Chapter 444, Dealing with Traitors
As the ship continued forward,
Philipa saw many familiar Pirate Crews.
Docked near a small island, she also noticed a black pirate flag with dragon-shaped wings—the Black Dragon Pirate Crew.
What was going on?
What the hell?
Just as she was about to return to the cabin to report the situation, a ship from the Savage Lion Pirate Crew slowly approached.
A man with brown explosive hair, resembling a lion, "Joachim."
Jumped directly from the ship and landed on theirs.
He put a hand on Philipa's shoulder and said: "Spectacular scene, right?"
Philipa squinted her eyes and shook off his hand. "Why is everyone gathered here?"
Joachim looked her up and down, laughed, and said: "You'll find out once you're on the island."
Seeing his expression, Philipa didn't ask more. She turned to her pirates and said, "Leave some people to guard the ship. The rest of you, go ashore to rest. Behave yourselves, don't cause trouble."
"Yes, Captain," the pirates answered loudly.
The island's shore lacked a fixed port.
They stopped near the shore and used two small wooden boats to go directly to the island.
Philipa followed behind Joachim,
Entering a stone fortress-like building in the middle of the island.
...…
Inside the stone fortress,
The smell of sweat and salty seawater assaulted her senses.
The dimly lit space was crowded with pirates in different outfits. Some sat on chairs polishing curved blades, while others grinned, revealing broken teeth as they chugged from flasks.
The pirates were loud, their crude words and boisterous laughter filling the room.
Joachim patted Philipa's shoulder and turned to leave.
Philipa stood still, her eyes scanning the surroundings.
What the hell? It was really the infamous pirates from various routes.
What kind of influence could gather all of them here?
Scanning the room, she finally spotted a familiar face.
Flying Fish Pirate Crew's—Babuchi.
Philipa squeezed through and patted his shoulder. "Babuchi, why'd you shave your beard? Honoring your ex-wife?"
"Damn it, Philipa, can you stop bringing that up everywhere?" Babuchi said, annoyed.
"Alright, alright." Philipa pulled him aside and asked directly: "What's going on here? Why are so many pirates gathered?"
Babuchi frowned and looked at her suspiciously. "Wait, you don't know anything? How did you get here?"
"Don't even start. After we split up, I ran into the Savage Lion Pirate Crew. They brought me here," Philipa explained.
"I mean, didn't you receive a letter?"
Philipa's heart skipped a beat.
Ever since the news from Gold-Silver Island about her mother being kidnapped to lure Wu Heng to sea,
She hadn't received any letters.
She thought there was nothing happening recently, but now it seemed she'd been excluded.
Why had the Savage Lion Pirate Crew brought her here?
This made her think more, and sweat began to form on her forehead.
Scanning the entrance, she noticed guards already stationed there.
Escaping seemed unlikely.
Taking a deep breath, she said: "I did receive one, but I didn't pay much attention at the time. Later, the text disappeared. Can you tell me what it said?"
"Are you serious?"
Philipa raised an eyebrow. "Babuchi, I saved your life last time. Are you doubting me?"
"Fine, let's say you're telling the truth. The letter said this is Barbary Island, the island where the first Pirate King was confirmed by pirates. This time, the letter gathered everyone to divide the major merchant groups' wealth and plan the next step."
Philipa nodded, her heart growing more astonished.
The Pirate King was real.
The blank letters guiding pirates over time had completely earned their trust.
Yet, she had been left out at this critical moment.
Tap, tap, tap~!
The two spoke in hushed tones.
Footsteps sounded.
Several people quickly walked onto the wooden platform ahead.
Leading them was a man in leather armor draped with a black cloak, an eyepatch, and a sword at his waist.
The second person was Joachim, captain of the Savage Lion Pirate Crew.
The room fell silent instantly.
The man in the black cloak scanned the room and said loudly: "Brave brothers and sisters, good day. I am Heller, captain of the Black Dragon Pirate Crew."
After introducing himself, he clapped lightly to one side.
Then, various figures in different outfits were pushed and dragged onto the stage.
They knelt below the wooden platform.
"Kingdom fleet members."
"And guards from merchant groups."
"Where did they catch so many people?"
Below, the pirates began discussing.
They were surprised and curious about the captured forces gathered here.
Philipa, however, narrowed her eyes slightly.
The expelled fleet from Gold-Silver Island.
The gathered merchant group mercenaries had been sent here, waiting like defeated dogs for the pirates' judgment.
The Black Dragon Pirate Crew's captain gestured for silence.
Then he said: "The treasures we've taken are our rightful glory. We've braved storms and never been defeated by hardships. These people are our enemies. They've tried to block our path, unaware that our ships are as fierce as sharks and our warriors as strong as bears."
As he spoke, crates were carried out behind him.
When opened, they revealed piles of gold.
The pirates' eyes burned with excitement, their expressions growing fervent.
The Black Dragon captain smiled and raised his voice, "Everyone will remember our glory."
Squelch, squelch, squelch~!
Blades sliced across the hostages' throats.
Blood spurted like fountains. The hostages struggled and fell silent as they bled out.
The room filled with the stench of blood.
Yet the pirates merely avoided the blood splatter, their eyes still locked on the crates of gold in the distance.
After the bloodshed,
The Black Dragon captain clapped again. "Divide the loot. This is the Pirate King's promise to you."
Coins from the barrels were bagged.
Distributed according to the size of the Pirate Crews.
"Praise the Pirate King."
The pirates shouted: "Praise the Pirate King."
The Black Dragon captain continued: "This gathering aims to reshape the Emerald Sea's order.
We'll unite all pirates, reclaim the entire Emerald Sea, and redefine the sea trade routes. Pirates will no longer be scavengers. Everyone using the routes must pay.
Every captain here will no longer fear associations or fleets. You'll live like nobles with estates and women, and gold will flow to you daily.
At home, you'll only deal with the tedious task of counting money. You won't be hunted or reviled anymore."
The pirates began discussing.
No one objected, mostly speculating on what actions were next.
Philipa stood below, holding a bag of gold.
Though she wasn't in immediate danger, unease lingered.
She didn't care about rewriting maritime rules; she just wanted to leave and report back to Wu Heng.
Everyone from Gold-Silver Island had been wiped out.
And all at once.
"Tonight, we'll depart. Instructions will follow. But first, we'll root out traitors among the pirates and sacrifice them to the Sea God."
As his words fell, pirate guards moved into the crowd.
Instantly, pushing and fighting broke out.
Several figures surrounded Philipa, weapons drawn, trapping her.
"Come on, show yourself to the crowd."
Philipa's face changed dramatically, her heart pounding like thunder.
Glancing at the platform,
Joachim of the Savage Lion Pirate Crew watched with a mocking expression.
Damn it, that bastard set me up.
...…
Gold-Silver Island, office study.
Wu Heng sat in his study, reviewing recent reports.
As Andviel said, the number of guards on the island had indeed doubled.
A newly pardoned, monitored island shouldn't have so many guards. It didn't make sense.
Creak~!
The door opened, and Andviel walked in.
She spoke softly: "Master, Steward Imiro requests your presence. He says the reward from last time has arrived."
Wu Heng was briefly stunned, then pleased.
Only first-class merit rewards from headquarters were distributed by the steward.
After so long, it had finally arrived.
"Alright, I'll take a look." Wu Heng stood and left.
Arriving at the steward's study.
Inside, Sheila Grey was already seated on the sofa.
Imiro sat behind the desk, with his assistant Moya making tea.
"Steward," Wu Heng said.
Imiro nodded, stepped out from behind the desk, and waved his hand. Two items appeared on the coffee table.
"Your first-class rewards have arrived, selected by headquarters based on your professional characteristics."
On the table were two items.
Wu Heng's was a multi-colored robe, while Sheila Grey's was a longsword with a light blue hilt.
Wu Heng's gaze fell on the robe.
[Hundred-Arms Robe (Rare Item)]
[Category: Rare Item]
[Effect: Ability Duplication]
[Side Effect: After canceling the ability, temporary mental fragmentation occurs.]
(Description: Each is a part of me, and each is an independent individual.)