Anti-Pirate Device

With two swift and superhuman punches, the pirates crumpled to the ground, rendered unconscious by the sheer force of Drayvos's blows. As the behemoth figure of Drayvos loomed over them, a formidable presence in the dimly lit hallway, Alex couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration mixed with concern.

"Drayvos!" Alex's voice echoed through the corridor, laden with worry and genuine concern. "Be careful out there, but..." Drayvos turned to regard him upon hearing his name, his expression a blend of determination and resolve. "Go show them what you're made of, big guy. You've got this." Alex urged, his voice filled with unwavering confidence in his newfound hero.

With a nod of acknowledgment, Drayvos briefly met Alex's gaze before disappearing from view, leaving behind a trail of determination and courage in his wake. As Alex watched him go, a sense of pride swelled within him, knowing that his gallant protector was out there, ready to defend the ship and its crew with all his might.

—

On the ship's bridge, a chilling tableau unfolded as the captain, first officer, and the rest of the bridge crew knelt in a row, their hands bound behind their heads.

Standing behind them, two pirates brandished AK-47s with cold determination, their sights trained unwaveringly on the heads of their captives. And looming over them all, exuding an aura of arrogance and pride, stood the Pirate Captain himself.

"All floors secured, Captain," the pirate first officer reported into his radio, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. "The ship is ours."

The Pirate Captain chuckled victoriously as he paced around the bridge, his gaze sweeping over the subdued crew before locking onto the transport captain with a smug smirk, arms folded across his chest.

"What are your terms, Pirate?" the transport captain demanded, his voice low but laced with defiance.

"Terms?" The Pirate Captain scoffed, spreading his arms wide in mock incredulity as he surveyed his crew. "We are pirates! We take what we want, when we want. And if everyone cooperates," he added with a disdainful sneer, "we may let you live to tell the tale."

Amidst the tension, a pirate hacker on the bridge piped up, excitement evident in his voice. "I've found the ship's manifest!"

"Excellent," the Pirate Captain replied, his gaze still fixed on the kneeling hostages. "Find the most valuable cargo and prepare to load it onto our vessel. We leave no treasure behind."

—

Several decks below, within the dimly lit confines of the ship's cargo hold, a gang of a dozen pirates scoured through crates in search of valuable loot.

Unbeknownst to them, Drayvos moved with an otherworldly agility and strength. With lightning speed, he unleashed a flurry of blows—each strike delivering a force never before witnessed on Earth—as he systematically incapacitated the pirates one by one.

A bloodcurdling scream pierced the air as one unfortunate pirate watched in horror as Drayvos effortlessly launched a comrade into a solid container, causing it to buckle and dent like a crushed soda can.

The anguished cry reverberated throughout the ship, echoing over the intercoms and reaching the ears of the pirate crew stationed on the bridge, sending a chilling reminder of the unstoppable force lurking within the cargo bay.

—

"What was that?!" The captain's voice boomed across the bridge, cutting through the chaos that had erupted.

"You might want to take a look at this, Captain," the pirate hacker stationed at the security cameras beckoned, his tone laced with urgency.

The pirates gathered around the monitors, their eyes widening in disbelief as they witnessed the spectacle unfolding before them. A towering figure, standing at a formidable seven feet tall, effortlessly dispatched their crewmates as if they were mere playthings.

"Who in the hell is that?" the pirate captain demanded, his gaze darting between his own crew and the bewildered faces of the ship's staff.

"I haven't the foggiest idea," the captain admitted openly, his brow furrowed in absolute confusion.

"Captain, I think I've stumbled upon something rather intriguing," the hacker interjected, motioning for the pirate leaders to join him. "I followed back and traced the giant on the security footage and found this..." With a few deft keystrokes, he brought up a recording of Alex being shielded and protected by the mysterious giant, followed by a tender exchange between them.

"So... this giant has a weakness for boy toys," the pirate captain mused, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Find his… 'toy'," he ordered, his tone dripping with malice. "That boy is our best bargaining chip right now." His gaze hardened as he caught sight of Alex heading towards his bunk. "I want him brought to me. Alive."

—

Filled with a flood of adrenaline and panic, Alex found himself disoriented and bewildered within the labyrinthine corridors of the shipping vessel, his heart pounding in his chest as he struggled to locate his bunk. Every floor, every hallway, every deck of the ship identical to the last, leaving him feeling hopelessly lost.

As he turned a corner, his breath caught in his throat as he came face to face with two armed pirates standing guard at the entrance to his bunk. "Oh, fuck..." he muttered under his breath, his mind racing for a way out. But before he could even contemplate his next move, he felt the cold metal of knives pressing against his back, the menacing presence of two more assailants behind him.

Though Alex may not have possessed Drayvos' towering size and strength, he was far from defenseless. A dedicated crossfit athlete, avid swimmer, and practitioner of Krav Maga, he was well-versed in the art of self-defense and close-quarters combat.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Alex swiftly jabbed and elbowed his way out of the grip of the pirates behind him, disarming them in a matter of seconds. Utilizing the confined space of the hallway to his advantage, he launched himself off the wall, using his momentum to knock his attackers to the ground, rendering them unconscious with precise and calculated strikes.

As he stood victorious over the fallen pirates, a surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of pride at the realization that he was no "damsel in distress"—he was a fighter, capable of holding his own in the most dire of circumstances.

Alex turned to face the two remaining assailants at his bunk, their AK-47s trained unwaveringly on him. Though he was a skilled fighter, he knew he was no match for firearms, especially without the ability to transform into solid tungsten like Drayvos.

With a resigned sigh, Alex raised his hands in surrender, silently conceding defeat as he braced himself for whatever fate awaited him at the hands of his captors.

—

With a swift blow to the back of his knee, Alex found himself collapsing his knees amidst the captain and the bridge crew of the shipping vessel. Disheartened and scowling, he complied, raising his hands to the back of his head in a resigned gesture of surrender.

The pirate captain loomed over Alex, a predatory grin stretching across his face. "Who's your giant friend? Tell him to stand down," he demanded, his tone dripping with menace.

Alex remained steadfast and silent, refusing to betray Drayvos even in the face of intimidation. The captain's patience wore thin, and with a powerful kick to Alex's chest, he sent him sprawling backward, his head slamming against the unforgiving surface of the ground. "I guess I wasn't asking politely enough, huh? Tell your boyfriend to stand down!" the captain snarled.

Despite the pain coursing through his body, Alex couldn't help but laugh, a mixture of defiance and determination in his voice. "I've only known him for a few days," he gasped, wincing as he struggled to sit back up. "He's not my boyfriend."

The captain pointed to the paused and zoomed-in security camera feed, a smug expression playing across his features. "Could have fooled me," he remarked coldly.

As Alex's gaze fell upon the screen, he saw what the others saw—the undeniable truth captured in high definition. His own face, etched with a mixture of adoration and vulnerability, gazing up at Drayvos. And Drayvos, with a look of fierce protectiveness and unwavering devotion, gazing down at Alex. In that moment, it became glaringly apparent to Alex, as well as to everyone else present.

He was in love with Drayvos, and Drayvos was in love with him.