"Chief! Why do we have to fight the Black Skulls and Tiger Sharks head-on? They've got Marquis Lewis and the Bodhi Archipelago backing them — there's no way we can take them on… Why not just stay far away like before? The sea is vast enough. They'll never find us…"
A pirate with a sinister face stood straight up.
"Clingfoot, are you questioning my decision?"
Leilin Farell's voice dropped low, and the temperature in the hall immediately plummeted.
This was the downside of Leilin Farell staying at Morning Star Port to keep a low profile. Since he'd been commanding remotely for most of the time, his control over the pirate crew was still insufficient.
In particular, this Clingfoot fellow hadn't been with them long. He'd originally had a few ships of his own, and having never witnessed Leilin Farell's ruthlessness and cold-bloodedness firsthand, there was always a gap in his respect.
"I wouldn't dare, of course, but we have to think about the brothers too…"
Clingfoot's bluster faltered, though he still muttered it out.
"You wouldn't dare — so that means you still do?" Leilin Farell chuckled softly, and a burst of lightning exploded from his hand.
With his current strength as a ninth-level
Crack!
In the violent discharge of electricity, Clingfoot had already been reduced to several charred, broken pieces.
"Chief!" "What are you doing?!"
Clingfoot's loyalists behind him drew their curved blades in grief and fury, but Ronald and his men quickly overwhelmed them.
"Ronald, go to their ships and take command!"
Leilin Farell idly toyed with the crackling electricity that made his subordinates tremble with fear, issuing his order from his seat with composure.
"As you command, Chief!" Ronald immediately led his men out, leaving the remaining pirate captains shivering in their seats.
Only now did they remember — the Crimson Tiger Pirate Group had been built on the cold-bloodedness and cruelty of the chief standing before them.
His orders were to be executed without hesitation, or face a merciless purge.
Faint sounds of fighting drifted in from outside, suggesting a small-scale scuffle not far away, but Leilin Farell paid it no mind.
Sensing the subtle exchanges of glances among his subordinates, Leilin Farell sneered inwardly: "As expected — the hot-blooded ones who speak up aren't the real trouble. There are far more of those who smile to your face while stabbing you in the back…"
After a year of building his power, the earliest batch of men who'd followed Leilin Farell had accumulated considerable wealth, and most of them were now small-time leaders in their own right.
With a shortage of manpower, Isabelle and Ronald had been forced to delegate more and more authority, until several hidden factions had formed within the pirate group.
Leilin Farell's iron-fisted,高压 rule had kept the crew from openly rebelling — his overwhelming strength saw to that — but the resentment beneath the surface grew with each passing day.
After the fools who'd openly challenged him were dead and gone, the various forms of resistance simply shifted underground and into the shadows.
Having orders obeyed in letter but not in spirit was bad enough. Among these people, how many had already made contact with Marquis Lewis? How many had become traitors and spies?
Leilin Farell sneered coldly to himself.
After all, on the surface, the other side's strength far exceeded his own — even in terms of noble rank.
Such was the loneliness of the extraordinary. The world was like water, always corroding away the people around him. How difficult it was to find companions who shared his ambitions!
"But even if I walk alone in the darkness — none of you can stand in my way!"
Leilin Farell's heart was as cold as ice, suffused with ruthless flavor.
"Chief! Clingfoot's ships have all been cleared!"
At that moment, Ronald pushed open the door and entered. He walked quickly, and there were still bloodstains on his body.
"Moreover, on his ship, we not only found several assassins from the Church of the Murder God, but also this!" Several bloodstained noble crests were thrown directly onto the long table.
"That's… Marquis Lewis's family crest!" Someone who recognized it called out immediately.
"Hang every last assassin. Kill all of Clingfoot's appointed deputies. Let them know the fate of traitors!"
Leilin Farell issued the order in a calm voice, instantly deciding the fates of dozens of people.
"Now — does anyone else have objections?"
Under the sweep of Leilin Farell's gaze, sharp as lightning, the assembled pirate captains immediately lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
……
After the meeting adjourned, Leilin Farell had forced the assignments through by sheer authority, but the undercurrents continued to surge.
Late at night, when all was quiet, several shadowy figures crept together to the bottom of a ship's hold.
"[Detecting Avoidance]!" A valuable spell scroll was torn open directly. Once the spell's glow filled the space, the figures finally seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Is it safe in here?" one hoarse voice asked directly.
"This is a spell scroll I spent a fortune to buy. Even a high-level Wizard might not be able to detect us!" Another voice immediately grew agitated.
"Enough! Stop arguing!" An aged, raspy voice spoke, immediately suppressing further dispute.
"I trust 'Freeman'…"
"I told you — don't use my name! Not even my nickname!" The earlier voice piped up right away.
"Fine! My apologies!" The aged voice paused briefly before continuing. "Right now there are dozens of ships, we've got people keeping an eye on the Crimson Tiger specifically, and with the power of magic, there's no way they'll discover us. We can discuss things in peace…"
"Chief has been getting more and more ruthless lately. Clingfoot only voiced one objection and was killed on the spot, his men not spared either…" A voice full of resentment spoke up.
"Has he figured something out?" another asked worriedly.
"All we brothers gathered here are just looking out for our own interests! But now the chief wants us to go to war against two major pirate groups — tell me, what chance do we have of winning?"
The aged voice continued: "Honestly, if the chief just kept doing things like before — letting us pillage while he handled the fencing and distribution — I'd have no complaints whatsoever. But this time it's different. He wants us to risk our lives! Even if we take down the Black Skulls and Tiger Sharks, they've got a Marquis and the Bodhi Archipelago backing them. They can rebuild their strength quickly. But what about us? Not to mention they've got an enormous slave-trading fleet in their hands…"
By the end, the aged voice had risen sharply.
"So what do we do?" someone asked.
The reason these people had banded together wasn't because they'd truly decided to launch a rebellion. They'd merely formed a mutual-defense pact, hoping to protect their own interests.
"We're pirates — how much is our word worth, anyway? If we're truly pushed to the edge, we just turn on him. Join another pirate group. Whether it's Marquis Lewis or the barbarians, either side is worth considering…"
The aged voice carried a vicious edge.
And in the dark room, gaze after gaze lit up with a sharp glint, like a pack of wolves.
……
"Report! We've spotted the Crimson Tiger Pirate Group!"
A thief reported respectfully.
"Chase them — chase them now! Stay right on their heels!" William's eyes blazed with excitement.
The massive fleet had all sails pulled taut, the canvas forming great arcs under the howling wind.
The entire fleet surged forward at terrifying speed.
"Thanks to Master Bulujie!" William felt the gale slamming into his face and cast an admiring glance at the high-level Wizard beside him.
Under the other's [Create Wind] spell, the fleet's speed had increased by more than just a notch. Wizards were the most adaptable to complex environments, and the sheer variety of their spells meant they could handle any unexpected situation. In William's eyes, the Crimson Tiger had no escape this time.
"An island ahead! And traces of moored ships!"
At that moment, the sailor in the lookout tower began shouting again.
"What?" William rushed straight to the railing and raised his telescope to peer into the distance.
A massive, desolate island appeared in his field of vision, and a string of pirate ships were moored along one side. The Crimson Tiger's blood-red pirate flag was strikingly visible.
"They abandoned their ships and went ashore? Have they gone mad?"
William could hardly believe it, but then gritted his teeth. "Charge in! Sink them!"
No matter what, they had to destroy the enemy's ships. That way, the targets would be trapped on the island like turtles in a jar, with nowhere to run.
The attack went smoothly. The enemy had clearly left very few people to guard the ships. Rock and Jodamo hadn't even needed to act — their first and second mates had come out with a squad of men and seized over thirty ships without breaking a sweat.
Every pirate ship Leilin Farell had accumulated through a year of cunning raids and plunder now belonged to William. The process had been so smooth he could barely believe it.
The Half-Mermaid, the Crimson Tiger — even that blood-red pirate flag was laid before his eyes.
"The ships are clean — no traps. And according to our prisoners, this is a temporary base for the Crimson Tiger. They've set up a few basic defensive fortifications…"
Rock toyed with a black curved blade in his hand. "So — should we sail all these pirate ships away?"
Such a massive fleet was worth tens of thousands of gold coins at minimum, a fortune that would make even major pirate groups envious.
"No! Sink them all. That way, even if they've planted something on the ships, it'll be completely useless!"
William's expression shifted several times before he finally gritted his teeth.
After all, certain terrifying poisons and curses could evade detection by both magic and even divine magic.
He'd come out this time needing a spectacular victory to cement his position as heir. He couldn't afford to leave any loose ends!
"Master Bulujie, what do you think?"
Even now, William hadn't forgotten to ask for Bulujie's opinion.
"Agreed." The Wizard nodded, prompting Rock and Jodamo to curse silently: Wizards truly were a bunch of spendthrifts!