Chapter 331
Chapter 331
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 331
Chapter Title: Compass of Desire (2)
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“Oh?”
Rokan had imagined a filthy, smelly, chaotic mess when he heard it was a pirate city, but the actual sight of Lawless Port once he stepped inside was surprisingly clean.
There were occasional disturbances here and there from brawls breaking out, but nothing escalated into a full-blown incident. And even with all the wanted posters plastered around, no one rushed at the bountied criminals.
They were all wanted pirates themselves, after all.
The shops were unusual too. Since they supplied pirate crews, they sold in bulk quantities. There were places to fence stolen goods and black markets as well.
But the first place Rokan headed to was, of course, a tavern.
Lawless Port had several large taverns, and the one he chose was the biggest of them all.
For pirates who didn’t have much else to enjoy, taverns were indispensable.
Stepping inside, he saw all sorts of characters. They were definitely pirates, but their races were incredibly diverse and exotic.
Humans, dwarves, gnomes, elves, undead, orcs, trolls, goblins—of course—as well as beastkin, nagas, giants, golems and ogres that could shrug off cannon fire, sirens and harpies that bewitched enemies, and even celestials and demons. Just the races visible at a glance numbered in the dozens.
“What? Compass of Desire? Puhahaha! Hey, folks, this young punk’s looking for the Compass of Desire!”
“Kuhahaha! A newbie, huh? Still got some romantic notions!”
“Yeah, what’re you hoping to find with it? Looks like what you’re after is right between my legs—wanna take a peek?”
But when he went up to the bartender as usual, handed over a pouch of coins, and asked his question, he got an unexpected reaction.
Even after giving a hefty sum, the bartender started mocking him outright.
The drunks joined in, piling on the ridicule, and Rokan realized his mistake.
‘I see. Pirates, huh.’
The corner of his mouth twisted as he looked at the fools treating him like a greenhorn.
Thud. Thud.
Instead of talking to the bartender anymore, he strode toward the ugliest-looking one among them.
“I made a mistake.”
“What?”
The pirate who’d been mocking him reacted late to Rokan’s indifferent tone, but it was already too late.
Rokan’s thick hand grabbed the man’s head and slammed it straight into the table.
Bam!
The table shattered, and the pirate crumpled. He tried to get up in a panic, but Rokan’s foot was already on his head.
Thud!
Rokan stomped down.
Blood poured from the man’s head, his body going limp, but his comrades didn’t dare rush in recklessly.
That single move had shown just how strong Rokan was.
“W-What the hell!”
“Which crew sent you?!”
All they could do was growl warily.
Rokan swept his gaze over the yapping mutts who didn’t have the guts to charge.
“You gonna fight with words? If you’re pissed, come at me.”
As he spoke, he pressed harder on the leg pinning his foe.
Would they actually charge? No chance. Considering the guy under his foot was the boss of the Pointy Tooth Pirate Crew, none of them had the balls to try.
“Anyone else wanna have fun?”
Looking around, the atmosphere chilled instantly.
It wasn’t just fear of Rokan—it was the uncertainty of who he was that cowed them more.
Sure, the Pointy Tooth crew were just small-time weaklings at best, but the Iron Fang Pirate Crew backing them was well-known even in Lawless Port.
If he was bold enough to pick a fight with them, they had to assume Rokan had something up his sleeve.
“Bartender, so what about info on the Compass of Desire?”
With no one left to mock or jeer at him, Rokan turned back. He’d paid good coin—he expected answers.
The bartender hesitated, eyes darting, before finally speaking.
“……I don’t know the Compass of Desire’s current location. It’s a treasure that points toward the user’s desires, so every pirate wants it. Even if someone here has it, they wouldn’t advertise it.”
It made sense when he heard it.
He’d thought of it as just an item, but on second thought, it was a treasure that could procure anything. Especially for greedy pirates, it’d be more precious than life itself.
So, should he just kill them all and find out?
As Rokan’s eyes turned cold, the bartender broke into a sweat and spoke again.
“But there are some suspicious ones lately. Crews taking routes different from usual, even through areas with no merchant ships to plunder.”
“Who’re they?”
“……The Black Pearl Pirate Crew and the Black Cloud Pirate Crew.”
Rokan considered summoning the Bell of Truth while questioning the bartender but held off for now.
If it was a lie meant to stir trouble, he could always track him down later and lop off his head.
The Bell of Truth could only be used once a day, so he decided to play along for the moment.
“Black Pearl and Black Cloud, huh…… Where are they?”
“Black Pearl’s out at sea right now. Black Cloud’s still docked at Lawless Port.”
“Good. Here’s a tip.”
Satisfied with the answer, Rokan tossed the bartender a tip and left the tavern.
He didn’t care about random brawls, but he worried Black Cloud might up and leave the island.
“Damn, they made this place complicated.”
Finding them wasn’t easy, though. Lawless Port was bigger than expected, and its layout was a nightmare of twists and turns.
It was designed that way to shake off bounty hunters or knights who might infiltrate, but to Rokan, it was just an annoyance.
The crudely drawn map of Lawless Port wasn’t enough to pinpoint their location.
“If I’d known, I should’ve asked for their exact spot…… Huh?”
He wandered the alleys for a good while before some figures blocked his path.
“You the one targeting us?”
Two shark-headed pirates blocked his front and back.
Targeting us? A smile crept onto Rokan’s lips—he wouldn’t have to hunt them down after all.
“You came right to me. How thoughtful!”
“You bastard!”
Unable to hold back at Rokan’s mocking enthusiasm, they charged.
[Great White Sharkman Sharkno][Lv 393]
[Iron Armor Sharkman Isaac][Lv 391]
Levels worth boasting about. In Lawless Port.
But would that standard hold up against Rokan?
He drew his battle axe without hesitation.
“Back Grab.”
He flanked the one charging head-on and brought it down lightly.
Splurt!
Blood sprayed, bones exposed. The brute force crushed through his shoddy armor like nothing.
“Kyaa!”
The one coming from the opposite side flipped out. True to his shark nature, the scent of blood had him in a frenzy.
But so what? Getting a little hyped and stronger wasn’t enough to take on Rokan.
Plus, this was Lawless Port. Using big skills recklessly was risky—one wrong move, and he could bring the whole block down.
“Strike of Slaughter.”
So Rokan subdued them with basic moves.
He lopped off one’s head and hoisted the other—fatally wounded—by the collar with brute strength.
“Now, mind guiding me? To wherever that Black Cloud or whatever is.”
“D-Damn it, you’re with Black Cloud?”
“……?”
What was this now? Weren’t they Black Cloud? As Rokan stood there blankly for a moment, the sharkman unleashed a torrent of pirate curses.
Thud!
Times like this called for some education.
Rokan smashed his fist into the sharkman’s mouth and pieced it together before speaking again.
“Guess you’re with those Pointy Tooth guys. Doesn’t matter. Take me to the Black Cloud Pirate Crew. If you don’t know, I’ll beat it out of you till you remember.”
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
But Rokan beat the sharkman senseless without even waiting for an answer.
If he didn’t wanna talk, no helping it.
“I-I’ll talk.”
“There you go.”
It wasn’t much coming from the guy who’d been pummeled without a chance to speak, but the sharkman dragged his trembling legs and led the way.
Guided by Rokan, he took him to the tavern where the Black Cloud Pirate Crew gathered.
“This is where the Black Cloud Pirate Crew usually……”
“Scram.”
Once the job was done, Rokan hurled the sharkman aside.
What good was dragging a punk like that inside? He’d just draw eyes.
Killing him was an option, but if he went and fetched his buddies, it’d mean decent exp farming—so Rokan let him go.
Creak.
Inside the tavern he entered.
As Rokan stepped in, many heads turned his way.
Humans were rare here, and only select pirates could even use the place.
Even a massive crew like Black Cloud had to rent out the whole tavern just for themselves.
Meaning every pirate here was Black Cloud.
[Black Cloud Pirate Crew Konggur][Lv 391]
“Looks like I found the right spot.”
Rokan met the stares head-on, scanning them with a satisfied smile.
“Ahem…… We’re, uh, closed for business today.”
“Then what about these guys?”
“Well, Black Cloud Pirate Crew rented the whole place today.”
The bartender cautiously blocked Rokan as he entered.
It happened sometimes—folks wandering in clueless.
Most bolted the second they heard whose tavern it was.
“I know.”
“Huh? You here to meet someone? Or maybe hoping to join……”
“I’m here to see the Black Cloud captain.”
“Gasp!”
The bartender was the one shocked by Rokan’s blunt declaration.
He glanced nervously at the surrounding pirates, some rising, and backed away hastily.
“You here for the captain?”
“Our captain your buddy or something?”
Fierce-faced ones stepped forward, radiating auras.
Level 390s on the cusp of Grand Master, but to someone who’d already reached that realm, it was child’s play.
“Small fry, beat it.”
His roar laced with madness froze their advance stiff. Even those still seated and glaring went rigid.
The level gap debuffed their stats, but they didn’t back down.
Crew madness or pirate belligerence—they surged with ferocious momentum, surrounding Rokan all at once.