"Chief Captain, the Magic Net system has detected a giant creature moving underwater ahead. It's estimated to be more than twenty meters long."
"Inform the guard fleet to deal with it."
Krendo waved his hand casually, his brows furrowed as he stared at the map on the table. After a pause, he realized that the messenger was still standing at the door, so he turned around and asked, "Is there anything else?"
"Yes."
The messenger hesitated for a moment before saying, "Although we can't confirm its true intentions, some of the staff in the analysis department believe that … it seems to be sending us some kind of message."
"Is that so?"
Krendo looked away from the map and thought for a while before saying, "Send a scout ship over to take a look."
The scout ship that received the order quickly sped up, like a fish that had escaped from a school of fish. Scout ships were different from other ships. They were cheap to build, and in order to pursue speed and mobility, their lightweight hull was not made of wrought iron. Instead, the wooden hull was covered with a thin layer of armor, and they were much smaller than the regular Blackwing battleships.
The scout ship was powered by magic steam-powered sails, and its speed was three to five times that of the Blackwing Empire's normal ships. It was also the fastest ship that Airadia knew of.
Ten minutes later, the scout ship reached its destination at full speed. As usual, it set up a communication node, transmitted its coordinates to the fleet, and waited for further orders.
The waves became unstable, and bubbles constantly emerged from the bottom of the water. Soon, a large creature emerged from the water and appeared in front of the Blackwing scout ship.
A … crab?
This was the first thought that appeared in the minds of the scouts.
The creature in front of them looked no different from the hairy crabs that humans ate. It had a dark red shell, four pairs of limbs, and two dancing pincers. The only difference was that it was hundreds or even thousands of times larger than a normal hairy crab.
It rode the waves and sank a little when it got close to the scout ship. The seawater on its shell formed a whirlpool, and finally condensed into the image of a woman.
"You're trespassing on my territory."
The woman's face made of seawater was expressionless as she stared at the small ship below. "Outsiders, please state your intentions."
The scout ship immediately sent the message back to the fleet's command center.
"Your territory?"
Although he felt that his intelligence had been insulted, Kendo still maintained his greatest restraint. "This is the Black Wing Empire's territorial waters. Every island, every rock, every creature, and even every drop of water here belongs to the Black Wing Empire."
"No matter who you are, immediately remove the defensive measures on Scorched Cliff Island and lead your army to surrender to the Black Wing Empire. Wait for the Northern Royal Court's decision. Otherwise, we will use coercive measures.
Warning: Only death awaits you if you try to resist by force. "
"I am King Ebstow of the Deepsea Kingdom, Hill Kannas." The woman's voice grew louder, echoing across the vast sea. "This is my territory."
"I don't care who you are …" Kroendo ignored her words and repeated what he had just said mechanically.
"Alright."
The woman took a deep look at the small ship, and her body, which was made of seawater, suddenly dispersed. "Let's try it."
…
The waves in Windward Bay were turbulent.
The Black Baylor moved with the tide, and the ever-changing wind made the sails creak. The Knight and Gladiator were on both sides, and further away were the Wicked Woman, the Ocean Phantom, and the Butcher. The distance between the ships was less than twenty meters. It seemed that these idiots had learned how to maintain a formation. Aonel felt a little annoyed.
The rumbling of the bugle sounded across the sea, and the sound was hoarse and deep, like the whisper of the devil. The ships joined together.
"Raise the mast, raise the sails, and get the oarsmen in position," Aonel ordered. "Set sail!"
The crew hurriedly ran to their posts. The Black Bayer was busy, and so were the other ships. Earlier, when they received orders that the enemy was about to arrive on the battlefield, Auner immediately ordered these bastards to get ready to fight a beautiful victory for his master.
Aonel looked to the southeast and stared at the Wicked Woman. Her sails were full of silver light, and the sail was covered with a skull silver crown that symbolized the pirate king. Aonel was almost as familiar with the Wicked Woman as he was with his own ship. She had three hundred oars, and the sides of the deck were covered with ballistas. There were catapults at the bow, middle, and stern of the ship, which were used to throw burning barrels of oil. She was not only frightening, but also very fast and agile.
Seven years ago, it was this ship that stood in front of him, exchanging fire with his own Black Baylor, causing him to be badly battered. However, things were hard to predict. Today, seven years later, they had become allies fighting side by side, serving the Deep Sea Kingdom together.
To the people who made a living on the sea, whether it was the powerful Unfallen Dynasty or the newly risen Northern Empire, they were not as important as the Deep Sea Kingdom in their hearts. This was because the former could only affect the land, while the latter controlled the entire sea. To the pirates, working for the Deep Sea Kingdom not only gave them the right to travel freely on the sea, but also the blessing of the furious gods behind it.
This was what Aonel dreamed of. He felt a numbing itch in his right leg that had disappeared. Yes, the Deep Sea Kingdom had given him the opportunity to earn this favor with his own efforts.
"Line up!"
He shouted. The hundred oars of the Black Baylor entered the water at the same time. The oarsmen beat the drums loudly, and the sound of the drums was like the giant heartbeat of a monster. With every beat, the oars moved a little. The well-trained oarsmen moved as one.
The Knight and the Gladiator next to them also spread their wooden wings at the same time. Six of the nine pirate kings from the Sea of Stars, the South Sea, and the Flaming Strait had come. The six ships moved at the same speed and sailed out of the Windward Bay together. Behind them were countless pirate ships and privateers.
Aonel heard the pirates cheering and encouraging each other across the sea. Ever since they were teleported to this place from the Sea of Stars by the Deep Sea Kingdom, they had been staying on an isolated island, cooped up in their cabins, doing nothing all day long. The pirates who were thirsty for blood could not wait to fight and plunder. They were full of confidence and firmly believed in victory. In this regard, Aonel was different from the other pirate kings.
He was a little worried.
In terms of understanding of ships, oars, ballistae, and the coast, Aonel could be considered as the best in the entire Empire. He had also fought with blades and bathed in blood on wet and slippery decks before. However, today, he felt that he had become the young boy who boarded a pirate ship for the first time. He was both nervous and scared.
The main reason was that until now, the Deep Sea Kingdom had not revealed any information about the enemy. He only knew that he was going to face a fleet, but he did not know anything about the size of the fleet, its strength, who was the commander, and so on.
However, the enemy that the six pirate kings had to deal with together was definitely not weak.
Aonel thought to himself. He continued to stare at the flag of the Wicked Woman. Under normal circumstances, pirates would never blow the horn or raise the flag. They would wait for an opportunity to approach the target at midnight. Once they smelled the signs of danger, they would turn the ship around and escape faster than the wind.
If I were King Ebstow, I would definitely not do this. First, I would choose a few of the fastest pirate ships to surround the enemy and carefully investigate and spy on the situation. Before I know the specific information about the enemy, I would definitely not rush in so rashly.
Aonel had once mentioned this suggestion to King Ebstow, but it was rejected by Hill Kannas expressionlessly.
Wait a minute … Are we carrying out a mission to carefully investigate and spy on the situation?
A terrifying thought suddenly appeared in Aonel's mind. At the same time, his deputy reported that the fleet was about to arrive at the location designated by King Ebstow.