Simple and Brutal

Fear is that simple.

Everyone has the will to survive. If there is no possibility of defeating the enemy and no hope of escape, their will will be destroyed by fear within minutes. Even the most steadfast taxi drivers will surrender in a war with no hope of victory. Soren's strength has already instilled fear in them; he has killed twenty or thirty people in just a few minutes, and even their Boss, the Narwhal, has been taken down. Below the pirate ship are Killer Whale; their escape by jumping into the sea will only result in them becoming whale food.

Fear stems not only from Slaughter, but also from the fear of the unknown!

These pirates had no idea how strong Soren truly was, how many other tricks he possessed, or even who he was. They knew almost nothing about the being before them, only that he slaughtered them as if they were ants. He was a terrifying being accustomed to Slaughter; such a person would reap Hit Points without even blinking an eye. If he so desired, he could even wipe out everyone on this ship with a smile, as easily as wiping away a speck of dust.

"Charge!"

"Kill them all! The Narwhal is dead!"

The warships behind them drew closer, along with the eager henchmen, spurred on by the rewards. Unfortunately, by the time they reached them, the battle was essentially over. Soren, his gaunt figure shrouded in Dark Red Cloak, stood at the bow, gently wiping the blood from his Scimitar. Before him lay a large group of enemies, weapons discarded, kneeling in despair. The scene shocked everyone else; even Adele looked on in disbelief, for it had all taken only about ten minutes.

She emboldened the group of taxi thugs, then slowly approached by boat, and the battle was over.

"Fire those guys out of the sea."

There were still pirates begging for mercy in the sea, but Soren didn't order his now-dominant Killer Whale to kill them. Adele began ordering the others to throw down the mooring ropes, while she watched Soren with astonishment; this man was stronger than she had imagined. The others gradually boarded the ship, and some of them seemed to be dishonest. Because someone was blocking his way, he secretly crouched down and searched through the corpses. He then pulled out a money pouch, intending to put it in his pocket when no one was looking.

Soren's face darkened, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Get out of the way!"

He suddenly shouted, startling everyone around him; even Adele involuntarily took two steps back.

Soren picked up a Shortspear and hurled it directly at the sneaky fellow.

Bang!

Blood splattered.

The man was pinned to the deck by the Shortspear spear, which only pierced his abdomen. He wasn't dead immediately.

Soren walked over with a cold expression, then pulled a money pouch from his pocket. He glanced at the others with murderous intent, causing them to tremble and back away. Then, in a deep voice, he said, "All the spoils of war must be collected and given to you as your due rewards after the battle! For such sneaky behavior, there is only one outcome!"

Soren showed no mercy and didn't even listen to the man's pleas. He simply chopped off his head with a single stroke.

Blood gushed out.

The severed head rolled away, startling the others who retreated in fear.

Then Soren looked down at everyone before him and growled, "I don't care who you are! I don't care what your rules were before! Now you are my men, and you must act according to my rules! I will not be stingy with the rewards you deserve, but anyone who dares to disobey my orders will be punished beyond imagination!"

Soren casually tossed the money pouch to the Half-Elf vice-captain beside him. At the same time, he said in a deep voice, "Have them clean up the battlefield, and give them half the spoils! We're going to attack Serpent Island later, so kill any cowards who dare not fight and feed them to the fish!"

A hint of excitement seemed to flicker in the Half-Elf vice-captain's eyes. He nodded silently and then began assigning people to clean up the spoils.

This is the real big shot who could rise to prominence among the pirate groups on the South Coast!

Although he acknowledged Adele's strength, he found her lacking the cold, domineering, and decisive nature of the man before him. He could even sense that this man desired far more than just a small amount; he had the potential to become a Pirate King, perhaps even surpassing the legendary Three Great Pirate Kings.

"Submit to me. Be loyal to me."

Soren walked up to a Bearded General pirate kneeling on the deck and said in a cold voice, "Serve me, and I will give you the reward you deserve."

Hesitation, silence, fear.

The Bearded General pirate kneeling before Soren seemed to hesitate for a moment. Although he had already surrendered and given up resistance, he hadn't thought about joining the enemy so soon.

Pirates also have their own rules.

One moment they were drawing their swords against each other, and now they're going to surrender to the other's side?

He hesitated visibly.

Unfortunately, Soren had no interest in waiting for him to figure it out. A cold glint of light flashed, followed by a head falling to the ground, blood gushing out and splattering onto the deck. He didn't even glance at the corpse, then walked to the second person and said in a deep voice, "Submit to me, pledge allegiance to me."

He didn't bother to say anything more.

The guy seemed to be terrified; his bloodied head fell to the ground, and a lot of blood sprayed onto his body.

He seemed to be unable to fully react for a moment.

Thump!

Soren's patience seemed to be running out. Another flash of light appeared in his hand, and then a second head fell to the ground.

The headless corpse lay sprawled on the deck, the stench of blood already overwhelming.

"Submit to me!"

Soren spoke less and less, his expression growing colder and colder, like a terrifying Archfiend who could kill everyone on the ship at any moment.

"I!... I am willing to pledge my loyalty to Your Excellency!..."

The third pirate was finally much smarter. He almost stammered out the answer, then broke out in a cold sweat. It had only been about ten seconds. The first pirate had been beheaded for hesitating, and the second for being a fraction of a second too slow. He didn't dare think any further now and chose to pledge allegiance without hesitation. He was even certain that if he had been a few seconds slower in answering, his head would have been chopped off instantly.

"Very good."

A slight smile finally appeared on Soren's lips as he walked directly to the fourth person.

The rest was much easier.

Soren gave each person only three seconds to answer. If they didn't get the answer he wanted, a merciless flash of the blade followed. In just three minutes, he had turned all the prisoners into his subordinates, while the rest were turned into corpses and thrown into the sea. Perhaps these people didn't have much loyalty to speak of, but Soren didn't care too much, because he didn't need their loyalty at the moment, as long as they knew what fear and awe were.

"The original crew will be handed over to the first mate; you'll lead these guys."

Soren glanced at Adele before him. Her eyes gleamed slightly, a hint of fanaticism in them, and a strange emotion flickered in her gaze. This group of surrendered pirates was even stronger, and Adele had to subdue them personally. Soren didn't intend to waste too much time on the pirates; he just wanted them to know that he was the one behind Adele, someone who would instill fear in them at the mere thought of his existence.

This is the simplest, most direct, yet most effective management method in the shortest amount of time!

"Give them weapons!"

Soren glanced at the others indifferently and said in a deep voice, "Give them the other half of the spoils as a reward, and we'll go straight to take Serpent Island."

Having said that, he approached the Half-Elf first mate, stared at him, and asked, "What's your name?"

The Half-Elf first mate's expression was a mixture of excitement, fear, and fervor. He whispered, "Your Excellency!... My name is Kasa!..."

"Very good." Soren nodded slightly and said, "Kasa, from now on, you will be in command of this ship."

"Heading to Serpent Island!"

The pirates on the ship scrambled to their feet, distributing their loot without giving them a moment to think. Adele turned the Narwhal's carcass over, took the Tungsten Steel Armor and other items from its body, and respectfully presented them to Soren Soren, saying, "Your Excellency, these are items from the Narwhal; some of them are quite useful."

Soren glanced at it briefly.

The items on the Narwhal were decent, but the most valuable was the Tungsten Steel Armor. This Half-plate was almost worth a manor, but unfortunately, Soren couldn't wear armor. To maintain agility, Rogue typically wore Leather Armor at most; wearing this Tungsten Steel Armor would only hinder his combat and spellcasting. Since acquiring Stoneskin, he rarely even wore Leather Armor anymore. He glanced at Adele, took the Bag of Holding, and said in a deep voice, "You wear this armor. Take inventory of the rest of the items and see if there's any cargo in the hold!"

"Yes," Adele nodded and bowed.

This series of swift and decisive actions not only shocked the pirates, but also gradually instilled a sense of awe and obedience in the original crew and Adele.

Soren glanced at the others, then lightly leaped onto the giant Killer Whale.

He reached out and gently stroked the enormous creature, then poured a Healing Potion into its mouth. This sea creature seemed to possess a certain level of intelligence; it had just been struck by crossbow bolts and javelins in the battle, which meant it needed treatment. Soren didn't want to see it bleed to death like this; perhaps it would be useful in the future.

Soren's time is still very tight.

His plan was to help Adele rise to prominence on the South Coast within seven days, so he had to speed things up.

Next target: Serpent Island!

...(To be continued~^~)