On the deck of the Red-Beard Pirates' ship, Felton, Harden, Hatcheson, Nadal, Wood, and other crew members stood watching William, who was holding a katana heated until it glowed red. They all felt baffled.
What puzzled them even more was how William had just casually ordered Kuro, who typically held a special status on the ship, to act. This left them deeply unsettled.
Felton, the first mate, stepped forward with a furrowed brow and asked, "What are you doing, Stolt?"
After speaking, he turned to Kuro, who was busy lowering the small boat, and shouted, "Are you out of your mind? Stop this immediately!"
Kuro ignored him entirely, and William did the same. Sweeping his gaze over the crowd of pirates watching him, William picked out a rookie crew member and instructed, "I've hidden a barrel of liquor in the lowest part of the cabin. Go fetch it for me."
The rookie pirate hesitated, glancing at Felton's dark expression, but ultimately responded with a quick nod. He grabbed another newcomer and hurried toward the cabin entrance. Like Kuro and William, they seemed to care little for Felton's authority as first mate.
The newcomers had all joined the crew after the Kalmar City raid. They hadn't experienced the era when Barbarossa, the "Red Beard," was at his most glorious. Instead, they had arrived to find a brutal and increasingly unhinged captain. During this time, William's generosity and charisma had earned him more respect among the rookies than Barbarossa ever did.
After all, William didn't arbitrarily strangle them and hang their corpses on the bow as wind chimes.
Being repeatedly ignored, especially by one of the ship's rookies, left Felton furious. He moved to stop Kuro but was abruptly blocked and shoved in the chest by Harden, the second mate.
"Harden, have you lost your mind too? How dare you disregard the captain's orders?" Felton's face turned ashen, and two of his closest allies stepped forward to back him up, glaring menacingly at Harden.
However, most of the other crew members, including the veteran pirates, didn't side with Felton—even when he invoked Barbarossa's name.
Barbarossa had once united the crew by delivering success and wealth. His cunning dealings with shore-based and official forces had kept the pirate crew safe and prosperous. His strength allowed him to defeat enemies and minimize casualties among the crew.
A string of victories had earned him immense prestige, and under such circumstances, the crew had tolerated his greed in claiming the lion's share of spoils and his favoritism toward Hayreddin, who bullied other crew members.
But after the Kalmar City debacle, Hayreddin's death, Reis's murder, Barbarossa's failed confrontation with Zeff, and subsequent attacks on their ship and plundering of their wealth, Barbarossa's golden reputation had begun to crack.
In these trying times, the crew might have remained loyal out of respect for past successes. However, Barbarossa's rage had clouded his judgment—or perhaps his long reign as king of the East Blue had made him incapable of accepting such massive setbacks. Instead of calming the crew, he had become increasingly violent and bloodthirsty, draining what little goodwill remained between him and his men.
Now, Barbarossa's paranoia had reached the point where he forbade his crew from boarding the enemy ship during a skirmish. This only deepened the rift between him and his subordinates.
Moreover, Barbarossa's brutality had turned his exceptional strength into a source of unease. Pirates revered strong leaders because their power brought success, victory, and wealth. But a madman whose strength led to the deaths of his own comrades? No matter how formidable, no one would willingly follow such a person.
Simply put, the Red-Beard Pirates, like most pirates, would support a strong leader who brought them victories—not a powerful lunatic.
It's akin to humans refusing to pledge loyalty to a wild beast.
Thus, the veteran pirates on the ship mostly watched the confrontation in silence. They neither openly supported William nor actively enforced Barbarossa's orders to help Felton stop him.
These veterans were the cautious and timid type, unwilling to take sides but worried that a conflict between the two factions might escalate. While they were growing increasingly dissatisfied with Barbarossa, they lacked the courage to openly oppose their increasingly violent captain.
However, braver individuals like Harden, who always led the charge in battle, openly expressed their discontent.
Harden had long been displeased with Felton, who had secured the position of first mate through flattery toward Barbarossa and behaved arrogantly aboard the ship. Harden, who had faced the likes of Zeff without fear, certainly wouldn't be intimidated by someone he considered a bootlicker like Felton.
On the contrary, William's generosity and charm before the Kalmar City incident, coupled with his calm demeanor and ability to stand his ground against Zeff afterward, had earned Harden's admiration. William's courage and strength resonated with Harden's personality.
As for loyalty to Barbarossa, anyone who had seen their comrades hanged on the bow for inexplicable reasons, their bodies left to rot under the sun and wind, would find such loyalty utterly nonexistent.
William patted Harden on the shoulder, and Harden stepped aside, allowing William to approach Felton and his allies, who were now on high alert. William paid no mind to the hands they had placed on their sword hilts.
William was tall, while Felton was short and stocky. As the two faced each other, the contrast was stark. William stared down at Felton with a calm, emotionless expression, his icy blue eyes locked onto Felton's.
William said nothing. Silence, at times, can be a powerful weapon—especially when someone is under the scrutiny of a crowd. The suffocating silence can exert immense psychological pressure.
Felton naturally didn't dare to act rashly. Putting aside William's strength, he was also the ship's sole navigator. With the crew still near the Calm Belt, no one could guarantee a safe return without a navigator.
After a few seconds, Felton, overwhelmed by William's imposing presence, turned his head away, avoiding his gaze. William's eyes shifted to Felton's two allies. His cold, pale-blue eyes seemed to carry a certain magic, forcing them to avert their gazes as well.
With his role as navigator, his reputation for standing up to Zeff, and his display of strength and cunning, William had already risen to become the ship's second-in-command following the deaths of Reis and Hayreddin. He was no longer the insignificant newcomer he had been upon joining.
Felton and his allies, who had initially appeared aggressive, now found themselves utterly subdued without William even needing to speak. The other pirates watching exchanged glances, none daring to make a sound.
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