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

Chapter 201: Chaos Erupts! The Traitor Reveals!
It didn't take long.

Inside the council chamber of the Pirate Kingdom.

The four kings, Benjamin, and several pirates qualified to participate in the conference had already taken their seats.

Behind them, most of them were accompanied by one or two trusted confidants, including the man in the white coat and wearing a monocle.

However, very few people felt curious or strange about his arrival.

However, whether they were apostles from the Pirate Kingdom or foreign pirates, they could all sense the strangeness of this conference.

Even before it officially started, a somber atmosphere had already permeated the hall.

Undercurrents are stirring, and trouble is brewing.

After everyone had arrived, before Moss could even speak, the beautiful Queen Feng pointed to the empty seat at the highest point and asked first.

"Moss, where is His Majesty Augustine?"

"Since this is a pirate tournament, how can our king be absent?"

Moss remained calm and said indifferently, "The master has entrusted me with full responsibility for this conference. Do you have any objections to this?"

"Or are you saying that since the master isn't here, you intend to disregard his authority and prepare to rebel?"

When Moss finished speaking, his murderous aura was palpable, sending a chill down the spines of the pirates present.

Although Augustine was not present, his authority since the founding of the Pirate Kingdom was deeply ingrained in the hearts of every pirate, and even became a lifelong shadow for many.

Therefore, even though almost all the pirates thought Augustine was seriously injured.

They still dared not launch a direct rebellion, much less be the first to fire the first shot.

When faced with Moss's probing questions, Feng Hou stopped pressing him and instead smiled, saying, "How could a weak woman like me dare to do something so audacious?"

"I was just concerned about His Majesty."

This woman truly possesses an extraordinary charm; a single, gentle smile is enough to ignite a man's passion and make it difficult for him to feel anger towards her.

Moss, naturally, was not tempted by beauty, and after giving a cold snort, he said...

"Now that everyone is here, I hereby announce..."

"The 7th Pirate Tournament is officially open!"

Since Augustine established the duchy, the pirate council has been held six times.

The specific topics of discussion were nothing more than the division of jurisdictional waters, the sharing of tribute and offerings, and strategies for dealing with foreign enemies.

Ultimately, it all boils down to one word—

Benefit!

In the past, when it came to issues such as the size of their own territories and the amount of taxes they collected, the four kings would argue amongst themselves and never dared to make any demands on Augustine.

In contrast, today, these four kings unusually showed a united front, and the first issue they raised made several apostles frown.

"First of all, I think it's necessary to discuss the ownership of the [Sea of ​​No Light] and the distribution of the secret treasures produced there again."

The Eastern King chuckled and dropped a bombshell on everyone.

The so-called "Sea of ​​No Light" is an extremely special sea area in this era.

This sea area is shrouded in a layer of dark, mysterious power all day long, blocking out sunlight, hence it is called the "Sea of ​​No Light".

However, it is precisely because of this special environment that the quantity and quality of the treasures produced on the islands and beneath the surface of the [Lightless Sea] far exceed those of other sea areas.

Some rare potions can only be obtained in the Dark Sea.

It can be said that this sea area is like a natural treasure trove.

Whoever controls the [Sea of ​​No Light] can make money while lying down!

For a long time, the special products of the [Sea of ​​No Light] have been controlled by Augustine and the twelve apostles.

This not only enriched the Pirate Kingdom's treasury but also cultivated a group of loyal secret travelers.

The sinister intentions behind the Eastern King's raising of this issue at this time are obvious to everyone!
Beside him, the Western King chimed in, "Speaking of which, the Sea of ​​No Light happens to be located at the intersection of the sea areas under the jurisdiction of me, the Eastern King, and the Wind Queen."

"Shouldn't we all be entitled to a share of the produce, both morally and logically?"

Upon hearing this, Moss merely frowned, but Tiffany, standing beside him, couldn't help but speak out coldly.

"You two have gone a bit too far!"

"Lord Augustine isn't dead yet! And he's already thinking about dividing up the duchy's inheritance?"

"Don't forget, it was Lord Augustine who led the fleet to conquer the natives of the [Sea of ​​No Light] and slay those sea monsters."

"If you were sent to participate in the battle of the [Sea of ​​No Light], it's uncertain whether you'd even be able to stand here and speak!"

Faced with Tiffany's sarcasm, Dong Wang's face darkened, and he was about to rebuke her.

The previously silent Mad King Crow suddenly said, "There can be no two suns in the sky. In my heart, there is only one sun: His Majesty Augustine."

“As long as His Majesty Augustine speaks for me, I will obey his orders unconditionally.”

The pirates were all taken aback when they heard this.

They never expected that Kro, who was known as the "Mad King," would say such a thing.

In a corner of the crowd, Gray Cloud, who had quietly slipped in, thought to himself, "It seems that although this Crow is called the Mad King, he is not a truly mindless madman."

"If Augustine really shows up, he will probably be the first of the four kings to defect."

"But the question is... can Augustine still intervene?"

As a participant in the promotion ceremony, Gray Cloud would not miss this pirate tournament, whether for the purpose of improving his evaluation or completing the necessary tasks.

In fact, among the pirates who entered the arena, there were quite a few trial participants like Gray Cloud.

However, they play different roles and have different tasks to complete, so they are all waiting for the most appropriate time to make their move.

"I never expected that the trial participant who played John would die so easily..."

Gray Cloud sighed softly, thinking with some regret, "If he were still alive, we would be more confident in completing the necessary tasks of the trial."

Although Gray Cloud was forced to swear the [Secret Sea] oath, he had to admit that Xia En's strength far surpassed his own.

Gray Cloud was somewhat surprised by Xia En's disappearance, but not entirely unexpected.

After all, there are many beings in this ritual that ordinary secret practitioners cannot afford to offend, such as the four kings, and the top-ranking apostles.

Perhaps Xia En ran into one of them and was unfortunately killed in the end?
Just as Gray Cloud's thoughts were swirling.

The Mad King Crow continued, "The king I submit to is His Majesty Augustine, not you apostles."

"You're not qualified to order me around!"

Tiffany's face turned ashen: "You!?"

Feng Hou then added fuel to the fire with a smile, "That's right, if you think it's impossible to talk, then let His Majesty Augustine step in."

"Otherwise, the ownership of the [Sea of ​​No Light] should indeed change."

"Now, the apostles are in a dilemma."

As an observer, Gray Cloud had a clear understanding of the situation on the field.

"The four kings are clearly taking advantage of Augustine's inability to show himself and using their status to suppress these apostles."

“If the apostles do not agree, this assembly cannot continue.”

"But if they agree, it will only prove that the Pirate Kingdom is weak and vulnerable, and has lost its ability to protect itself."

"At that time, not only will the Mad King Crow be blinded by ambition, but even the pirates who originally favored the duchy will be completely overwhelmed by their ambition, triggering a chaotic war."

"As for the [Sea of ​​No Light] itself, it is not important; it is merely an excuse to stir up trouble."

Unfortunately, although Gray Cloud saw things clearly, his strength was ultimately limited, and he couldn't change the overall situation. At this moment, things were exactly as Gray Cloud had predicted.

The pirates below erupted in uproar.

Where is His Majesty Augustine?

Why won't you come out and see us?

"How serious is Your Majesty's injury? I have some miraculous medicine here that I can offer to Your Majesty."

Voices, some well-intentioned and some with ill intentions, kept ringing out.

Seeing that the crowd's agitation was escalating, Moss took a deep breath and decided to directly engage the Four Kings in battle.

Rather than continue to suffer humiliation, it is better to fight to the death with dignity!
Doing this might offer a glimmer of hope.

But that's it.

Benjamin, who had been barely noticeable since taking his seat, suddenly spoke up.

“I remember, according to the rules of your [Pirate Kingdom]…”

"If there are differing opinions on a resolution, each side should send one person to decide whose opinion to follow through on a one-on-one contest."

As soon as Benjamin spoke, the hall fell silent.

The four kings looked at him with suspicion and uncertainty.

Given Benjamin's past achievements, his prestige is even greater than that of the Four Kings!

In fact, it was because of Benjamin's existence that the Four Kings did not choose to directly attack the Apostles.

Although the Four Kings and Benjamin had a verbal agreement, their respective statuses meant that a true collaboration between them was impossible.

One was a pirate, the other was the Royal Navy.

They are naturally on the opposite side.

The four kings wanted to use Benjamin's power to overthrow Augustine and seize the throne, not to completely destroy the Pirate Duchy.

Benjamin's target, however, was all the pirates!
To cooperate with him is tantamount to asking a tiger for its skin.

Therefore, the four kings remained highly vigilant about Benjamin's actions.

But his words at this moment puzzled the four kings, who couldn't figure out what he was up to.

They were certainly aware of this rule within the Pirate Principality, and they had used it to resolve conflicts on several occasions in the past.

But now, aren't we about to completely break off relations?

What's the point of sticking to these rules?

If an ordinary person said this, it would be considered nonsense.

But he is Benjamin!

For a time, no one dared to refute him.

Seeing this, Moss breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Even if we don't know why Benjamin suddenly spoke up for them, the apostles might not necessarily lose if they were to actually send someone to fight one-on-one!
However, just as Moss relaxed his guard...

A fat left hand quietly reached out from behind him.

The palm had a mottled color and a fishy, ​​bitter smell.

Moss's expression suddenly changed, and he roared, "How dare you!?"

His reaction was undeniably swift, but how could the person behind it, who had meticulously prepared this attack, possibly fail?

The brightly colored hand shattered the chair back and landed on Moss's back with incredible speed.

laugh!
The instant the palm and back make contact.

Moss's flesh began to dissolve and rot, quickly turning into foul-smelling pus and blood.

Moreover, the toxins contained within it are rapidly spreading and infecting other parts of the body.

If this poison were to enter his heart, Moss would surely die!

In the critical moment, Moss acted decisively, punching the person behind him back, then drawing a long knife from his waist and slicing off the rotting flesh.

The cut was so deep that you could see his white spine directly on his back.

Immediately, a layer of ice covered the wound, preventing the toxins from spreading further and stopping the continuous bleeding.

Even so, it was clear to anyone that Moss had been seriously injured in the sneak attack.

"Tak!"

Moss looked up at the man he had defeated, almost spitting out the name through gritted teeth.

Before him stood the tenth apostle, Tucker, who was as obese as a mountain of flesh!
"So, you're the traitor among us."

Moss's eyes were filled with disappointment: "So, you killed Old Eleven too?"

This bizarre, alchemical-like toxin directly proves Tucker's identity as the killer.

However, in Moss's memory, Tucker had never used poison, and since he was one of the Apostles who was attacked, the Apostles never suspected him.

Faced with Moss's questioning, Tucker grinned, revealing a set of pale white teeth.

"Yes, it's me."

"That idiot never realized it was me who poisoned him until he died."

"However, you're not much better off. You've been poisoned by me, and in two hours at most you'll die here, your body turning into pus."

With that, Tucker looked at Benjamin not far away and said respectfully, "Lord Benjamin, I have not failed you!"

Everyone then realized what was happening.

Tucker was not an apostle turned by the Four Kings, but a pawn of Benjamin!
Benjamin smiled faintly and looked at Moss, whose face was pale.

"Lord Moss, do you wish to surrender?"

"If we try to save her now, it might still be in time."

Faced with this near-desperate situation, Moss seemed to have broken free from some kind of constraint, muttering, "Two hours?"

"Then please, Mr. Benjamin, witness my final glimmer of glory!"

Before he finished speaking, layers of ice and snow began to emerge around Moss, covering him with a layer of armor forged from ice, making his already bloodless face even paler.

next moment.

Moss charged toward Benjamin like a giant ice beast.

All of this happened so fast that many pirates hadn't even had time to react before Moss was already locked in battle with Benjamin.

And at the same time.

As if it had been pre-planned, several apostles approached their opponents.

The only difference is that Basil's opponent has changed to Tucker, who is a traitor.

"Well done!"

Seeing this, Feng Hou smiled and effortlessly unleashed a spell imbued with the power of a raging storm, directly confronting Tiffany.

The other three kings also showed no fear, directly using their secret abilities to deal with the apostles who rushed forward.

A chaotic battle has broken out!

(End of this chapter)