Chapter 217
Chapter 217
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 217
Chapter Title: Drawing the Pirates In
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"More, more! Hurry up—we need to smash them even harder!"
On the deck of the Cimaria, Ravins shouted. Deep down, he felt like his heart was breaking at the waste of it all.
Countless pirate brigs filled Ravins's vision. How much would they fetch if captured intact?
Ships were far more valuable than one might think. The money and time to build even one weren't trivial. That's why this crew had only managed to construct four brigs besides the Cimaria.
With their group's strength, they could have swallowed the Neptune Pirates' fleet whole without a scratch. That regret doubled his frustration.
But there was no helping it. This was all part of Staff Officer Dwayne's plan.
Unaware—or perhaps uncaring—of Ravins's burning impatience, the Blizzard Knight Order members deftly loaded shells and rammed them into the cannons.
"Fire!"
Sherry One, who had been holding the signal flag high, dropped it with a booming command. Cannons aboard the Cimaria and the accompanying brigs roared in unison.
Boom! Bwoom!
Some shells splashed uselessly into the sea below, but a good number struck true, slamming into the Neptune Pirates' ships.
This was the moment when the Blizzard Knight Order's aquatic drills on Lake Dozmari paid off.
Or rather, that wasn't the only reason. The real factor was the sheer uncountable number of Neptune Pirate ships anchored along the coast.
Crunch! Crack!
Several brigs shattered further under the Cimaria's barrage and began sinking, but even that was reaching its limit.
The pirates, caught off guard like they'd been struck by lightning in their sleep, were starting to regain their wits and mount a counterattack.
'This should be enough.'
Shells were now beginning to fall around the Cimaria and her brigs in increasing numbers. It was time to pull back.
Ravins pulled a small flag from his pocket and waved it toward the captain's cabin.
A signal to Jean to retreat. Jean caught the signal, nodded slightly, and wrenched the helm hard to port.
Screeech!
Starting with the Cimaria, the brigs swung sharply about, gradually pulling away from the Neptune Pirates' beachhead.
"Those bastards are running!"
"Chase 'em down!! We have to catch them no matter what—the captain said earlier he's gonna turn those fuckers into pickled meat with their own cannons!!"
Samuel's orders were one thing, but the Neptune crewmen themselves were red-eyed with rage, their lids flipped wide open.
It was only natural. Who were they? The Neptune Pirates, hegemons of Ikenia's southwestern seas.
Even the kingdom's navy couldn't touch them lightly, yet here they were getting shelled like dogs. A first in their books.
As the bloodshot Neptune ships closed in fast, Ravins—having moved to the stern to monitor them—raced forward to Jean and Dwayne.
"Staff Officer Dwayne! They're giving chase!"
Dwayne nodded at Ravins's shout.
"Captain Jean, let's head to the rendezvous point we agreed on with Baron Jerome. Keep adjusting speed so they can just barely keep up—got it?"
Jean flashed a toothy grin at Dwayne's question and thumped his chest confidently.
"Hahaha! No worries, Staff Officer Dwayne! I'll show these ignorant southern pirates what real sailing is. I'll run 'em ragged till they're foaming at the mouth!"
"Excellent, Captain Jean."
Jean's confident words put Dwayne at ease. Not that he'd been worried to begin with—he knew the captain's skill.
Dwayne glanced toward the island's interior.
'We've lured the pirates out as planned, Baron. The rest is up to you.'
Tat-tat-tat!
Led by a man in a red hood, a group moved in perfect unison through the underbrush.
Even as their brigs along the coast were being smashed in real time, they pressed on undeterred toward their goal.
It was Samuel and the elite crewmen he'd summoned. A strange sight.
The Sirens had been chained together by the necks beside the beachside brigs to secure them—or so it seemed. Yet their path led elsewhere entirely.
Indeed, the beach Sirens were mere decoys, frontline fodder. The real "prime stock" was hidden deep in the island.
Samuel had figured as much. Thieves who sniffed out even their main base wouldn't miss the true treasure trove.
And sure enough, upon reaching the cliff strewn with boulders—and the secret cave beneath it—Samuel spotted a small band of humans approaching.
'Knew it!'
He had no idea how they'd figured it out, but one thing was clear.
These petty thieves had come for his treasure.
Click! Click! Click!
In an instant, Samuel and his crew sealed off the cave mouth without a gap, and he stepped forward smugly.
"You filthy rats. We've seen through your little scheme."
Shing!
Samuel drew the cutlass from his belt and licked its cold edge with a sinister grin.
Even as he smiled, his eyes rapidly assessed the thieves' strength.
One woman, three men. And... two eerily lifeless figures that might or might not be human.
The middle-aged man exuded an aura stronger than his own, but the rest seemed unremarkable.
'Good thing I didn't come alone. Could've been dicey.'
That middle-aged guy was definitely superior. If he'd charged in blind with rage, he'd have been the one caught out.
Glad he'd brought his men, Samuel declared,
"Daring to eye the Neptune Pirates' treasure... I'll chop the men to bits for shark bait. The woman... not bad-looking. I'll snag her and make her my plaything tonight."
"Heh heh heh heh!!"
Confidence from numbers, perhaps. Samuel's crew treated the thieves like fresh meat on the block.
Frozen in terror? Or had they never dreamed their plan would be exposed?
The thieves stood stock-still, like statues.
"Scared? Too late for regrets n—"
"Whoa."
One thief scratched his head with a bemused look.
"...They really came all the way here. Dwayne nailed it—good thing, but seriously, what's wired wrong in pirate brains? This makes sense?"
"Told you. These aren't humans—just hungry ghosts in human skin. They see treasure that could've filled their bellies snatched by outsiders? Of course they'd lose it."
It felt off. Their banter made it seem like they'd known he'd come and waited on purpose.
Samuel's smile deepened.
"Looks like you're banking on that guy behind you... wrong move."
As Samuel's off-hand rose, his second- and third-line crewmen drew odd cylinders from their pockets in sync.
Then his hand dropped.
Pfft! Thunk! Thunk!
Nets and hidden weapons surged toward the thieves at blinding speed.
And that wasn't all. Backed by the volley, Samuel and his first-line fighters charged with shamshirs and cutlasses drawn.
'Arrogant whelps. You'll regret your insolence.'
Distract with cannon fire, sneak onto the undefended island, steal the Sirens—and prepare a powerhouse to block him to boot. Petty thieves, but clever ones.
Props for preparation. But Samuel had clashed with knights beyond his level countless times in his pirating days.
The barrage of darts and nets from his second- and third-liners was slathered in master-grade paralytic poison.
And his first-liners? Hyenas specialized in ripping apart weakened foes.
His elite crew's teamwork had never failed him once.
The thieves' lone woman swept her hand at the incoming nets and darts. Clueless?
'Idiot!'
She must've underestimated the flimsy-looking nets—they were twisted from sea serpent hide.
Not even a master's aura blade could slice them easily. And this chit thought she could...!
Snap! Snap!
'?!'
An alien sound in his ears. Instinct made Samuel twist mid-charge.
That split-second call saved his life.
Slash! Rip! Rip!
"Gaaahhh!"
"M-my arm!!"
The first-line fighters charging behind him collapsed in sprays of blood. As if a massive beast had rampaged through their midst.
"Wh-what the...?"
Samuel couldn't process the scene. Just one woman who'd shown no aura, swinging her hand—that was it?
That simple motion shredded sea serpent nets like paper and crippled his first-liners?
Not even a master could pull that off.
"Isn't that a bit much?"
Unlike the stunned Samuel, the thieves were nonchalant, as if this were the expected outcome.
"Sorry. I just can't stand backstabbers like these—got carried away."
The woman eyed the fallen fighters coldly, then turned to Samuel.
"Hngh!"
Her gaze chilled his spine. Like standing naked before a colossal predator—he could barely breathe.
'This aura...!'
He knew instinctively. This wasn't some ordinary master. It rivaled their king's...
'No, impossible.'
Samuel shook his head. Their king was one of the continent's top monsters.
Sirens might be pricey, but why would a powerhouse like that stoop to thieving?
It had to be a trick. Some sleight blurring his senses.
Grit!
Samuel ground his teeth and bellowed at his dazed second- and third-liners.
"What're you waiting for?! There's only six of 'em! Kill 'em all!"
He ignited his cutlass with aura as he roared.
The second- and third-liners hesitated at their first-liners' instant downfall but charged after Samuel, eyes gleaming with Siren-lust.
Greed overpowered fear. Unaware it was the worst mistake possible.
The thieves beside the woman moved. Thus began Samuel's nightmare.
The woman who'd wiped the first line stayed put.
Flutterflutterflutter!
A young punk with an annoying face flicked his fingers. The two lifeless figures stirred unnaturally, spewing poison and darts to toy with the crew.
The middle-aged knight he'd pegged as strongest moved, freezing the crewmen's feet solid and halting them in their tracks.
"Th-this can't be..."
Samuel refused to believe his eyes. Absurd. Powerhouses like these, risking it all for Sirens?
Step, step.
"Red hood, scar across the face. And that aura. You must be Samuel."
The young punk who'd stood idle beside the woman approached his shell-shocked self.
"For the crime of tormenting innocent Sirens, I'll hold you accountable."
No matter the bad odds, Samuel was a master in his own right.
He wasn't about to let some cocky whelp approach defenseless and "judge" him.
"Shut your trap, brat!"
Whoosh!
Samuel's cutlass lashed out lightning-fast. The punk didn't even flinch.
'Perfect. Take him hostage and bail.'
Better this way. Realistically, no clean escape otherwise.
Grab this glory-hungry fool and slip out.
These weren't petty thieves. He had to warn their king of new threats.
Whiff!
The plan unraveled as the punk effortlessly dodged the cutlass.
"?!"
Dodge? At this range, that strike?
Thud!
A dull impact rocked Samuel's skull, and his vision went black.