Chapter 120: The Skull Boss

“No! I surrender...”

Plop!

Watching the crimson-tinged cold light slash toward him, the Skull Boss’s eyes flickered with fear—he tried to beg for mercy.

Too bad, his words were cut short as the sword struck his ribs with swift, precise brutality.

The Skull Boss let out a shriek and collapsed, writhing in agony.

Splash!

“L-Lord!”

The pirates froze, faces as white as chalk.

Gervas saw this and knew today’s matter was settled.

“The Skull Boss is dead! All pirates who surrender shall not be killed!”

“Surrenderers shall not be killed!” the soldiers immediately echoed.

Terrified pirates immediately dropped their weapons and fell to their knees with thuds.

“We surrender, Commander! Don’t kill us!”

What followed was simple.

The soldiers bound the bandits tightly and dragged the nearly dead Skull Boss before Gervas.

But Gervas paid no attention to the bandits—he walked to the village square.

The villagers of Resurrection Island were ashen-faced, heads bowed, trembling.

“Raise your heads!”

Gervas snapped coldly.

The villagers didn’t understand, but they still lifted their heads shakily.

Yet when they saw Gervas’s face, the village chief and several representatives cried out in shock, “The Lord of Stormhold?!”

“So you remember me? Then you must also remember the letter I sent you?” Gervas sneered.

“Spare our lives! Noble lord, spare us! We didn’t mean to offend you!”

The villagers immediately banged their heads against the ground with thuds.

At this moment, every villager’s intestines were twisted with regret.

A few days ago, this noble lord had sent them a recruitment notice—but at the chief’s suggestion, they had rejected it.

If they hadn’t refused then, today’s disaster might never have happened.

First attacked by pirates, now captured by this noble lord.

They knew that whether they fell into the pirates’ hands or this noble lord’s, their fate would be equally grim.

So the villagers could only keep pounding their heads, begging for mercy.

“Noble lord, spare us! Noble lord, have mercy!”

“Pah! You wretched fugitives—our lord showed you kindness by recruiting you, yet you showed no gratitude and dared to defy him!”

“Now you beg for mercy? Dream on!”

Migen and the others showed no sympathy at the slaves’ pleas.

After all, they had watched these bastards insult their lord with righteous fury just days ago.

“You’re not from the Kingdom’s army?”

At that moment, the weak and gasping Skull Boss drew breath and glared at Gervas with accusation.

“Let me introduce myself—I am Gervas Gale, Lord of Stormhold!” Gervas turned with a smile.

“Cowardly noble!” The Skull Boss snarled through gritted teeth.

“Skull Boss, even if I’m not from the Kingdom’s army, you didn’t think you could change the outcome, did you?”

“Hmph! If not for the fear of the Kingdom’s army, my men would’ve torn a piece of flesh off you!” The Skull Boss seethed.

His hundred men were no weaklings—yet they’d been tricked into surrendering outright.

Otherwise, even in death, they could’ve taken several of you with them.

“Then you’re just stupid,” Gervas sneered.

He’d noticed their misconception early on, so he’d played along.

Otherwise, these pirates—more vicious than the Scorpion Bandits—would’ve inflicted heavy casualties on his men.

Now? Not a single man lost, and every pirate captured.

Yet just as Gervas thought this, the Skull Boss suddenly laughed.

“Hahaha! Noble, you think you’ve won? No—I tell you, this battle is still won by me, the Skull Boss!”

The Skull Boss didn’t let Gervas wonder long.

He paused, then continued, “Send someone to check—the Sea Stone on that warship—is it still there?”

Gervas’s expression changed, darkening—he gestured to Eve Lan in the air.

Soon, Eve Lan returned, “My lord, Captain Jack says the pirate ship’s Sea Stone is gone!”

“Hahaha!”

The Skull Boss laughed again, triumphant.

Clearly, the Sea Stone had been hidden by the Skull Boss.

In fact, this was standard procedure.

To prevent betrayal and theft of the ship, the Scorpion Boss always took the Sea Stone ashore.

That way, even if his men stole the ship, they’d drown in the sea.

Lei Meng stepped forward and kicked the Skull Boss over, then searched his body.

After a moment, Lei Meng rose, face grim, and shook his head at Gervas.

“Hah! Useless, noble—I hid the Sea Stone the moment I knew you’d attacked!”

“And don’t expect me to hand it over—I’m already dead. I’ll take the Sea Stone with me to the grave, so you’ll never get it! Hahaha!”

The Skull Boss’s triumph was complete—all his fury from being tricked was vented.

Yet just as the Skull Boss reveled in victory, a knight hurried to Gervas’s side and whispered into his ear.

Gervas froze—his grim expression vanished, and a smile curled on his lips.

Now it was the Skull Boss’s turn to stare—then he sneered, “Hmph, crafty noble, don’t try to trick me again—I won’t fall for it!”

“Our Skull Ship’s Sea Stone is standard Kingdom Navy issue—disguised as an ordinary rock. Only I know where it is!”

“Unless you search every single stone on the island—hahaha!”

“Is that so?”

But to the Skull Boss’s shock, Gervas showed no alarm.

Then four soldiers hurried over, followed by a ragged fugitive.

“N-Noble lord, this is the Sea Stone I found! I was hiding in the woods and saw the Skull Boss throw it right there!”

The fugitive bowed his head, holding a rock the size of two fists above his head with both hands.

The moment the Skull Boss saw the rock, his face turned ashen.

Though he quickly masked it, Gervas already knew the truth.

Gervas took the Sea Stone from Lei Meng, then stood and stepped close to the Skull Boss, grabbing his collar and lifting him up.

“W-What do you want?” The Skull Boss was frozen by Gervas’s icy gaze.

“You know, very few people have made me this angry—you’re the first,” Gervas said coldly.

“I...”

Thud!

“You threatened me, huh?”

Thud!

“You think only you can find the Sea Stone, huh?”

Thud!

“You’d rather die than yield, huh?”

Thud-thud-thud!

“You wanted to deny me the ship, huh?”

Thud-thud-thud!

“You’re ugly and full of nonsense, huh?”

The Skull Boss: “???”

Thud-thud-thud...