“What? You’re saying they took Irabesha?”
In a room at the Rose Hotel, the unconscious Stari had been placed on the bed. Ye Chui and his companions stood nearby. Only now did they learn from Kaliya that Irabesha had been kidnapped.
Kaliya had suffered minor injuries, while Battis was more seriously hurt. One of her legs was heavily bandaged, and she leaned on a crutch as she stood in the room. At first, because of Stari, the two women had viewed Ye Chui’s group with dislike, but now that they knew how powerful Ye Chui was, their attitude towards him had become one of unmistakable awe.
Kaliya continued nervously, “Yes, those terrifying creatures. It seems their target from the start was Irabesha. Several of the sisters were brutally killed, but when they saw Irabesha they only knocked her out and carried her away.”
Ye Chui exchanged glances with Debbie, Lesha, and the others. These undead monks slaughtered without mercy and cared nothing for the lives of pirates, so why kidnap Irabesha specifically?
Because she was beautiful?
That seemed unlikely. Though Irabesha was pretty, there were plenty of women in Pirate Bay who outshone her in looks, yet none of them had been taken. In fact, across the whole bay, apart from the unlucky pirates who died, Irabesha was the only one abducted.
“Did the undead monks say anything when they took her?” Ye Chui asked curiously.
“I think…” Kaliya frowned in thought, then her eyes lit up. “They said something about the curse being lifted. Oh yes, and a sacrifice. They want to sacrifice Irabesha.”
This shocked Ye Chui even more. Sacrifice Irabesha to lift the curse?
The undead monks were cursed pirates, originally from the three great fleets of Red Beard, the Watchers, and Black Sail. They had been transformed by a missionary’s curse. Could sacrificing Irabesha truly remove the curse from their bodies?
Did Irabesha have some very special identity?
While he was pondering this, Stari woke up. He leapt from the bed in panic. “Irabesha! Where is Irabesha…” Realising he was in a room, he froze for a moment, then rushed towards the door, his concern for her plain to see.
Ye Chui quickly stopped him. “The undead monks have already left. They took Irabesha with them. You can’t catch them now.”
“Why did those monsters take her?” Stari asked helplessly, gripping Ye Chui’s shoulders tightly.
Ye Chui shook his head. He had no idea.
“Stari, Irabesha always treated you coldly, but she actually cares about you a lot…” Kaliya walked over to Stari and spoke gently, her eyes flicking towards Ye Chui. She hoped Ye Chui would agree to rescue Irabesha. At this point he was their only hope. Someone as powerful as Ye Chui would never listen to the request of a mere pirate prostitute, so the only way was through Stari. Stari seemed to get along well with Ye Chui’s group; if he asked, Ye Chui might actually help.
Battis, limping on her crutch, hurriedly added, “Stari, although Irabesha worked here, she was never like the rest of us. You must know that. She isn’t a prostitute. She only did cleaning jobs. She has always remembered you… Last night when you came looking for her and accidentally dropped that pendant, she carefully kept it to return it to you.”
“Wait, what did you say?” Ye Chui caught a crucial detail in Battis’s words. His body tensed, and he quickly turned to her.
Debbie, Green, and the others also realised something. Debbie and Ye Chui shared a knowing glance, a perfect moment of mutual understanding.
Then Debbie asked Battis, “So Irabesha was never a prostitute?” She shot Ye Chui a look that said, now that’s explosive news.
Ye Chui: “…”
Battis looked confused. “Of course. She only did cleaning work here…”
“That’s not the point,” Ye Chui said, sweating slightly. “The point is that the pendant is with Irabesha!”
Stari blinked. “The pendant?”
Thanks to Ye Chui’s reminder, Debbie, Green, and the others instantly understood.
That pendant was no ordinary trinket. It contained a summoner’s spiritual power. Last night Debbie had accidentally touched it, and as a fellow summoner she had triggered some kind of aura within it, apparently a signal. If they were right, the sudden attack on Pirate Bay had been drawn by the aura the pendant released.
The owner of the pendant clearly mattered greatly to the undead monks. Sacrificing the owner would lift their curse.
But crucially, the real owner was not Irabesha.
It was Stari!
“Mr Ye Chui, what on earth is going on? What’s wrong with the pendant?” Stari asked, bewildered.
Ye Chui shook his head, but his eyes studied Stari seriously. Stari was just an ordinary person with no talent for magic or summoning, only basic swordsman skills. The only unusual thing about him was that his grandfather had once been first mate to Captain Dalin. So what made him special enough to break the monks’ curse?
Then something clicked, and Ye Chui couldn’t help a strange smile. This really did feel like a familiar plot. It seemed he would have to bring out the effeminate captain after all. Thinking this, he unconsciously raised an orchid finger…
Everyone else: “?”
“Nothing, nothing.” Ye Chui hurriedly waved his hand. He turned to the two worried women. “Don’t worry. This time the Famous Random Pirate Crew will definitely get involved. We will bring Irabesha back!”
“Thank you,” Kaliya said, her face full of gratitude. “Every sister in Pirate Bay will remember you forever.”
Ye Chui: “…”
Please, just forget about me…
“But the undead monks come and go like ghosts. Nobody has ever found their base. Mr Ye Chui, how will we track them?” Stari asked, puzzled.
“Don’t worry. I can find them.” Ye Chui produced Jack’s compass.
He had placed a mark on the pendant. No matter where it was now, the compass could track it!
…
To set sail and rescue Irabesha, they needed a ship. That was, after all, the original reason Ye Chui’s group had come to Pirate Bay.
Most vessels in the bay, however, were rotten wrecks that couldn’t compare to Ye Chui’s Black Pearl. Stari, desperate for Irabesha’s safety, wanted to leave immediately and told Ye Chui he had a ship.
Ye Chui felt a spark of hope, only for Stari to lead them to the dilapidated wreck he called home.
“This is the ship?” Debbie stared at it, speechless. “Will it even float? We might sink the moment we leave the bay…”
The others shared her complete lack of confidence, but Stari thumped his chest and swore, “Trust me. I’ve patched her up for ten years. Every hole is sealed. I planned to sail her and become King of the Pirates one day. She’ll definitely hold.”
From Stari’s words, Ye Chui picked up a key detail. “Hold on… this wreck has been moored here for ten years?”
“Exactly! She’s an amazing ship. My grandfather seized her from a fearsome pirate crew when he sailed with Captain Dalin. She even has a grand name: the Ten-Thousand-League Ocean Conqueror.” Stari proudly slapped the hull. The hull wobbled dangerously, as if it might collapse at any moment.
“…Ten-Thousand-League Ocean Conqueror.” Ye Chui couldn’t help roasting the name. This ship had been captured while Stari’s grandfather served under Dalin, so it was at least fifty years old, probably several decades older before that. Rounded up, she was a century-old antique…
Ye Chui seriously doubted she could even leave the bay.
At that moment a crowd of pirates gathered round, all looking at Ye Chui’s group with open admiration. Though pirates were despicable scum, they genuinely respected strength.
Having driven off the undead monks, Ye Chui had proven his might. With the three great pirate fleets cursed and gone, and the Missionary and Sea Goddess fleets now operating in the Tidal Empire, the ragtag pirates of the bay were leaderless. They had never truly been united, but now they hoped a man strong enough to fight an undead legion would protect them.
A bald, heavily bearded pirate clasped his hands together, smiled obsequiously, and voiced their wish: they wanted Ye Chui to become their leader, the new King of the Pirates.
Everyone in Ye Chui’s group was stunned. Stari opened his mouth, then closed it. There was only one true King of the Pirates: Captain Dalin. No pirate captain could rightfully claim the title.
Yet with the five great fleets effectively finished, the pirates left in the bay were the only real pirates remaining. If they acclaimed Ye Chui as King, the title would be legitimate.
Ye Chui thought for a moment and declined. These pirates only wanted him as king out of fear for their lives. The title felt too knock-off. He’d pass. However…
“Forget King of the Pirates.” Ye Chui shook his head. The pirates looked disappointed, but then he grinned. “From today onward, you may address me as Pirate Emperor!”
The pirates: “…”
Bloody hell, that sounds even more badass than King of the Pirates!
