"Don't move! There's a snake to your right!"
"Damn it! Help me get it off!"
"All right! Got it!"
"God! I've had enough! Just how many snakes are on this damn island? We've run into seventeen or eighteen in less than an hour since landing."
"Quit complaining. You know this is Captain Bloodhand's order. No one can disobey it."
"Of course I know it's the captain's order! But can just over two hundred of us really find four people deliberately hiding on such a huge island?"
"Maybe. I heard those Hobgoblins and Trolls have pretty good noses, and the Half-Orc hunters are good at tracking too."
The three human pirates chatted as they tossed the snake they had just killed into the distance.
It was obvious that, unlike those without combat training,
they generally possessed at least one or two fighter levels.
They were also highly skilled with scimitars, the weapon favored by pirates.
Especially when they struck at the venomous snake, their movements had been swift and precise, without the slightest hesitation.
After confirming there were no second wave of pirates within fifty to a hundred meters, Raymond immediately signaled to the leopard beside him to sneak closer.
The latter understood at once, flattening his entire body in the grass as he slowly and quietly approached the targets from behind.
When he came within less than ten meters of one of the unlucky men, Reed finally launched his deadly sneak attack.
He suddenly accelerated toward the target, then sprang into the air, opening his bloody jaws and savagely biting down on the man's neck.
Crack!
With the crisp sound of a snapping spine, the human pirate collapsed to the ground with a thud before he even saw who had attacked him, losing all ability to move.
Blood gushed from the wound torn open by sharp fangs. His main artery had clearly been severed.
Having succeeded with one strike, the big cat did not linger. He turned and leaped into the grass and bushes, vanishing without a trace.
The entire process had happened so quickly that when the other two pirates turned around, they saw only a blurry yellow shadow and their companion twitching in a pool of blood.
"Fuck! What was that just now?"
The shorter pirate immediately raised his scimitar and stared ahead warily.
The other pirate crouched down, checked his companion's condition and the bite marks on his neck, then answered with a face full of terror, "It was probably some kind of large predator that excels at stealth attacks and moves incredibly fast. Rick's neck was bitten through. He's already dead."
"What? A predator? How is that possible? If it were a beast, shouldn't it drag off its prey after biting it to death and eat it? But that thing killed Rick and ran off without even stopping for a second. That doesn't make any sense!" the short pirate argued.
As the two human pirates debated what had killed their companion, Raymond had already pulled a coil of sturdy rope from his shoulder bag and thrown it directly at their feet.
In an instant!
Both ends of the rope came alive and rapidly crawled up along the nearby targets' legs, winding around them.
In less than three to five seconds, the two pirates were bound from head to toe like rice dumplings.
Even their mouths were tightly wrapped, leaving them able only to struggle and make muffled noises.
Without question, this was no ordinary rope, but an Animated Rope imbued with a low-level magical effect.
Although the spell level was not high, and even many apprentices could cast it,
when used properly, it could easily bind and capture enemies far stronger than oneself.
However, unlike spells cast by mages, which could only last a short while, the Animated Rope Raymond had taken out was a permanent magic item. Its material was not hemp rope or straw rope that strong creatures could easily snap.
Instead, it was an exceptionally strong and resilient rope made by repeatedly processing and reinforcing animal sinew.
Once someone was bound by it, the more they struggled, the tighter it became.
Let alone two human pirates, even a mighty Troll would find it somewhat difficult to break.
Only after confirming that the pirates no longer posed a threat did Raymond slowly emerge from hiding and carefully confiscate all sharp weapons, including their scimitars and the daggers hidden in their boots.
He then removed accessories such as earrings, rings, and amulets.
He did so mainly to prevent any magical items from being concealed among the jewelry they wore.
Although the possibility of ordinary pirates possessing magic items was infinitely close to zero.
These habits were all lessons Raymond had gradually learned through blood and tears in the Floating City Tower.
He would never forget the time he had captured an apprentice for theft. Though the man had clearly been tied up, he had suddenly fired a ray of frost from his ring and nearly frozen Raymond to death.
From then on, easily overlooked small accessories such as rings, earrings, and amulets became objects of special concern.
Unfortunately, the gold and silver items, gemstones, and pearls worn by these pirates were nothing more than ordinary decorations.
The most valuable item was probably a rare blue pearl set into a necklace.
These little things, formed through years of exposure to magical power, were not only jewels beloved by nobles and wealthy merchants, but also superb materials for crafting magic items.
If made into a Mana-Regeneration Pearl, it could sell for at least a thousand gold coins.
Looking at the blue pearl casting a captivating glow under the sunlight, Raymond muttered in a puzzled tone, "For a bunch of pirates who live by plunder, isn't it a little outrageous to carry something this valuable around?"
Roar!
The leopard had somehow emerged from the bushes as well, continuously licking the blood from his mouth and teeth.
At the sight, the two men bound by the Animated Rope immediately went weak in the knees, nearly wetting themselves as panicked expressions appeared on their faces.
At this point, no matter how foolish they were, they more or less understood what had happened.
But Raymond paid no attention to the captives' reactions. Maintaining an indifferent attitude, he said to them, "I trust you understand your situation.
Now I'll explain the rules of the game. Your job is to obey them completely. You must not violate them in the slightest.
First, you are not allowed to make any noise. Otherwise, I'll immediately have the big cat bite through your throats.
Second, you will answer whatever I ask. You will not conceal anything.
Otherwise, I'll cut off your fingers and toes one by one, then slice off your noses and lips.
Third, I'll interrogate you separately.
If I receive two completely different answers to the same question, you know what the consequences will be.
Finally, of the two of you, I will allow only the one who provides the most information to live. The other will be killed.
So? Simple and easy to understand, isn't it?"
For a moment, the two pirates saw shock and fear in each other's eyes.
They simply could not believe that a human boy who looked about ten years old could possess such vicious and meticulous thoughts.
Because under these rules, neither of them would dare conceal even the slightest bit of information.
Not only that!
They would do everything they could to reveal everything they knew in exchange for the only chance to survive.
But after a brief silence, the two pirates began wriggling like worms, each trying to become the first to be interrogated before the other.
From that moment onward, their relationship had changed from companions into competitors and enemies who would not rest until one of them was dead.
After all, one could not expect a group of bandits who lived by plunder to possess noble self-sacrificing virtues.
Pirates had always lived only for themselves!
Before you continue