Chapter 12: Submit or Die

The next second…

BOOM!

The pirate ship, as if struck by a cannonball, had a massive hole blasted through its deck—planks flew apart, the mast snapped clean off.

Zang Gao dodged the flying wood shards, his gaze locked on the cold, stern figure at the deck’s center, a chill crawling up his spine.

Though the newcomer said nothing, the aura radiating from him made Zang Gao feel as if he were facing Keluo head-on.

His mind churned as Zang Gao slowly connected the young man’s face with a wanted poster buried in his memory:

“Knight Gao Wen? Bounty eight million?”

His voice trembled as he spoke the number.

Damn it!

My own bounty’s nine million—how could a pirate with an eight-million bounty radiate this kind of terrifying killing intent?

In an instant.

Zang Gao knew he was no match—he had only one chance to survive: wait for Keluo’s reinforcements!

“I can explain—”

“Submit or die!”

Gao Wen stared at Zang Gao with cold eyes, his tone indifferent—he wanted to crush these pirates as swiftly as possible.

After all, the potential of everyone on his ship was spent; he needed fresh blood, and these pirates were perfect fodder.

As for good and evil, who on this sea could truly tell the difference?

He never considered himself a good man—refraining from exploiting civilians was already the limit of his morality.

“I—”

Zang Gao swallowed hard, but before he could speak, the surrounding pirates raised their flintlock pistols, their faces twisted with malice as they turned on Gao Wen…

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

After a series of rapid gunshots, Gao Wen’s figure vanished from the deck. As Zang Gao stared in confusion, a cold voice came from above:

“Looks like you made the wrong choice.”

“I’m sorry.”

Everyone looked up.

Gao Wen lightly swung his knight’s sword, releasing a silver-white blade aura that surged forward with razor-sharp force, filling their entire field of vision…

Ssshh!

A crisp sound rang out—the pirate ship, over fifty meters long and nearly ten meters wide, split cleanly in half.

Two unlucky pirates, unable to dodge, were struck directly by Gao Wen’s slash—leaving behind one arm and half their torsos.

Blood gushed.

The crimson hue and the sinking ship snapped the others back to their senses; as they stared at the slowly descending figure, only terror remained in their eyes.

“Monster!”

“A monster just like the captain!”

Zang Gao stood on the deck, watching Gao Wen land—his eyes held nothing but fear.

Even his captain, whom he believed invincible, could never achieve such a feat with mere sword and blade!

“Run!”

Someone screamed—suddenly, the others snapped out of shock, but the sea was vast, the ship destroyed—where could they possibly flee?

Gao Wen’s words echoed again in Zang Gao’s mind—he made his choice without hesitation:

“We submit! We submit!”

“Watch out for Keluo—he has a skill called Spoon. It’s fast—too fast for the naked eye to track.”

Gao Wen raised an eyebrow:

“Faster than me?”

“I don’t know.”

Zang Gao shook his head.

He’d never fought Keluo—he couldn’t judge—but he knew just how terrifying Keluo was.

That man was a ruthless strategist; every battle, the Black Cat Pirates held all three advantages—timing, terrain, and manpower.

Logically, under such conditions, casualties in the Black Cat Pirates should’ve been minimal.

But the opposite was true—each battle cost them horrific losses.

Most of them didn’t die at enemy hands—they fell to Keluo’s indiscriminate ability!

“I admit you’re strong, but Keluo is a real monster—his bounty and his power don’t match at all!”

“Over the past few years, most missing pirates and Marines in the East Blue have become Keluo’s prey!”

Zang Gao’s expression turned grim.

Betraying his captain carried no guilt—he simply believed that bowing to strength was the instinct of most pirates.

“Is that so?”

Gao Wen gave no reply, glancing at the pirates still struggling in the sea:

“Try to survive—hold on until this fight ends. I’ll go test Keluo’s strength…”

With that,

Gao Wen stomped hard—his force crushed the pirate ship’s wreckage beneath him into the sea, and using the recoil, he shot toward the warship a hundred meters away.

One pirate tossed Zang Gao a life ring, then turned to watch Gao Wen’s retreating figure and asked, confused:

“Boss, are we really betraying the captain?”

“Betray?”

Zang Gao clutched the life ring, a sly smirk curling his lips:

“If Gao Wen wins, we hand in our loyalty oaths. If Keluo wins—who here would dare report this?”

Either way, we don’t lose.

Besides, you don’t actually think Keluo trusts us, do you?—those little schemes the Cat Brothers pull behind his back—he knows perfectly well.”

He just doesn’t care. To him, everyone in the crew is just a tool.

I just realized it now—when Keluo completes his plan, we’ll be his only weakness.

What do you think will happen to us, given Keluo’s nature?”

The pirate froze, then a cold dread rose from his gut—colder than the seawater.

…

…

…

THUD!

Gao Wen landed steadily on the warship, his clothes untouched by water, while the pirate ship chasing them had already been swallowed by the sea.

His astonishing feat made the crew nearly worship him as a god—fear and awe on their faces, but also a new surge of confidence.

As long as the captain stands, the Gao Wen Pirates will never fall!

Gao Wen noticed the crew’s excited gazes but paid them no mind—he turned to his first mate:

“How’s the situation here?”

The first mate bowed respectfully:

“Our men haven’t learned to operate the warship’s cannons yet—poor aim. The Black Cat Pirates are poorly equipped—they can’t even damage the warship.”

“To decide the outcome, we need to board—!”

“They’re coming!”

Suddenly,

the lookout screamed.

Gao Wen looked up.

The Black Cat Pirates’ flag was speeding toward them—they clearly intended the same boarding tactic as the first mate.

With his sharp eyes, Gao Wen could clearly see the slender, cold-faced man standing on the enemy deck, his expression dark and brooding.

On his fingers he wore strange claw-blades; their razor edges forced him to push his glasses with his palms.

But this awkward motion only made his aura seem even more monstrous.

“Not Monka?”

Far away,

Keluo on the deck froze, his face darkening instantly.

Not Monka—but on Monka’s ship. The man’s attire clearly wasn’t Marine. What happened needed no explanation.

“No wonder the attack earlier didn’t look like Monka’s style.”

“Forget it.”

“Pirate vs. pirate, both sides crippled—Keluo’s death by injury, though less reliable than arrest by Marines, is still acceptable.”

(End of Chapter)