The following day, the Slash Pirates ship sailed through the rough waters of the Pirate Battleground.
“Land on sight!” A loud voice boomed from the crow’s nest.
As the crew gathered on the deck, they saw several islands in the distance. However, one caught their attention the most.
It was a two-part island that was connected to a long metal bridge that spanned across the raging waters. The island was shrouded by mist, but the closer they got, the clearer it became.
The crew felt excited as they saw the bright lights and the awe-inspiring black castle that stood atop the island.
Adam and Ambrose arrived at the deck.
They saw the bustling town beaming with lights, and the sound of music filled the air. They were still several kilometers away, but they could still feel the excitement and energy the town was emitting.
“That’s the Sea King’s castle.” Adam pointed at the black castle that was on top of a small mountain on the second island. Below the castle, there was a small village descending down the mountain.
The mountain didn’t seem like an ordinary mountain. It had lots of stairs, some cave elevators that were manually operated, and the villagers lived in a village that was literally built around the mountain.
Also, at the top of the mountain, near the Black Castle, there was a dome-like building that was the Sea King Auction Hall, where the biggest auction of the year was going to be held.
Below the mountain, it was mostly flat land with a few scattered trees and buildings, but there was also a harbor with a pier built. It was full of blue-sailed ships belonging to the Sea King’s fleet.
Then, there was the enormous black bridge, and after crossing that, one would reach the town that was called Haventown, and it was the most bustling part of Sea King’s territory.
With pirates roaming the streets, shops selling illegal goods, and a thriving underground economy, Haventown was a place of constant activity and danger.
The pirate ship carrying Adam and Ambrose finally docked in Haventown’s bustling harbor. Most of the ships around the harbor were pirate ships, as great pirate crews had started to gather on Sea King’s Island for the upcoming auction.
After the gangplank was set, the crew started to leave the ship. Most were talking about visiting the famous brothels, while others decided to visit their homes and their lovers.
“So, what now?” Ambrose asked as he walked behind Adam down the gangplank. He wasn’t exactly sure why he was here.
“There is a small tournament going on, currently.” Adam said with a smile. “Let’s join it. I already have a spot in the top 16, but I can also get you to join.”
“A tournament of what exactly?” Ambrose asked.
“A bare knuckle fighting.” Adam waved at a few of the sailors that bowed at him as he passed by and continued. “We’ll have to spend time until the auction. Things will get spicy there.”
“Oh, sure, why not?” Ambrose shrugged his shoulders, as he didn’t really care what he was doing here.
However, he was still quite skeptical about Adam’s reason for inviting him here.
“By the way, I saw a few islands near here.” Ambrose looked over his shoulder at the nearby islands that were in the vicinity of Sea King’s Island. “Are they abandoned?”
“Nah.” Adam widened his blind eyes and pointed at a faraway island that had a lot of vegetation. “That is called Brain Island; that’s where Sea King’s scientists do their stuff.”
He then pointed at another island near that.
This island had a lot of tall trees, but there was also a strange black cloud gathered on top of it.
“That’s Cancer Island. It’s where we bury the dead. It has a small village, and if a zombie outbreak happens there, it’s easy to create a quarantine there.”
“Makes sense.” Ambrose nodded and saw the third island that looked weirdest to him.
It had a lot of lights, as if there were a lot of buildings, but in the middle of the island, there was a round-shaped mountain with a smaller mountain on top, making the whole mountain look rather suggestive.
“That’s Breast Island.” Adam laughed. “Yeah, you heard it right. The mountain looks like a F-cup breast, just how I like them. It has quite a large population, and its population is mostly women.”
Ambrose’s breathing got slightly rough. Not because the population mostly consisted of women, but because this was exactly the island he was looking for!
‘This is where Bonney’s body is. This might be my only chance to do this. There is no way I can come back here ever again, as this simply isn’t a place where I can waltz into however I please.
‘I have to talk with Bonney; she must know where her body is!’
After a short while, Adam and Ambrose waltzed into the streets of bustling Haventown. The streets were rather packed, and it wasn’t possible for a carriage to move without driving over someone.
Clothes were drying from the clotheslines connected between the buildings, and Ambrose occasionally had to duck to avoid hitting his head on the low-hanging clotheslines.
As he walked, he smelled the scent of spicy food and sea food wafting from the nearby food stalls and occasionally saw glimpses of pirates gathered around a table, eating, drinking, and sharing tales of their adventures.
As Adam walked in front of him, he saw him greeting most townsfolk and nearby pirates. Even the scar-faced pirates that looked scary and powerful showed respect for Adam.
It made Ambrose’s impression of him change slightly. He wasn’t sure how powerful Adam was, but he was greatly respected, and that kind of respect could only be earned with strength.
At that moment, Ambrose caught a sign of an empty store. The sign of the store almost stole his breath, as this was the first time he had come across this place.
[Reality Market]
It was the reality market where players could transfer their silver to real-life money and sell and purchase items!
This reminded Ambrose that he hadn’t visited Reality Market yet, as he didn’t really have any need to.
“This is the place.” Adam came to a stop beside a two-story building that was clearly a restaurant that sold mostly meat-based food.
“This?” Ambrose frowned and wondered whether the tournament was actually an eating contest.
“Follow me.” Adam entered the restaurant and led Ambrose to the back room.
The chef of the restaurant saw them enter the kitchen and simply nodded slightly before returning to making food.
Adam and Ambrose arrived at the stairs that led to the basement.
In front of the basement door, there was a broad-shouldered bouncer who stood guard, blocking their way.
However, after catching a glimpse of Adam, he quickly stepped aside and opened the door for them.
At first glance, the bouncer seemed tough as nails with countless experience in dealing with tough customers, but in front of Adam, he simply lowered his head like a obedient dog.
As soon as Ambrose stepped through the door, his jaw hung low in amazement.
Loud cheering and the sound of flesh being struck echoed in his ears.
There was a large crowd gathered around a caged platform where two pirates dueled with their fists, their knuckles bloodied, and their bodies bruised.
On the wall, there was a blackboard with a tournament bracket. It was currently the top 32 fighting for their spot in the top 16.
“I’ll tell the boss of the tournament that I have arrived.” Adam said. “I’ll also register you. Make friends, will’ya. This will be fun!”
Ambrose watched as Adam left and joined the crowd in watching the matches.
As the two pirates neared the corner of the cage, one of them landed a powerful straight punch on his opponent’s cheek, causing the blood to spill.
The blood spewed through the gaps in the cage and splattered across Ambrose’s face. He wasn’t the only one, as a few crowd members also got splattered with blood, but their screams turned even more excited.
“Sheesh.” Ambrose cleaned the blood with his sleeve and looked at the fanatic crowd. “These guys are crazy…”