Chapter 56

The MVP of that day was, of course, Admiral Gian.

There could be no disagreement after witnessing him sweep away pirates with a hammer in hand.

If there were a custom of carving kill marks here, two pirate ships would have been carved on Admiral Gian’s hammer.

Ah.

We failed to catch Orman.

Orman, deciding he couldn’t win the fight, fled for his life.

He was a very smart fellow.

The pirates who were not as smart or quick-footed all went on an undersea tour.

Considering the damage Orman suffered, he probably wouldn’t be able to cause trouble at sea for a while.

It was time to catch a breath after the battle ended.

Eleonor approached.

“Sir Gryph, a message from the Calcio.”

“What is it?”

“Admiral Gian wishes to come aboard and have a talk. But there’s a bit of a problem.”

“What problem?”

“He’s already on board.”

Where Sir Eleonor pointed, Admiral Gian stood, covered in blood.

Whether the soldiers were terrified by the admiral’s sudden appearance or not, Admiral Gian smiled brightly, reeking of blood.

“Hey! You should have stopped him!”

“Me? How?”

“……”

Normally, one shouldn’t come aboard without the captain’s permission, but the status of an allied admiral transcended all customs.

“Sweeping away pirates for the first time in a while feels extremely refreshing. Good work. And congratulations on the victory.”

“Not at all. You worked much harder than I did, Admiral.”

“Well, enough with the pleasantries. Sir Gryph. You still have the strength to sail, right?”

“Of course, I have enough. This is just the first battle.”

“Then let’s patrol a little more and go back. My body is just starting to warm up.”

From that day on, the pirates near Fasa were wiped out.

***

The specialty of the Golden Sea was pirates.

Recently, slaves of pirate origin and captured cargo were following close behind, but the status of pirates as a specialty was unshakable.

The reason there were so many pirates in the Golden Sea was simple.

While it was a major traffic route for Western trade, there were also countless islands that could be used as bases in between.

People who recognized the potential for a new business flocked to the Golden Sea with swords in hand.

As a result, the Golden Sea became a melting pot of races.

Here, pirates worked in unison towards the goal of treasure, without distinction of race or faith (though there was no lack of discrimination).

In a way, the pirates could be said to be the antithesis of the Black Company founded by Leon.

They were as alike as twins.

This was even more so in that both pursued treasure but were each other’s most dangerous enemies.

So it was not strange for the pirate captains to hold a meeting to discuss the recent events in the Golden Sea.

***

A meeting of pirate captains was held on the coast of a nameless island in the Golden Sea.

The attendees were the four of the five pirates of the Golden Sea, excluding Tospol.

“Where’s Tospol? Didn’t you contact him?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he drowned in Halifa. Who cares. In the first place, that heinous ogre bastard would just spoil the mood if he joined.”

“That’s true.”

The pirate captains all agreed.

They were rather glad that Tospol didn't come.

In fact, it was very rare for the pirate captains to hold a meeting.

It was a time of prosperity.

Where was the time to gather when they were each busy with their own business?

Originally, these pirates were not on friendly enough terms to meet and exchange greetings, apart from the commonality of being in the same line of work.

But this time, the story was different.

The danger was growing.

“How’s everyone doing these days?”

“What’s the point of asking? Not good.”

“Those damn Black Legion bastards. They were a headache enough, but now they’ve dragged in the Levonan dwarves.”

“Because of that cunning bastard named Leon Gryph, it’s been hard to make a living these days. Nothing is going right.”

“Last time, over a dozen of our ships were hit.”

The pirate captains complained about the recent events in the Golden Sea.

When Fasa first announced they were founding a mercenary company, they had laughed, thinking the Fasa merchants must have eaten some bad food.

But as time passed, their thoughts changed.

These crazy bastards were clearly on something.

Did it make sense for so-called merchants to choose plunder instead of trade?

And they weren’t even looting the ships of other nations like pirates did, but were selectively looting only the pirates.

The pirates were slightly taken aback by the idea that no sane person could come up with. (They were never scared. If they were, they would be looked down upon by their competitors.)

Moreover, that wasn't the only headache.

Recently, the activity pattern of the mercenary fleet had changed in a strange way.

The mercenary fleet no longer roamed around openly.

Instead, they would hide and wait until pirates plundered the merchant ships of other nations, and when the plunder was about to end, they would pop out and snatch the spoils.

It was a method developed to obtain ‘legitimate’ captured cargo.

After all, what kind of person would a person without a desire for improvement be?

But to the pirates, it was nothing more or less than an act of madness.

Now, among the pirates of the Golden Sea, the Black Company was notorious under the name of the Black Legion.

“I’ve never seen guys like this in my life. Pirates who rob pirates.”

“Technically, they’re not pirates.”

“But they’re worse than pirates, aren’t they? What is there for them to rob from us? Really. Old man Yoken, do you have any good ideas?”

The pirate captains looked at one person.

Yoken, the most seasoned of the five pirates of the Golden Sea.

Yoken was one of the early figures who recognized the potential of the pirate business in the Golden Sea and jumped in first.

Therefore, the pirates calling the middle-aged Yoken an old man was a sign of respect.

However, what the pirates valued was not Yoken’s military prowess or strategy, but his survivability.

The people who jumped into the pirate business around the same time?

They all went to the gallows or became fish food.

Only Yoken had survived until now and built up his power.

And Yoken had an answer.

“There is one. And that is for us to join forces.”

“We form an alliance?”

At the future Yoken presented, the pirate captains looked at each other as if it were preposterous.

What on earth could they trust these pirate bastards with to fight together?

That was the extent of their feelings.

“They formed an alliance, so why can’t we? Do you want to suffer at their hands and all die like this?”

“Well, that’s a bit.”

“It’s a bit much to do it with these guys. What can we trust to join forces?”

Yoken roared.

Yoken roared.

“Are you still going to bicker even when you’re driven to such a cliff’s edge? If we’re going to die anyway, shouldn’t we do something before we die?”

Yoken beat his chest in frustration, but the pirate captains pretended not to know and just pouted their lips.

Being in the same industry meant, in other words, that they were competing with each other.

No matter how wide the Golden Sea was, grudges were bound to form.

Until those grudges were resolved, it was nearly impossible for the pirate captains to reconcile.

“Isn’t there another way? You know, old man Yoken, we’re not on such good terms.”

“Then there’s only one way left. And that is to leave the Golden Sea.”

“Leave the Golden Sea? What kind of nonsense is that?”

“You bastards. Levona and Fasa have already cooperated. Do you think the other countries will just stand by? Do you really think we’ve survived this long because we’re so great?”

Yoken’s words hit the mark.

Since it wasn't entirely wrong, the pirates paused, and the atmosphere of the place became serious.

However, it was not as easy as it sounded.

“No matter what, leaving this sea is a bit much.”

“Right, right. There’s no sea as rich in prey as the Golden Sea.”

“It doesn’t make sense that we have to leave just because of some navy bastards.”

The pirate captains hesitated.

They couldn’t leave for another sea, even if it was a waste of the time they had spent establishing themselves until now.

No matter how successful they were as pirates in the Golden Sea, if they went to another sea, they would have to start all over from the beginning.

And the pirate industry was not particularly generous to newcomers.

The existing pirate captains would not stand by and watch a new competitor be born.

Just as they had done.

Because of this, the pirate captains tried to ignore reality.

It was then.

“I wondered what these bastards were doing gathered here, but were you really whining that you’re scared of the navy bastards? You cowardly bastards. If you’re going to be like that, you should cut off your dicks.”

At the sudden gruff voice, the pirate captains all frowned in unison.

Because they knew the owner of that voice.

“Tospol.”

From behind them, a giant ogre appeared, smiling mischievously.

It was the notorious pirate, Tospol, who spread disaster throughout the Golden Sea.

Tospol approached, tearing at a roasted deer leg.

“Old man Yoken is all old now. If you’re just going to say that kind of stuff, you should just retire.”

“Damn Tospol. Didn’t you die in the market of Halifa?”

“Khuhu. The women there may be charming, but they’re not as charming as treasure. And do you think I’d die that easily, you idiots?”

Tospol, instead of asking for permission or demanding his place, simply squeezed in between the captains.

The other captains made uncomfortable faces, but Tospol didn't care.

One couldn't become a good pirate captain by paying attention to others' gazes one by one.

Yoken stared at Tospol.

“I never invited you, so how did you know to come here?”

“I beat up a few guys on the way, and they spilled everything. They said something was being plotted here, didn't they? So how could I miss out?”

“Damn it, why on earth did you come here?”

“To laugh at you. I heard you got completely thrashed while I was away.”

Orman’s face, who had been thrashed to the bone by the Fasa-Levona fleet a while ago, crumpled.

Even though he fought using a decoy and ambush tactic that didn't even work, his pirate flotilla was completely defeated.

Remembering that, Orman was in a bad mood and shot back.

“Tospol, you also got your base thrashed by a kid.”

It was a remark made to anger Tospol, but Tospol didn't flinch.

“Khuhu. I can recover that much by just robbing a few passing ships. And the ones they faced were my subordinates, not me. Now that I’m here, the situation will be different. Why don’t you talk after looking at your own state?”

“Kuk.”

“I came back from having a good time in the market of Halifa, and what is this state of affairs? It’s a complete mess. No matter how much of a pirate you guys are, how can you be beaten like this by a mere kid, and yet you can’t even join forces because of your pride?”

At Tospol’s roar, the pirate captains couldn't say anything and shut their mouths.

Because he wasn't wrong.

However, because of that damn arrogance and his attitude of looking down on everyone, they couldn’t like Tospol even if he was saying the right thing.

“Then what alternative do you have?”

“There’s only one way! Of course, it’s to fight. Or what, are you going to foolishly let the sea be taken away?”

“So what do you want us to do? Ask for help?”

“No, you don’t have to do that, just don’t interfere with what I’m doing. That’s what I came here to say.”

Tospol confidently looked around at the pirate captains.

He smiled, revealing his sharp teeth.

The pirate captains suddenly felt a wave of anxiety creep up their spines.

“What on earth have you done?”

“I haven’t done anything yet.”

It meant he was about to.

Tospol left the meeting place with only those words.

The remaining four pirates sat blankly for a moment before snapping to their senses.

“Old man Yoken, what should we do about this?”

“Why are you asking me, damn it?”

“It’s a bit much to say this, but you’re smart, old man. I was thinking maybe you’d have another way.”

“I don’t know. Tospol’s return wasn’t in my calculations.”

It was clear what Tospol would do, given his personality.

He would surely do something that would make his opponent feel both anger and fear at the same time.

They didn't want to get caught in the crossfire by being next to him.

But at the same time, the pirate captains felt a kind of hope.

‘Maybe that bastard can defeat the Black Legion?’

No matter how much of a beast Tospol was, he was, for now, on the pirates’ side.

The pirate captains placed their hopes on that.

“Tospol said not to interfere, so I’m just going to stay put. I’ll join in while watching the situation.”

“I think that’s a wise decision too.”

“Come on, let’s go back.”

For that very reason, the meeting that day ended anticlimactically.

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