LRAB Chapter 287 Pirate Pact
Chapter 287 Pirate Pact
Chapter 287 Pirate Pact
Sometimes, the world changes faster than people realize.
In just a few months, the landscape of the ocean has undergone a complete transformation.
With the fall of the navigator, the desperate division between pirates and righteous men on the seas, which had been a north-south divide, was completely annihilated.
Instead, the virtuous became the dominant force.
If the reasons for things turning out this way are not clarified, Suraj's operations in the Sea of Despair and the New World will be severely hampered by intelligence.
Therefore, he decided that he had to investigate thoroughly.
According to available information, Spade Island is the largest island in the Clown Islands.
In the very center of Spade Island stands a two-story wooden house, which is considered the most impressive building on the island.
It is said that it was once the navigator's private residence.
The navigator was the greatest villain of his time, but among pirates, he was a star revered by all.
The pirates now gathered in the Clown Islands include not only the navigator and members of the talkative crew, but also other pirates.
However, Suraj wasn't quite sure who these people were, as he knew very little about the common knowledge of the pirate world.
All he knew was that, besides the navigator and the gossip, there were six other equally notorious pirates, collectively known as the Eight Leaders.
Now that the navigator and the gossip are dead, the remaining six leaders have become the new masters of this archipelago.
If that's the case, why allow the warships of upright people to freely travel through this sea area?
And if the new masters are decent people, they would also be unable to tolerate pirates roaming around their bedside.
This contradictory situation struck Suraj as unbelievable.
He suddenly remembered that the lame craftsman had said that the talkative Benson was a traitor.
What traitor?
A traitor from the Clown Islands? A traitor among pirates?
This conclusion is unclear, and it seems that in order to grasp the new landscape of the Sea of Despair, he must investigate from the beginning.
According to the locals, Plum Blossom Island is the most densely populated place, with taverns and brothels making up half of the islands.
To gather intelligence, one must naturally go to the most crowded places.
Therefore, Suraj rented a small boat and asked the boatman to take him to Plum Blossom Island.
Some time later, Suraj arrived at Plum Blossom Island.
As soon as he got ashore, he saw a huge ship stranded on the shore ahead.
The ship was entirely black, with a ram's head at the bow, but it had a horrifying wound on its side.
It's been damaged like this, so it's really destined to be scrapped.
This was the largest ship Suraj had ever seen. Although the Federation also had several four-masted sailing ships, none were as imposing as this one.
Suraj could imagine that this ship must have had a glorious past.
But it's most likely a pirate ship, or perhaps "ugly" would be a more accurate description.
Suraj went down to the bottom of the boat and found a sign nailed to the gap, with strange patterns carved on it.
He couldn't understand the meaning of the sign, but based on the patterns on the wine glasses, he guessed that this must be a tavern.
Suraj went inside and was immediately greeted by a scantily clad woman.
After being introduced to the restaurant, Suraj learned that it was called "Black Goat Restaurant" and was the island's signature restaurant.
Suraj ordered a beer and a piece of grilled meat, found a crowded spot, and sat down to eat.
A man dressed in a federal military officer's uniform was having a pleasant conversation with a pirate in a coarse cloth shirt.
Such a scene would have been something Suraj only ever saw in his nightmares in the past.
Could this really be a dream?
However, the two only talked about women, and then discussed chess.
Suraj turned to listen to the conversations of the others, but they were either talking about the navigator's treasure trove or complaining about the new "pirate pact," and no one was discussing the issues that concerned Suraj.
Having no other option, Suraj had to ask:
"Brother, what happened on this island?"
A man with an arrow scar on his neck glared menacingly at Suraj.
"What? What?"
"I heard this used to be the territory of the Navigators, but now the people on this island are a mixed bag, with people from all sorts of factions. What happened?"
The man asked, "Who are you?"
"A businessman," Suraj replied.
"Then you must be an incompetent businessman," the man sneered. "I've heard that making money in business requires keen intelligence, but you don't even know something this important, hahaha~"
The people around him joined in making fun of Suraj.
But Suraj didn't care: "I've been sailing desperately at sea lately, wasting too much time in the middle of the ocean, so I haven't been able to get the latest information."
"So you want us to tell you the information for nothing?"
Upon hearing this, Suraj understood the other party's implication and immediately took out ten small silver coins and placed them in front of them.
The man picked up the coin, weighed it in his hand, then grinned and asked:
"What do you want me to tell you?"
“Let’s start from the beginning,” Suraj replied curtly.
This man, who called himself Bower, was the owner of a pirate ship and formerly belonged to the navigator's fleet.
The navigator died in the gloomy sea.
He inadvertently walked into a circle of upright people and ultimately failed to escape.
It is said that he single-handedly destroyed a hundred ships belonging to righteous people, and once cleaved an enemy warship in two with a single axe blow.
Unfortunately, the righteous men had five hundred ships, and the navigator eventually exhausted himself and was assassinated by a despicable assassin. This legendary pirate finally met his end.
When Bauer spoke of this past event, his tone was full of pride and regret. Suraj couldn't help but think that the navigator's prestige among the pirates was truly high.
However, Suraj remained skeptical of the other party's statement.
He believed the Navigator was a formidable warrior, but Suraj found it hard to imagine, and even harder to believe, that he was so magically strong.
"But in reality, that's not the case."
Suraj did not expect that Bauer would immediately change his tune and personally deny his previous statement.
He couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"
"The navigator wasn't killed by the assassin; he was still breathing," Bauer said. "The leader's two gold coin ships successfully broke out of the encirclement and began their return journey."
"But the fact remains that the navigator is dead," Suraj asserted.
Otherwise, the Clown Islands would not be what they are today.
"That's because that traitor talked too much and got the leader killed!"
Bauer said with a face full of resentment,
"The talkative Benson, who had held the position of leader for a long time, took advantage of the navigator's weakness, pulled out a knife, and killed the navigator who was lying in bed unable to resist."
"You should know that Benson's current position is entirely due to the support of the Navigator. Otherwise, with his incompetent abilities, how could he have become one of the eight leaders and be on par with the Navigator?"
"He's inhuman! Pirates are all scoundrels, but Benson is the worst of them all! Ugh! I'm ashamed to be associated with him."
Suraj asked, "Where's the evidence?"
"Upon their return to the Joker Islands, Benson immediately ordered the execution of all the pirates who had accompanied them. If he had nothing to hide,..."
Why would he do that? He's just feeling guilty and trying to cover up his crimes!
Suraj immediately noticed the flaw in the man's words: "If he executed everyone, how would you know so much detail?"
“Not everyone, three people were spared,” Bauer said. “One of them was a shipwright, an old friend of the chief and the former owner of this Black Goat restaurant, but he sailed away alone in the Two Gold Coins, and no one could get a word in with him.”
"In other words, this information did not come from the shipwright."
Bauer nodded: "The other one is a congenital intellectual disability; you can't get anything out of him."
"Then the information could only have come from a third party."
“That’s right,” Bauer nodded. “This man is named Cyril, and like me, he is a captain under the Lord Demon. It was he who exposed the crime of being talkative.”
"To be honest, I used to look down on Cyril; he used to be a gigolo—"
"...A duck?" Suraj couldn't help but interrupt.
"It means smuggler. Pirates never look down on smugglers," Bauer said. "But since he wasn't swayed by the threats and inducements of others and was willing to risk revealing the truth, I admire him for that."
"What did Cyril do?"
Bauer then told Suraj what Cyril had done after returning to the Clown Islands with the talkative Benson.
Upon returning to port, Duozui summoned all the captains of the two fleets in the name of the navigator and used force to subdue them.
Under his threat, all the captains were forced to admit that the Talkative One was the new master of the Clown Islands.
He also brought most of the ships under the Navigator's command under his own banner.
Then he immediately elected Cyril to take his place as the second-in-command of the Clown Islands, succeeding the navigator as the new pirate leader.
In the end, Benson's plot succeeded in all its parts.
After stabilizing the situation in the Clown Islands, Benson immediately dispatched a ship north to Goddess Island.
No one knew Benson's purpose, but for now he was the one in charge of the Clown Islands, and all the captains had no choice but to obey.
Bauer was one of the captains who was asked to accompany the ship, and thus he witnessed the actions that followed his loose tongue.
Benson led his fleet directly across the Corrupted Sea, causing two pirate ships to sink.
At this point, Bauer couldn't help but sarcastically remark that Benson was a complete commander and leader.
Upon arriving near Goddess Island, Bauer learned that a large-scale naval battle was taking place there.
A combined fleet of righteous men is clashing head-on with the fleets of the six pirate leaders around Goddess Island.
Both sides had three-digit numbers of ships.
This was an unprecedented naval battle.
Bauer also realized that the pirates were clearly at a disadvantage.
Pirates have more experience in naval warfare than upright people, but in terms of equipment, supplies, and the level of their commanders, they are far inferior to their opponents.
Moreover, those righteous people can also use supernatural powers!
If the battle continues, the six leaders will ultimately be utterly defeated.
However, Duozuo did not come here to offer support or take advantage of the chaos.
He took the initiative to contact the other pirate leaders and convened a meeting on Goddess Island overnight.
Bauer was not qualified to attend the meeting; he simply stood guard outside the wooden house at the foot of the rocky peak on Goddess Island.
The meeting lasted all night, as did the naval battle.
That night alone, the pirates lost nearly twenty ships.
The next day, everyone had dark circles under their eyes, but their eyes were determined.
Then, the pirates abandoned Goddess Island and followed Benson across the Corrupted Sea back to the Clown Islands.
To rashly cross the corrupt waters would be an extremely foolish decision.
The mighty fleet lost half of its ships while passing through the area.
When they arrived at the Clown Islands, only about fifty ships remained.
Two pirate leaders also perished in the attack.
From this perspective, the ocean is still fair.
Ultimately, only Riley, Raymond, Nelson, and Elvis were the pirate leaders who arrived at the Clown Islands.
It was only at this moment that Bauer realized that Do-Talk wanted to open up the Clown Islands and turn it into a second pirate homeland.
But at that moment, Cyril suddenly announced Benson's crimes.
"That's when I realized that Cyril had been holding back all along," Bauer exclaimed. "Originally, the Talkative One was all-powerful in the Clown Islands, but by then there were several leaders here who could completely keep the Talkative One in check."
"And then?"
"The Talkative Angrily accused Cyril of being the traitor, a treacherous villain, and a faithless bastard, but he was clearly referring to himself. With the support of the remaining four leaders, Cyril planned to settle scores with the Talkative."
"Cyril was sensible enough to hand the opportunity back to the captains who were originally under the navigator's control, and we all agreed to let fate decide the fate of those who talk too much."
"If we each stab him in the back and he survives, it means that Poseidon has forgiven him, and then we will acknowledge Benson's status, and he can continue to be the leader of the Clown Islands."
Suraj knew the outcome: "He didn't persevere."
“Yes,” Bauer smirked, “the final blow was delivered by Cyril; he aimed for Benson’s heart.”
Upon hearing this, Suraj felt that the pirate named Cyril must be extremely loyal to the navigator, which was why he was so angry about Benson's betrayal. Therefore, he had no intention of leaving the talkative one any chance of survival.
"However," Bauer suddenly spoke up, "there is something strange about this place."
"What?"
"I was in front of Cyril in line, so I was standing right next to him when he stabbed me, and I heard Cyril say something strange before he did it."
"Tell me about it?"
Cyril said, "I will only accept the best course of action."
"The best strategy? What does that mean?"
"Nobody knows," Bauer shrugged. "It's probably related to the Navigator's murder."
Suraj didn't press further, simply nodding and inquiring about the current situation:
"But that doesn't explain the current situation on the Clown Islands."
"After the talkative one died, the remaining five started vying for power, but to be fair, Cyril was truly ruthless," Bauer sighed. "What happened?"
"Raymond and Elvis only threatened Cyril once, and without saying a word, Cyril pulled out his bow and arrow and shot them both dead," Bauer shook his head. "You know, their men were also attending this meeting, and he wasn't afraid of them retaliating."
"So, the conflict that day didn't escalate?"
"It was so sudden that everyone was stunned, including me, and I guess even the remaining pirate leaders were. By the time we came to our senses, Cyril had already become the head of the Clown Islands."
"The Isle of Spades and the Isle of Clubs belong to Cyril, the Isle of Diamonds to Riley, and the Isle of Hearts to Nelson. After that, Cyril sent out several ships, and a month later, the fleet returned with several warships belonging to respectable men."
Upon hearing this, Suraj understood:
"Cyril intends to cooperate with upright people?"
"Yes," Bauer nodded, "The Clown Islands will be open to any ship, but decent people must recognize the legitimacy and independence of the Clown Islands and not interfere with the islands' autonomy."
"The two sides agreed to a piracy treaty, which prohibited ship-to-ship combat within a 50-mile radius of the archipelago."
"Cyril was appointed Governor of the Islands, while Riley and Nelson were granted the title of general."
Suraj immediately asked, "Who appointed him?"
"Upright people, I hear. They represent the governments of various continents. They promised to send people to introduce the Clown Islands to the Herald Academy, and there will be Heralds here to assist in governance."
"And the Duchy seems to be planning to build a church on Spade Island for believers to pray and repent. But I bet it will soon go out of business due to a lack of worshippers, since pirates only worship the sea god."
Upon hearing this, Suraj finally understood what had happened on the archipelago.
He gave Bauer another large silver coin, as a gesture of friendship.
Despite the fact that his opponent was a pirate, he needed to associate with all sorts of people for the sake of his mission.
Suraj also understood that due to the dramatic changes in the situation on the Clown Islands, the landscape of the Despair Sea would become very different from the past.
More and more people will use the Clown Islands as a springboard to reach the New World.
Now is the opportune time to develop new lands, and if Swabawa fails to seize this opportunity, it will miss out on this lucrative opportunity.
Suraj's self-awareness became firm once again.
He already has new plans for his future actions.
But whatever he wants to do, he needs help.
There was no time left for him to recruit people in the east and then return.
Therefore, he can only find help here.
He arrived at the open space in front of the dock, where many people were recruiting sailors.
They also have customers who charge employers to introduce suitable employees.
Suraj is not short of money, so he treated people to meals and helped out.
The other party first introduced a porter who moved goods at the dock, and guaranteed that this man was definitely strong and very obedient.
Based on this person's clues, Suraj successfully found the first helper he wanted to recruit.
That was indeed a strong man, standing at least seven feet tall.
Suraj asked him, "What's your name?"
The burly man replied:
"Miko is called Miko."