High officials of the kingdom had gathered since dawn. Admiral, court priest, chief merchant, and commanders sat cross-legged on the cold black stone floor. No one spoke.
Sri Chandrawarman, Maharaja of Srivijaya, finally entered the hall.
His steps were calm, almost silent. The grand dark-blue robe threaded with gold trailed behind him. His face was hard, narrow eyes sharp.
All bowed.
"Rise," the king said curtly.
A sea messenger limped forward, body covered in scars. He knelt deeply, forehead touching the floor.
"Your Majesty," he rasped. "News from the Malacca Strait. Chen Tsu Ji's fleet engaged in major battle with the Western Current Pirates."
The hall suddenly felt smaller.
"Continue," the king ordered.
"The battle lasted all night. Fire visible for dozens of miles from shore. At dawn… no Arus Barat ship remained afloat. The sea was filled with wrecks and corpses."
The messenger swallowed.
"Arus Barat is considered destroyed, Your Majesty. Captain Khampa… presumed dead."
Silence.
Sri Chandrawarman did not react immediately. He walked slowly to the giant sea map spread in the center, depicting all Srivijaya trade routes from the Java Sea to the Bay of Bengal.
"Chen Tsu Ji has gone too far," he said softly.
Admiral Jayadiguna stepped forward. "Your Majesty, for the past year Chen has collected tribute from foreign merchants. More ships, better armament. He acts like a sea ruler, not a mere pirate."
"And Arus Barat?" the king asked without turning.
"A balancer, Your Majesty," Trimurti Satya replied. "Captain Khampa kept pirate power from concentrating in one hand."
The king gave a thin smile.
"Now that balance has collapsed."
He turned, gazing at each official in turn.
"If Chen Tsu Ji is allowed to live," he continued coldly, "he will become a symbol of resistance against Srivijaya. A symbol far more dangerous than any fleet."
Gambhayana, chief merchant, spoke up. "Your Majesty, trade routes are growing restless. Merchants fear sailing. They don't know whom to pay, Srivijaya or Chen."
"That is the problem," the king answered. "They must fear only one name again."
He raised his hand.
"Proclaim the royal decree."
A scribe prepared immediately.
"One million Srivijaya gold pieces," Sri Chandrawarman declared loudly, "to whoever brings Chen Tsu Ji's head. Dead or alive."
The hall rumbled.
"One… million?" Jayadiguna whispered. "Your Majesty, that equals the treasury of one province."
"And it will return manyfold," the king replied calmly. "The highest bounty in Srivijaya history. I want his name hunted even in dreams."
He continued before anyone could interrupt.
"But this is not enough. Every pirate in Srivijaya waters, without exception, will be given a bounty."
Officials exchanged glances.
"Based on reputation," the king explained. "Number of ships, operating area, level of brutality. Some ten thousand gold. Some one hundred thousand. Some half a million."
Trimurti Satya was stunned. "Your Majesty… this means we are deliberately creating war among the pirates."
Sri Chandrawarman smiled, this time without warmth.
"Correct. Let them kill each other. The sea will clean itself."
He pointed at the map.
"Srivijaya need not deploy the full fleet. We only need to sit in the harbors and wait for who remains."
Jayadiguna bowed slightly. "Cruel cunning… yet effective."
"Politics is always cruel," the king replied. "The sea is merely its mirror."
Gambhayana spoke again. "What of the Chola Kingdom, Your Majesty? Their fleet appears more often in the west. They may exploit this chaos."
Sri Chandrawarman's eyes narrowed.
"Chola is a patient predator," he said. "Therefore, we must bind the Song Dynasty closer."
He signaled the court priest.
"Strengthen the trade agreement. Silk, ceramics, and iron from Song will flow unhindered. In return, our sea lanes remain safe for them."
"And if Chola moves?" Jayadiguna asked.
The king gave a small, humorless laugh.
"Then they will find a sea full of pirates hunting one another. No stage is more chaotic for war than that."
He returned to his throne.
"Record this day," he said softly yet powerfully. "The day Srivijaya turned chaos into a weapon."
No one dared object.
Far from that golden hall, in the sea still reeking of blood, someone presumed dead slowly opened his eyes.
BLOOD SEA, HUNTED NAMES
The announcement spread faster than the west monsoon wind.
From small salty harbors to great ports filled with jong sails, from quiet bays to the open waters of the Malacca Strait, one news echoed among arak glasses, gambling tables, and blood-wet decks:
Srivijaya had placed bounties on the heads of pirates.
And for the first time in sea history, the bounty was not merely a threat, it was an invitation.
---
BAYAGIRI BAY — AXE, BLOOD, AND AMBITION
Captain Javasa Bayagiri laughed loudly, voice like an axe splitting wood.
"Ten thousand gold?" He spat onto the sand. "They insult my name."
Behind him, Bayagiri ships lay at anchor like sleeping beasts. Hulls scarred from collisions, sails dark with old smoke and blood.
"Raise the price," Javasa said. "Burn more harbors. Sink Srivijaya ships. Kill anyone flying their flag."
A deputy hesitated. "That means the royal fleet will.."
"Come?" Javasa grinned. "Good. An admiral's head is worth more."
In that bay, axes were sharpened. The bounty did not frighten them, it made them hungry.
---
TELAGA KAPAK SAKTI WATERS — CONTROLLED RAGE
Unlike Bayagiri, Captain Warsa Telaga read the bounty list calmly.
He sat in the captain's cabin, oil lamp light dancing on his scarred face.
"Chen Tsu Ji… one million gold," he murmured. "And us 250,000. Means Srivijaya admits fear."
He rolled up the proclamation.
"We do not hunt Chen," he told his officers. "Not yet."
"Then your orders, Captain?"
Warsa stared at the map. "We build reputation. Strike only high-value targets. Waste no blood on small numbers."
The Kapak Sakti Pirates did not rage. They calculated.
And that made them dangerous.
---
TANJUNG PINANG — GLORY OR DEATH
At Tanjung Pinang, Captain Karsa Timur stood at his bow as the announcement was read.
"500,000 gold," he said quietly. "Not enough."
He turned to his young crew, sea children raised on hunger and violence.
"We will seize the big ships. Song merchants. Chola merchants. Sunda Kelapa merchants. All of them."
"We will be hunted," someone said.
"Better hunted as legends," Karsa replied, "than live as shadows."
Crew cheers split the wind.
---
SUNGSANG — PRAYER AND KNIFE
Captain Ragas Lembu Geni read the announcement while praying.
He was no showy pirate. In Sungsang, his name was known as river ghost.
"Thirty thousand gold," he murmured. "Enough."
He gazed at the murky water. "Let others race to become monsters."
A subordinate asked, "We don't raise our reputation?"
Aditya smiled faintly. "The silent often live longer."
Yet behind that smile, knives were prepared.
---
MELAKA — FIRE AND TRADE
In the Malacca Strait, Captain Tun Mahra Klebang laughed at Srivijaya.
"Bounty?" he said while counting coins. "They think gold is stronger than fire."
He gave a short order: "Burn warehouses. Take ships. Leave corpses bearing our name."
He knew one thing: fame was the new currency.
---
KOH RONG — KHMER RAGE
In Koh Rong waters, Khmer pirates raged.
"They price us like cattle!" a leader shouted.
Chen Tsu Ji's name was spoken with hatred and envy.
"If we take him down," an old sea elder said, "the entire sea will speak our name."
Swords rose. War drums beat.
---
WHISPERS OF CHEN TSU JI
Everywhere, one name echoed louder than the rest.
Chen Tsu Ji.
One million gold pieces.
Some wanted his head. Some wanted his throne. Some wanted to challenge him for the name.
And Chen himself, somewhere at sea, smiled upon hearing the news.
"Let them come," he told his fleet. "We will stack Srivijaya's gold on their corpses."