The burning of the city gates affects the fish in the pond.

Although during this period, the main focus of the "Tulip" Navy has been on the more than two hundred pirate ships on the wanted list, the regular pirates have also had a tough time under the large-scale hunt and collateral action.

Among them is our old friend: "Iron Bone William" gentleman.

The moonlight was dim, and near an overcast sea, a black sail pirate ship was slowly sailing with its sails half-open.

"Puh! It's all because of that dead fat pig that we missed the window of opportunity to leave the Black Sea East Coast.

Now it's bad, not only are there navy warships all over the sea, but even in neutral ports, these 'Lobster Soldiers' are swaggering around!

Making it so that even having a peaceful drink is a luxury for us!"

After nearly two months of hiding at sea, they were finally caught by a large group of "Lobster Soldiers" armed with firearms in a warm tavern at a neutral port, and then driven back to sea.

Like dogs with nowhere to go, how could the pirates have anything nice to say? No wonder he even voiced the pirates' derogatory name for the kingdom's army firearms soldiers.

Even after getting far from the neutral port, standing at the helm personally controlling the "Iron Bone," William was still indignant, raising the glass beside him and taking a mighty gulp.

"Ah! Captain, you're holding my glass!"

The muscular young man with bronze skin behind him looked at the empty glass helplessly.

Their crew had just docked and entered a tavern at the neutral port, without getting a chance to restock on liquor, they were surrounded by a group of "Lobster Soldiers" and barely escaped back to the ship.

And that little bit in the cup might be the last of the liquor they could taste on "Iron Bone" for a while.

"Don't worry about such details, this is an insult to the 'Iron Bone' and me, Captain William!

Bringing you deadweights on shore made me escape with you, next time I meet their navy at sea, I'll teach them a harsh lesson!"

Even as a pirate, our Mr. William couldn't change his straightforward way of speaking.

Looking at it this way, being forced to leave the military when his rank was low might not be a bad thing, otherwise offending the navy higher-ups could lead to more than just becoming a pirate.

But on the "Iron Bone," you're the boss, whatever you say goes...

"Deadweights...?"

"Cough cough cough...!"

The muscular young man with bronze skin was instantly petrified, while the first mate who had just been rescued with a beautiful briarwood pipe in his mouth was choked by smoke, trying to suppress the urge to cough and lower his presence, quietly sneaking away from the captain.

'Captain, speaking like that risks being thrown onto a deserted island while you sleep, you know?'

Ignoring the crew's injured pride, leaving tears in silence, "Iron Bone William," who never wanted to be involved in trouble, was racking his brains to think about where to go next.

'I have no path to the New Continent, nor am I familiar with trade routes...'

'Maybe I should hide in a pirate's private port that I'm familiar with? The funds on "Iron Bone" should support us for a while, right?'

It was then.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!...

Amidst the abrupt sound of springs ejecting, four gold-blue watermelon-sized "spheres" flew from nowhere, tracing a parabolic path and smashing onto the deck of the "Iron Bone."

"What the hell is this?"

Before the pirates could react.

Hiss——

In an eerie insect hum, the four "spheres" that caused no damage to the pirate ship unfurled their curled bodies, extending countless fine limbs to transform into four oddly shaped beetles, lunging at the sailors who had come to check.

Ah——

The beetles moved so fast they almost left afterimages, easily catching up to the turning and scattering pirates, opening their menacing mouths, diving into their backs and exiting from their chests, devouring the organs within the blink of an eye.

Clang——

A courageous pirate swung a scimitar, feeling great resistance as he barely pierced the shell without dealing a fatal blow. He was then pounced upon by a gold-blue beetle that sprang into the air, dying a miserable death at the insect's maw.

Only when three pirates formed a formation and cooperated could they barely entangle with a single bug.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!....

The sound of springs ejecting continued incessantly.

More and more strange beetles were launched onto the "Iron Bone". They not only chased the crew but also began to gnaw on the masts, sails, rigging, and even the metal structures!

Their appetite was surprisingly large.

However, "Iron Bone William" no longer had time to deal with the chaos on the ship because he had finally discovered the enemy's tracks.

Less than fifty meters away on the sea from the "Iron Bone", under the dim moonlight, a gigantic battleship with black sails, illusory to the extreme like a faint shadow, was cruising parallel to them.

On its deck, ten catapults were lined up, continuously launching "Insect Balls" one after another.

Vaguely making out the appearance of that battleship, William's face instantly turned ashen, biting his teeth as he spat out a name: "Skeleton Tomb! Great Pirate Basem!"

Basem was a very mysterious Tier 2 Peak Transcendent who had been roaming the seas for years.

When he first appeared on the sea, he rode a powerful pirate ship transformed from a Level 3 battleship, causing all pirates and even those aware of him among the navy to be extremely envious!

Moreover, it is rumored that he possesses a very bizarre "Ocean Treasure" in his hands, which allows him to transform into an "Illusory Ghost" at night with the "Ghost Cloak".

Through various signs and speculations, many people suspected that there was a major force backing him, making them very wary and avoiding provocation if possible.

Of course, they also hoped that this guy wouldn't provoke them!

William had seen many powerful pirates and navy forces; though Basem was strong in power and resources, it wasn't the main reason that moved him.

The most terrifying aspect of this guy was the fact that there wasn't a single living person on his ship; all crew members were some kind of eerie "Corpse Monsters"!

There were even rumors that this guy had a penchant for hunting and obtaining the bodies of strong individuals, with people swearing that the disappearance of several renowned figures at sea was linked to him.

"That bastard, has he set his sights... on me?!"

Imagining himself turning into one of those freakish ugly "Corpse Monsters", even with William's rebellious arrogance he couldn't help but shiver instantly.

....

Approaching the open sea, Storm Cape Sea Region.

In the early hours, as the distant horizon just started to reveal some light, a not-so-intense battle had already ended.

"Tch! Pauper!"

"Tch! Pauper!"

Jumping back onto the "Conch" from a single-masted sloop flying a pirate flag, Aiven spat out to express his "sincere" dissatisfaction with these pirates' financial condition.

Milan stood beside him and spat as well.

Not bothering with this guy's idle antics, Aiven turned to inquire about their harvest from Borg, the First Mate standing behind who had completed tallying the spoils: "Mr. Borg, so far, how have we fared?"

"Captain, previously the wealth harvested from the 'Big Thumb', valued at eight thousand Golden Lions, was our biggest loot.

Over the next month, although we blocked three more pirate ships, they were all small-time ones with bounties less than a thousand. One wasn't even on Ilya's wanted list and couldn't be exchanged for merit."

The First Mate looked up at the captain's expressionless face, dared not stall his report, and quickly added, "Adding today's gains, our total bounty accumulated is 6800 Golden Lions. The direct loot value exceeds ten thousand."

"Hm, I understand. You can get busy now."

"Yes, Sir!" Unable to discern the captain's mood from his tone, the First Mate saluted and immediately retreated.

Aiven looked at the faint morning light in the distance, his face darkened as he muttered to himself:

"There's still about a month left until the mission deadline, but our luck doesn't seem good, and our rank has already fallen from first to third.

If any accident happens before this final month is up, we might even drop beyond sixth place and lose the nearly secured 'Navy New Star' qualification."

To obtain priority in the first-round choice of the treasure list and surely secure the "Golden Compass", Aiven had to achieve first place.

The urgency of the mission left Aiven with no room to pause.

"By now, most pirates who took part in the 'White Whale Port Massacre' have gotten the news; some ventured to the sea afar, while others simply hid, blocking people on main routes is unrealistic."

Thus, time was pressing, and he finally decided to play his trump card!

Gazing at Major Milan Snite leaning against the gunwale nearby, a hint of smile finally broke on Aiven's face.

"It's decided, Milan Snite!"

'Bring a big catch aboard the Conch!'

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