Chapter 801
The Golden Rat Pirates, though few in numbers, had overwhelming combat prowess, and they slaughtered every soldier defending the harbor with brutal efficiency.
Once the port was firmly under their control, they raided the supply warehouses.
“T-They are insane…!”
“Wait… were they really pirates all along…? I thought they were spies sent by the Allied Naval Command?”
The pirate captains in the distance were utterly dumbfounded by what they were witnessing. The Golden Rat Pirates had mercilessly bombarded and raided a coastal city instead of a small coastal village filled with nothing but fishermen.
This raid wasn't a small raid at all. To make things even more shocking were their target; they attacked a port city belonging to the Lamda Kingdom, a powerful kingdom that was a member of the Navy Alliance.
This was a city so fortified despite its size that even major pirate crews dared not touch it. However, the greenhorn, Captain Francis de Drake, and his crew had mercilessly bombarded it?
This could only mean one thing—Francis de Drake and the Golden Rat Pirates were not spies after all.
Why?
It was all because there was no way the Navy Alliance would sacrifice a city of the Lambda Kingdom just to prove a spy’s loyalty.
— Message from the Pirate Confederation.
Just then, a broadcast from the ship sent by the Pirate Confederation alerted all pirate ships in the vicinity.
— Captain Francis de Drake and the Golden Rat Pirates have successfully raided a city belonging to the Lambda Kingdom.
— Their identity and loyalty to the cause have been fully verified.
— Therefore, the Pirate Confederation formally recognizes Captain Francis de Drake as a true pirate.
— Verification of Captain Francis de Drake is now complete. Henceforth, the ban on attacking each other has been lifted.
With that, the ship from the Pirate Confederation sailed away, leaving the trailing pirate ships behind. There was nothing they could do now but watch as the Golden Rat Pirates plundered the fortified city that no pirate dared to touch.
***
At the same time, Siegfried was inside a private room within the city hall. He was in the middle of a secret meeting.
Who was he meeting? It was none other than King Leonid of the Lambda Kingdom, the legendary warrior king and a member of the continent’s Five Star Heavens.
“It’s a relief that I can finally repay my debt to you,” King Leonid said, recalling how Siegfried had rescued him from the Daedalus Underground Labyrinth. He was grateful even though Siegfried and his crew were currently bombarding his coastal city.
“No need to thank me,” Siegfried replied with a shrug.
“I’m truly grateful for this opportunity. It heavily weighed on me that I couldn’t even help you during your war against the Zavala Kingdom,” King Leonid admitted.
He wanted to come to the Proatine Kingdom’s aid at the time, but the internal affairs of the Lambda Kingdom prevented him from doing so.
Siegfried smiled warmly and replied, “It is all in the past. Besides, helping me now more than makes up for it.”
“If you say so…”
“Also, please do visit us sometime. Master Shakiro has returned,” Siegfried added.
“Oh? Is that true? Haha! I guess I will have to, then. It has been too long since I’ve last seen the old gang,” King Leonid said with a pleased smile.
They exchanged pleasantries for a while until it was time to leave. Siegfried turned to leave, but he paused and turned around.
“The citizens were evacuated safely, right?” he asked, sounding concerned.
“Of course. You don’t have to worry about that,” King Leonid replied confidently.
Relieved by the assurance, Siegfried left the city hall with light steps.
Chaos reigned in the streets. People screamed and fled, warning others to run and that the pirates were raiding.
However, they were all just paid actors, not civilians, and even the defending soldiers were merely disguised Adventurers. This was all part of the plan, and even every cannon shot had been precisely calculated to minimize damage.
‘Time to leave,’ Siegfried made his way to the harbor where the Golden Rat Pirates had already loaded fake cargo onto the Temeraire and were waiting for him.
“Let’s go to the Pirate Confederation,” Siegfried commanded as he boarded the ship.
Having passed the test and proved their loyalty as pirates, their next destination was to go and claim their entrance permit to enter the Green Isles.
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Just as they set sail from the harbor, a Nordic Marine urgently reported, “Enemy pirate ships spotted behind us, sir!”
“Hmm?”
Siegfried raised his spyglass and saw over twenty pirate ships closing in on them.
“So that’s how it is,” he flashed a mischievous grin.
The pirates trailing them had been waiting for this opportune moment to strike. Now that the verification was over, the ban on attacking other pirates was lifted.
In other words, the opportunists were now ready to pounce.
“Prepare for battle!” Siegfried commanded, grinning from ear to ear.
These scavengers had been avoiding him for the longest time, so he was delighted by their decision to come to him and offer themselves on a silver platter.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Cannon fire erupted as the enemy pirate ships opened fire.
“Let’s go, brother!” Lionbreath exclaimed, sounding excited and pumped up.
“All right!” Siegfried replied. Then, he spread out his +10 Black Crow Wingsuit and soared into the sky, carrying Lionbreath with him. They flew toward the approaching pirate ships, ready to make them pay the price for daring to go against them.
***
“...”
The Marshal General of the Allied Naval Command, Claude, found himself at a loss for words as he gazed at the scene before him. He usually had a calm and composed demeanor, but this time, his expression failed him as he was in sheer disbelief.
Twenty-two pirate captains and one corpse.
A total of twenty-three pirate captains stood—no, were sprawled out before him, right in the naval headquarters. It wasn't just their presence; their sheer numbers also left him reeling.
What made the situation even more shocking was the fact that two of these pirate captains were from major pirate crews. Their names were so infamous that they had been a thorn in the side of the allied navy for years, and their capture made this moment even more astounding.
“Did you say Captain Drake brought all of these pirates here?” Claude asked, shocked. His voice was steady, yet there were traces of awe in it.
“Yes, sir!” the aide confirmed with a sharp salute.
“Hmm…” Claude muttered, unable to hide his amazement.
The aide continued, “Captain Drake stated that, as a criminal who has attacked civilians, he could no longer enter the command base. Therefore, he sent them here using a speed boat instead.”
“Oh?”
“He also requested that the bounty rewards, payment for the captured slaves, and the funds from the seized pirate ships be loaded up in the same speed boat in gold and sent back to him.”
Claude narrowed his eyes. He considered whether to accept the request or not, but after a brief pause, he gave the order. “Fine. Send him the gold.”
“Yes, sir!”
As soon as he issued the command, Claude took a long swig of whiskey. The amber liquid traveled down his throat, leaving a slightly burning sensation. Then, his hand trembled slightly as he lowered the glass.
‘Unbelievable… He’s captured many pirates in one swoop. He has accomplished more than what the entire naval alliance has managed in decades, but the shocking part is that he did this in just a single month. Just who in the world are you, Francis de Drake…?’ Claude wondered.
Just then, the aide stepped forward again, breaking his train of thought.
“Sir…?” the aide said cautiously.
Claude raised an eyebrow and asked with a hint of annoyance, “What is it now?”
“I believe we may need to place a bounty on Captain Drake.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, sir. He’s now officially a criminal after he raided the port city of the Lambda Kingdom. It is likely he will soon be elevated to the status of a major pirate, and he may start entering the Green Isles.”
Claude rubbed his chin before replying, “Fine. Put a bounty on him.”
“Yes, sir!”
“But make sure to send this message to all of our men. Should they encounter the Golden Rat Pirates at sea, they must not engage with them rashly,” Claude said, his eyes sharp.
The aide blinked in surprise and asked, “Sir? But he has clearly committed crimes and is a pirate—”
“Captain Drake has wiped out twenty-three pirate crews in a single naval combat. There were two major pirate crews in that, too,” Claude interrupted. Then, he asked, “Do you want to take responsibility if our men suffer heavy casualties after provoking someone like him without proper preparation?”
“U-Understood, sir! I will send out the directive to all of our men at once!”
“Unless we’re absolutely sure of victory, it’s best to leave Captain Drake alone for now. He may…” Claude trailed off as he leaned in his chair. He hesitated for a brief moment, knowing that the next words he was about to say would be quite heavy, but he still continued, “...soon become a Pirate Lord.”
The aide’s eyes widened from shock, “A P-Pirate Lord, sir?”
Hearing the term spoken aloud made the aide recoil from sheer shock.
The Pirate Lord was no ordinary title, as this was only given to the strongest among pirates. They were the true rulers of the seas, outlaws who ruled over the Green Isles with an iron fist and absolute authority.
In other words, they were the kings of the lawless waters.
Each Pirate Lord possessed troops and fleets so vast they rivaled the naval power of a major powerhouse on the continent.
Even the bravest of naval officers knew that engaging with the fleets of a Pirate Lord meant courting disaster, as what would follow was losses too great to recover from.
The aide hesitated before speaking again, “B-But, sir? It does not seem likely that Captain Drake has intentions of expanding his forces and influence.”
“Hmm? Why not?”
“I looked into it, just in case, and it seems that he has not invested any of his gold into upgrading his pirate ships.”
“What did you say?!” Claude exclaimed, jumping up to his feet.
Any pirate crew that gained power and wealth would immediately reinvest their earnings into stronger ships, better weaponry, and a larger fleet.
This was the natural progression of a pirate.
However, Francis de Drake was not doing any of that? Then, where was all his gold going?
Whatever he was doing, it surely defied all logic.
Claude ran his hand across his face in frustration and grumbled, “This man… he’s impossible to understand…”
***
Meanwhile, Siegfried was enjoying the fruits of his labor. He hunted down every pirate who dared to pursue him, allowing him to amass an incredible fortune of five tons of gold.
He kept three tons for himself, a vast sum, and distributed the remaining two tons among Hamchi, Seung-Gu, Lionbreath, and the Nordic Marines. With that done, he set sail for the secret base of the Pirate Confederation to complete the quest "I’m the Pirate In Charge Here!"
[Alert: You have completed the Quest – I’m the Pirate In Charge Here!]
Upon arriving at the Pirate Confederation, Siegfried and his crew were handed green coins engraved with their names. Each pirate dropped a single drop of blood onto the coin as instructed and…
Swoosh!
The coins shone, and their surfaces shimmered with energy as they transformed into Green Isles Entry Tokens.
[Alert: You have obtained Green Isles Entry Token!]
With this, Siegfried was now a major pirate and had just secured his right to enter the Green Isles.
“How do I get to the Green Isles?” Siegfried asked after placing the coin in his pocket.
“Here you go,” the confederation official replied, handing him a magical map.
[Alert: You have obtained Pirate’s Map!]
Siegfried examined the map closely and asked, “What kind of map is this?”
“It’s a map that only the captain of a major pirate crew can possess and read. It will lead you to the Green Isles.”
“What do you mean only I can read it?”
“The map will not make any sense if you’re not the captain of a major pirate crew.”
“Really? That’s cool. Anyway, I got it.”
“You will also gain access to a special sea route.”
“A special sea route?”
“Head out to sea, and you’ll see for yourself.”
“All right, thanks.”
“Safe voyage, captain.”
After leaving the secret base, Siegfried boarded the Temeraire and unfurled the Pirate’s Map.
Seuruk… Seuruk…!
The chaotic lines scribbled all over the parchment suddenly rearranged themselves into an intricate map, revealing the location of the Green Isles.
Ding!
A message popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes, and a glowing green arrow hovered, pointing toward a specific direction.
[Alert: Try using the High-Speed Sea Route Passage!]
[Alert: By paying a toll fee, you can use the High-Speed Sea Route Passage!]