"Fucking carrier pigeons? Really?"

"What's a pi-"

"That wasn't directed at you." Oliver sighed, cutting of the Devil that had been answering his questions- this world didn't actually have carrier pigeons, but something similar enough as to make no difference... and, thanks to messages that had already gone out, he knew they would be facing more than enough problems going forward...

While the rest of the pirates hadn't left much of an impression, this one had. First, because she was one of the few females among the crew... But, more than that, because she was smart and decisive enough to push for their surrender when things were clearly going badly for them.

And because she still had the guts to glare at him, where the others refused to even look him... though her anger was directed less at him and more at the situation, as she had been one of the few crew members to oppose attacking the Isadora- not out of any sort of morals, but out of practicality: they all new it was a former navy ship, and its crew was mostly ex-military, and she had no desire to tangle with such a hard target.

Oliver couldn't fault her logic, really. And, as his eyes lingered on her for a second, he had to admit- at least to himself- that part of the impression she left was for the simple fact that this particular Devil was stacked. She was the shortest person, aside from the kids, that he had seen on this world- maybe six and a half feet tall, and all lush curves, with impressive... assets... barely restrained by a simple leather vest, loosely tied at the front to expose an expanse of charcoal gray skin.

Even the small nubs for horns, jutting just inches straight out from her temples, was kinda cute.

He had no idea why someone so lovely would end up a pirate... not that it mattered to him, really. While she was nice to look at, and clearly had some depth to her, he already had the perfect woman for him.

"Well, I suppose I only have one more question." Oliver said, glancing at Ram who waited nearby. "Hey, Ram... How many people are needed to sail a ship like this? Like, bare-bones minimum?"

"Well... that depends on how long of trip you're talking about." The large Demon marine answered slowly, not really sure where their strange helper was going with the question. "For a longer trip, probably twenty or so. You have to have enough for watch rotations and such..."

"If its something short, perhaps only a couple days- and in calm seas like this- you can get by with five or six... It would be a strain, but manageable."

"Perfect, thanks." Oliver said with a grin that left Ram feeling... unsettled. Turning back to the assembled pirates, Oliver's eyes swept across them slowly. "Well, now I just have to pick who..."

"I'm the ranking officer remaining." One Devil said suddenly, stepping forward... from his place at the back of the group, where he had remained silently until now. "That means I'm the obvious choice to-"

The sharp crack of a pistol cut off his words, and he stumbled back dumbly, hands grasping ineffectually at the hole in his chest. He stared without comprehension at the gun, his mouth working soundlessly...

And Oliver ignored him, knowing that that pirate was already as good as dead. "I didn't really like him. Hiding at the back and trying to avoid notice, only to jump up now that he thinks there's a chance?"

"Not great leadership, if you ask me."

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"Now!" Oliver suddenly shouted, suppressing a chuckle as most of the pirates jumped- not the pretty one, though; she just continued to glare at him. "I'm going to pick who gets to sail this ship- and by that I mean who gets to live..."

"And if any of you have a problem with that, please feel free to step forward... As a note, anyone that thinks it would be better to try and attack me rather than hope that you're one of the lucky ones... Well, you'll die first, obviously."

"Shouldn't we draw straws or something?" One pirate asked hesitantly...

Only to be immediately shot.

"No, no we shouldn't." Oliver clucked softly. "Unfortunately, you chose to attack us. That means you don't get a say in what happens now."

Ram stared in shocked disbelief as Oliver proceeded to gun down pirates seemingly at random. While most of them froze- whether in disbelief or indecision, he couldn't tell- but a few banded together to try and rush the madman...

None of them made it more than three steps.

The silence that followed was almost deafening- and oppressive, even to Ramsbottam; he had just witnessed a ship full of pirates cut down to only a handful... by two people. The difference in weapons was astounding... and terrifying.

After everything he had seen over the course of the day, he couldn't imagine anything short of a full cannon barrage stopping these two... And he had played a part in bringing them here.

"Well, there we have it. Congratulations on surviving!" Oliver cheered, interrupting Ram's thoughts. "Now, I just have a few more instructions everyone, so listen close."

"What, planning to add us to your slave girl harem?" The pretty Devil sneered, having noticed the pattern of Oliver's 'selections': not only had he spared seven of them, more than he was told was needed... but all seven were female- the only female crew members, as all of them had somehow survived the initial onslaught...

And she was starting to think that wasn't and accident. Or luck.

"Slave girl harem? Is that really a thing here?" Oliver asked, casting a shocked look Ram's way- though the Demon could sense a simmering anger behind the look.

"Slavery is illegal here, as well as in the Kingdom of Olam'den'Vale- who are our allies..." Ram answered hesitantly, still working to figure out where Oliver's sudden anger came from. "Though, from what we've heard, it is fairly common in Asin'den'Chol- er, that's the home kingdom for most Devils..."

"As for harems... while it isn't unheard of here, it's mostly among the wealthy and powerful. It isn't uncommon for higher nobles to have multiple husbands or wives- or both, if they wish." Ram shrugged uncomfortably. "It has been that way since the founding of the kingdom, as far as I know... Though I'm not sure you want to hear the full history."

Ram sighed in relief, and the tension fled his body, as Oliver seemed to relax at his words.

"Oh, well then... To answer your question, I don't have a harem." He grimaced slightly, shaking his head. "And, as I have discovered in recent months, I have little tolerance for slavery. Keeping slaves is pretty fucked, honestly."

The pretty Devil- Oliver hadn't bothered to ask her name, and didn't see a reason to even now- glanced between him and the numerous corpses scattered about the deck, a look of disbelief in her face.

"Yeah, killing a bunch of people is pretty fucked, too. I get it." Oliver sighed, though the lack of regret in his voice was obvious. "But sometimes killing is necessary; slavery is completely unnecessary. Call it a rationalization if you want."

"Now, let's just move past all this awkward talk of morality and such." Oliver said as he clapped his hands together. "It's time for instructions."

"My instructions are pretty simple, actually." He said, sweeping his eyes across the pirate women. "All I want you to do is take this ship- after we loot anything of value- and spread the word."

"What word?" The pretty Devil growled at him- it wasn't quite as intimidating as he knew she intended; mostly he just found it to be cute.

"That attacking the Isadora means death." Oliver said with a wolfish smile. "And I plan to kill every single pirate that gets in our way."

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