"Impossible."
Seeing the increasingly dangerous expression creeping across the captain's weathered face, Grey maintained his composure and offered a wry smile. "We encountered Earth people who had wandered into our territory. We barely managed to send a carrier pigeon back to base before they attacked."
He gestured to his companions with a weary hand. "Only the four of us survived the assault. The base hasn't responded yet about sending a replacement delegation."
The captain's expression shifted from suspicion to surprise as Grey's explanation sank in. Without missing a beat, he barked an order to one of his subordinates. "Go notify the Dead Bones Pirates immediately. Tell them to send someone over here to verify these men's identities."
Azrael and his three companions kept their faces neutral when they heard the captain's order, though they were on high alert internally. Each of them was prepared to summon their cards at the first sign of trouble, ready to fight their way out and find another route to their destination.
The tension mounted until the minion returned with a middle-aged man, whose presence immediately changed the atmosphere.
Grey's serious demeanor melted away the moment he saw the newcomer. A genuine smile broke across his face as he strode forward and pulled the man into a bear hug. "Did the boss send you here personally?"
The visitor took a moment to study Grey's appearance before delivering a friendly punch to his chest. "Did those Earth bastards really leave you in such sorry shape?"
Relief washed over Azrael as he watched Grey interact with the stranger. What had seemed like their plan might collapse before it even began took an unexpected turn for the better.
Satisfied by the obvious recognition between the two men, the captain's guard dropped noticeably. "Good enough. If Dead Bones vouches for them, that's all I need to know. You're free to go."
Azrael and his companions fell in behind the newcomer as they left the bustling dock.
The captain's eyes narrowed as he watched the group of five disappear into the crowd. He turned to another subordinate with a calculating expression. "Go report everything that happened here to the higher-ups."
The minion scratched his head in confusion. "But Captain, didn't they check out fine?"
The captain's stare could have cut glass. "When I give you an order, you follow it. Save the questions for someone who cares to hear them."
"Yes, sir!"
What the captain didn't bother explaining to his subordinate was his careful reasoning. Whether or not the Dead Bones men were legitimate, he wouldn't have confronted them directly at the dock. If they were genuine, he'd have made enemies of the Dead Bones Pirates for nothing. If they were impostors, the handful of men stationed at the dock wouldn't stand a chance against killers capable of wiping out an entire ship's crew.
As they made their way toward the Dead Bones base, Grey released a long, tension-filled breath. "Thank the heavens it was you, Lewis. We would've had to fight our way out otherwise."
The middle-aged man, Lewis, chuckled at Grey's relief. "Great minds think alike, it seems."
He shifted his attention to Azrael and gestured toward the young man with amusement. "Speaking of which, have you started recruiting children for your team? This one looks barely old enough to shave! Old Zhou, I'm pretty sure using child labor violates several maritime codes."
Grey laughed despite himself and proceeded to carefully explain Azrael's background and circumstances to Lewis.
After hearing the full story, Lewis looked Azrael up and down with new understanding before clapping Grey on the shoulder. "You've got your work cut out for you, my friend."
Grey fell silent for a long moment, a shadow of melancholy crossing his features. "I've probably lost any real chance at revenge in this lifetime. Maybe the best I can do is help the association train the next generation."
Azrael, following behind them, felt a pang of confusion at the cryptic comment. Fortunately, Carl leaned close and whispered an explanation: "The captain's parents were killed by the Flesh King during the Demon Nest riots several years ago."
The Flesh King. Azrael's blood ran cold as he remembered that the original owner's parents had also perished in those same riots. The northeastern coastline of Velkairos City remained sealed off to this day, forbidden to all.
Someone had secretly captured photographs of the coastline. What had once been a normal shore had transformed into a grotesque dam made of writhing flesh and blood. The sea itself was no longer recognizable; instead, endless waves of organic matter crashed against the corrupted shore.
The group soon arrived at the Dead Bones stronghold.
As they pushed through the entrance, every pirate inside turned to scrutinize Azrael and his companions, displaying varying degrees of curiosity and suspicion.
The leader stepped forward, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Lewis, who exactly are these people?"
A strange expression of internal struggle flickered across his face for a moment.
Almost immediately, a humanoid ghost materialized beside him and breathed softly in his ear.
The struggling expression vanished instantly, replaced by boisterous laughter. "Well, I'll be damned! You actually survived an encounter with those Earth devils. I'll make sure Boss hears about your resilience when I report back."
Azrael was no fool; he immediately recognized that the spectral figure was Lewis's card and that it specialized in hypnosis or illusion magic. This was undoubtedly how Lewis had managed to infiltrate the Dead Bones organization in the first place.
Grey and the others nodded appreciatively as Lewis's gentle prompting guided their response. "We're grateful for your support, Boss Moji. We won't let you down."
Just like that, the four of them seamlessly blended into the pirate crew.
Soon enough, it was time for the much-anticipated pirate assembly.
The entire group of pirates followed Moji to the designated meeting location.
Under normal circumstances, such high-level gatherings wouldn't require the presence of common pirates. However, the bosses of the various pirate factions were too paranoid to attend in person and instead sent their most trusted lieutenants as representatives.
Still, they worried about potential betrayal from their lieutenants, so they sent spies to monitor the representatives.
Then, fearing collusion between the spies and the representatives, they sent more spies to watch the first group of spies.
This cycle of suspicion had inflated what should have been a small meeting into a considerable gathering.
The Black Flag Pirates were the sole exception to this paranoid system because they were hosting the entire assembly.
This web of distrust provided the perfect opportunity for Azrael and his team to slip into the crowd unnoticed.
Upon reaching the meeting venue, Moji took his place on the elevated platform reserved for the lieutenants. Common pirates like Azrael could only observe from the floor below.
Representatives from Rose and Night Owl arrived shortly after, and the tension in the room became immediately apparent.
The three pirate factions clearly harbored deep animosity toward each other. The moment the Rose and Night Owl representatives appeared, all three groups began hurling insults and accusations at each other.
The chaos continued until the unmistakable presence of Black Flag's leader silenced the room entirely.
A one-eyed man with a bare, scarred torso and a flowing black coat strode purposefully onto the platform.
The representatives of all three pirate groups immediately bowed their heads in respectful submission. "Boss Moore," they said in unison.
This was Moore, the legendary leader of Black Flag. He swept his gaze across the assembled pirates before settling on Moji with an almost predatory smile. "Let's begin."
Grey's pupils contracted sharply upon seeing Moore in person.
Silver level?!
No, not quite there yet, but dangerously close.
His mental powers could sense the oppressive aura radiating from Moore, and he analyzed the threat level with practiced calm.
On the platform, absolute silence fell as Moore's presence dominated the space.
He leaned back casually, supporting his chin with one hand while examining his fingernails with apparent boredom. "What's the matter? Did you all suddenly lose your tongues?"
The Rose representative swallowed hard, feeling the crushing pressure emanating from Moore, which was several times more intense than anything his own boss could produce. Steeling himself, he spoke through gritted teeth. "The Rose Pirates can accept the terms you've proposed, Boss Moore. But there's still one critical question that needs answering."
He turned to glare at the Night Owl representative with undisguised hostility. "I want this Night Owl bastard to explain something right here, right now!"
His voice rose to a shout. "Why did my men report seeing Earth people traveling with your crew?"
In the crowd below, Azrael and his companions felt their hearts skip a beat at the mention of Earth people. Then they realized the accusation was directed at Night Owl, not them. They exchanged confused glances.
What the hell?!
The revelation sent shockwaves through every pirate present, and the room erupted into chaos.