A beautiful and endless blue sea stretched out in the horizon under the bright scorching sun.
A massive pirate ship could be seen as it cut through the waves, its flag fluttering with the wind.
On that pirate ship,
Currently many rough pirate could be seen busily around as if something happened.
The wooden planks groaned under the weight of the crew bustling across the deck, adjusting ropes and securing barrels.
And a group of them could be seen trying to pull a rope out of the sea.
Right now, they all seemed excited as they had caught something.
Each of them looked rough and strong, especially the one at the very front.
He was half-naked, his bulging muscles glistening under the sunlight.
He appeared to be a middle-aged man, dressed in ragged clothes and sporting a messy black beard.
And yet, it did not make him unappealing.
He possessed a rather handsome face and a wild, rugged charm that only added to his presence.
He called out toward the men who were sitting lazily while scratching their backsides.
"Oi! You bastards! Come and help us pull this thing out!" Captain Henry shouted, his voice booming across the deck.
At the sudden shout, the men who had been watching hurriedly stood up and ran over to help.
Captain Henry returned his attention to the thick rope in his hands and couldn't help but feel a bit excited.
"Oi! On the count of three, squeeze your asses and pull! If we lose this catch, we'll all be eating mold until we return to town!"
At the mention of mold, all the men seemed to grow frightened and their gazes filling with determination as they pulled.
They didn't want to eat that disgusting stuff again if given the chance.
Captain Henry nodded and shouted,
"One ! Two ! Three !!"
All of them pulled hard, and soon the rope was dragged back onto the ship.
A huge amount of water spilled from the net connected to the ropes as the body of a creature became visible inside it.
It looked like an eel, but its size was enormous.
Its length seemed to be at least ten meters long, and its head was as wide as a large man's shoulders.
Seeing this, Captain Henry and the other's eyes brightened.
Some of them even began to drool on the spot.
"Haha! We're quite lucky to fish out a Ship Eater. This should last us until we reach town!"
Captain Henry smiled in satisfaction.
A Ship Eater, just as its name suggested, was a creature that loved to eat wood, especially the lower parts of ships, which were apparently considered a delicacy to its kind.
It was one of the creatures that caused a lot of headaches for sailors because of this habit of their.
But at least one good thing about this creature was that it was edible and not poisonous.
Even though the taste was bland, it should be enough to fill the entire crew's stomachs for a few more days.
They were sailing the sea to complete a commission and had happened to run out of rations due to… partying too much after managing to rent those pricey prostitutes onto their ship for the first time.
So they had a blast, partying day and night while sailing the seas.
Even Captain Henry, who was usually careful and managed their stock properly, had let loose… which led to them barely having anything left to eat.
Most of the remaining rations had been given to those prostitutes.
It wasn't that they were saints who cared about the women or anything.
It was simply because those prostitutes were owned property of Viscount Victor.
If they returned damaged, Captain Henry wasn't sure he could handle the fine he would have to pay for damaged goods.
Unless he wanted to completely leave this island for another, he could not afford to offend the Viscount.
But leaving was easier said than done.
The nearest island was at least a month's journey away, so for now he had to at least pretend to be a… law-abiding pirate.
Soon after getting the creature onto the ship,
Some of the crew began surrounding it.
Some of the more eager ones had already started biting the creature's tail.
Seeing this, Captain Henry kicked that impatient bastard straight into the sea.
"Damnit! You dirty bastard should learn how to wait!"
If he let these bastards do whatever they wished, they would probably surround the catch and start eating it raw right then and there.
They never thought about the aftermath.
By then, no matter how strong they were, most of them would get sick, which would only make the situation worse.
He knew just how toxic and filthy the skin of sea creatures could be from his long years at sea.
Captain Henry turned toward one of his men, a chubby fellow wearing a stained chef's cloth.
"Oi, Dan! Come and prepare this. If you delay too long, these bastards will probably end up dead!"
He shouted.
Dan the chef nodded and walked over with a few other crew members who handled cooking.
They carried knives and blades as they began to work.
Captain Henry was just about to fetch some tools himself to help when a charming voice was heard from above.
"Oh? It seems you've caught something good."
A mature woman's voice lazily drifted down.
All of the crew who heard the voice glanced at her before quickly lowering their heads as if ashamed.
After all… they had been drained until they could barely walk by this woman last night.
Captain Henry also felt a bit embarrassed and coughed lightly.
"Ahem… Lady Scarlet. You're awake early."
The woman, who seemed to be in her thirties yet still retained the charm of someone in her prime, leaned lazily against the railing of the upper deck.
The morning sun outlined her figure in a warm glow as she smoked from a pipe.
Unlike the ragged pirates below, she wore a loose crimson robe that barely concealed her figure as the fabric slipping just enough to reveal the generous swell of her breasts at the sides and the smooth curve of her plump thighs beneath.
Her long dark red hair cascaded over one shoulder, slightly messy from sleep, yet somehow making her look even more alluring.
She rested her chin on her palm after exhaling smoke, smiling down at them.
"I couldn't sleep. The shouting woke me."
Her gaze shifted to the massive creature lying on the deck.
"My, my… a Ship Eater? How fortunate."
Captain Henry straightened his back, forcing some dignity into his posture.
"Just caught it. Fresh too. We'll have proper meals again."
Lady Scarlet's lips curved slightly. "Good. I was getting tired of dried biscuits."
The captain scratched his beard. "We'll prepare it properly. Won't let the men eat it raw like animals."
As if on cue, a loud splash sounded from the sea.
The pirate he had kicked earlier resurfaced, cursing loudly while swimming back toward the ship.
Scarlet laughed softly, a sound like silk brushing against skin.
"You run a strict ship, Captain."
"Someone has to," Henry grumbled. "Or these fools would sink us before any storm could."
Up front, Dan and the other cooks were already slicing through the thick, slimy hide of the Ship Eater.
Steam rose faintly as seawater evaporated under the sun.
The smell was strong, briny and unpleasant but edible meat lay beneath the toxic outer layer.
Henry watched carefully.
"Remove the skin completely," he warned. "Don't leave a scrap of it."
Dan nodded vigorously. "Aye, Captain."
Scarlet's eyes lingered on Henry for a moment longer before she pushed off the railing.
"Well then," she said lightly, turning away. "I'll freshen up. Do try not to starve before we reach port, Captain."
Henry exhaled once she disappeared from view.
It was almost like watching a predator retreat to its den.
Just remembering the scene from last night, how that woman had been like an insatiable beast, devouring his men was enough to make his legs feel weak.
"…So that is the prowess of a high-ranking prostitute. It must be related to her class…" he murmured.
But then he felt a headache coming on as he recalled the matter he and she had discussed last night.
"This is why I hate nobles…" he murmured before shaking his head.
He then turned to look at his men, who were slowly beginning to relax, muttering among themselves.
One of them leaned closer and whispered, "Captain… how much longer until we reach town?"
Henry glanced toward the endless horizon.
The sea stretched blue and merciless in every direction.
"A week or so... If the wind favors us." he replied.
He looked down at the massive Ship Eater being carved apart, then up toward the bright sun overhead.
Just then, Dan's surprised voice rang out.
"Eh?? There's a man inside the Ship Eater?!"