Rumors. Whispers. Gossip. At first, Drake payed little attention to them. He couldn't believe that his little hometown could bare such irredeemable corruption, especially when the faction he was fighting for controlled the whole thing and did so little to prevent any of it. But little by little, it was starting to become much more apparent what sort of atrocities he was dealing with. It wasn't a small time gang, or even some undercover marines ruining the purity of this island- no, it was the very same group that was afforded protection by the revolutionaries- pirate scum all operating under a very large crime network.

It was an ugly truth Drake was initially unwilling to face, content to stay within the confines of his own little world playing superhero since he was a little kid. But, the time had come where it was impossible to remain blissfully ignorant to the problems that plagued Baltigo. It was time to do the right thing, whether that ended up negatively affecting Drake's life or not.

Consequences were running through his head right about now. All the lush benefits given to him by the army for fighting such a righteous cause would've most likely be dealt away with if Drake really was going to go through it, but if they were genuinely promoting some of the sick crap he was hearing, then he wanted nothing to do with them! Among the worst was hearing how humans were being traded like livestock, an operation that he was planning on stomping out in its entirety. The people of this island could finally rest knowing that someone was looking out for them.

At the moment, Drake scouted out a current shipment of live "cargo" set to move out in about an hour fifty meters away with the aid of his trusty binoculars. As expected for such an organized crime ring, it was heavily guarded, and it seemed they didn't have any particular tastes when it came to their prisoners. Men, women, even a few children were all bound in chains and left in nothing but their rags. With how heavy the security was, Drake was going to have to play it smart!

"Holy crap, if they've got that many people for just a random shipment, I don't even want to know how many people joined these guys. Who the hell buys Humans anyways? You've gotta be seriously fucked up for that.."

Stowing away his binoculars in a leather trenchcoat, Drake prepared himself mentally. Something was giving him the feeling that this was going to be a life-changing event, one way or another.

"Alright Dreadnaught, you've got this.."

Five meters away, the first guard: completely unsuspecting of Drake's presence and currently wrapped up in taking a piss in a nearby group of bushes. Didn't they have bathrooms out here? Using this guard's grossness to his advantage, the hulking mass of muscle flanked the guard, slipping his hand onto the handle of the guard and swiftly knocking him out with a powerful blow to the skull. The head was a very vulnerable spot, and the element of surprise afforded Drake an even easier time disposing of an enemy. The temptation of pulling the trigger was a very real thing though..

"If I let this bullet fly out the chamber, I'd be just as bad as you.."

Kicking the goon into the urine covered bushes, Drake advanced further into the compound. Despite the openness of the areas, it had plenty of flanking points, which was perfect- he couldn't do this with brute force alone. He'd also take the gun, just to ensure his safety.

Drake was perturbed by the sudden appearance of someone he'd never seen before, his mind almost instantly going on the defensive. Rarely had someone ever managed to sneak up on him, but it happened. Thankfully, whoever this man was seemed to be friendly, or else Drake might've been six feet under right about now. Stowing away the gun, he shook his head, ultimately realizing how foolish it would be to take away his life. Even if he had nothing but contempt for the man lying on the floor right now, his father certainly wouldn't approve of him killing random mooks, even if they were working for a cause as despicable as this one.

"My resolve ain't weak. Killing people out of the blue really isn't my thing, not to mention the gunfire would've alerted the other guards."

For a moment, Drake contemplated the offer. On one hand, trusting strangers on an island like Baltigo couldn't have been a good idea, but on the other hand, this might've been a little out of his league. Plus, this guy seemed super strong! He'd return the handshake, a small smile on his face.

"I guess you can help me out, yeah. I'm Drake. What's your reason for helping me, anyways? Not too many generous people exist in the world, especially on an island like this."

Moving further into the compound, Drake would first pick up a random rock for seemingly no reason, assuming the pirate was following him along. It'd be the perfect tool if Drake got into a scrap or needed a distraction..which was right about now! Peeking around a corner, a guard was walking along the dirt path, minding his own business until Drake sprung out and smashed the stone into his face, breaking his nose instantly and spurting blood everywhere, leaving him writhing in pain on the ground. Not a single shred of remorse was had for Minion #12954, and with another slam of the rock he was knocked out cold and mercilessly kicked into a ditch.

"Sorry if I seem a little psycho. I ain't usually like this but seeing living, breathing people bound in chains and sold off to the highest bidder can really suck the spirit out of a guy, eh? And to think, the revolutionaries are turning a blind eye to the whole thing..makes me wonder why the hell I signed up in the first place if they're just as bad as everyone else!"

The anger coming from him was palpable, even if that shit-eating smirk was plastered across his visage. As long as he drew breathe on this Earth, all the crimes committed on Baltigo would be put to an end, even if he didn't have the power to do it right now. As Drake marched through the compound with his companion in tow, a group of five goons were right up ahead, and at this point he was letting his anger interfere with his decision making skills. Instead of moving through the shadows and bypassing these assholes entirely..

"Hey! Dickweeds! I just fucked all your mothers! What the hell are you going to do about it!?"

It was clear from their faces that they weren't amused, taking out a variety of weapons and ominously approaching them.