The *Black Tulip*... the "Admiral of Hell"
Anderson shot him a puzzled glance, then, on alert for the grey-black flesh lump that could spring at them at any moment, he opened his mouth and said:
"You've got an odd look. What else has happened..."
Before his words had faded, he reflexively shut his mouth. Then, sensing something, he sidestepped into a roll, dodging the splitting monster parts that were making his fingernails grow rapidly, and quickly scurried to the railing on the other side.
Straightening his back and craning his neck, Anderson suddenly hissed:
"Admiral of Hell..."
This was far from a good-natured fellow. As a Pirate Admiral notorious for indiscriminate killing, he wouldn't have any qualms about using someone else's crisis to his own advantage.
Once he weighed the situation and realized he could use the powerful monster's attack to kill the "Admiral of Stars" and everyone on board the "Future," reaping an incredibly rich bounty, he would definitely make his move!
My bad luck hasn't weakened, it's just changed its form. Small losses, big payout? Anderson's expression was twisted, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
At the same time, relevant intelligence surfaced in Klein's mind:
"Admiral of Hell" Ludwell had a bounty of 55,000 pounds in Loen alone!
He was an extremely powerful Spirit Medium, the one with the highest bounty among the Seven Pirate Admirals!
There weren't many living pirates on his flagship, the "Black Tulip." Undead creatures and Spirit World creatures he commanded handled most of the tasks.
He killed indiscriminately, but he didn't have a perverted love for killing. He was just seriously doing the job of casting living souls into hell.
He had countless ties to the Spiritism Church, and it was said he possessed a ring left behind by the ancient God of Death!
As Klein and Anderson stared at the "Black Tulip," the golden brooch on "Admiral of Stars"
Ahead of the captain's cabin, a blurry figure appeared, quickly stretching out.
It was filled with the aura of a dead, quiet ghost, yet it emitted a warm temperature like sunlight.
This was an extremely incongruous existence, like a vengeful spirit made of "Holy Water of the Sun"!
Sacred and evil at the same time!
This "Sun Vengeful Spirit" spread its arms and flew out at an extremely exaggerated speed, embracing a grey-black lump of flesh.
A sizzling sound like burning fat rang out, and the "Sun Vengeful Spirit" and the grey-black flesh lump annulled each other, both disappearing without a trace.
"Admiral of Stars," her deep purple eyes flowing, her brooch golden and bright, rapidly created one "Sun Vengeful Spirit" after another outside the captain's cabin window, sending them to pounce on the grey-black flesh lumps invading the "Future."
At this moment, "Bloodless"
The "Black Tulip" was faster than Klein expected; in just a few seconds, it entered the "Future's" warning range.
The dark sailboat with a faint greenish sheen slowed down and stopped at the edge, seemingly unclear about what exactly was happening here.
Suddenly, Klein saw a nearly transparent eye appear in the air above the "Future." It had pale white pupils, looking down without blinking.
This... a Spirit Medium's telescope? After pausing for a second, Klein drew his revolver with his right hand and aimed at that eye, which belonged to a Spirit World creature.
At this moment, he hesitated slightly. As the crazy adventurer Gehrman Sparrow, directly pulling the trigger was the most in-character and safest choice. However, the "Admiral of Hell" Ludwell hadn't shown any hostility yet. He might be holding back out of concern for the power behind "Admiral of Stars" Cattleya. If Klein rashly killed his "telescope," the situation would inevitably develop into something more chaotic and dangerous!
In Klein's brief moment of hesitation, the nearly transparent, illusory eye disappeared. The distant "Black Tulip" continued forward, becoming clearer and clearer.
On board, white skeletons, some naked, some wearing leather armor, were busy manipulating the sails. Pale living corpses with long swords patrolled back and forth, their eyes with dark green flames surveying the surroundings. Shades, vengeful spirits, and all sorts of bizarre Spirit World creatures fluttered and circled, sometimes burrowing into the ship's hull, revealing transparent faces with indistinct features on the side.
In Klein's spiritual vision, there was only one living person on the "Black Tulip": the captain-dressed man standing on the foredeck, quietly watching them.
He wore an exaggerated tricorn hat embroidered with a white skull and feathers, a laced white shirt, a complex and ornate brown short coat, and a thin rapier hung from the leather-colored belt that held his tight white trousers.
A silver-white mask covered this man's face, hiding his features and contours within. The cold lines around the holes representing the eyes, nose, and mouth were daunting.
This perfectly matched the rumored image of the "Admiral of Hell" Ludwell!
Where were his first mate, second mate, third mate, and boatswain? Klein was first surprised that there was only one living person on the "Black Tulip," but quickly realized.
Just as the "Future" had sent its third mate, gun captain, and many sailors to other ships of their pirate fleet, keeping only a minimum crew for entering these waters, the "Admiral of Hell" Ludwell hadn't let his "fragile" subordinates follow, since he could just command the undead and Spirit World creatures to handle the ship.