Night had fallen quickly,
Jake was currently making his way back to his "room"... or to be more precise, the hammock strung up under the deck.
He clutched his aching back and let out a tired sigh after a brutal day of scrubbing the entire ship.
His face was filled with exhaustion as he slowly make his way toward the hammock.
"These fucking pirate bastards... they only know how to bully the weak," Jake complained under his breath.
Because today, more and more crew members had dumped their chores on him the moment they realized he wouldn't fight back.
Of course, Jake wasn't about to get beaten half to death just to protect some petty pride.
He knew a gentleman's revenge is never too late.
So if he ever got strong enough in the future, he wouldn't mind paying every single one of them back with interest.
"...And they actually have the nerve to go enjoy themselves while I work my ass off."
After offloading their duties onto him, those pirates had gone straight to the prostitutes.
Even from below deck, Jake could hear their coarse laughter, loud drunken shouts, and the unmistakable moans echoing through the wooden corridors.
Jake clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Tch... bunch of animals."
Finally reaching his hammock, he lazily threw himself onto it, letting his exhausted body sink into the rough, scratchy cloth.
For a few moments, he simply lay there staring up at the wooden ceiling above him.
His thoughts drifted back to the conversation with Captain Henry earlier that day.
'Awaken a Class huh...'
Jake frowned slightly as a flicker of worry ran across his face.
Because... what if he couldn't awaken one at all since he wasn't originally from this world?
What if he was stuck forever at the bottom, scrubbing decks and taking everyone's abuse?
And most importantly... what exactly was he supposed to do?
Even though his face and demeanor appeared calm outwardly but countless anxieties already churned within him after being suddenly thrown into this strange world.
Yet for some reason, what troubled him most was the faint but persistent feeling of... loneliness in this unfamiliar world.
As he lay lost in thought, a burst of laughter suddenly exploded from the deck above and interrupt him.
"HAHAHA! Come, shake your hips more!"
Jake groaned and threw an arm over his face, trying to block out the shouts and unmistakable moans drifting down through the planks.
"Damn pirates... can't they keep it down for once?"
But no matter how much he grumbled, exhaustion was already winning.
His eyelids grew heavier and heavier…
Before long, Jake slipped into sleep inside the gently swaying hammock as the creak of the ship and the distant roar of drunken revelry fading into the background
_
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_
The ship continued to sway gently in the quiet night.
Most of the pirates were still busy drinking, gambling, or indulging themselves somewhere on the upper decks.
Their distant laughter and rough shouting drifted faintly through the wooden structure of the ship.
Below deck, however, it was much quieter.
Jake slept soundly in his hammock, his exhausted body completely relaxed after the grueling day of labor.
The hammock creaked softly as it rocked back and forth.
For a moment, everything seemed peaceful.
Then—
A faint shadow moved in the darkness.
Someone had quietly descended the wooden stairs leading below deck.
The footsteps were impossibly light and almost soundless.. as the person was careful not to betray their presence.
The mysterious figure glided slowly between the hanging hammocks, as not a single floorboard creaked beneath their steps.
Soon, the figure stopped right beside Jake's hammock.
Jake continued sleeping, completely unaware that there already another person beside him.
Then the person slowly leaned closer.
Two eyes studied the sleeping young man in silence.
A long pause followed.
The person simply watched him... as if carefully examining every detail.
And soon, the faint lantern glow shine slightly on that person to revealed a delicate yet unmistakably voluptuous outline of a slender, naked female figure.
It was Lady Scarlet.
After sating her earlier appetites, she had slipped away to observe this enigmatic noble son up close.
She didn't seem to care in the slightest that she was completely bare and naked as she leaned in.
Her face stay near his, studying his features with quiet intensity.
For a long moment she simply watched him, the corners of her lips curling into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
But then, slowly, she reached out a hand toward his neck.
Her fingernail suddenly lengthened and sharpened, hovering just above his skin as though testing whether he would sense the killing intent.
But Jake merely shifted slightly in his sleep, his head turning just enough for a stray strand of hair to fall across his forehead.
"Mhmm..."
Seeing that he showed no reaction, Lady Scarlet slowly straightened up.
Just then, the faint echoes of the pirates' shouting and moaning drifted down from above.
Those who still hadn't had their fill were calling for her, growing impatient, demanding more.
Lady Scarlet's lips curved into a knowing, almost amused smile.
"Well.. seems my fans are getting impatient tonight," she murmured softly, her voice low and teasing.
She cast one last lingering glance at Jake who still sprawled obliviously in his hammock then turned with a slow, seductive sway of her hips and walk back up the stairs... to indulge in the last of her evening's feasts.
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Next morning.
Jake slowly woke up, feeling somewhat refreshed after a night's rest.
Even though sleeping in a hammock wasn't exactly comfortable, he had learned to adapt to it.
The gentle sway, once annoying, now felt almost soothing, like the ship itself was soothing him to sleep.
"Uhh~"
He stretched his arms over his head, wincing slightly at the soreness in his back from yesterday's grueling labor.
"Ugh… my back…" he muttered, rubbing the ache away.
For a moment, he simply sat there, taking in the faint morning light filtering through the cracks in the deck.
The sound of waves lapping against the hull and the distant cries of gulls replaced the drunken shouts of last night.
Slowly, Jake climbed out of the hammock, planting his feet on the wooden floor.
His body still ached, but the energy from sleep helped him shake off the worst of it.
He made his way to the hatch and peeked up onto the deck.
And the sight that greeted him made him freeze.
"What the..."
The deck was eerily quiet.
The pirates from last night… all of them were still lying about, naked and pale.
Some were slumped against barrels, others sprawled across the wood as none of them moved.
Jake's brow furrowed in disbelief. "...These pirates are too wild."
He stepped cautiously onto the deck, careful not to trip over the unconscious crew.
His gaze lingered for a moment on the strange liquid staining the planks and he made sure to keep his distance, unwilling to risk touching it.
The sun had fully risen now, casting a warm golden glow across the ship, yet every pirates lay wasted.
Soon after reaching the railing, Jake spotted the outline of a town in the distance.
And a long breath escaped him.
"I am finally... here," he whispered as his eyes brightening with a mix of relief and anticipation.
He didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thin... but at the very least, he had reached land.