Once everyone had quieted down, Luca’s expression remained calm as he slowly spoke, “I know that in your hearts, you hate those beasts who destroyed your lives, and you hate the nobles who didn’t send anyone to rescue you. You even hate me for arriving so late.”
“Sadly, this world has never been fair, and delayed justice is still better than none at all.”
He looked around at the battered faces staring back at him and continued, “Now, Evans has been killed by me, and all the pirates on Snake Island have been wiped out. I’ve avenged you all.”
“The fleet from Seaway City will be here soon, and I will provide you with enough money to live without worry for the rest of your lives.”
“You can choose to return to your old lives, or you can embrace a new one. You can choose to drown in pain and never recover, or you can end it all and take your own life.”
“I have no right to interfere, but I can offer you another choice.”
Everyone in the square raised their eyes to look at him.
Even Isaac and Gavin turned their attention to the figure standing before the palace, their eyes flashing with a glimmer of admiration.
Luca raised his hand, pointing to the palace behind him. “In the coming days, I will build a new city here, to serve as a transit point for the Sea of Mist.”
“You can be the first residents and start a new life here. If you do not wish to stay, you can leave with the soldiers from Seaway City.”
He paused for a moment, then added seriously, “But no matter what you choose, I hope you will live well from now on.”
With his words, the square fell silent.
After a long while, a trembling hand slowly rose into the air.
Luca looked over and saw that it was the woman he had rescued.
She smiled bitterly and said, “My family was killed by the pirates, and this worthless life was saved by you, my lord. From now on, I am willing to follow you and serve you!”
Then came a second hand, a third, a fourth… until over a thousand hands were raised in the square.
They looked up at Luca, their eyes still dim, but within them, there was a faint flicker of light.
Though the light was weak, it still illuminated the darkness.
“He will never disappoint people,” Sophia said, her arms crossed as she leaned against a pillar, a slight smile curling at the corner of her lips.
…
By the time Tark and the others arrived at Snake Island, it was already the next day. Almost all the pirates from the Black Raven Pirates had been killed, except for a few stragglers who managed to escape. No one was left alive.
When they saw the thousands of women, Tark and the others suddenly felt regret.
“Such beasts!” Tark ground his teeth in fury, while Nicholas regretted that the pirates hadn’t suffered more before they died. Who knew how many people they had harmed over the years.
“How were the casualties?” Luca asked.
Tark suppressed his anger and bowed. “Thanks to your leadership, my lord, the pirates had lost the will to fight. Our soldiers suffered some casualties, but nothing too serious.”
In addition to that, they had seized seven or eight pirate warships, dragged the corpse of the King of the Azure Sea Sharks back, and recovered the Storage Rings of Evans and his associates.
Luca took the storage ring that Tark respectfully handed over and examined it. From the look of it, the items inside were worth at least a hundred million gold coins, and there were numerous Superclass materials and equipment. He had originally planned to return to Seaway City to purchase some Superclass materials and then craft the Heart of the Sea Whale, but it seemed that he no longer needed to do so.
“Good work. After we return, I’ll make sure you receive your due reward,” Luca nodded slightly. The campaign against Evans had yielded considerable gains. Excluding the Transcendent-level Heart of the Sea Whale, there were several hundred million gold coins worth of treasure.
The Hope God Sect also needed significant funding to expand. Before coming to the Western Sea, he had left a portion of the Phillips family’s wealth with the Tia sisters, and now he was left with only a few hundred million gold coins.
For ordinary people, this might be an unimaginable sum, but for Luca, it wasn’t much. After all, rebuilding Seaway City and advancing his own training with magic runes required large amounts of money.
One could say that this money came at the perfect time, and it would make his upcoming trade with Marcel a lot easier without him needing to worry about running low on funds.
Just then, Luca thought of something and asked, “By the way, have you found Miss Ellie?”
The main purpose of this trip had been to eliminate Evans and intimidate the pirates of the Western Sea. The secondary goal was to rescue the noble daughter.
However, when Luca had asked earlier, he was told that there was no sign of her on Snake Island. According to the maid, it seemed that she had been taken out to sea by Evans.
Luca could only hope that she had been lucky enough to avoid being caught up in the battle; otherwise, he’d probably have to return with just her jewelry to hand over to Duke Gerald.
Tark smiled upon hearing this. “I was just about to mention that. We’ve found Miss Ellie, and she’s fine. Evans didn’t dare do anything to her.”
At that moment, the crowd parted, and a girl in an aristocratic gown stepped forward.
She appeared to be no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, with chestnut-brown long hair and sapphire-like eyes. Her delicate features and fair skin, which resembled white jade, made it clear that she was not from an ordinary family.
Ellie curtsied to Luca, blushing as she said, “Ellie Barnes greets the Count. Thank you so much for saving me. Once we return, I will make sure my father properly thanks you.”
As she spoke, her ocean-blue eyes glanced shyly at the handsome Count, her face flushed with color. In her heart, she thought to herself, so the stories weren’t entirely false after all.
Relieved to know that the Marquis’s daughter was unharmed, Luca smiled. “I’m glad to hear that, Miss Ellie. I imagine the Marquis has been waiting for you in Seaway City for quite some time.”
“Tark, Nicholas, have the fleet prepare to head back. Let’s bring this good news with us.”
Tark, Nicholas, and Dacey all nodded and acknowledged the order.
Nicholas turned to Ellie, smiling. “Come along, Miss Ellie. Since you went missing, your father has been eagerly awaiting your return.”
“Alright.” Ellie hesitated, casting a reluctant glance back, wishing she could chat a bit longer with the young Count. However, she knew it was not proper for nobles to behave that way, so she had no choice but to leave, turning her head three times as she walked away.
“It’s clear that you’ve won the young lady’s favor,” Luca said with a smile as he was about to give further orders. Just then, a soft voice whispered in his ear.
Luca couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head as he looked at Sophia, but by the time he did, she had already started walking toward the sea. He had no choice but to sigh and move on.
After a day’s rest, Luca left a portion of his soldiers to guard Snake Island, and then they set off with the women who wished to return to their homeland. They officially began their journey back.
While the situation on Snake Island had come to an end, the impact of the Black Raven Pirates’ destruction was just beginning to spread.
The young lord who had wiped out over a thousand pirates on his first day in office in Seaway City was not being looked upon kindly by many people and factions across the Western Territory and Western Sea.
In fact, one lord had already prepared a wreath, ready to send it to him.
“Young and full of blood is a good thing, but you must know your limits, or you’re just asking for trouble,” he said, earning the approval of many.
The pirates in the Western Sea were infamous for their ferocity, dominating the entire Eternal Continent. Countless people despised them and hated them with a passion. Yet, despite the years that had passed, they continued to thrive.
They had even grown stronger, so much so that the official government of the Clinton Empire was forced to cooperate with them; otherwise, fishing boats and merchant ships wouldn’t dare leave safe waters.
This shows just how powerful the four Pirate Kings were in the Western Sea.
So, when the news spread through Azure Waters, the entire Western Sea and Western Territory erupted!
No one had expected that this reckless young man, with only a few thousand sailors and a few warships—seemingly insignificant—would defeat the mighty Black Raven Pirates, who controlled Snake Island!
Even Captain Evans, First Officer Jack, Second Officer Carmichael, and the legendary King of the Azure Sea Sharks, who had long since disappeared, were all killed in front of countless witnesses by this young man.
Mountains of Flame, Fire Island. In the steaming volcanic hot springs, a man with hair like flames soaked in the hot water, his bare chest exposed, while a few women in translucent silks massaged his back.
“What? Evans is dead?!” The red-haired man opened his eyes in disbelief when he heard the news from the short, hunched elder next to him.
“Yeah, not even bones were left.” The elderly dwarf-like man sat on the edge of the springs, contentedly soaking his feet. “I thought he was just some reckless kid, but who knew he was a dragon crossing the river? In just two days, he wiped out all the Black Raven Pirates, and even Snake Island was taken by that kid.”
“Damn, he’s that powerful?” The red-haired man sucked in a sharp breath, surprised. “No wonder that kid has such a big reputation in the capital, and dared to come to the Western Sea alone. Looks like his fists pack a punch.”
“He’s definitely strong. Killed Superclass like slaughtering dogs, just like that crazy woman,” the short old man grinned. “We can’t mess with someone like him. I came here to remind the captain that we should find a time to make nice with him, to avoid any unnecessary trouble.”
The red-haired man was none other than “Firestorm” Fink Richard, the leader of the Blaze Pirates, the second-ranked of the Four Pirate Kings of the Western Sea.
The old man was his father, Sisyphus Richard, the former captain of the Blaze Pirates and now the first mate.
Your next chapter is on empire
“Yeah, it’s a good idea to make contact. I don’t want to fight with a monster like that,” Fink agreed, nodding. Then, as if a thought struck him, his expression grew a bit odd. “By the way, that hyena should be almost at Seaway City, right?”
The hyena, Kalon, the leader of the Twilight Pirates, was one of the Four Pirate Kings of the Western Sea.