Pirate Kingship

Aboard the Grenville family's merchant ship, the *Osprey*.

Lord Vincent, the Royal Hound, seemed genuinely worried he'd be taken by the "Touch of the Kraken" and had been behaving himself for several days. Now that they had finally moved away from the North Sea, he could no longer suppress the frustration and resentment that had been building for so long. It erupted with full force.

"It's time."

With hands trembling slightly from excitement, he took out a bottle of pink potion from his suitcase.

"To win over the countess, I sold off Kingston's last property and lost my status as a close attendant of His Majesty. Now I have absolutely no way out. But I am favored by the Creator, and by chance, I managed to purchase a piece of forbidden knowledge—Witch Juice!"

To make Witch Juice, one must fill a glass bottle one-quarter full with basil leaves, add a few drops of musk, a pinch of Earth Coral, Cabbage Worm, brown sugar, cinnamon, and three freshly picked petals of the Rainbow Rose. Then, pour in spirits to the top, place it where sunlight does not reach, and perform a love prayer ritual for seven consecutive days. It is said that seven is the most magical number; many supernatural phenomena and rituals are related to it, including the seven layers of the Silver Law. This is all to make the ritual's effect optimal. After the ritual, the clear liquid taken from the top is this bottle of Witch Juice, also known as a love potion. Just a drop in a drink, and any Low Sequence "creature" that consumes it will fall in love with the person who concocted this Witch Juice. The downside is its time-limited effect; the target must drink it every seven days.

Despite the exorbitant price of the Transcendent material, the Rainbow Rose, Vincent, having put all his eggs in one basket, had naturally weighed the difference between petty cash and magnificent wealth.

At this moment, as the fog ahead of the Fleet grew thicker, an aging voice echoed throughout: "Captains, please light the Whale Oil Lanterns issued before setting sail."

It was the voice of Mr. James, the Third Order Navigator of the Fleet.

Instantly, a specially designed lantern fueled by Whale Oil lit up on each ship, each emitting a bright white column of light. These columns converged above the Fleet to form a huge, virtual pointer. The Navigator had activated one of his Third Order systematic abilities, "Guiding Light." If the route was unclear, the ships only needed to follow the pointer. The light column easily pierced the fog, allowing the Fleet Commander to keep a clear view of every ship's situation.

"Continue forward."

Overseas routes also followed a unified weather system. However, because they lacked the protection of the Silver Law and the Source Tides were stronger, the weather was unpredictable. Without a Navigator, ocean-going fleets could hardly move an inch.

With the light guiding them, everyone's hearts in the Fleet instantly settled. In the glow, Vincent could clearly see Pirate General Bill personally at the rudder of the neighboring ship.

"That annoying guy is too busy to pay attention over here! This is my chance," Vincent muttered, his face brightening. He quickly opened a bottle of wine, poured the potion into it, shook it a few times, then, carrying the wine bottle and two goblets, pushed open the door.

He walked up the wooden staircase in the sterncastle toward the top deck—the most comfortable part of the entire ship, away from the salt spray and waves. It housed the only room on the ship permitted to be lit at any time.

Vincent's eyes were as cold as a venomous snake about to strike its prey. He hummed lowly, "That despicable pirate must still be racking his brains for how to win the lady's heart, right? A brute who only knows how to fight and kill dares to compete with me? Outsiders only see your dazzling Radiance, adore you, flatter you; they never care if your methods... are dirty or not. Today, I'll let you fools understand what it means to live in a treacherous world!"

He straightened his formal attire. Combined with his powdered face and wig, he increasingly resembled a refined scoundrel.

However, just as he was about to step toward Catherine's room, he suddenly became aware of breathing behind him.

HISS!

His hair stood on end. This nobleman of Court origin obviously lacked the combat experience of the old sea dogs of Iron Anchor Bay. Without dodging or retaliating, he instinctively spun around on the spot.

Unbeknownst to him, someone had indeed appeared silently behind him! That person gave him a toothy grin, a row of ghastly white teeth sending a chill down his spine.

It was Pirate General Bill, who had supposedly been at the helm of the *Golden Deer* just a second ago?

"It's you..." Vincent stammered. As he spoke, he furiously smashed the wine bottle at Bill.

"Fortress Act, Unrestricted Defense!"

The core ability of a Second Order Punitive Knight was called the "Holy Writ of Punishment." When confronting a lawbreaker, it could be imbued into a fist, cold weapon, Firearm, or anything handy, achieving the effect of a magical weapon and activating unrestricted power. Under normal circumstances, as a Second Order Transcendent, Vincent could fell a large bull with a single punch.

But this magically enhanced wine bottle was effortlessly caught by Byron with one hand. To Byron, the power of the Fortress Act and the "Holy Writ of Punishment" seemed utterly nonexistent.

Moreover, Byron had already prudently drunk a glass of "Blood Brew: Matador," a concoction of bison blood and tequila. Indistinct figures lurked in the shadows behind him—the Undead Servants Violet had provided, created from captives of the Battle of Iron Anchor Bay. He was fully enhanced.

CRACK!

Vincent suddenly clamped his legs together, his bloodshot eyes bulging wider than copper bells. A harsh, choked sound, not even a scream, escaped his throat. Byron's steel-whip-like low kick had instantly crippled all his fighting capabilities. Then, Byron's right fist, like a Heavy Hammer, brutally struck Vincent's stomach.

The impact sent ripples across Vincent's skin before it seemed to burst. A mouthful of blood welled up, about to spray out, but Byron clamped his left hand over Vincent's face, forcing him to swallow it back down.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!...

Like a wild bull, Byron relentlessly pounded his fists into Vincent's chest and abdomen. Ribs fractured, his chest caved in, organs shattered... Vincent wanted to scream for help, but his vision was already darkening; he even experienced the "life-flashing-before-his-eyes" phenomenon.

Before he completely lost consciousness, the Royal Hound thought he heard Bill's emotionless voice: "Finally, no one else is around. You wanted to play dirty with me? Today, I'll teach *you* what a... treacherous world truly means!"

Overwhelmed with boundless sorrow and frustration, Vincent's head lolled to the side in desperation, and he died.

Byron dragged the corpse and continued striding forward, casually pushing open the door to Catherine's room—the quarters of the Flower of the North—as if entering his own home.

Long before Vincent had made his move, Byron, an Outlaw Madman who was vengeful by nature, had already slipped into the Countess's room and spent quite some time alone with the Flower of the North, the object of many desires.

As for why there were two "Bills"?

Bruh was an Oath Knight of the Tribunal Sequence. He fought like any other Knight in combat, but under the specific circumstances dictated by his oath, he would unleash astonishing power.

Bruh's sworn oath was: "The monarch is supreme; those who defy shall not be forgiven!

The liege is supreme; before my death, none shall defile them!

Honor is supreme; an eye for an eye, blood for blood!"

When fighting to defend his monarch, liege, or honor, he not only gained a boost in combat power but could also share some of his liege's Talents or exclusive transcendent abilities (as mentioned in Chapters 43 and 57). Just as now, playing the role of his liege's body double and shield, he had once again shared Byron's Cognitive Revision. He activated a "psychological disguise technique" and took on Bill's appearance. The identity of "Bill" had become a public persona they could switch between at will.

The only flaw was that Bruh did not possess the Storm Sigil Ring. Even with the collective legal protection provided by the Outlaw Madman, it was difficult to completely shield against the Spirit Vision of High Sequence Transcendents. Especially in close proximity to them, there was a chance of being exposed. However, covering for Byron within the large Fleet was no problem at all.

BANG!

Byron tossed the corpse onto the floor of Catherine's room. With a gesture, amid two dog-like barks, a ghostly shadow was dragged from the corpse. It took its place behind Byron, now a member of the Mad Hunt Legion. The Holy Grail of Blood in his left palm flashed with sanguine light, erasing the last traces of the Royal Hound—even those unsightly white silk stockings.

Before the astonished Catherine, Byron morphed, becoming the refined scoundrel, Vincent, without a single flaw from head to toe.

In the past, his Cognitive Revision could only allow him to disguise himself as someone of the same rank. But now, as long as he personally killed the target, he could achieve a perfect disguise with the help of an Undead Servant.

He turned to Catherine. She had changed into a loose, casual red dress and sat on a chair, bare feet tucked under her as she hugged her knees. Under the light, she appeared even more alluring and bewitching.

Byron's smile grew increasingly roguish as he stepped closer. "My beauty," he purred, "with this thick fog to cover us, no one will discover what happens on this ship... Heh heh heh..."

Catherine kicked her bare, fair feet, feigning panic as she protested, "Don't come over here! Don't you dare! I'm going to scream!"

Just as Byron's fingers brushed the hem of her skirt, their eyes met.

YIKES—

Both shuddered involuntarily, hugging their shoulders and rubbing them fiercely, trying to shake the goosebumps to the floor.

"This is no good," Byron said. "We know each other too well. I'm genuinely too embarrassed to pull down your pants; it feels the same as stripping myself in public. There's this weird sense of shame."

Catherine lightly kicked his backside, annoyed. "Same here! The thought of your 'Little Cheep Cheep' just makes me want to burst out laughing."

Byron rolled his eyes helplessly. "Seriously, Catherine, give it a rest! You've never seen an eagle truly spread its wings after eighteen years! If anything, *your* body is the one that's... lacking something."

He didn't dare tell Catherine about his side effects. Even if the Crimson Holy Grail eventually cured them, this heartless woman would mock him for a lifetime.

"Hmm?" Catherine tilted her head.

Byron suddenly stopped their banter and looked out the porthole. He had just finished a cup of Blood Brew and was particularly sensitive to tentacled things. Just now, he had detected a sudden, overwhelmingly strong scent of... raw squid in the sea breeze. Through extensive experience, he subconsciously judged it to be big. Very, very big!

"AAAAAH—! Sea Monster!"

As expected, a chilling scream immediately pierced their eardrums.