"Young master! We've received word — those barbarians at Pirate's Harbor seem to be making moves!"
A large-scale troop movement like that going unnoticed by other powers was practically a fantasy. Before long, an intelligence report was delivered to William's hands.
"The Barbarian Pirates? Bring me the chart!"
William set down the brass monocular in his hand. The feeling of holding such authority put him in an excellent mood.
Beneath his feet lay a massive three-masted sailing ship, over three hundred meters in length, displacing more than five hundred tons. Both the deck and hull were covered with a layer of magical armor plating.
This terrifying warship was the very symbol of supremacy and invincibility on the open seas.
Atop the warship's mast, a black flag bearing a grotesque skull snapped ceaselessly in the wind.
The Black Skull! One of the three great pirate fleets of the entire Danbules Outer Seas! They commanded over three hundred elite pirates, possessed more than ten large warships, and their flagship, the Black Skull itself, was a formidable vessel that had undergone magical modification!
At that moment, a young pirate stepped forward and unfurled an exquisite nautical chart beside William.
"My thanks, Captain Cloe!" William nodded politely.
This Captain Cloe had translucently fair skin, a high forehead, a nose bridge as firm and straight as a snow-capped mountain ridge, and narrow, leaf-shaped eyes. His entire person radiated an air of delicate fragility and bewitching charm — but William wouldn't dare underestimate him in the slightest.
Because this Captain Cloe was simultaneously a high-ranking professional of fifteenth level or above! The commander of the entire Black Skull pirate fleet!
That delicate appearance was merely the influence of his bloodline!
A Bloodline Bearer! This was not a profession, but an innate talent! Having inherited the formidable power of their ancestral bloodline, they not only possessed physiques far surpassing those of ordinary people, but could also awaken quasi-spell abilities as they aged and their bloodline manifested.
However, also due to the limitations of their bloodline, the spells they could cast were not only extremely limited in variety, but also restricted in daily uses.
Nevertheless, even the ability to trigger the simplest zero-level spells was quite the boon for high-ranking warriors.
Not to mention that, due to the bloodline's amplification, a Bloodline Bearer's spellcasting was extraordinarily swift, making it nearly impossible to guard against.
As a result, many people described Bloodline Bearers as lucky ones blessed with ancestral gifts.
And this Cloe was not only a fifteenth-level or above Ranger, but his Bloodline Bearer rank was also remarkably high.
Of course, owing to the influence of his ancestral bloodline, his personality also harbored many elements of cruelty and tyranny, making him a demon lord-tier figure throughout the Outer Seas.
However, since the Black Skull pirate fleet had submitted to Marquis Louis, Cloe's attitude had been rather pleasant.
Perhaps the high-ranking wizard Borujie, who had been constantly at William's side, also deserved some credit for that.
Even among high-ranking professionals, a wizard's capabilities far surpassed those of rangers and Bloodline Bearers. In fact, given enough preparation time, a high-ranking wizard could face off against several times their number of same-tier adversaries.
As a maritime noble, William understood the basics well enough.
After measuring out a stretch with his vernier calipers, William rolled up the chart: "They only departed from Pirate's Harbor yesterday. At this distance, the earliest they could reach the battlefield is two days from now. That gives us plenty of time to annihilate the Crimson Tiger pirate fleet..."
"When the time comes, please leave that Crimson Witch for me!" Cloe bowed elegantly, looking for all the world like a refined and courteous noble — utterly impossible to associate with the infamous pirate lord.
"No problem!" William's brow furrowed for an instant, then quickly smoothed out.
He stood on the deck, gazing at the numerous warships behind them — more than thirty in total: "Pass the word — accelerate! We take down the Crimson Tiger within one day!"
The signalman immediately climbed to the lookout post and relayed the commands.
The entire fleet accelerated together, the spectacle truly magnificent. Among these ships, the majority bore the Black Skull's pirates, with only a handful flying the Tiger Shark's banner — but William didn't dare underestimate them in the slightest.
Beside the fleet, there were numerous white lines visible on the water's surface.
The dorsal spines of countless sharks broke the surface, resembling countless fish scales gleaming with a dull luster under the sunlight.
These were artificially tamed groups of tiger sharks! The Tiger Shark pirate fleet's main force!
In the deep sea, packs of tiger sharks were nothing short of catastrophe. They could easily capsize vessels, then leisurely tear apart their prey's flesh in the ocean.
"Hehehe... Looks like Jodamo's little darlings can hardly wait, wouldn't you say?"
Cloe called out flirtatiously to a shark-mutated fishman behind him.
"That mage called Leilin — I'll tear the bones from his body inch by inch, then let the children feast on every last shred of his flesh..."
As a shark-mutated fishman, Jodamo was like a hybrid of shark and human. His entire body was covered in a layer of shark skin, incredibly tough. When he smiled, he revealed a row of saw-like teeth, the corners of his mouth splitting all the way to his shoulders.
That enormous maw could easily swallow an adult whole without the slightest effort.
William swallowed nervously: "According to rumor, the Tiger Shark pirates and the Fishman pirates had some connection. After the Fishman pirates were destroyed, Jodamo proactively sought out the Crimson Tiger several times, but they always managed to escape..."