Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

The waves suddenly surged.

The two people who had just surfaced were pushed back by the waves, narrowly avoiding the fishing nets cast from the ship.

A figure emerged from the waves, lifting Alka and Chadite onto its back.

That slick feeling and the unmistakable spine belonged to Sang Kaka.

He was moving swiftly in the water, carrying the two away at a rapid pace.

Alka took this opportunity to see Gami and others fleeing in the same direction.

Without hesitation, he turned his head and said, "Sang Kaka, take me in the other direction. They are coming after me."

Though not understanding why Alka said this, Sang Kaka turned without hesitation, diverging from the direction Gami and the others were fleeing.

Now was not the time for conversation.

"Dad!"

Beside him came Chadite's heart-wrenching cry.

Alka immediately turned to look, only to see an incredibly muscular and tall man on the deck, lifting Andre high before them.

Seemingly to ensure they could see clearly, he had purposefully hung several Lighting Stones on himself.

Grabbing Andre's left arm, he tore it off forcefully.

Blood splattered down, yet Andre remained motionless.

Both groups fleeing in opposite directions witnessed this scene.

Anger, terror, and a mixture of emotions surged in Alka's mind.

The Pirate Captain slowly approached the muscular man, his eyes fixed in Alka's direction.

His mouth opened silently, as if saying something.

Alka stared intently at the captain's face, not uttering a word.

"WHIZZ!"

Another cannonball fired, landing in front of them. Its shockwave and the resulting splash hit them.

The impact almost caused the two to fall off Sang Kaka's back.

"Hold your breath!" Sang Kaka shouted, diving underwater with the two of them.

However, as soon as they submerged, two large great white sharks suddenly lunged from below, biting Sang Kaka's legs.

A figure wielding a spear emerged from the depths. Vaguely visible, it was also a fishman, but this one had a long snout and a hammerhead.

"AAHH!" Sang Kaka cried out in pain; those biting sharks were clearly not ordinary fish.

His legs were nearly severed, and in addition, he was still carrying Alka and Chadite.

He hesitated no longer.

Two scales appeared in his hands, stained with blood and glowing with Magic Power. He pressed one onto Alka and the other onto Chadite.

A massive amount of Magic Power surged from his body, splitting into two streams and shooting forth.

The magic intertwined with the seawater. One stream formed a large whirlpool that started to spin, engulfing Sang Kaka, the sharks biting him, and the fishman who had suddenly appeared.

The whirlpool surged, expanding rapidly and spinning wildly.

The other stream of Magic Power enveloped Alka and Chadite, like a rapid current, propelling them far away.

Alka felt himself enclosed, carried by the current, continually advancing.

Despite being surrounded by water, he could breathe, but speech was impossible.

Next to him, Chadite watched him; neither could speak a word.

"Captain, a huge whirlpool has appeared ahead. We have to go around it. Should we continue the pursuit?"

By the light of the Lighting Stones on the flagship, the captain's full appearance was revealed. He wore a captain's hat, from which black hair peeked at the edges, and had brown eyes. He was dressed in a leather jacket and gloves. Aside from a few small scars on his face, he looked quite ordinary. He somewhat resembled Alka. A dagger and a Sailor's Long Saber hung at his waist.

He waved his hand and responded to the reporting pirate, "Continue the pursuit. He can't escape."

"Yes!"

The pirate departed.

Now, only the captain and an elderly man holding a Scepter remained on the flagship's bow.

The elder was slightly hunched, wearing a tattered robe. His right eye was clouded, seemingly blind.

Looking at the captain, he asked, "How should we handle the leader of the Treasure Hunting Team?"

"Not dead?"

"No."

Upon hearing this, the captain was about to speak when his expression changed, inexplicable anger flaring in his pupils. Then, his eyes widened in fury. He transformed abruptly, as if becoming a different person, mercilessly tearing off his gloves and throwing them onto the deck, then pounding the mast beside him.

The man who had been gentle-mannered moments before instantly turned into a rage-fueled brute. He glared with angry eyes at the elder beside him.

The elder, still holding his tall Scepter, seemed accustomed to this and silently observed him with his one good eye.

"Assign that leader a room and treat his injuries. If he can't be saved, then let those scoundrels die."

The elder calmly nodded.

"Furthermore," the captain continued, "execute everyone who fired earlier. Hang them from the mast."

He didn't address the old man but spoke directly to the pirates below.

Upon hearing this order, the pirates exchanged glances, fear etched across their faces. I wonder what madness has seized the captain this time.

"Can't you all hear?"

"Y-yes!" "We'll go right away!"

Upon hearing the roar, the pirates below immediately scrambled in all directions, preparing to head to the lower deck and other ships to capture everyone who had just fired the cannons.

This wasn't an ordinary Pirate Gang; they had no room for refusal.

Then he waved his hand.

The flagship suddenly turned to the side, heading to the right of Alka's escape route, and the other ships followed suit, adjusting their direction. They slowly advanced to the right.

The elder beside him remained silent, standing quietly to the side.

After a while, several corpses appeared hanging from the ropes of the mast and sails.

At this point, the anger in the captain's eyes vanished, replaced by a calm gaze.

He slowly crouched down, picked up the gloves he had previously discarded on the deck, and gently brushed off the dust. Then he picked up the dagger that had been thrown nearby and reattached it to his waist.

He put the gloves back on his hands and even adjusted his clothes, smoothing them out.

He straightened his captain's hat before turning to look at the corpses on the mast.

"Such a pity," he said, shaking his head slightly with regret. "I thought their aim was quite good. Truly a shame."

After speaking, he sighed. When he turned his head again, his expression had returned to calm.

The elder asked, "Do we need to change how we're handling that leader?"

The captain took out a neatly folded handkerchief from his jacket pocket and wiped the gloves on his hands.

"No need," he said indifferently. "Leaving him as bait is good enough. Also, turn the fleet back. Here's the sea chart."

After speaking, a spread-out sea chart appeared in his hands, depicting the Realm of Pitch Darkness where they currently were. The chart illustrated some relatively safe routes. It was clear from the markings that this sea chart depicted the Realm of Pitch Darkness in its current state, not as it was hundreds of years ago before its formation. It was a new sea chart, drawn within the last century.

The elder received it, nodded, and walked away.

The captain clasped his hands behind his back, looking at the darkened environment in the distance.

"Fools," he said lightly. "Anger changes nothing."

The corpses on the mast swayed left and right in the night breeze.

"What do we do now?" Jason asked Gami, who was rowing the boat with tentacles beside him.

Currently, a Lighting Stone had been placed in the middle of the small boat, dispelling the surrounding darkness to prevent it from completely engulfing them.

Avinasha sat at the front of the boat, facing the sea, her thoughts unknown. Neither of them disturbed her.

Upon hearing Jason's question, Gami thought for a moment before saying, "Of course, we first leave the Realm of Pitch Darkness and inform the Church of our situation so they can handle it."

"The Prayer for the Dead is not an opponent we can handle, and without the Sea Fist, we cannot last long in the Realm of Pitch Darkness."

Fortunately, they were already at the edge of the Realm of Pitch Darkness. Even with a small boat, they should be able to row out. They were also lucky that the sea conditions in the Realm of Pitch Darkness were usually calm, and its peripheral areas were generally safer, with few Sea Beasts.

"Sigh, I wonder what's happened to Alka and the others, whether they've been captured," Jason said with a sigh, looking at the boundless darkness around him.

Earlier at sea, they had seen Andre's arm being torn off, and had also seen Sang Kaka carrying Alka.

Originally, they were escaping in one direction, but for some reason, Alka suddenly changed course.

What was more absurd was that the pirate ships chasing behind them followed suit, turning toward Alka's direction, completely ignoring their presence.

Thus, they safely escaped, until the enemy was completely out of sight.

"Sigh," Gami said.

Why would this group of pirates want the Sword of Love? Gami wondered, truly perplexed.

This was a Holy Artifact of the Church; to anyone else, it was merely a very powerful Magic Weapon. The difference from a Treasure was still significant. Not only would it be of little use to them, but possessing it would also draw the Church's ire and pursuit.

The Holy Mother Church was no small power. No matter how formidable the Prayer for the Dead might be, to the Holy Mother Church, they were merely transforming from a mouse into a somewhat troublesome wild dog. As for taking the Sword of Love to confront the Church or negotiate with them, that was even more absurd.

Gami racked his brains yet couldn't understand why they wanted the Sword of Love. But his inability to understand only strengthened his resolve: they needed to leave quickly, reach the Church, and report everything.

Both of them consciously avoided the topic of Andre. They didn't know if Andre was alive or dead, and they were afraid of upsetting Vanessa, who was also on the boat.

"Sigh."

Another sigh echoed across the boat. Jason, in pain, clutched his head as two faint tear tracks, no longer suppressible, slid down his cheeks.

Unlike Gami, Jason had spent a cumulative three years on the ship. These three years could be said to be the most important in his life. The people on this ship could be described as friends and brothers.

And now, none of the lesser crew members had survived, and Andre's fate was unknown.

They didn't know what had become of Akka either.