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

Chapter 59: Strive and Accumulate!

In fact.

If it were just pirates of this level, Shane wouldn't be afraid at all; he'd kill one if they came, and two if they came!
However, there were differences among pirates.

Pirates on the Seven Seas are usually judged by the bounties offered by the Seven Seas Federation to determine their strength and status.

The 0 to 100 silver snake coins were mostly from low-level pirates.

This group of people is so small that even the Federation is too lazy to specifically eliminate them. They have almost no reputation or strength and only pose a threat to some small merchant ships and salvage vessels.

A pirate with 100 to 1000 silver snake coins (10 gold dragon coins) is a seasoned pirate with considerable strength.

Pirate crews typically have Tier 1 Secret Pathfinders, and the number of Secret Pathfinders increases as the bounty increases.

The Black Mountain, which has already been defeated by Shane, is one of the best in this category.

Among the pirates with bounties of 10 or more gold dragon coins, some truly powerful individuals begin to emerge, and second- or third-tier secret travelers may also appear.

It is said that in the Seven Seas, there are some famous pirate groups that can rival the rulers of the various islands and even the Federation of the Seven Seas!

The reward offered was naturally immeasurably high.

Of course, those pirate crews are not something that Xia En can come into contact with right now.

However, there are also some pirate groups in the waters near Duke Island with bounties of 10 gold dragons or more.

Even Shane wasn't confident of victory against these pirate crews.

Moreover, the most crucial factor was not the pirates, but Duke Nova's attitude!

This is information about the Crimson Emblem.

Was it because she held a grudge against me because of the Blood Wolf and the old butler, and deliberately spread the rumor?
Was it just a casual act?

To be honest, Shane prefers the latter.

After all, compared to Duke Nova, she and the Black Swan were just insignificant little shrimps, and she probably wouldn't take such a trivial matter to heart.

However, Shane also knew that it was very foolish to place his hopes on the kindness of others.

—Especially when the opponent's strength far surpasses one's own.

"It seems we won't be able to return to Duke Island."

Xia En was in turmoil, but quickly made up her mind.

If Duke Nova really holds a grudge against him, returning to Duke Island would undoubtedly be suicide.

Even if the possibility is very low, Xia En will not gamble with his life.

"The largest island closest to Duke Island is called... Silvermoon Island?"

Shaen stroked his chin thoughtfully: "The relationship between the island's governor and Duke Nova doesn't seem to be very harmonious, so this is a good place to lay low for a while."

"I don't want to leave you here, I have my own place to stay!"

Shaen felt no emotion about being forced to leave Duke Island; in fact, he was even a little excited.

He didn't feel much of a sense of belonging to Duke Island to begin with, and going to other islands would allow him to experience new customs and cultures.

He also knew about Joey and Ann's situation; they had nothing to be attached to on Duke Island and could leave whenever they wanted.

This is one of the advantages of having fewer crew members.

The only problem is...

This incident disrupted Xia En's salvage plan.

His strategy for the "Royal Palace Dungeon" in Coral City has only just begun; he hasn't even seen the mini-boss yet, let alone cleared the dungeon!

If pirates were to attack again, it would obviously not be so easy for him to continue grinding monsters and leveling up peacefully.

If the Blood Duke happens to arrive, Shane will have no choice but to flee this sea area.

"However, it's definitely time to go to the island to resupply."

Xia En glanced at the ship laden with spoils and made a decision.

The difficulty of the "Royal Palace Dungeon" was actually somewhat beyond his current strength.

Instead of grinding relentlessly, why not go to the island first to sell your loot and treasure, then purchase core components, upgrade your ship, and recruit crew members...

It's more efficient to convert money into combat power before tackling dungeons.

Having clarified his goal, Xia En smiled.

"Strive hard, and accumulate experience!"

……

"Captain, what should we do with these prisoners?"

Joey walked over to Shane and asked somewhat awkwardly.

Upon hearing this, Xia En was slightly taken aback.

This is quite a problem.

The simplest solution would be to kill them all, just like we did with the Blood Wolf pirates before!
But if we kill them all, who will sail these two pirate ships?
Shaun had already tried, but he couldn't bind the two ships.

It seems that the ability to bind multiple ships can only be unlocked after the ship soul power is raised to a certain level.

Despite the damage these two ships sustained in the battle, the main body of the vessels remains intact, and they can still fetch a good price when towed to port.

Especially for medium to large three-masted sailing ships like the "Black Mountain," the cost is much higher than that of two-masted sailing ships.

It can be said that these two ships were the biggest spoils of this operation.

But Shane felt it wasn't worth taking these two ships to the new island.

Managing so many undisciplined pirates and feeding them is a huge headache just to think about.

It’s tasteless to eat, it’s a pity to throw it away!
This refers to the group of prisoners and the two ships.

"Captain! The Giant is back!"

Suddenly, Joey exclaimed, "Hey? Not just the Giant! There's another... what a beautiful ship!"

Following her gaze, Shane glanced into the distance and saw the Giant approaching rapidly with another ship of similar size.

Moreover, that ship appeared quite different from the other ships.

It has a bright silver hull, a streamlined and beautiful body, no sails, and a tall smokestack standing on the hull, making it look beautiful and advanced.

It's obvious that this is a steamship!

Compared to the rough and unrestrained pirate ships like the Black Mountain and the Furious Shark, it is like a graceful and elegant lady, possessing a unique beauty.

【What a nice view……】

Faintly, Shane heard the Black Swan's sigh, and his expression turned strange.

Little Black, what are you thinking about, Little Black?

You are a ship!
But it's so beautiful...

"..."

As the distance closed, Shane saw the markings on the ship's hull, and his pupils contracted involuntarily.

On the wave-themed pattern, seven stars of different colors are distributed throughout the waves, simple yet eye-catching.

This is the Star Wave symbol of the Seven Seas Federation, representing the Federation's authority.

"Is this a Federation patrol boat?"

Xia En guessed the identity of the ship.

In addition to the regular Federation Navy, the Seven Seas Federation also sends out [hunting ships] to patrol and hunt at sea.

The target, of course, was the rampant and ruthless pirates.

In fact, the Federation Navy only goes out to sea to fight under special circumstances, and the residents of the Seven Seas see these lone "hunting boats" more often.

They would annihilate pirates and rescue trapped merchant ships and salvage vessels, earning them an excellent reputation among the people.

Over time, the patrol boat also earned the title of "sea police".

Xia En held this group of people in high esteem.

But the next moment, a sound amplified by some kind of device rang out from the opposite ship—

"You pirates over there, lay down your weapons and surrender on the spot! Don't put up any futile resistance!"

Shane: "???"

I'm having a writer's block today, and I also have some family matters to deal with, so I can only update once. Sorry everyone! (Bang bang bang!)

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(End of this chapter)