NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

"They're no adventurers we can handle. Pirates! Evacuate immediately and set sail away from our enemies' ship! We cannot beat them right now! We will resume our fight next time!" Peter Pan claimed, while standing at the top of his ship.

Some pirates we fought drowned under the sea, while others surfed the waves. Their sheer strength made them reach the ship. But those pirates who could not swim, unlike the veterans, made a grave below the seafloor.

"Ye scumbags! Come back here!" Captain Hook shouted, while waving his hand.

He looked around and noticed that none of his pirates wanted to save him. Instead, those who swam in the ocean never cared about Captain Hook. I could not help but feel sorry for Hook, since he was the pirate's leader.

Despite raising his voice, Peter Pan never heard Captain Hook….

…. No. Peter Pan heard him crystal clear. And yet, he did not even bother saving the poor pirate. It was as if Peter Pan orchestrated this entire event to leave the Captain behind bars.

"Are we going to chase them? Peter Pan, or whatever that guy's name was, said he'd be back for us," I asked, while looking at the ship turning smaller at every second.

Wolf shook his head and focused his gaze on the captured pirate. "We have something better. A prisoner! Now, Captain Hook. You will tell us everything you know."

After hearing those sentences, Captain Hook gulped the biggest chunk of saliva inside his throat. He profusely sweated out of nervousness, praying that we would act gently during our interrogation.

"Me will never sell my friends! I'll crush ya barnacles if yer ever thinks me will sell my friends! Dead men tell no tales! So toss me inside the Davy Jones Locker, yer fools!" Captain Hook exclaimed, while struggling to free himself.

Wolf tied him down earlier using the spare ropes we saved. And now that we have a pirate, we would squeeze every information he had in his mind.

"So, to start our interrogation, why not make Captain Hook here walk the plank?" Wolf suggested, while tossing a wooden plank to me. "Red, you know about this, don't you?"

"Are you two going to walk the plank? Please! I want to see Ryoshi fall underwater!" I retorted, while glaring at Ryoshi's front.

Ryoshi definitely felt a shudder down his spine as soon as he heard my sentence. But as I had expected, Wolf sent daggers at me and opposed my invitation.

"Anyway, place this plank at the edge so we would start."

I did as Wolf told me and rested the plank near the ship's edge. The roaring waves made a beautiful sight for a man jumping off from our ship.

But instead of fearing for his life, Captain Hook confidently walked towards the plank. However, that was not the end. The confident pose Captain Hook presented was just a mere mask to save him from his pride.

Within a few seconds, Hook's legs became slimes that wiggled in every direction. Beads of sweat slid from his skin as he continuously gulped his own saliva. As he stole glimpses in our direction, he noticed Wolf's face filled with insensitiveness. Since these two players knew Hook's legends more, they wanted to know the pirate's goal. Captain Hook was also a non-player character, which made everything easier.

"Look, I don't want to kill you. All we want to know is your agenda and your ability to navigate this sea. We need to cross Wonderland without facing the whirlpools and deadly structures of this ocean," Wolf explained, while gazing into Captain Hook's eyes. "You could say we're lying, but we are not. That rope just means that we're afraid of you stabbing us behind the back."

Captain Hook fell silent after hearing Wolf's narration. After hearing those genuine words from his enemies, Captain Hook had no choice but to think this through. But before he could give his answer, that pirate wiggled the plank so hard that it ruined his balance. Within a few seconds, Hook's body fell on the water before any of us could react.

A blaring splash echoed in our surroundings, with Hook's body sinking below the ocean. After a few seconds, dark figures of sharks surrounded the place. As I looked at the side, a pool of blood dyed a part of the ocean. These sea creatures even left some body parts floating on the water's surface as if decorating the blue waves.

These sharks were also the ones who devoured the pirates. Considering that they had been waiting for us all this time, they also wanted a piece of our meat. Since we had yet finished the battle, these hungry beasts circled our ship, waiting for some blessings.

Fortunately for them, Captain Hook was the last prey they could touch. But that did not happen on Wolf's watch.

The first person to act was Wolf. He dove straight underwater and swam like a mermaid. While swimming below the ocean, he transformed into his first phase and massacred those poor sharks. Despite governing the sea, those sharks did not stand a chance against Wolf.

That man was the number one player, after all.

Within a few seconds, Wolf came back from the water. He ran along the ship's surface while carrying the drenched pirate behind his back. As soon as Wolf arrived on the deck, he tossed the pirate on the floor and gasped for air. Wolf's first form also wore out, leaving him stark naked with his own ability.

(Author's note: Wolf did not strip. He's not naked)

"Maybe asking for that wooden plank was a bad idea," Ryoshi said, while scratching his head. "You really love doing some cool stunts, Okami. But if you continue that, you'd end up-."

"Not a single word, Ryoshi. Not a single word."

After their exchange, Captain Hook untied the rope and pointed his sword in our direction. He had a grin on his face while glaring into our eyes.

"Yer, fools! Me have the upper hand!" claimed the pirate.

Little did he know about my powers. I, too, was a deadly enemy to everyone, except for Wolf. Although I had less power against players, I had more experience in fighting. However, this pirate looked like he had fought thousands of wars already. Despite that hunch, there was no doubt I would win this fight.

Within a few seconds, I disarmed the pirate and pushed him at the pole. Captain Hook let go of his sword and slammed his back against the wooden pillar. As soon as he regained his consciousness, he tried to stand and resume the fight. However, there was no battle, to begin with, since he already lost the fight before it even started.

"Are you going to talk, or are you going to walk the plank…... Or live behind bars?" Wolf growled, as he corrected himself at the latter part of his sentence.

But despite the threats he received, the pirate remained still, like a rock. However, that facade did not last for long.

Ryoshi finally entered the conversation and said, "If you're not going to talk, I'm going to send you to the Flying Dutchman!"

"F-F-Flying Dutchman!?" the pirate asked.

Ryoshi nodded. "The Flying Dutchman! The same spectral ship you pirates feared the most. And if I mentioned it to you without dying, that only means I know its location... You don't want me to toss you to their ship, don't you?"

Captain Hook shivered in fright and went to Ryoshi's feet, begging for forgiveness. Like a royal dog grovelling to his owner, Captain Hook pleaded with Ryoshi for his life from the haunted ship.

"M-Me will talk! M-Me will talk!" the pirate exclaimed, while shaking Ryoshi's hands.

After their conversation, Wolf stepped in and asked Captain Hook the questions we needed to know.

"Why are you here travelling with your pirate crew? Do you have any idea about the happenings around Code? And do you know how to enter Wonderland without fighting against the Kraken? I need answers for these questions, Captain Hook. If you don't, this guy will send you off to that ship you fear the most."

"NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT!"

My heart pounded one billion beats per minute as I watched the entire scene. It almost felt like a skit about three idiots scaring each other with an unrealistic myth.

Even Ryoshi held his laughter as he covered his mouth with his hands. He even smacked Wolf's back as Okami mentioned Ryoshi and his story.

After clearing his throat, Captain Hook told his tale. "Me and the pirates only stole from people from the villagers! Although those stopped when we…. killed all the villagers near the borders. It all happened because we recruited Peter Pan as me, a right-hand pirate! He became me matey! But…. Blimey as it is, Peter Pan never trusted me. He even planned to take over the ship as his prize from me…. That's all I know. Savvy?"

"Are you telling the truth?" Wolf asked.

"If dead men tell no tales, then me cannot lie to you..me doesn't want to sell me pirates, but me thinks ye can stop them!"