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Chapter 20: Uninvited Visitors
Chapter 20: Uninvited Visitors
The vast ocean stretches as far as the eye can see, and finding an island is a daunting task. But what about a ship?
Boom!
Cannonballs create splashes of water near the Black Sail warship, and several more streak through the air toward the vessel. A cold light flashes by, slicing the cannonballs in half. Lily leaps from the air onto the side deck, slowly sheathing her slender sword.
"Open fire!" she commands.
At her order, the cannons on the side of the warship unleash a barrage, slamming into the pursuing warship. One hits the mast, another tears into the deck, and several more strike the hull, exploding into clouds of black smoke and flames.
Lily glances at the crippled warship, now incapable of pursuit, and turns to stride toward the captain's cabin.
Sarge has changed into a white pirate shirt, open at the chest, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His lower body is clad in loose-fitting trousers, and his boots are tucked snugly into his pant legs. He lounges in a chair that resembles a sofa, one foot propped on the table in front of him, and he holds a wine glass in his left hand, the liquid sloshing with his movements.
"How many is that now?" He glances at Lily as she enters.
"The second one today. For three consecutive days, we've encountered five warships." Lily replies.
It's not easy to come across pirate ships on the high seas, but these warships seem to appear out of nowhere.
The naval forces in this area seem to have a particular grudge against Sarge. As soon as they spot the Black Sail warship, they give chase like mad dogs, relentless in their pursuit.
"Do you think the bounty is out?" Sarge asks, intrigued.
Lily shakes her head. "I've been keeping an eye on the newspapers these days, and I haven't seen any wanted posters for us."
"So..." Sarge drains the wine glass in one gulp and slams it down on the table with a loud thump. "Why are they chasing us so relentlessly?"
Lily remains expressionless and silent, but her eyes betray her thoughts.
It's all because of their bad luck. Ordinary pirates don't encounter warships every day.
Typically, pirate ships are smaller and faster, able to outrun warships. But their vessel is also a warship, with the same configuration as their pursuers, making escape impossible. They have no choice but to engage in battle, or else prolonged pursuit could expose their position and attract even more naval forces.
Sarge understands this, and he is also aware of his streak of bad luck. It doesn't surprise him to encounter the navy every day.
What puzzles him is why the navy seems particularly focused on chasing him.
Even if they are being framed, they have only raided a few towns. There are countless pirates like them on the high seas, yet the navy chooses to pursue them relentlessly. This frustrates Sarge immensely.
As for how he has been doing these past few days, well, it's hard to say if it's been good or bad.
On the one hand, being chased by the navy every day and sometimes not even getting a decent night's sleep certainly doesn't qualify as good.
But on the other hand, there are some perks. They don't have to worry about supplies anymore, as they can acquire what they need from the warships they encounter. Sometimes, they even come across valuable goods. These naval officers from the 23rd branch are well-provisioned with quality food, clothing, and other necessities.
The very outfit Sarge is wearing right now is something he acquired from one of the warships, a significant upgrade from the rags he had before. They've even managed to obtain several cases of fine wine.
His crew, including Lily, has also gained valuable experience from the frequent clashes with the navy. Lily, in particular, can now slice through cannonballs mid-flight.
She always had the potential, but lacked combat experience. These encounters with the navy have helped her sharpen her skills rapidly.
So, there are some benefits, but...
They aren't making any money! Sarge became a pirate to amass wealth, and even if he hones his crew's combat abilities to the point of being the best in the world, it's all meant to facilitate their money-making endeavors!
"Sarge, maybe we should change locations. It's not easy to track down the Black Sail Pirates." Lily suggests, biting her lip. "And our crew has been out at sea for a long time. It's not good for morale. We need to find a place to rest."
"I'm not going to let that guy live it up while I take the fall! That's not an option. Even if I have to wipe out the entire 23rd Naval Branch, I will find him!" Sarge waves his hand dismissively, but then pauses to consider. "However, you're right about the crew needing some time on land. Let's choose a town to rest and inquire about any news of the Black Sail Pirates. Just drifting on the open sea isn't getting us anywhere."
He can't afford to be solely focused on his personal vendetta and neglect their pirating endeavors. After all, they need to plunder regardless.
If they can't hit the economic hubs, they'll have to make do with smaller towns.
"Pick out some islands for me to plunder. I don't want to target poor folks who barely have a penny to their name. Let's find some wealthy targets." Sarge instructed.
"Understood. Poor folks don't have much to offer anyway. Regarding that Aron you were looking for, I've heard rumors about him. Apparently, he's been extorting hefty protection fees. Ten thousand Belly per adult and five thousand per child per month—enough to drain several villages dry."
Lily nodded, her eyes fixed on Sarge for a moment before she finally turned to leave.
Sarge picked up the wine bottle and poured himself a glass. Just as he was about to take a sip, he paused, "Is she thinking that I'm jinxed and that's why we can't find our target?"
It was easy to locate specific targets, but much harder to find those without a fixed location, just like his experience as a bounty hunter searching for pirates—he hadn't found a single one.
Moreover, this particular pirate was unknown.
During his time as a bounty hunter, Sarge had memorized all the wanted individuals in the East Blue, and he hadn't seen anyone with the characteristic black robe in any of the wanted posters. This pirate was likely either a newcomer or someone who kept a low profile, just like Sarge when he first started out.
Sarge wasn't stubborn. Once he realized this, he considered giving up on this target altogether.
The East Blue was vast, and there was no need to linger in this particular area patrolled by the 23rd Naval Branch. There were plenty of other targets to plunder, and it was a waste of his time to keep searching fruitlessly.
He pondered for a moment, took a sip of wine, and leaned back comfortably in his chair, gazing out the window at the shimmering ocean.
At least in his other ventures, he hadn't received such treatment. Now, he had subordinates and a secretary, albeit low-level ones, but it gave him a taste of the life he'd have as a future lord.
...
The island Lily had chosen was not far away, only a half-day's sail. It was an oval-shaped island with numerous villages and a sizable town along the coast.
The island didn't have any notable specialties, just an ordinary town. However, wherever there were people, there were bound to be wealthy individuals, and that was Sarge's target.
As for the common folk, as Lily had mentioned, the monthly protection fee for adults and children added up to a significant sum, but it would take several months to drain them completely. It wasn't worth the effort.
The real money for pirates came from plundering merchant ships. The cargo on those ships was valuable, and the risks were lower.
But what if they couldn't find any? If they could resolve their problems at sea, Sarge wouldn't need to go through the trouble of targeting towns.
While towns were wealthy, plundering them carried certain risks. The larger the town, the stronger its defenses. If they got entangled and the navy showed up to support the town, they could end up in a dire situation.
However, this wasn't a concern for Sarge.
In the East Blue, as long as he didn't encounter any strong individuals returning from patrols at the headquarters, he was confident he could get away unscathed.
At the cusp of dusk, as night began to fall, the Black Sail warship arrived at the town Lily had chosen.
Sarge emerged from the captain's cabin and leaned against the railing, taking in the gradually visible outline of the town. He turned to Lily and said, "After this, we'll leave this sea area. That Black Sail Pirate has probably already left, or else we would've found some trace of him by now. Since we're both pirates, he's bound to make some noise on the high seas eventually. We can try looking for him again later."
For once, Lily didn't agree with him.
She handed Sarge the telescope, blinked her beautiful eyes, and said strangely, "I think we've... found him."
"Hmm?"
Sarge quickly took the telescope and looked towards the town. The first thing he noticed was a large mansion perched atop a hill, brightly lit even in the darkness of night, indicating the owner's immense wealth.
Below, rows of houses were nestled together, and near the coast, smoke rose from a cluster of buildings, carried westward by the wind.
And on the sea, amidst the smoke, a ship was sailing away. It was a twin-masted schooner, and through the telescope, Sarge could see people on the deck, cheering and celebrating.
And on the mast...
There hung a black sail with no emblem!
Black Sail!!!
Sarge crushed the telescope in his hand, his teeth clenched in anger. "Change course and intercept that black-sailed ship!"
He had been searching for this pirate to no avail, and now, his target had come to him!
(End of Chapter)
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