Chapter 6 — First Kill
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"ROAR!!!"
As the battered merchant ship they had been chasing finally approached the island, despair was written on every face.
Not to mention Big Black and Little White, the apex predators—they alone were terrifying enough. But the dozens of feral eyes glaring from the forest behind them sent chills down everyone's spines.
"Captain! Let's circle around and keep fleeing!" the first mate stammered in fear.
The middle-aged man called the captain hesitated for a moment, but after a glance back, his gaze hardened immediately.
"Stop the ship! Dock here!"
"This ship is finished. If you don't want to end up sold as slaves, once we're ashore, run as far as you can."
"Life and death are in fate's hands. Riches are in heaven's. Who lives and who dies—we'll leave it to luck!"
"And if any of you survive and make it back to the trading company, remember this: avenge those who died! Make those bastards pay in blood!"
The captain's rallying words ignited a last spark of hope and courage in the crew.
"Yes! Let's go all out!"
"Don't be so pessimistic. What if these beasts are all herbivores, hehe… heh heh…"
As the ship gradually approached the shore, staring at the ferocious creatures ahead, everyone fell into a deathly silence, careful not to make any sound that might provoke them.
Meanwhile, 'Honey Badger' Jack, now in his beast form, blended inconspicuously among the crew.
When the ship finally reached the shore, no one dared step off first. Anyone who went first would inevitably become the beasts' meal, paving the way for the others to survive.
Faced with life and death, few could act so selflessly.
"Hahaha! Keep running!"
At this moment, the pursuing pirate ship had also drawn near. The ugly-faced pirates aboard made no effort to hide their mocking laughter.
"The cat-and-mouse game is over!"
"Surrender, and I promise we only want your valuables—no killing! Haha!"
"The captain's evil. What if these people have backbone and would rather feed themselves to the beasts than surrender?"
"Since they can't decide, we'll make it easier for them. Aim for the rear of the ship and fire!"
"Yes, captain!"
The one-eyed pirate captain licked his dry lips with a bloodthirsty gleam in his eye. When he learned through an inside source that the Bluebird Trading Company had accidentally acquired a priceless treasure, he had led his crew to intercept the ship on its return route.
He hadn't expected that this unassuming merchant vessel had capable people aboard—and they had slipped past him.
But with the ship already damaged, such efforts were nothing more than futile resistance.
Two loud cannon blasts startled the struggling crew. The solid iron cannonballs that fell into the water behind them whispered death like an omen in their ears.
The middle-aged captain noticed the flickers of hesitation in many eyes. A flash of ruthlessness crossed his gaze.
"Everyone, charge with me! Surrendering is still death. Do you want to spend your life as someone's slave?"
His words struck straight to their hearts. They steeled themselves and, without hesitation, followed their captain into the forest.
Seeing the little insects charging forward, Big Black and the others instinctively showed signs of aggression—but at Honey Badger Jack's command, they obediently stayed put.
The scene was eerie and unsettling.
Everyone ran with the resolve to die, only to find that these massive beasts seemed uninterested, allowing them to pass unharmed.
As the captain led his people through a near-death escape into the forest, each one couldn't resist glancing back—it was too strange to comprehend!
Could it be that the island's beasts were truly herbivores, only eating fruit?
It wasn't just them— even the pirates watching from the sea gawked in disbelief.
Who could explain this world?
Had the beasts already eaten enough that these "small fry" held no interest?
The one-eyed captain was momentarily at a loss.
"Captain, they've gotten far away. Do we chase them?"
"First, let's get aboard and take anything valuable from the ship."
If the treasure aboard satisfied him, he wouldn't mind leaving the castaways to live as wild humans here for the rest of their lives.
Just a few minutes later…
"Captain! We've been tricked! The whole ship only had a few hundred thousand Berries—no damn treasure, not even a hint of it!"
Hearing the first mate, the one-eyed captain's expression darkened. But he trusted the inside source—they wouldn't dare lie unless they wanted to risk their entire family.
"They must have taken it ashore. After them!"
Gritting his teeth, the one-eyed captain made a decision that he would later regret but couldn't undo.
Though the beasts waiting on the shore seemed "obedient," the evidence of those who had already escaped unscathed showed their restraint.
Even after landing, they moved cautiously. Only when the frontmost runners reached the forest edge did the pirates relax.
It seemed these beasts were truly unusual—either full or strictly herbivorous. Their intimidating size was wasted!
While they were thinking this, a sudden roar made everyone jump.
Then their faces drained of all color.
The "little darlings" had suddenly gone berserk, charging at them with overwhelming force!
"Run!"
"They weren't supposed to be aggressive! Why now?!"
"Don't eat me! No… aaah!"
"My hand! My hand!"
"Help! Somebody save me!"
These pirates were ordinary underlings—only slightly stronger than normal humans—and completely no match for the ferocious beasts.
By the time the one-eyed captain recovered from his shock, over half his men were already dead—and in gruesome ways, almost devoured as snacks.
As he panicked and prepared to flee back to his ship, Jack had already fixed his sights on him.
Sharp claws brushed lightly against the one-eyed captain's neck. The man's head, still wearing a look of incomprehension, tumbled to the ground, rolling forward with momentum before finally hitting the earth.
The feeling of killing for the first time was unpleasant.
But for Jack, who had spent over a year surviving the brutal life of a primitive hunter, this degree of bloodshed only caused a brief discomfort—quickly suppressed.
He now lived in a world where strength ruled. Killing and being killed would be a daily reality.
The sooner he adapted, the better. There was no time for sentimentality.