Pirate Kingship
Chapter 66 - 65: Chaos in Iron Anchor Bay (Request for First Subscription)

Chapter 66: Chapter 65: Chaos in Iron Anchor Bay (Request for First Subscription)

The world’s fastest three-masted sailboat, the Golden Deer, had been delayed by that naval battle for far too long.

By the time they were making their full effort to return, Iron Anchor Bay had already fallen back into night.

Neither the free pirates among the Bayfolk nor the local residents had any inkling that danger had stealthily descended upon them.

"Hey, Hall, look at the seashore—what’s that? I just saw something shimmering."

Two children, wielding wooden swords and shields, who had forgotten the time to return home while frolicking on the island’s sandy beach, seemed to have discovered some sort of treasure.

Dropping their weapons, they chased each other to the seaside.

They surrounded the thing on each side, which seemed to have been washed ashore by the rising tide.

To be more precise, it was a corpse.

The expression on its face was fierce and twisted, as if it had experienced some kind of extreme pain or horror before death. Yet, within that pain, there was a hint of a strange, slight smirk that sent chills down one’s spine.

Two gleaming silver coins were placed in its eye sockets. It was precisely their reflection of the light from the shore that had caught the attention of one of the children.

Probably due to a different upbringing, the two children were not at all scared of the corpse before them; instead, they seemed quite eager.

"I once heard my uncle say pirate funerals involve placing two coins in the eyes of the deceased to buy a ticket on the Ghost Ship that takes them to the afterlife. Those of noble status or exceptional ruthlessness get a Gold Coin, most commonly it’s a silver coin, and the lowest status might get a copper coin. This is certainly an Unlucky Ghost who just happened to drift in with the ocean currents."

"However, this guy has red hair; he obviously isn’t one of our Bayfolk. Leaving him here is a waste anyway, so why don’t each of us take a silver coin and buy a bottle of rum to drink? I’ve been wanting to taste the liquor that only adults are allowed to drink. This time, let’s drink to our hearts’ content."

"Alright, one for each of us!"

Without any disagreement, the two little friends happily reached a consensus.

But as they each picked up a silver coin minted with a peculiar octopus pattern, the corpse suddenly opened a pair of murky gray eyes and, with lightning speed, grabbed the wrists of the two children holding the silver coins.

The seal was broken!

AH! AH!

Following two short screams, the children had already been dragged into the water by the corpse.

Even though they had excellent swimming skills as Bayfolk, the water’s surface, seemingly within reach, was as distant as the horizon, unreachable no matter how hard they tried to swim.

Meanwhile, the icy winter seawater quickly lowered their body temperature, and soon they were convulsing and lost all movement.

Only after a good while did they slowly float to the surface, also having become floating corpses.

The first corpse had returned to its original state. Only now, the bloodstained side of the Octopus Silver Coins in its eye sockets was once again facing up, and the bloodstains were even heavier.

Contained within it was the collective essence of the local Bayfolk: heroes or villains, the resilience of a camel, the ferocity of a lion, and the vitality and hope of children.

The harsh environment had forged their national character, a mix of ice and fire.

This also meant that the Evil Spirit had regained its freedom and had now possessed the body of a Transcendent.

[Evil Spirit: Drowned Wraith

Wherever there’s water, there are legends of the drowned. They can change into treasure chests, gold and silver, beautiful women, or even just a fresh and crisp vegetable, luring passersby into the water. Once someone falls into its trap, they end up tragically drowning.

Taboo: Resist Greed, and as long as you stay dry, it can’t harm you in any way.]

Certainly, the Privateer Ships that had returned safely didn’t waste even a quarter of an hour before releasing all the wicked things they had successfully captured.

On the other side of the island, a ’mystery box’ opened by a Shepherd proved equally fatal.

Just as he greedily picked up the two silver coins, the body suddenly split open in the middle, and the elastic human skin violently enveloped him, turning him into a wriggling, semi-transparent ball of flesh.

Even as the Shepherd struggled fiercely, he couldn’t tear through that thin layer of skin.

When everything had calmed, a figure rose from the ground once more. Only the ’Shepherd’ with a wooden expression stood there; the human skin was gone.

[Bizarre Creature: Kleptoparasite

An entity formed from the Dead Souls of those keel-hauled to death and a type of sea slug called ’Leaf Sheep’. The Leaf Sheep possesses a ’kleptoparasitic trait’; by eating algae, it can acquire their chlorophyll and perform photosynthesis despite being an animal. Simply put: if it eats you, it can become you, forever possessing your abilities. It becomes whatever it eats. Its power is somewhat akin to a Gourmet’s Dietary Supplementation, but it is far stronger and much more irrational. Simultaneously, it constantly emits the aura of a creature low on the food chain, making anyone who sees it irresistibly want to eat it. Eating it is also the beginning of being eaten.

Taboo: Wear nature’s most potent toxic warning colors, such as red, orange, yellow, black, or a mixture of these, to make it believe you are inedible.]

The Kleptoparasite took a couple of steps, seemingly unaccustomed to its new form. It then devoured a goat that was nearby, transforming into the goat’s shape.

Only then did it stagger towards the port city.

Surely, no pirate ship would refuse such a plump goat aboard—in every sense of the word.

Meanwhile, forerunners had already infiltrated the city.

In the gloomy alleyways, an amorphous black shadow, covered entirely in mouths and no other organs, flowed over the ground like tar.

From the mouths came the cries of children, the pleas of women, and the calls for help from the elderly:

"I’m so hungry!"

"Help me, help me!"

But once someone stepped into its shadow, they would be swallowed whole, leaving behind only a new mouth that grew on its form.

[Bizarre Creature: Thousand-Throated Wraith

Although it doesn’t understand the meaning of its words, it can instinctively mimic various human cries for help. The more mouths it has, the more formidable it becomes.

Taboo: Its hunting method is ambush; it rarely attacks proactively. When encountering this Bizarre creature, never trust your ears. Light repels it; fire is fatal to it.]

Apart from the Human-Faced Whale Louse that had just been completely annihilated by the Golden Deer, and The Ripper, who was only worth one silver coin, a total of thirteen such sinister Bizarre creatures and Evil Spirits roamed all over Iron Anchor Bay.

Most of them could kill without leaving a trace and were far more dangerous than Transcendents, who could be understood through common sense.

Even a Second Order Professional Level Transcendent, if unaware of their details, could capsize in the gutter by accidentally triggering their killing rules.

What’s more, all the Octopus Silver Coins pointed to that highly mysterious existence, rendering all Divination below High Sequence ineffective.

The law enforcement squad quickly sensed something was amiss but found themselves powerless, unable to effectively respond.

Chaos!

On the surface, Iron Anchor Bay remained a scene of song and dance.

But in every corner of the city, Bayfolk and drunken Bay Citizens Pirates were silently vanishing at every moment.

The massive influx of pirates had already overwhelmed the security system; these Evil Spirits and Bizarre creatures were the final straw.

The Bayfolk leadership could no longer afford to deal with these potential sources of instability.

The Gunpowder Artist, masked and caped, stood atop the port’s lighthouse.

Listening to the constant reports coming through the Whalebone Talisman - Whale Song, the expression under her mask was extremely grim.

"Divination has failed, tracking has failed, necromancy has failed... The large number of new assassins only attack mortals, never Transcendents. Their success rate is one hundred percent. No survivors, no witnesses. Suspected to be the product of some high-mystery ritual..."

Gritting her silver teeth, she even recalled the living bombs about to be sent to the Privateering Alliance anchorage, then leaped into the city.

Behind her, on the deck of the Goddess of Vengeance, a ship like a small fortress, Red Beard gently swirled a glass of red wine. The liquid, reflecting all of Iron Anchor Bay and the sinister smile on his lips, spun slowly, as stark as blood.

"The Lancaster elements, the Bayfolk elements—all are in place. This time, if the net closes successfully, not only will Iron Anchor Bay’s stubborn elements be caught, but even that Child of the Devil, who clearly had terrible luck in choosing to hide here, won’t escape. And I, Redbeard Edward, will finally be crowned king over this sea!"