On the "Conch".

Aiven silently withdrew his gaze from the sea bird.

No longer focusing on the hellish scene of the armed merchant ship, which, like a collective descent into chaos, left no chance of survival.

Compared to the fate of the merchant ship's crew, Aiven was more concerned about why figures like "Iron Bone William" and "Heimer Remon," who were considered elite pirates, repeatedly appeared nearby.

Are they in cahoots? What's their specific destination?

Connecting this to the powerful figure mentioned by "Iron Bone William" and the deliberately hidden insignia on "Heimer Remon's" ship, Aiven could easily guess that aside from these elite pirates, it's highly likely that the Black Sea Pirate King, "Octopus Ghost" Hawkins, had also personally arrived here!

This would inevitably draw the attention of any force on the East Coast.

Just happening to run into two elite pirates couldn't possibly be the full extent. An event capable of involving a Pirate King and an unknown number of elite pirates couldn't be trivial.

However, Aiven had misunderstood the situation.

Heimer, as a direct subordinate of the Pirate King, was indeed here under the orders of "Octopus Ghost" Hawkins. But the always individualistic "Iron Bone William," who had no hierarchical relationship with the Pirate King, was ready to flee from the troubled East Coast after receiving the news.

Years of being hunted had taught this former Navy officer the art of self-preservation. If his First Mate on the "Iron Bone" hadn't been accidentally caught while preparing supplies, he would have disappeared by now.

Regardless of any discrepancies between assumptions and reality, it didn't stop Aiven from making reasonable judgments based on the current intelligence!

Thus.

Although "Gabred" was less than two days' sailing away, Aiven released the communication seagull to report this news to the headquarters of the Third Fleet immediately.

Flap, flap—

Watching the specially trained military communication seagull disappear into the cloudy horizon, Aiven sighed softly, "A great storm is about to come!"

However, Aiven did not expect the response to come so quickly.

In less than a day, Aiven saw the seagull again.

"As expected!"

Upon unfolding the orders from the Third Fleet Headquarters brought by the seagull, Aiven's face turned grave as his guesses were confirmed.

This sea area, after all, belonged to the coastal waters of Phaletis, where the Kingdom Navy was strongest, and he wasn't the first to notice the anomalies.

Even before Aiven's communication seagull was dispatched, several cruiser captains had already reported unusual pirate gatherings.

These urgent reports immediately gained the attention of the headquarters.

Subsequent investigations uncovered that indeed a large number of pirates were gathering in the coastal area, although most vanished without a trace after merely posturing in front of the Navy.

It felt as though they were deliberately flaunting their strength at their own doorstep!

Especially when Aiven's intelligence suggested the possible movements of the Black Sea Pirate King, "Octopus Ghost" Hawkins, more reports came in confirming the presence of several of the "Pirate King's" concealed subordinates within the pirate gatherings.

The state of alert rose sharply!

This was a force that no coastal nation could afford to ignore. Although the Kingdom was vast, with a Navy far larger than the pirates', its long coastline inevitably had weak points.

The Third Fleet Headquarters immediately informed the Navy Department while issuing orders: "Aside from specific cruisers probing the precise movements of the pirates in the Black Sea, all other battleships were to return to port immediately!"

Merchant ships were similarly warned to stay docked, while the Navy stood guard.

The top brass of the Third Fleet, led by Admiral Oderich, had a simple strategy.

Even faced with the notorious Pirate King, regardless of what the large-scale pirate gathering had in mind, their side must not become disorderly; consolidating all forces to remain on guard was the prudent move.

Rather than organizing a fleet to hunt down pirates temporarily unknown in motive, it was better to hold tight from the onset and make no mistakes!

There were only a few places within their jurisdiction with strategic value. Ensuring they remained unscathed within their protective reach was paramount; the rest were minor issues.

However, unbeknownst to them, their current actions were exactly what "Octopus Ghost" Hawkins had anticipated.

Offshore...

A colossal pirate ship floated on the sea, no smaller in size than the Kingdom's Level 2 battleship.

On the black main sail, a crowned skull with eight octopus tentacles stood conspicuously, and at the bow was a ghostly "ship's figurehead" entwined with black chains, emitting a faint eerie light.

Any seafarer familiar with the Black Sea could recognize it at a glance:

The flagship of the Pirate King "Octopus Ghost" Hawkins, the "Eternal Imprisonment Holy Statue!"

"Lord Hawkins, just as you predicted. Although it took a bit longer, at every naval garrison we passed, they've opted to consolidate their forces, leaving the sea with only sporadic patrol ships.

Particularly favored was the 'Tulip Alliance,' whose navies have all become reclusive."

Receiving the intelligence delivered by his subordinates, Heimer, already reunited with the main fleet, slightly bowed to the Pirate King, who was leisurely fishing with a specially crafted fishing rod.

"Hehe, that's just how the navies of various countries operate. If they were ever to unite, there would be no room for us pirates to survive.

Even if I, 'Octopus Ghost,' were merely a Tier 3 Extraordinary, even someone at the Extraordinary Peak of Tier 4 would struggle..."

"Octopus Ghost" Hawkins responded with a chuckle, never turning from the sea as he acknowledged the flattery of his "student."

Contrary to the fierceness the name suggested, "Octopus Ghost," appeared as a short, stout, middle-aged man dressed in a yellow silk robe.

His arms lacked the symbolic chains of an "Exiled Prisoner" like Heimer, and his round face even exuded an air of prosperity and gentleness.

The piratic smile that played perpetually on his lips gave him the appearance more of an easygoing merchant and a charismatic leader. Oh, if only one overlooked the eight twining whiskers upon his chin.

"But you are a Tier 3 Peak, a powerful 'Exiled Prisoner' who can fully control your powers! How could those naval puppets possibly be your match?

More so, you have the full support of the 'Mother of Sea Monsters' Echet and her 'Deep Sea Brotherhood,' making the entire Black Sea your hunting ground!"

Heimer's eyes were filled with fervor, clearly believing wholeheartedly in what he said.

"Oh hoho..."

Still smiling in his usual manner, no one could fathom what this deep-thinking Pirate King was truly contemplating.

At that moment.

Swish—

Hawkins grasped the fishing rod with both hands and gave a mighty swing, hauling a deep-blue behemoth of a shark, over eight meters long and weighing over four thousand kilograms, out of the water and onto the deck.

The massive shark still struggling was promptly overpowered and gutted by the prepared sailors.

Behind them.

Black sails! Black sails!...

Led by the "Eternal Imprisonment Holy Statue," the swath of black sails stretched for kilometers, roughly two hundred pirate ships forming an immense pirate alliance!

Only a few bore insignias of the Pirate King's command, the vast majority were Free Pirates, drawn of their own accord by the Pirate King's summons.

Yet, in this regard, whether or not they could truly disregard the Navy, at least in the Black Sea region, the Pirate King's prestige was indeed well-deserved!

Casually passing the fishing rod to the attendant Heimer.

Standing at the bow, Hawkins raised his right hand adorned with several gemstone rings, placing it on the ghostly ship's figurehead bound in chains, sending a wave of dim light expanding from the "Eternal Imprisonment Holy Statue," enveloping the entire pirate coalition.

With a gust of sea breeze sweeping past, the vast black-sailed fleet, stretching for kilometers, vanished like a mirage on the ocean.

You can imagine when they reappear, it will be... earth-shattering!