Pirate Kingship

"Brave words!"

Seeing this, Fat Dragon laughed, furious.

When pirates fought over territory, to prevent excessive casualties, aside from dispatching fleets for open battle, there was indeed a custom of dueling—either between ships or between champions.

But Byron's attitude, as if he had already thoroughly defeated him, made Fat Dragon feel an enormous loss of face.

His body quaked, his layers of fat trembling.

He was naturally a big eater, the type who would gain weight even from drinking plain water, leaving him obese and immensely strong. He firmly believed that all skill was futile before absolute power.

Particularly after becoming a [Gourmet] of the Gold Sequence, this Talent allowed him to triumph through strength over skill among his peers. He was invincible.

Apart from severe hypertension that often caused dizziness, he had no other ailments.

Faced with Byron's charging attack, he quickly opened the food box beside him and ate a pair of "chicken wings," bones and all. His body instantly felt much lighter.

He also consumed his main dish from the [Gourmet]'s [Dietary Supplementation]: a geoduck.

His already massive body immediately began to engorge and swell. Within moments, his skin turned blood-red, and he transformed into a five-meter-tall giant. His clothes burst apart, leaving him in only a pair of Miracle shorts seemingly sewn from special materials.

This was the ability [Size at Will], gained from his staple food.

Effect: Allows the body to instantly expand twofold or shrink by half.

Initially, the "main dish" he truly desired was the world's most magnificent, with the highest expansion coefficient: an elephant's pizzle.

But such ingredients were exceedingly rare, so he had to settle for the geoduck, which was widely distributed in the sea. The effect was satisfactory enough for him.

He snatched up a rusty ship's anchor beside him and, imbued with boundless wind and thunder, smashed it towards the airborne Byron.

"Fool! Daring to leap into the air during a fight? I'll turn you into a meat patty!"

His overwhelming strength, combined with the heavy weapon, meant a mere graze could injure, and a solid hit was fatal. It even came with a powerful "tetanus" enchantment. This destructive power was no less potent than any Miracle.

With this anchor, even when facing Third Order [Transcendent]s who weren't combat-focused, he, as a Second Order, had some chance of winning.

Facing this assault, Byron was not only unafraid but secretly sneered:

You gave me quite a start. The way you were all acting, I almost thought the Barbary Pirate Fleet Commanders were comparable to Kingdom Major Generals, all Third Order on average.

Although Byron's [Spirituality] was still far from the peak of the Second Order, the various enhancements from Beatrice, his unconscious [Undead Servant], were enough to ensure he wouldn't lose to any Second Order opponent in terms of abilities. Not to mention his "Flow State," which perfectly complemented his [Storm Sword Technique].

He wouldn't dare claim he could challenge those of a higher Order, but among Second Orders, calling himself peerlessly invincible wasn't an exaggeration. Even if he encountered a deceitful Third Order feigning weakness, he could grit his teeth, burn the Third Order Beatrice, and gain three minutes as a [Wild Hunt Knight]. With [Cognitive Revision] active, as long as he didn't want to be recognized, no one could identify him.

Discovering that Fat Dragon was merely a Second Order, Byron immediately abandoned the [Wild Hunt Knight] ability he had been on the verge of activating.

His body rode the winds stirred by the anchor, transforming into an agile swift darting through the turbulent air currents. Fatal on touch, injurious on impact—yet every strike missed his clothes by a hair's breadth.

Any discerning eye could see Byron was handling the situation with ease.

When the anchor finally stilled, he even tapped its tip with his toe, standing calmly on one foot. This display caused Fat Dragon and the distant, cowering pirates to pale drastically.

"Are you human or an [Evil Spirit]?"

Fat Dragon's eyes were blood-red and severely bloodshot. He twisted the anchor in his hand and smashed it down violently towards Byron as if swatting a fly.

Aided by "Flow State," Byron's control over the surrounding air currents had already reached masterful precision. Wisps of luminous energy flowed between his lips and nostrils as he instantly seized control of the wind. Like a streak of green smoke, he clung to the anchor, dashing along it with lightning speed, and reached Fat Dragon in an instant.

White Frost flashed from his hip as he let out a low cry:

"[Frost Winter is Coming]."

[Secret Sword Technique: Fingertip Spear]!

A blinding white sword light flashed.

CLANG!

The cast-iron ship's anchor, at least as thick as a grown man's thigh, was severed by his single sword strike.

Steel-severing? Flow State?! How can an unknown [Pirate Group] like this have such an expert?

Panic finally flickered across Fat Dragon's face. He was about to retreat hastily and call for the pirates on board to attack together. If they won, it was by the rules; if they lost, then to hell with honor. Besides, this duel hadn't been sanctified by the [Pirate Code], so they felt no compunction about interfering.

But Byron didn't press his advantage and withdraw.

With a flick of his longsword, a biting sword wind instantly carved a perfect circle into the deck where they stood.

BOOM!

The heavy Fat Dragon immediately plummeted, smashing through the cannon deck below and crashing all the way into the bilge.

Byron followed closely.

"Stop!"

The battle ended so swiftly that only then did the nearby Barbary Pirates, who hadn't dared to breathe, cry out in alarm.

But the bilge was pitch black, and they couldn't clearly see what was happening below. They only saw a faint, azure gleam flash and vanish.

However, just moments later, two figures leaped out from the hole, reappearing before everyone.

Fat Dragon's face was slightly pale. He waved his hand at his subordinates. "A bet is a bet. We're leaving."

The other pirates wanted to protest, but Fat Dragon's stern glare silenced them. A flicker of cold, azure flame seemed to dance in the depths of his eyes, sending an involuntary shiver down their spines.

Soon, this contingent of Barbary Pirates gradually departed.

Giving up the toll was impossible. The name of the [Ocean Throne] might not intimidate Byron, but it could certainly cow others. As long as they could plunder money, anything was negotiable.

Byron rode a gust of wind back to the Golden Deer, landing on the high mast. Sword in hand, he watched them recede into the distance. The strong winds whipping across the sea surface made his clothes flutter noisily.

"Sea Hunter! Sea Hunter!"

Forcing back Pirate King Barbarossa's men had raised Byron's prestige within the Privateer Fleet to unprecedented heights, surpassing even the nominal [Pirate General], Bill.

Byron let out a long sigh of relief.

The last [Wild Hunt Servant] slot is finally filled.

The signature on the spoil of war, "The First Overseas Development Order of the Great Nautical Age," had long since been changed to Byron's name. Although Fat Dragon wasn't a head of state, he was at least the leader of a [Pirate Group]. After declaring war on him and achieving victory, Byron had successfully taken everything from him—including, of course, his soul and his life!

Byron also granted him the last slot for a conscious [Wild Hunt Servant].

And there's an unexpected boon as well.

The [Sailing Logbook] in his right eye automatically unfolded. [Hidden: Prophecy, Authority, and the Mad Hunt Deity, Woden's Species Revival Prophecy—Historical Influence 69]. The Decryption Rate had unexpectedly jumped from 17% to 20%!

I never expected that West Coast Pirate King to have crossed paths with Violet's father, the [Whale Hunter]. The last person he saw before leaving the Bantaan Archipelago was none other than a fellow Pirate King, the [Ocean Throne]!

Through Fat Dragon's memories, Byron learned that many within the Barbary Pirate ranks had personally witnessed it. Years ago, when [Whale Hunter] Jack Harold first arrived at Banta'an, he had visited [Ocean Throne] Barbarossa Raël Ding. Then, he had suddenly disappeared.

The clues are scarce, but at least I've found a thread. I've had this commission for a long time. Next time I contact Bayfolk Princess Violet, I won't be completely empty-handed.

He had cleverly avoided a larger conflict today, but Byron believed they would inevitably clash with these Barbary Pirates again.

And the East-West trade routes are about to get very busy. With the collapse of the Aztec Empire, the decades-long separation of the Eastern and Western Archipelagos will soon end. The Old Continent's nations and major colonial companies, whether trading with the various city-states or charging towards the vast Yucatan Island—an area of 2.3 million square kilometers, eleven times the size of the Hightins Kingdom Channel Islands—personnel movement will inevitably drive the shipping industry to unprecedented prosperity. Forget piracy; even just running a logistics company here could make a fortune. This route will soon become a cash cow more precious than a vaccinia-producing dairy cow—a veritable canal flowing with gold. And the Tayman Archipelago, conveniently located right in the middle of this route, is a natural tollbooth... erm, a transit hub! After all, besides Havana Island to the north occupied by the People of Castilia, this is the closest place to the Taya Empire.

According to his communications with Catherine, the People of Castilia haven't given up on Tayman Brak Island. They're already stockpiling resources, preparing for their subsequent westward expansion. More and more people will undoubtedly target this place in the future.

Byron realized he was still weak compared to the major powers. Two individuals immediately came to mind.

Mr. Swarm, my dear mentor, I hear you have no children. I'd like to provide for your old age.

And General Newman, I want to prepare a seaside villa for you on Little Taiman Island, where I can report to you anytime. Even if I did nothing all day but observe how you conduct meetings, listen to your daily words and deeds, I would consider it a great happiness!

If you can't beat them, call for allies.

With the Aztec and Taya Empires now effectively his assets, wasn't this Offshore Balancer technique his specialty?

And now that he had a lead on the [Whale Hunter], perhaps it was also time to invite the Third Order [Grand Artificer], Bayfolk Princess Violet, to Banta'an.