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The pirate captain's eyes narrowed, his expression growing more dangerous by the second. Zane, however, remained perfectly calm, his face a mask of weary tragedy.
"We ran into some Blue Star humans," he said, his voice raspy. "Strayed into our path. We barely had time to send a messenger bird back to base before they were on us." He gestured weakly to his battered ship and blood-soaked companions. "We're all that's left. The base hasn't had time to send word to us that a new delegation was coming."
The captain stared at him, processing the story. Finally, he barked an order to a nearby pirate. "Go. Get someone from the [Dry Bones] crew. Have them come down here and see if they recognize these men."
As the pirate scurried off, Russell and the others kept their expressions neutral, but their bodies were coiled springs. Every muscle was tense. Their minds raced through contingency plans. If we're exposed, we summon our cards, eliminate everyone on this dock, and find another way in.
Soon, the pirate returned, another man in tow.
The moment Zane saw the newcomer, his serious demeanor vanished, replaced by a broad, relieved grin. He strode forward and pulled the man into a rough bear hug. "Leo! Did the boss send you?"
The man, whom Russell now knew as Leo, was a middle-aged operative with sharp, intelligent eyes. He grinned and gave Zane a hard thump on the chest. "Look at the state of you. Did those Blue Star weaklings really do this much damage?"
Seeing that Zane genuinely knew the man, Russell let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He had been certain their mission was over before it had even begun, but this was a completely unexpected turn of events.
The pirate captain saw the familiar exchange and finally let his guard down. "Fine, fine. So you really are with [Dry Bones]. Get going, then."
As Russell and his team followed Leo away from the docks, the captain's eyes narrowed once more into suspicious slits. "You," he hissed to the minion beside him. "Go and report what happened here to the higher-ups. Every detail."
"But Captain," the pirate scratched his head, confused. "Aren't they fine?"
The captain shot him a venomous glare. "Just do what I tell you. Why are you asking so many stupid questions?"
"Yes, sir!" The pirate scurried away.
What the captain didn't say was that it didn't matter if the group was legitimate or not. He wasn't about to pick a fight with them here. If they were clean, he avoided offending the [Dry Bones] crew for no reason. If they were dirty… well, with only a handful of men on the dock, how could he possibly stop a team of killers who had supposedly wiped out an entire ship's crew? It was a problem for someone with more power and more men.
On the path leading away from the port, Zane let out a long, heavy sigh. "Leo, you old dog. If that hadn't been you, we would've had to fight our way out of there."
Leo chuckled. "Great minds think alike, my friend. We both had the same idea for a cover story." He then glanced over at Russell, raising an eyebrow. "Recruiting new blood for your team, Zane? He's a bit young, isn't he? You know there are laws against child labor!"
Zane burst into laughter and quickly explained Russell's origins and the purpose of his presence.
After listening, Leo gave Russell a long, appraising look, then turned and patted Zane on the shoulder, his expression turning serious. "This job of yours… it isn't easy."
Zane was quiet for a moment. When he spoke again, a hint of deep melancholy tinged his voice. "I don't think I'll ever get the chance to avenge them myself. But if I can help the Association train the next generation… maybe one of them will. That would be enough."
Russell, walking behind them, felt a pang of confusion. Sensing his question, Yara leaned in and whispered, her voice uncharacteristically soft. "The captain's parents. They were killed by the [Flesh and Blood King] during the Demon Nest riot a few years ago."
[The Flesh and Blood King].
The name struck Russell like a physical blow. His own parents… they had also died in the [Demon Nest] riot. The entire coastline northeast of New Metro was still a forbidden zone, walled off from the world. He had seen secretly-taken photos. It was no longer a coastline, but a monstrous, pulsating dam made of living flesh and bone. And the sea beyond it was not water, but an endless, churning ocean of gore.
Soon, the group arrived at the makeshift base of the [Dry Bones] pirates. As they pushed open the door to a rowdy tavern, every pirate inside turned to stare.
A man who appeared to be the leader, Mogi, looked at Leo in confusion. "Leo, who are these people?" As he spoke, a flicker of suspicion and struggle crossed his face. But just as quickly, a faint, ghostly humanoid figure appeared beside him and seemed to breathe a wisp of smoke into his ear. The struggling look vanished instantly, replaced by a booming laugh.
"Well, I'll be damned! I didn't think any of you would survive an attack by those Blue Star curs! I'll be sure to tell the big boss of [Dry Bones] about your crew's bravery!"
Russell wasn't a fool. He had seen the subtle interaction. The humanoid ghost was Leo's card, clearly proficient in some form of hypnosis or illusion. This was how he maintained his deep cover within the pirate crew.
Zane and the others played their parts perfectly. "Thank you, Boss Mogi. We live to serve."
They blended into the chaotic crowd of pirates, taking seats in a dark corner. Soon, it was time for the summit. Mogi led a procession of his crew toward the meeting place. Logically, low-level grunts wouldn't be needed at such a high-level meeting. However, the pirate lords were a paranoid and treacherous bunch. None of them dared to attend in person, sending their top lieutenants instead. But fearing their lieutenants would betray them, they sent spies to watch the lieutenants. Then, fearing the spies would collude with the lieutenants, they sent more spies to watch the spies. In this absurd, nested-doll game of espionage, the number of attendees had ballooned.
This, of course, excluded the [Black Flag] crew, who, as the organizers, were present in force. But the pirates' inherent paranoia had given Russell's team the perfect opportunity to slip in unnoticed.
When they arrived at the meeting ground—a large, open-air amphitheater—Mogi took a seat on the main platform with the other pirate representatives. Common pirates like Russell and the others could only stand and watch from the pit below.
After a few tense moments, the delegations from the [Red Rose] and [Night Owl] crews arrived. It was immediately obvious that the three factions despised each other. The moment they were all present, they began hurling insults and accusations back and forth.
All the chaos, however, ceased the instant the leader of the [Black Flag] pirates appeared.
A one-eyed man, his upper body bare and corded with muscle, strode onto the platform, a black captain's coat draped over his shoulders.
At his appearance, the proud, squabbling representatives of the other three crews immediately bowed their heads. "Boss Moore," they said in unison, their voices laced with respect and fear.
This was him. The man at the top of the food chain in this realm. He shot a half-smile at Mogi, then surveyed the silent crowd. "Let's begin."
Down in the pit, Zane's pupils contracted. He could feel the oppressive aura radiating from Moore, a suffocating pressure that dwarfed his own bronze-level energy. Silver-level? No… not yet. But terrifyingly close.
On the platform, Moore propped his chin on one hand and idly picked at his nails with the other. "What's the matter? Cat got all your tongues?"
The [Red Rose] representative, a wiry man with shifty eyes, swallowed hard. The pressure from Moore was several times more intense than what he felt from his own boss. He finally gritted his teeth and spoke. "We of the [Red Rose] crew can agree to your terms, Boss Moore. But we have one question. And I want that bastard from the [Night Owls] to answer it right here, right now!"
He pointed a shaking finger at the [Night Owl] representative.
"Why did my men see you traveling with Blue Star humans!?"
Down in the crowd, the hearts of Russell and his team all skipped a beat. But as the accusation registered—that it was aimed at the [Night Owls]—they could only exchange looks of pure, dumbfounded shock.
What?!
A wave of confusion and outrage erupted among the hundreds of pirates gathered in the amphitheater.
(End of this chapter)