That cannon shell made Nast, who was standing on the bow deck, fall into silence.
That small ferry, aside from having a relatively large passenger capacity, had nothing else that could compare with the fleet under his command.
The gap between the two was like that between an ant and an elephant.
He had merely passed by here by chance and was not specifically heading for this ferry. Earlier, he had only casually glanced at it a few times.
Seeing nothing unusual, he had prepared to leave. After all, this was still a coastal area.
Yet this insignificant little ferry, which he hadn't even bothered to take seriously, had directly opened fire on him.
Was it because the operator was under too much psychological pressure, leading to such a blunder?
Or did they really dare to attack his fleet with a mere ferry?
Foolishness or courage?
He didn't need to think about it so much. Even without his orders, his fleet had already dispersed, surrounding the ferry completely.
Soon, the ferry's captain came trembling before him. Before Nast even spoke, the captain dropped to his knees with a thud.
His whole body trembled as he tearfully explained what had just happened.
A sailor responsible for operating the cannon had been under too much psychological pressure. His hand slipped, which led to the provocative shot earlier.
The captain had already brought that sailor over, a very ordinary young man. His face was pale, and he knelt behind the captain, shivering.
Such an ordinary young man clearly did not have the courage to provoke him, nor did he look like someone who would go down in history.
The matter was already clear. This was merely a coincidence caused by excessive psychological pressure.
But Nast was not a fair and impartial judge. He was a pirate king who ruled the seas, the King of the Five Seas.
Although he liked to present himself with the elegance and grandeur befitting a descendant of the Solomon Empire, some things could not be tolerated.
Even if it was an accident, in the eyes of outsiders, it was provocation. That reason alone was enough.
He did not speak, merely waved his hand, letting the ferry captain continue kneeling and kowtowing, tears streaming down his face.
His crew understood and dragged the ferry captain and the young gunner who had caused such a commotion away.
At that moment, another cannon shell was fired from the already-controlled ferry.
This time, the shell landed solidly on the deck of the Black Emperor, though it caused no real damage.
This was a ghost ship left behind by the Solomon Empire. Such small artillery fire could not destroy it.
The repeated provocations caused a thoughtful look to appear in Nast's eyes. He decided to personally go and take a look.
His men had already laid wooden planks between the Black Emperor and the ferry, allowing free passage.
Nast walked across the planks and arrived on the ferry's deck. Everywhere his eyes fell, the passengers were trembling in fear. Some had already begun crying.
The third mate came to report that they had not found the person who fired the second cannon shell.
If it wasn't an ordinary person, then it might be a Beyonder.
Perhaps these two cannon shots were the actions of a Beyonder deliberately provoking him.
Nast said nothing. He simply added several rules to the ferry, no teleportation, no concealment, no disguise, and so on.
At his level of strength, the Black Emperor pathway could produce abilities similar to those of the Arbiter pathway.
"Bring all the passengers inside out, one by one." Nast gave his first order.
He intended to personally inspect every passenger on the ferry to see who exactly was provoking him.
Under the gaze of his own eyes, he did not believe anyone could hide their true identity.
Inside the cabin, Ince Zangwill, who was mixed among the crowd, saw how things had developed and his face became as dark as ink.
Even he did not know who had secretly fired the second cannon shell.
Whoever did it was forcing all the passengers on the ferry onto a dead end!
Ince Zangwill went alone to the washroom and locked the door behind him.
He was still considering whether to reveal himself. He knew that as long as he made any move, the King of the Five Seas would definitely notice.
Everything here was now under his watch.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Someone began pounding heavily on the washroom door, disrupting Ince Zangwill's thoughts.
"Please, let us hide in here too!"
"Wuu… I really don't want to die. Those people are pirates!"
Ince Zangwill eventually opened the door. Outside stood two passengers with pale faces, constantly glancing back toward the deck.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! If we survive, I'll definitely repay your kindness today!"
Ince Zangwill did not respond. Amid their endless thanks, he left the washroom to them and walked away.
About two minutes later, he saw those two people dragged out of the washroom by the pirates and brutally beaten.
"Listen carefully! Line up properly and follow the order. One by one, go to the deck to accept inspection from our captain. If anyone dares cause trouble again, don't blame us for not treating prisoners kindly!"
The fourth mate of the Black Emperor stood at the very front of the crowd, his eyes like those of a venomous snake as he swept his gaze over everyone present.
Ince Zangwill was also shoved and squeezed into one of the lines. Standing in his position, he used the corner of his eye to examine the passengers around him.
The Beyonder who dared to provoke the King of the Five Seas must also be mixed in here.
Yet even in such a situation, that person still chose to hide their identity.
After scanning the crowd, he had already discovered several Beyonders.
All of them were uneasy about the situation before them. Out of fear, they chose to behave like ordinary passengers, obediently following orders without any intention of resisting.
After all, things had not yet reached a true dead end. They still held onto hope.
A mocking smile appeared at the corner of Ince Zangwill's mouth.
Since none of them wanted to step forward, he could also endure until the end.
Having made his decision, Ince Zangwill began deducing in his mind the possible developments of the story that might unfold next, as well as escape routes suitable for himself.
The passengers in the cabin were called to the deck one by one.
As the number of people in line grew smaller and smaller, the corner of Ince Zangwill's eye caught sight of the last person standing at the end of the queue.
That person. He had never spoken to him face-to-face before, but he had seen his portrait and knew his origin.
Hastur Campbell!
A mysterious figure whom even 008 feared greatly. And he was actually on the same ship as him!
If not for today's accident, he might have disembarked in Southville County without ever knowing that Hastur Campbell had been hidden on this ship!
Sure enough, once his affairs became entangled with that man, his luck would worsen.
Could everything happening today have been arranged by him?
And besides, why was he standing at the very end of the line?
A bad premonition began to form in Ince Zangwill's heart.
The closer one stood to the front, the sooner they would face the King of the Five Seas and the faster their identity would be exposed.
Standing at the very end was the most advantageous position.
Could he have already recognized my identity? Ince Zangwill's heart skipped a beat, his sense of foreboding growing stronger.
At that moment, a scream came from outside.
A Sequence 7 Beyonder tried to seize a lifeboat and escape, but he was discovered and captured. On the spot, the third mate of the Black Emperor tore him to pieces.
The bloody and cruel scene made the other Beyonders tremble with fear. They became even less daring to resist, forced to accept the humiliating scrutiny from all directions.
The line shuffled forward a little more.
From where he stood, Ince Zangwill could now clearly see what was happening on the deck.
The passengers coming out of the cabin were divided into two groups.
One group consisted of ordinary passengers, and the other consisted of Beyonders hiding their identities.
So far, six Beyonders had already been dragged out.
In front of a Sequence 3 powerhouse, they were like sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
Soon, it was Ince Zangwill's turn.
With a calm face, he walked out of the cabin, stepped onto the deck, and came before the King of the Five Seas.
This legendary ruler who had once dominated the seas did not show signs of old age. Instead, he was in the prime of life.
His figure was not as tall and burly as it appeared from afar, yet the pressure he exuded was terrifying.
"Honestly state your origin," said the second mate of the Black Emperor.
"Ince Zangwill." Ince Zangwill honestly reported his name.
He had thought about lying at first, but before a Sequence 3 of the Black Emperor pathway, he did not believe he could deceive the other party, even with the help of 008.
"I've heard of you." Nast's gaze lingered on Ince Zangwill for a moment longer.
The former archbishop of the Church of the Evernight Goddess who had defected, escaped pursuit, and made his way to the sea, he was already somewhat famous in the Beyonder world.
"Didn't you think about escaping?" Nast asked.
"On the sea, I don't think my two legs can outrun the Black Emperor."
Nast nodded and told him to stand aside for now, completely unconcerned that Ince Zangwill might suddenly attack.
Ince Zangwill stood together with the other six exposed Beyonders.
A Beyonder beside him gave him a sharp glare.
A member of the Red Gloves team. They had even sent people to pursue him at sea.
Ince Zangwill ignored the hatred and anger in that man's eyes.
Right now, he only wanted to see how Hastur Campbell would get through this situation.
Fewer and fewer people emerged from the cabin.
Aside from one Beyonder, the rest were ordinary passengers.
Soon, Hastur, who had been standing at the very end of the line, appeared on the deck.
"Hastur Campbell, from Backlund. I'm heading to Southville County to build my territory."
Nast's gaze swept over Hastur, then glanced at Ariella hidden in his arms.
"Your cat is quite good."
"Thank you for the compliment. She has been my best companion along the way."
Nast said nothing more and told Hastur to stand with the ordinary passengers.
Seeing this scene, the corner of Ince Zangwill's mouth twitched slightly.
He absolutely did not believe that Hastur Campbell was an ordinary passenger!
But why hadn't even the King of the Five Seas discovered the secret on him?