected. Who knew he'd drop Derek—transformed into a kraken—in one hit? I'd studied Bepart's abilities inside out from Dantalian's demon lore, but knowing and facing it are worlds apart.
'Good thing we rushed in. Allen smartly pulled the kids back, or they'd be dead.'
"Urk... you bastard... even the vice-captain?!"
"Of course. This is war, right? We're killing every last one. Why would I spare your sworn brothers?"
"You filthy... dog! How dare you... to my... urgh! brothers?!"
"Filthy? Ha! Hilarious. What's this bullshit about a villain playing fair? You're the coward—an old fart with decades on us, throwing your weight around against kids. All that age fat for nothing, targeting the young sprouts who'll outgrow you!"
"I'll... curse you..."
"Curse? Pfft! We've sold our souls to demons—what more curse could hit us? Insult me all you want, but trash-talk my family? No mercy for that. Hand over your face skin and head to the afterlife with your brothers~♪"
Kiririririk! Zzizizizik!!
"Gaaaaaaahhhhh!!!"
Whoosh! I morphed my arm into a grotesque hand with razor claws like Dantalian's, ripping off the Pirate King's face skin in one go. Precise as peeling an apple, delicate, and swift. Even as he thrashed in agony, it peeled away smooth as butter. I savored his pathetic, blood-soaked muscle face slowly, then jabbed my claws through both eye sockets, piercing his brain.
Splurt! Crunch!
"Gack—!"
Thud!
..."Bye, you dumb old fuck. Your face skin'll come in handy."
And so ended our clash with the Pirate King. The remnants chasing my decoy route hit Estelle's pre-laid web traps and ambushes—wiped out. Most pirates lost their face skins to me, dying miserable deaths. Save a tiny few escapees.
The Pirate Alliance vs. North Face Family feud—one night. Word spread across the North Continent's underworld, etching our infamy and power deep. About seven thousand dead pirates; 3,172 face-skins peeled, including the king and captains. The rest fled on wagons or ships—the quick-witted survivors. The lawless sea scourge of decades vanished into history.
**
..."Hey, punk."
"What, Big Daddy?"
"Did you have to bring that to the summit?"
"Show of force. Same as you skewering 'em for public display. This is at least a spectacle worth seeing, right?"
"Hanging three thousand human face skins on the wall like an art exhibit—what's spectacular about that, you psycho fuck?!"
Yeah. Our faction halted the North Continent summit mid-way for the Pirate King war. We smashed the alliance in a day, then I rejoined Big Daddy's hosted parley. To flaunt our power—and burn in their eyes what happens if they fuck with us—I'd neatly cured last night's peels and mounted them on giant wooden boards like hahoe masks.
Back on Earth, it'd turn my stomach. But Dantalian stole part of my humanity, and a decade in this pit numbed me to thousands dead. Pity lingers, but it's like watching a war on TV from the other side of the world—someone else's problem.
"But thanks to me, no more trash stirring shit, right? You benefit too—I squeezed out every drop of blood from thousands for you."
"Hmph! If not for that, I'd have half-killed you today, you lunatic!"
"Yessir~ Sorry~♪"
"Anyway... how the hell do you run your crew? Beating the Pirate Alliance in a day? I figured you'd just hold 'em off. Even I couldn't win against Samuel at sea."
"Strategy! You think I'm nuts enough for a head-on with that Bepart contractor old psycho?"
"Hmph! He underestimated you, sealing his doom. Impressive. The power balance just shifted big."
"Eh~ Whatever happens, happens! Handle cleanup well—we're allies, right?"
"You mad bastard... Fine. Let's get along. But no betrayal—or else!"
"Duh. That's my line."
He's petty as hell, but a decade proves he won't backstab first. Safe to trust my back to him. Whatever he thinks of me.
'Shame he's so narrow-minded. Looks the perfect middle-aged gent!'
"You! Just badmouthed me?!"
"Ahem! What're you on about?"
"Your thoughts show on your... whatever. I can tell."
...'Did he learn interest law like Vanessa?! No face, and he reads me this well?!'
Centuries-old savvy?
**
"...Thus, the Pirate Alliance survivors scattered. The Pirate King's sea trade web will be chaos awhile—manage your turf."
"Ahem! Smuggling routes'll be a bitch short-term."
"Hrm... North Face. Never saw you wiping them in a day."
"Cheeky human whelp—bold move!"
"No pirates means no buffer against other continents' navies! How'll you answer for that, North Face?!"
"What? Got beef? Step up anytime. But no happy endings."
...
One glare, and the complainers avert eyes or look away. Makes sense—the top dogs quake when a tiny crew of under a hundred erases a major player. Only balls-to-the-wall idiots would piss me off.
This cursed world, per Dantalian, runs on power alone. No power? Mocked like yesterday. Power? Crush 'em. Strength is authority, safety. Earth had pretenses—even superpowers faced backlash without excuses. Here, especially North Continent? Fuck that. Multi-species trash heap—raw power rules all.
"Next order: you subraces. We freed your kin—deal?"
..."Hmph! Filthy human. What do you want?"
"Dwarf talks sense—good. Your weapons. All gear! We'll open smuggling lanes in the pirates' place. 5:5 split!"
"Hrm! Deal—but free our kin first! No regular trade till they're safe!"
"Whoa~ All at once? No dice, even for trust-named dwarves. What if you ghost after? Half first. Rest after delivery."
"You... think us humans, treacherous?!"
"Exactly. You ignored me before. Why trust you now? If you bail mid-deal, what then? Charity?"
"Damn human... Fine. But guarantee safety! Harm one beard hair, and war—even if we all die!"
"Naturally. Trust's my motto."
Dwarf deal sealed. Elves and beastkin stay mum. Others whisper on power shifts.
"We elves don't trust you. No deal."
"Beast Union rejects weaklings. Your captives were weak—caught! No use. Dispose."
'What bullshit?!'
Murmur! Murmur! Murmur!
The elf and beastkin reps' words stir the room wild.