The gentle sea wind ruffled my hair as I watched the sun slowly dip toward the horizon, painting the water in streaks of orange and gold.
It was my third day since I had arrived in this era. When I learned the Fantastic Four had been kidnapped, I didn't worry much. They could handle themselves, and this was a canon event—they'd make it back to the present on their own. Two days had already passed, so they were probably home by now.
With them out of the picture, I used the time to grind missions and sharpen my skills. Pirate hunting seemed like the best play—dangerous, but the gold, silver, and bounty money would be a fortune back in the present.
For the last three days, I'd been at it nonstop: tracking crews, collecting bounties in port towns, and when I wasn't killing pirates, I was fucking bar wenches in smoky taverns. Killing and fucking—that was basically my routine here.
I started by wiping out a pirate crew and taking their ship. I hired sailors to man it. Mutiny was common in this age, but when two of them tried something stupid, I shot them dead on deck in front of everyone. The rest fell in line fast.
Today I was sailing back after taking down the Bonebreaker Pirates—the crew with one of the fattest bounties I'd seen yet.
The Captain of the Bonebreaker Pirates was known to have superhuman strength, said to be blessed by the spirits of the sea. I initially thought it was just exaggerated rumors or some superstitious hoax, but since it was the Marvel world, I didn't dismiss it entirely.
Turned out, the rumors were partially correct. Not the blessed by the sea spirits part, but the superhuman strength part. Apparently, the guy was a mutant with super strength. But it wasn't much. He wasn't even as strong as Jessica, just an E2.
The fight was tough. His men came hard with cutlasses and pistols; one threw a harpoon that nearly pinned me. I emptied my six flintlocks first—smoke thick, ears ringing—then closed the distance and took heads. I bagged the bounty ones, stashed the best loot in my Inventory, and left enough treasure on deck so the crew wouldn't ask questions.
Killing the captain boosted my Assassin mission count.
Assassin (16/25)
Other than that, the other mission that improved and was about to be completed was the Sharpshooter mission.
Sharpshooter (94/100)
I had strapped six flintlock pistols to my waist because these pistols needed to be reloaded after every shot, and each reload took centuries. Whenever hunting pirates, I first emptied the pistols before fighting further. Just one more round and I would complete the mission.
I also had my modern firearms from the present in my Inventory, but didn't use them on purpose.
If others found out about a magic gun that can shoot multiple bullets without reloading, both the pirates and the government would be out for my head to get their hands on this "magic weapon".
Of course, even if I used it carefully away from prying eyes, it was still dangerous. All it took was one super genius to find the bullets in bodies or empty shells to analyze them, drastically increasing the pace of the arms race. Who knew if that happened, by the time I would return to the present, plasma weapons would become the norm.
Of course, there were entities in Marvel that would prevent something like that from happening. However, that was a whole other rabbit hole.
In the end, the best choice was to use the era-specific firearms.
I was still running the math in my head when I spotted a ship closing fast off the starboard bow. Black sails. The pirate emblem came into clearer view as it drew near.
"Cap'n," Tomas, one of my sailors, called, voice tight with fear. He gripped the rail so hard his knuckles bleached white.
I turned. "What?"
"'Tis the Demon Sword Pirates, by all the saints!" Tomas said, eyes wide, sweat beading on his forehead despite the cooling air.
The deck went still except for the slap of waves and the creak of ropes. My hand rested on the row of flintlocks at my waist.
"Do they have a bounty?" I asked Tomas.
"Aye, Cap'n," Tomas answered, voice quaking like a leaf in storm wind. "Captain Rico's head fetches more coin than Bonebreaker Henry's ever did. His crew is bigger, too."
"What's so special about him?" I asked casually as the enemy ship closed the distance.
"He bears a demonic sword," Tomas said, the words coming out thick with fear. "'Tis said that any man slain by its edge… his spirit is bound forever, tormented in the cold deeps."
Interesting.
Then, Tomas's eyes widened as he thought of something.
"Cap'n," Tomas said in a pleading voice. "Pray tell me ye ain't plannin' to claim his head for yerself."
"Could be fun," I said, flashing teeth.
Tomas and even the other sailors looked at me as if I had a death wish. The sailors behind him shifted, their faces pale.
I ignored them and instead asked, "Can his bounty be claimed back in town, or must we sail elsewhere?"
"Cap'n," Tomas said with eyes wide. "Ye speak in earnest?"
"Don't waste breath," I said sharply. "Answer me what I asked."
He gulped air. "Aye… the town suffices. The governor loathes the cur with all his black heart."
"Good." My smile stretched. "Makes it simpler."
When the ship was close enough, I turned to Tomas and the rest.
"Same rules," I said. "Go inside and don't come out until I say so. If you stay here, you will only get in my way."
Tomas looked at me for a moment, then nodded heavily. He turned around and went inside the cabin with the crew.
I stood alone and waited for the ship to get close enough.
Finally, the ship was close enough for the pirates to board my ship. A tall and thin man with a pale face stood in front of the ship. Judging from his clothes, he looked like he was the captain. But physically, he looked like he belonged in a hospital bed.
Of course, if someone just believed he was weak from his face, that person would be in for a rude awakening.
Rico Briggs
Rank: E2 (Boosted from using the cursed sword) (F3)
So, the legend of some demonic sword wasn't entirely false.
"We finally met, Pirate Hunter Zoro," Rico said with an eerie smile. "Ye've carved a fearsome name in scant days."
Yeah, that was the name and title I was using here.
"First pirate I've seen eager to greet his hunter," I laughed. "Almost touching."
"Laugh while the breath's still in ye," he answered, grin turning sharp and cold. "Once I sever yer head and lash it to my bowsprit, my name shall ring louder across every sea."
He lifted a bony hand, the hilt of a black-bladed sword glinting at his hip, the edge seeming to drink the light.
"Boys," he rasped. "Attack."
The pirates threw grapple hooks, the hooks latching to my ship. They pulled the ropes, dragging the ships towards each other until their hulls ground together. I didn't interfere and let them do it.
When they were close enough, I drew two flintlocks, one in each hand. I spotted eight of the forty-something pirates with guns, including the captain. Those gunners needed to go first.
I lined up the pistols on two gunners, thumbs cocking the hammer. Two cracking sounds split the air as smoke came out of the pistols. Both dropped, chests blooming red, pistols clattering beside them. Without pausing, I swapped to the next loaded pair from my belt. Two more cracks. Two more bodies hit the deck hard, blood pooling on the floor. Last two pistols—aim, fire, and two more dead bodies. Sour smoke curled on my face.
Sharpshooter (100/100) (+6) (Complete)
The charge froze mid-stride. The pirates' faces went ghost-pale, eyes locked on the smoking barrels and the sprawled corpses.
"What the fuck are ye cunts gawking at?" Rico bellowed from their rail, voice cracking like dry whip. "He's spent his guns! Hack the bastard to pieces!"
A scarred brute near the front snarled. "Kill this bitch spawn!" The cry ripped through them, raw and hungry. They surged again, boots pounding planks, cutlasses raised high.
Five closed first, big, stinking of rum and sweat, blades flashing. I kept the lazy smile plastered on. A flick of wrists and handle-less throwing knives materialized in my grip. I snapped them out one after another. First two buried to the hilt in throats; hot blood spraying on the deck. The other three took gut and chest, deep enough to drop them wheezing, clutching wounds, legs buckling.
I felt a tingle in my right ear as my Danger Sense warned me. I jerked my head left. A pistol ball whined past, close enough to tug hair. The last gunner, a grizzled fuck with a hook hand prosthetic, stood shocked, jaw slack at the miss.
He was smarter than the rest. Dropped the empty piece, lunged for one of his dead mates' loaded pistols.
Too dangerous to leave breathing. I broke into a sprint, vaulting the rail onto their ship. Knives flicked out as I ran, a thunk into a shoulder, another into a thigh. Pirates howled, staggered, but I didn't slow. Up the railing I went.
The gunner snatched the fallen pistol, rotten teeth flashing in a grin as he leveled it. Crack. I dove sideways when I felt a tingle on my chest. He blinked, shocked again.
No third chance. I rolled up, snapped a knife. It punched clean through his spine. He arched, gargled once, then crumpled face-first, pistol skittering across blood-slick boards.
Deck reeked now of blood, the salty wind barely cutting through it. Pirates hesitated, eyes darting between Rico and me, still on the far rail, black sword drawn and humming faintly.
Rico's face twisted black with rage. Too many bodies too quick. He leaped the gap, boots slamming my deck hard enough to shudder planks.
"Cap'n," a scarred pirate muttered, voice low and shaky. "He's a warlock. Knives just… appeared in his hands from nowhere."
Rico's sunken eyes locked on me, narrowing to slits.
"What are ye miserable cunts hesitatin' for?" he snarled. "Fall on this bitch spawn with me!" He hoisted his black-bladed sword high, its edge seeming to swallow the dusk light. "A poxy warlock's no match for my demon blade."
The pirates roared. They looked at the sword in their captain's hand with fear, and confidence again appeared in them.
"Aye, Cap'n!"
"Gut the warlock!"
"Spill the bitch spawn's guts!"
Time to start the real fight.
A cutlass appeared in my hand as I blocked Rico's sword strike. I stopped the attack, but my hand felt slightly numb. I noticed that my sword was chipped lightly at the point Rico's sword hit.
I felt a tingle in my back, but I couldn't dodge or block. Rico smiled cruelly as he attacked again. I again blocked his attack. At the same time, a translucent barrier appeared behind me. The pirate sword behind me stuck the barrier. It rippled but held on. It was the Minor Barrier spell.
I threw a dagger to my right that hit the chest of a pirate. He fell, and I got space to move. I rolled towards the right. Then, as I got up, I threw another knife. The knife hit the pirate who was behind me, but it only hit his leg. The pirate fell with a scream.
As I got up, three pirates attacked me with swords at the same time. I held my sword horizontally and blocked their attacks. They tried to push their swords to push me down, but I overpowered them and pushed them back. They staggered, and I took advantage of that and impaled one of the pirates in the chest; the sword punctured out of his back. Pulling back the sword, I slashed at another pirate's neck, and his head flew. Before I could kill the third pirate, Rico appeared and attacked me again.
I had to pull back my sword and block Rico's attack. This time, I felt the tingle on both my sides. I could only stop one with the barrier spell, but the other fell. I twisted my body at the end moment, so instead of losing my entire arm, I only received a deep gash on it. I felt a jolt of pain in my arm, blood staining my sleeves red.
Pirates hooted, eyes lighting up at the red.
"Keep pressin'!" Rico roared over the chaos. "Even the famed pirate hunter bleeds like any man!"
Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I looked at the remaining twenty-something pirates. I licked my dried lips.
"Bring it on, bitches."
A sharp tingle ripped through my skull, Danger Sense screaming. I bent back hard, spine arching like a bow. An axe whistled horizontally, so close the wind off the blade tugged my eyelashes. One heartbeat slower and my head would've rolled across the deck like a loose cannonball.
I snapped upright and bolted forward, boots slipping on blood-slick planks. A pirate lunged from the front—cutlass high. I planted my foot square in his chest. Ribs cracked loudly under the kick; he flew back, wheezing, crashing into the rail and folding over it.
Two knives flicked left and right as I ran. Rico raised his black blade on my left; steel clanged as he deflected the throw with a shower of sparks. The other pirate took the knife straight in the gut. He folded around it, gasping, knees buckling into a puddle of his own piss and blood.
I vaulted the railing and ran along its length to put some distance between the pirates and me.
As I ran, I threw more knives towards the pirates running towards me. I was down to my last two knives, and ten more pirates were either dead or too injured to continue fighting.
I jumped down, slashing at the pirate near me. The sword was lodged deep in his neck. He gurgled blood as I pulled out my sword, and blood sprayed on me.
As I took a step forward, the pirates nearby looked scared of my blood-soaked visage.
Three cracked first.
"Flee!"
"'Tis a demon straight from hell!"
"The sea god's cursin' us for our sins!"
They turned tail and ran towards the railing on the other side.
"Where the fuck are ye goin', ye spineless cunts?" Rico bellowed, voice cracking with fury. "Come back, or I'll hack ye meself!"
They didn't even look back. Splashes followed as they hit the water and swam like rats from a sinking ship.
Now, eight, including the captain, remained. This time, I pressed on.
I targeted two pirates standing together. I ran towards them. A barrier flickered into existence in front of one of them as I parried the blade of the other and impaled the blade in his throat. Then the barrier disappeared, and I slashed the other's throat too. A pirate picked up one of the fallen pistols, but before he could shoot it, a knife pierced his head.
Next, I slashed at Rico. He blocked the attack. Our swords connected, and we tried to push each other back. Then I saw Rico smiling. I felt a tingle on my back, but there was no one behind me. That's when one of the pirates dropped from the mast and slashed my back. I felt a searing pain from the wound. That pirate was near me earlier, but he must have taken advantage of me when I wasn't looking and had climbed the mast to attack me by surprise.
Rico laughed loudly. I staggered but didn't pull back my sword, or Rico would stab me immediately. But the pirate behind me was also about to attack me. I put a barrier behind me.
I looked down at his open legs and smiled. Rico's laughter stopped at my smile. Before he could say anything, I kicked him in the nuts. He howled like a beaten dog. There was no time to finish him off, as the pirate behind me had come to my side to attack me. I rolled to the side to dodge the attack and then got up immediately. The pirate walked towards me menacingly and slashed again. I parried his attack and pierced him in the stomach.
I picked up the barrel near me and threw it towards one of the pirates coming near me. The barrel was too heavy, so the throw wasn't smooth, but the force was enough to injure the pirate severely.
Three pirates remained. The two pirates, other than the captain, looked at each other. I helped them make their decision faster by throwing my last knife, which killed one of them. That was enough, and the remaining two jumped down into the water.
Now, just the captain remained.
Rico looked absolutely pissed. I had utterly dismantled his pirate crew.
"Ye think I'll crumple like those gutless dogs?" he roared, spit flying. He lunged anyway—steps wobbling, blade whistling wild.
I once again blocked his blade. We were once again locked in a match of strength that I was losing. I looked down at his open legs again. His eyes widened as he thought about what I was about to do. That was a feint, as when he closed his legs, he was momentarily distracted. I slashed away with his sword and, before he could recover, impaled his throat.
He gurgled as he looked at me with hate-filled eyes, then he finally died with his eyes filled with hate. A black miasma came out of his body as he died and dissipated in the air.
Assassin (17/25) (+1)
I sighed in relief as he finally died, but I didn't rest. First, I put Rico's sword in the Inventory, then I checked each pirate one by one and killed whoever was breathing.
Then I found a barrel of water. Fortunately, it wasn't spoiled yet. First, I drank a few mouthfuls, then I cleaned my wounds and washed off the blood on my face.
I had used up too much mana in the fight to create the barriers, so I didn't have much mana remaining to heal my injuries completely. I had to wait for it to recover for that. For now, I just focused on stopping the bleeding. A white light appeared in my hand, which I pressed on the wound on my arm.
As the wound closed slowly, I looked for treasures in the ship. I kept the coins and jewelry, some weapons, and a navigation chart for the nearby waters. As for the trade goods, silk clothes, and the others, I kept them as they were; they could be sold locally for money.
As the wound on my arm stopped bleeding, I started healing the wound on my back. I came back to the deck and found a full barrel of clean water. I kept it in my Inventory as clean water was too important, and it would stay unspoiled as long as it was inside. Water could be easily available in the present, but here it was still valuable as long as I traveled on the sea.
After the wound on my back stopped bleeding, I decided it was time to call them.
"Tomas!" I bellowed across the gap. "Come out here, all of you!"
Tomas and the rest came out slowly as they looked around for any enemies. Seeing none, they followed my voice and found me standing on the enemy ship.
Their eyes widened as they saw me covered in blood, standing among the fallen pirates. Their faces were filled with both fear and awe.
"Cut every bounty head," I ordered. "Anything worth coin, drag it to our ship. Move."
I jumped the gap, boots thumping my own deck. Passed them without a word. Tomás blinked, shook himself.
"Aye, aye, Cap'n!" he barked, voice cracking only a little.
The rest echoed it quickly—"Aye, Cap'n!"—and scrambled across grapples, knives out, hacking heads with wet chops and grunts.
Until they loaded the goods onto the ship, I wiped my body with a cloth and changed into a clean shirt and breeches.
I stood at the helm, watching the sea. As the sailors did their assigned work, I looked at the sword I took from Rico.
Item: Deadwater Cutlass
Description: A cursed sword belonging to a naval officer who was betrayed by his comrades and left to die at sea.
Active Effects (While Wielded):
The user's physical strength is increased.
The user's luck gradually deteriorates while the weapon remains drawn. Prolonged use accelerates the misfortune probability.
The sword continuously feeds on the wielder's vitality. Extended use results in physical exhaustion, reduced lifespan, and permanent loss of vitality, depending on the duration and frequency.
The sword may attract the spirits of those who died unjustly at sea, with a chance of being attacked by said spirits.
Any individual slain by the Deadwater Cutlass while at sea will be unable to transition to the afterlife. Their souls become bound to the ocean. They will be forever tormented as they roam the sea.
The user will continuously hear the tormented screams of those he slays with the sword. (Negated by Gamer's Mind)
Yeah, fuck no.
I threw the sword back in my Inventory.
Tomás jogged up later, face smeared with sweat and blood flecks. "We're done, Cap'n. Heads bagged, loot stowed."
I nodded once. "Good. Cast off. We sail."
"Aye, Cap'n."
—
The moon had already appeared in the sky by the time we docked at the port.
I picked up two blood-soaked cloth bundles. One had the heads from the Bonebreaker Pirates, and the other from the Demon Sword Pirates.
"I'm claiming bounties at the governor's," I told Tomas. "You lot sell the loot—silk, spices, rum, whatever fetches coin. Don't get fucked on price."
"Aye, aye, cap'n," Tomas said with awe in his eyes.
I nodded and turned to leave.
The nearby sailors looked at me with fear. The bloodied cloth bundles I was carrying only intensified that fear.
They let me pass, then hurried to Tomas and the others.
"Whose heads them be?" one asked, voice low and thick with rum.
"Bonebreaker's lot… and Demon Sword Pirates," Tomás answered, chest puffing just a hair.
Gasps rolled through them like a bad wave. Someone choked on his ale.
"How the fuck?" another breathed.
Tomas started telling the story, but I was already too far to listen any further. I didn't care that they told them. After I would cash out the bounties, it was bound to be known by all.
As I walked with a steady pace, I noticed the pirates looking at me with fear. Of course, some hated me, and some also looked greedy, both for my accumulated wealth and for my head. Because, as Rico thought, killing me was a one-way ticket to popularity.
But these pirates here were too weak. Moreover, I would leave this area and move to another, as most of the bounties here were already dried up.
With such thoughts, I arrived at the Governor's office. The guards at the gate looked at me warily. Their hands were inching towards their swords. There was fear and disgust in their eyes as they looked at the bloodied cloth bundles.
"Don't fucking waste my time," I said lazily. "I wanna claim the bounties quickly, then go to sleep. I am fucking tired."
The guards' faces hardened, but one of them still went inside. He came back in a few minutes.
"You can enter," the guard said with a clipped voice.
I went through the gate and into the mansion. The governor was already sitting on the sofa. I didn't bother asking his permission and sat in front of him on the sofa, putting the bundles on the floor.
Anger appeared in the eyes of the guards and servants near the governor.
"Evening, Governor," I greeted with a smile.
The governor, covered in expensive silk, looked at me, then at the cloth bundles on the floor.
"It seems your voyage was successful, Zoro," the governor said. "You hunted the Bonebreaker Pirates."
"Not just Bonebreaker pirates," I paused. Then, a moment later, I continued with a smile, "But Demon Sword Pirates too."
A stunned silence fell in the mansion as I took the names of those two pirate groups together.
Before any of them could question the authenticity of my claims, I opened both bundles. Bloodied heads rolled out from them. Some weak-willed ones even went to vomit in the back.
The governor's and the guards' eyes widened as they recognized the owners of those heads.
"You certainly have outdone yourself, Zoro," the governor said slowly, his face pale from the bloody view. A glint appeared in his eyes. "What have you thought about my offer to become my permanent bodyguard? You will surely be rewarded handsomely."
"Yeah, no, not interested," I refused directly.
Anger appeared in the governor's eyes. "Stubbornness ill suits a man in my port."
I laughed. "It's getting late, governor. Please pay me, I wanna go back to sleep."
The guards pulled out their swords because of my disrespectful attitude. The governor raised a hand, and they backed off but continued glaring at me.
"Nathan," the governor called.
An old butler arrived beside him with a pale face. "Master."
"Bring the gold," the governor ordered.
The butler went inside and, a while later, brought a big pouch full of coins. He respectively handed it to the governor.
The governor held the pouch and looked at me. "Demon Sword's blade was cursed, they say. Where is it?"
"Fell overboard," I lied easily. "Sea claimed it."
The governor's face hardened, but he smoothed it over quickly. "Oh. That's unfortunate."
He passed me the pouch. I looked inside, and it was filled with gold coins. After checking that the amount matched, I pocketed it and got up.
"Pleasure, Governor."
Walked out without looking back. Guards' stares burned holes in my spine the whole way down the hall. The gate clanged shut behind me.
After I had walked for some time, I was stopped when someone called out to me.
"Mr. Zoro"
I followed the voice and found an old man wearing an immaculate butler's outfit.
"Need something?" I asked.
The butler bowed respectfully and said, "Mr. Zoro, my master has expressed his interest in meeting with you. If you'd be so kind as to follow me to him, I'd be very grateful."
"Who is your master?" I asked curiously. I would've refused normally, but since the old man asked with respect, I decided to give him a chance.
"That'd be Matthias van Helsing," the butler answered with respect.
van Helsing? Interesting.
"Sure, lead the way."
*********************
[Author's Note]
We're not yet hitting the weekly Power Stones rankings.
If you're reading and enjoying the story, vote. That's what pushes it to more readers and keeps it growing.