Five minutes later.
Edward stepped out of the tavern with Lilith sprawled lazily on his shoulder, drifting into sleep.
Trailing right behind him was One-Eyed Cage, his hands raised in surrender. Behind Cage stood Danitz, aiming a pistol at the man.
Gone was the carefree and cocky air Cage had held in the tavern just monts ago. Whether it was the gun pressed to his back or the mory of this innocent-looking young man effortlessly felling over a dozen pirates in re seconds, life and death unknown, Cage was now gripped by pure terror.
"Relax, hands down. No need to be so tense, Mr. Cage," Edward said with a friendly smile. "Allow to introduce myself. I'm Gehrman Sparrow, and I'm currently putting together my own fleet."
"I'd like you to take to your ship. It's docked at the harbour, right?"
Cage opened his mouth and replied ekly, "No, Mr. Sparrow…no pirate would dare dock their ship at Bayam's port. We all anchor a few nautical miles out and take a small boat ashore."
"I see. My ignorance," Edward said lightly. "Then please, Mr. Cage, lead the way."
He gestured to Danitz as he continued, "Ace has told that with ships like yours, small pirate vessels, you'd never leave shore without your first mate. That would be like instantly cutting the ship's strength in half."
"That's right. I ca to scout under orders."
"Perfect. I believe anyone who can resist the lure of a gold pouch, and knows when to advance or retreat, is certainly a smart man. And smart n always make smart choices."
Edward gently scratched Lilith's chin and smiled. "Don't you think so?"
"..."
A twisted grimace ford on Cage's face. He knew he had no other option.
He led the two (and the cat) through a winding trail toward a deserted, rocky shore on the south side of Bayam Island. There, from a bush-choked cave, he dragged out a hidden rowboat.
As soon as they got into the boat, he watched as the two people and one cat suddenly vanished right before his eyes.
His first thought wasn't that they had simply slipped away, but that they had used so sort of invisibility-based mystical ability. Though only a Sequence 9 Warrior, he had enough knowledge to recognise this was a power belonging to the higher mid-tier sequences.
This ti, the Iron Hook pirates was as good as done.
Praying the two would spare his life for cooperating, Cage rowed for his life like he was back performing in the "Red Theater."
———
[Aboard the Iron Hook Pirate Ship]
Iron Hook John lounged with his legs propped up in the captain's quarters, sipping on top-shelf malt beer—sothing only he had access to—while indulging in fantasies of his next big move.
As long as this job went through, the payout would be enough for him to live it up on land for at least half a year. And all he had to do was serve as a transport ship—far easier than gambling his life in brutal combat.
He downed the beer and shouted toward the deck, "Cage isn't back yet? Is he stuck on so wench's belly at the Red Theater again?"
"Hahahaha!"
The pirates on deck burst into laughter.
"He spends every coin he earns on won, every single ti."
Just then, a small boat slowly approached from a distance. The pirates quickly recognised it—it was the first mate returning. A rope ladder was thrown down without delay.
A few minutes later, One-Eyed Cage climbed onto the deck. To avoid suspicion, he forced a grin and shouted, "Miss , boys? Daddy's back!"
Bang!
Iron Hook John kicked open the door to the captain's quarters and marched out. "Well? What's the plan? Where to next?"
"Uh…"
Cage hesitated. "I...don't know."
"The hell you say?!"
Before the angry retort could even fully land, the ropes on the deck suddenly ca alive, writhing like snakes and whipping toward the pirates.
John's pupils contracted. He instantly realised sothing was wrong and bolted without a second thought.
"Flavie Duth!"
But before he could take more than a few steps, his body froze—and in the next second, he transford into a mangy mutt.
Within monts, the two to three dozen pirates aboard the ship, including Cage, were all tightly bound by chains.
"..."
Danitz swallowed hard.
He was finding Edward more and more incomprehensible. Sure, Danitz himself had the power to take out a couple dozen ordinary pirates—it wouldn't be too difficult. But the way Edward did it…was simply too bizarre.
Especially turning Iron Hook John into a flea-ridden dog—that was downright terrifying.
"All right, Ace. Line them up. We're picking out crew mbers."
"...…"
"…So the ship's stolen, and now the crew's being taken too?"
A fine example of starting a business from scratch!
Soon, twenty-three pirates stood lined up. Edward took a pistol from Danitz and walked up to the first one.
"What's your na?"
"A-Aaron."
"What's 1000 minus 7?"
"Huh?"
Bang!
A bullet pierced his skull, splattering red and white onto the man behind him.
"You took too long to answer."
Danitz flinched slightly. This clean, efficient way of killing people didn't match his impression of Edward at all. He had always seen Edward as a powerful but kind-hearted young man.
Why did it feel like he'd completely changed after setting sail?
Edward moved on to the next man.
"What's your na?"
"Howard."
"What's 1000 minus 7?"
"993!"
Bang!
Edward fired again, his face devoid of emotion. "You know too much."
Danitz was completely baffled. "???"
Third person.
"What's 1000 minus 7?"
"I-I don't know!!"
Edward nodded. "Go over there. I like honest people."
The man froze, then scrambled away, crawling on all fours, his face pale with terror.
Fourth person.
"What's 1000 minus 7?"
"I don't know."
Bang!
"I don't like repeated answers."
Danitz was stunned, frozen in place.
Edward continued down the line, asking the sa question again and again. By the ti he got to the last man, only seven pirates and one mangy dog were left—including one-eyed Cage.
Everyone looked at Edward in sheer horror, like they were staring at a lunatic.
Of course, Edward wasn't judging who to kill based on so random "What's 1000 minus 7" question. He was using Legilincy to determine their true natures. As long as the person wasn't guilty of heinous cris—murder, rape, pillaging, or worse—he let them live. Everyone else? Regardless of their answer, they were eliminated.
As he executed scum and refined his roleplaying, he loaded fresh orange-yellow bullets into his revolver, then casually tossed it to Danitz.
Danitz fumbled to catch it, muttering under his breath, "Watch it, that could go off!"—No matter what he thought of Edward before, seeing the man smiling as he casually slaughtered sixteen people had put him seriously on edge.
Edward glanced at the mangy dog locked in a cage—once the dreaded Iron Hook John—and casually hit him with another Transfiguration Spell.
Reading the minds of over twenty people had left Edward a bit drained, but he'd also gotten a full picture of the ship's background:
Just as Danitz had said, he Hook was the lowest rung of the pirate world—vicious and brutal, living off robbery and murder. Captain Hook John was scum among scum.
In recent years, life had gotten harder for pirates with the navy's growing strength. But half a year ago, John had suddenly started working for a big shot, acting as a middleman to move goods and profit from the difference.
Of course, he was only responsible for transportation—everything else was strictly off-limits. He didn't care what he was moving as long as it paid well.
Having pieced this all together, Edward incinerated the mangy dog with a blast of fire, turning him to ash. Then, under the frightened gazes of the remaining n, he stepped up and smiled faintly:
"Welco, everyone. You are the cream of the crop—my handpicked elite. Congratulations."
He began to applaud softly.
One-eyed Cage hurried to clap along, and the others, finally catching on, followed suit.
"Excellent. We're a family now. As long as I've got at, you'll never be short on soup. The good days are ahead."
The pirates exchanged nervous glances.
"Cage, here's your first assignnt: You have two days to recruit new people for . Doesn't matter if they're from an existing crew or drifters without a ship—as long as they're pirates and willing, bring them on."
"Yes…Mr. Sparrow."
"Call Captain."
"Yes, Captain!"
Edward nodded in satisfaction.
Cage hesitated before asking, "Um…Usually, when people recruit like this, they're prepping for a big expedition or a big job. If people ask, what should I tell them?"
Edward turned to Danitz. He imdiately nodded in understanding.
"Here's what you say: We're about to pull off a major score. With the money we make, we'll stock up and set off in search of the sunken Laurel, you know—the treasure ship that went down over a hundred years ago carrying millions of pounds."
Danitz's eyes lit up. "Captain, you really know where it is?"
Edward grinned, "Guess."
"..."
"Oh, right."
Edward suddenly added, "Everyone who joins us will get an imdiate 20—no,50 pounds as a signing bonus once they board."
He clapped his hands. "Alright, get to work. Ace—have them all give you a lock of their hair."
...I hate this stupid nickna!
"Aye, Captain."
———
Half an hour later.
Crack.
The two of them returned to Bayam. Danitz, having experienced Apparition for the first ti, felt dizzy and lightheaded. Thankfully, years on ships had left him well-acquainted with disorientation, and he recovered quickly.
But as he took in his surroundings, his eyes widened.
"You...you can teleport?"
"Can't have too many tricks up your sleeve."
At that mont, Lilith peeked out from Edward's arms and asked softly, "Edward, why didn't you let Miss Lilith do the killing earlier?"
"Well…you're still young…"
Lilith gave him a scornful look. "Lilith's killed more rats than you've killed people."
Ugh. An assassin cat with a taste for rats.
For her, killing seed like daily business—and there wasn't much difference between killing a man and killing a rat.
"Y-Your cat just spoke!"
Danitz stumbled backwards and pointed at Lilith in shock. "Wait—she's not soone you turned into a cat just to ss with as a pet, is she?"
Pet your ass.
Edward was speechless, then gave Danitz a once-over. "Now that you ntion it, you've given an idea. What would you like to turn into?"
"A human! Obviously!" Danitz didn't hesitate. "Captain, I'm your only crew mber right now. A human's way more useful than a dog or a cat!"
Lilith looked at him silently and said in a crisp, childlike voice, "Are you looking down on cats?"
Danitz: "…"
He had no idea what kind of being this cat was, but since it was nestled comfortably in Edward's arms, it had to be sothing special. Best to play dumb.
"Captain," he asked, "what exactly are you planning?"
Edward smiled. "Rember what I told you before we set sail? That I was going to beco a notorious pirate hunter?"
Danitz rolled his eyes. "You're looking more like a pirate king…"
"Instead of chasing pirates all over the seas, wouldn't it be better if they ca looking for ? That was your idea, wasn't it?"
Danitz: "..."
"So now I just need to stir up so noise. What do you think, Mr. 3000-pound Blazing Danitz?"
"Cough, cough—I go by Fire Fist Ace now!"
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps motivated.
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