We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 195 Art is explosion!
"The treasure vault of a pirate principality?"

Xia En's heart stirred slightly.

He was well aware of the significance of this treasure trove.

Augustine built the Pirate Principality from scratch, winning countless battles and accumulating an exceptionally rich fortune.

But the question is, are the treasures in this vault really that easy to take?
Seeing his hesitation, Gray Cloud spoke again.

"It is said that although Augustine suffered heavy casualties on this trip, he gained a lot and even obtained a rare treasure."

"Its name is... [Twilight Black Pearl]!"

"This treasure is of great benefit to those who follow the secret path; they can benefit from it for a lifetime."

"Captain John, aren't you tempted?"

Instead of answering his question, Shayne asked, "Why didn't Augustine carry such a treasure with him? Why did he keep it in the treasury instead?"

Gray Cloud paused for a moment, then said, "This seems to be a rule set by Augustine."

“Every time he returned from a campaign, he would take out his most valuable trophy and put it into his treasury.”

Xia En looked intently into Gray Cloud's eyes and asked with a smile.

"If we join forces and go to the pirate kingdom's treasury, the [Twilight Black Pearl] will definitely be mine. So what do you want in return?"

Gray Cloud's heart tightened, and he took out the words he had prepared beforehand.

"Actually, one of my optional tasks is to enter the treasure vault of the Pirate Kingdom."

"As for the treasures inside, I don't dare to ask for them."

"Is that really all there is to it?"

Xia En smiled and said, "I think there are treasures in the vault that you are determined to get."

"And you're trying to drag me down with you, aren't you?"

Gray Cloud's face turned deathly pale, and he hurriedly said, "Captain John, I swore an oath, how could I have such thoughts?"

Xia En waved his hand.

Because of the oath, Gray Cloud certainly wouldn't dare to attack him first, but tempting him to make a mistake was another matter entirely.

"I will not go to the treasury of the Pirate Kingdom."

"What you want to do next is none of my business. As long as you don't provoke me, you can do whatever you want."

To be honest, Shaen was naturally somewhat tempted by the Duchy's treasury.

—If the two captains alone have so many good things, the treasures in the duchy's treasury must be even more!
Not to mention, there are also optional quests related to the [Twilight Black Pearl].

The key is...

Xia En's current identity.

He was one of the genuine twelve apostles, yet he went to steal from the pirate kingdom and trespassed into its treasury.

What do you expect the other apostles to think?
If you don't get caught, that's fine, but once you do, it's like mud falling into your pants—even if it's not poop, it's still poop!

This is why Xia En hardened her heart and rejected this temptation.

……

……

The news of the eleventh apostle's death spread like wildfire throughout the island.

The pirates on the island, whether they were Augustine's confidants or the men of the four kings who had come to attend the pirate conference, were both fearful and somewhat confused.

Why didn't Augustine show up at this point?

Is his injury really so serious that he can't even take care of himself?
This bizarre situation has also allowed the ambitions of some people to grow like weeds.

In a small house next to the harbor of Wanchuan Island.

A glaring female pirate glared angrily at her subordinates, lashing out with her whip as she cursed.

"Didn't you say that sending two pirate ships would definitely catch that John?"

"Now look what's happened! Not only have we lost two ships, but we've also been targeted by that one-eyed old dog!"

The pirate who had been whipped dared not utter a single complaint, only managing a forced smile as he spoke.

"That little brat is definitely hiding his strength, otherwise he wouldn't be a match for Geese and Bond."

The female pirate holding the long whip frowned and said, "The question now isn't whether he's hiding his strength or not, but what we should do?"

“Now that an apostle has died on the island, not only Augustine, but even the leader of the apostles will not let us go.”

"What if that one-eyed old dog comes looking for us..."

The usually fierce female pirate couldn't help but shudder at the thought of that scenario.

The one-eyed old dog she was referring to was none other than Basil.

In the era when this one-eyed old man was still the ship's first mate, pirates would tremble at the mere mention of his name, for behind him lay countless blood-soaked corpses.

Although Basil is now the steward of Wan Chuan Island, the female pirate is still a little scared just thinking about his past exploits.

Another pirate who was plotting this couldn't help but ask.

"What did Lord Kro say?"

The "Lord Kro" he mentioned is one of the five kings of the Pirate Kingdom.

Such a serious crime as murdering an apostle could not possibly be done without powerful backers.

Mentioning this name made the female pirate's face grow even uglier.

Since the failed attack, none of the messengers she sent have returned, which seems to subtly indicate Lord Crowe's attitude.

Seeing her expression, the others in the room immediately understood, and one of them looked worried.

One of the pirates gritted his teeth and said, "I've heard that John is Augustine's most valued apostle."

"Let's go all the way and tie that little brat up tonight."

“Since Basil came to us, we have room for negotiation.”

Upon hearing this, the pirates' expressions changed drastically.

"Are you crazy!?"

"This is on Wan Chuan Island! If we anger Augustine, none of us will escape."

The pirate who made the suggestion also had his own opinion: "Wasn't Augustine already seriously injured?"

"Such a big incident has occurred, and he hasn't even stepped forward to appease the situation."

"Besides, haven't we already thoroughly offended Augustine? If we want to live, we have no choice but to fight to the death!"

“Kidnapping John is like having a talisman that will allow us to escape far away.”

The female pirate in the lead stood up and paced back and forth a few times before speaking with a gloomy look in her eyes.

"Fight!"

"Since Lord Crow doesn't care about our lives, we don't need to talk about chivalry. We can just do things in her name and maybe force the Four Kings and Augustine to break up completely."

"We can only survive by taking advantage of the chaos!"

After careful consideration, the pirates realized that this was indeed the case, and immediately began preparing to take action.

Just at this moment.

A soft laugh suddenly came from the corner of the room.

"I heard...you guys are looking for me?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then turned to look.

From the shadows in the corner, a handsome man with black hair and black eyes emerged.

The black clothes almost blended into the shadows.

The strangest thing was that before the man spoke, none of the many pirates present noticed his arrival.

The female pirate, wielding a long whip, screamed, "John!"

The ignorant pirates only realized then that this was the target they were planning to kidnap!

But what happened to the meek and weak-willed pretty boy we were promised?
Why did they feel an instinctive fear when standing in front of this man? "Grab him!"

The female pirate was the first to come to her senses; she whipped her long whip and ordered her pirates to attack.

The pirate closest to Shane grinned maliciously, roared, and punched her in the face.

This kid actually dared to deliver himself to our doorstep, so of course we have to give him a good "welcome"!
Without changing his expression, Xia En took a step to the side, dodging the pirate's punch. Then, he reached out and placed his hand on the pirate's neck, and with a slight exertion, he snapped the pirate's neck.

The pirate collapsed without uttering a sound.

As he watched the pirates continue to surge around him, Shane smiled.

"Uncle Basil, let's get started."

"Yes, Master."

A hunched figure burst into the room, looking menacingly at the many pirates present.

Upon seeing the old man, the pirates all changed their expressions and scattered without hesitation, not one of them daring to make a move.

Since Xia En dared to directly storm into the enemy's lair, he must have made ample preparations.

You must understand, this [Island of Ten Thousand Ships] is the home ground of these apostles!
Asking Basil to do it is a piece of cake.

It would be truly foolish not to use the available resources!
but……

As Xia En watched Basil and his men chase after the pirates, he inexplicably thought of scenes from certain novels where spoiled brats bully others.

I have to say, this feeling of having powerful connections and a strong backer is...

Pretty cool?
Before long, without any suspense, the pirates were either killed or surrendered.

Xia En didn't look at them again, but instead looked in other directions of [Wan Chuan Island].

Faint sounds of fighting, screams, and even the fluctuations of secret techniques could be heard coming from not far away.

On this night, many similar battles were taking place throughout the island.

This is the bloody revenge from the apostles!
Even without Augustine's presence, they were not to be underestimated by ordinary pirates.

Suddenly, a loud roar came from somewhere on the island.

Xia En's expression changed slightly as he turned to look in the direction from which the roar came.

There, a burst of fire suddenly exploded and rose into the air.

Mars fell on the island like petals scattered by a celestial maiden, and then rapidly expanded outwards.

In an instant, several flames ignited on Wan Chuan Island, which was mainly made of wood and steel, threatening to turn into a fire.

However, the changes were only just beginning.

boom! boom! boom!
One roar after another echoed from all over the island, and fiery meteors rained down as if to set the entire island ablaze.

"not good."

Basil approached Shane, his expression also changing: "Someone wants to destroy [Ten Thousand Ships Island]!"

His gaze darted around, quickly settling on a direction within the firelight.

"Young Master, I'll go ahead first. Please be careful."

"it is good."

After Shane nodded, Basil's figure transformed into a giant wolf in the dark night, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

……

……

at the same time.

On a tall tower in the center of the island.

An ordinary-looking pirate looked down at the sea of ​​fire and a smug smile appeared on his face.

He certainly sensed the powerful auras rapidly approaching him and knew he couldn't escape.

That's why he became even more unruly, even shouting with all his might.

"Art is an explosion!"

“Foolish pirates, I have something to tell you.”

“There are many mind flayers like me who have taken over the bodies of some of you, causing drastic changes in their personalities and giving them abilities they didn’t have before.”

“They each have their own purposes. Some, like me, want to blow up the island, while others want to kill Augustine and the Apostles!”

"You all better remember this well: you must find all the Mind Flayers!"

His voice was imbued with a mysterious power, which traveled extremely far.

As night fell, the hidden gray clouds suddenly changed color.

"Damn it! How could it be that bomb maniac?"

He recognized the eccentric hermit.

The opponent's secret path profession has been abnormal since the first level. It started as [Arsonist] and has now become [Demolition Expert].

This bomb fanatic has no other hobbies than explosions.

In his own words, it was—

Anytime, anywhere!
Super bomb, ready to explode at any moment!
If it were anyone else, Gray Cloud might have suspected some kind of conspiracy, but this guy detonating bombs on [Ten Thousand Ships Island] was probably just to watch a "big fireworks display".

Moreover, dying during the promotion ceremony wasn't a real death, which gave this madman a perfect opportunity to unleash a spectacular display of fireworks.

Those words about the "Mind Flayer" were clearly just the bomb-wielding maniac knowing he couldn't advance and wanting to drag a few people down with him.

In fact, mentally unstable lunatics like this are not uncommon among those who follow secret paths.

Some madmen even rise through the ranks extremely quickly because their actions perfectly align with their profession.

However, anyone who encounters such a madman during the promotion ceremony is truly cursed.

At this moment, many of the trial participants on [Wan Chuan Island], including Xia En, were extremely depressed.

This explosion undoubtedly threw the already chaotic situation on the island into complete disarray once again.

"Hahaha! The fuse is burning!"

Seeing the powerful figure charging towards him, the pirate on the tower calmly lit the fuse.

With a loud "boom," his body was torn to pieces in the explosion.

To Basil's and the others' astonishment, even at this moment, he still had a smile on his face!
……

……

below.

Xia En sighed.

He never expected that there would be such a reckless madman among the trial participants.

The "big fireworks" were spectacular, but he and the other trial participants would have to share the mess afterward.

Just as Xia En was about to head home, a muffled sound came from the firelight not far away.

Judging from the way he looked, it seemed like a giant beast was charging towards him.

Xia En immediately turned serious and prepared to take action.

But when the figure rushed in front of him, Xia En was slightly taken aback.

Look at the scales on its head, the dragon horns, and the tail behind it—who else could it be but Nana?
Judging from the several charred holes on her body and her singed hair, it was clear that she had rushed out of the fire.

"Little John, I knew it was you! My nose is very sensitive."

Xia En couldn't help but ask curiously, "What do you want from me?"

Nana confessed, "My brother's note told me to follow you after I killed a few people."

"You obviously want me to protect you!"

The half-dragon patted its chest and said arrogantly, "With me here, no one can hurt you!"

Just then, a steel knife suddenly pierced out from the wooden plank below!
(End of this chapter)