Spreading Fear

Lowett was unaware of the new orders issued by Marine Headquarters.

However, through the newspapers delivered by the newsbirds, which carried no mention of Nandecanette's assassination, he keenly sensed a resolute determination!

Undoubtedly, he was a "stain" on the Navy in this matter.

The World Government would never publicize its own scandals in the name of justice.

Involving the renowned Admiral Aokiji would easily erode the trust of ordinary people under his jurisdiction in the Navy.

Both publicly and privately, the higher-ups wanted to suppress this incident to prevent panic.

Therefore, he, the instigator and a dangerous ticking time bomb, would be the priority to be eliminated, no doubt about it!

So, Lowett hadn't been recklessly rushing about these past few days. His understanding of the East Blue was limited to the sea charts he'd seen in Shells Town, and his undead sailors, lacking memories from their past lives, were incapable of long-distance voyages. Thus, Lowett hadn't actually gone far these past few days.

At most, he was only half a day's sail away from the deserted island where he'd fought the Black Cat Pirates that day.

The most dangerous place is the safest.

Morgan would never have imagined that Lowett was right beside him that day, brushing past him.

At this moment, aboard the "Hundred Plans Black Cat."

In the center of the deck, the magic circle's materials had been replaced several times, maintaining a bright, vivid red.

Human blood had its limits, but thankfully, bodies preserved by magic didn't spoil easily, giving Lowett ample blood to utilize.

Azure ghost fires flickered around the small holes opened on the skull's crown. The faces of the six heads, faintly discernible a few days ago, had now melted away, leaving only pure white bone.

The modification was complete; now came the nurturing period.

Sitting in a beach chair, Lowett's gaze shifted as he accepted the red wine brought by a Zombie Puppet.

Before him, in the center of the magic circle, stood a robust corpse, its lower body covered by a tattered cloth for modesty, its upper body bare.

Its skin was as smooth as silk, showing no signs of stitching. Even its hair had grown back. After putting on clothes and styling its hair, it looked exactly like the original "Hundred Plans" Kuro.

It was just that its skin had no color at all, with vein-like patterns covering its entire body. Steel cat claws were fused with its finger bones, exposed on the skin like Wolverine's, making it ultimately different from a living person.

Under the magic circle's effect, the corpse floated about a centimeter off the ground, motionless.

Every three breaths, as the magic circle's light brightened slightly, a muffled drumbeat sound emanated from its chest cavity, spreading an invisible wave that made the soul lamp's flame tremble slightly.

"It should awaken today, shouldn't it?"

Taking a light sip of the blood-like liquid, Lowett smiled.

"Barely passable, thankfully the growth trait was preserved."

To be honest, Lowett was not satisfied with his first thesis in this world. Despite possessing such vast knowledge in his mind, he could only execute a few modifications. This was as unbearable to a perfectionist Mage as a cat's scratch.

Fortunately, he had preserved the growth trait, reaching the psychological passing grade with a high score bonus.

The Black Knight was a "creation," but creations could continue to grow.

It depended on whether the Mage personally had the ability to achieve this.

"With the Black Knight, I can finally... relax a bit."

The Black Knight was the Necromancer's thesis, and also their favorite tool. Compared to ordinary undead, Mages could specifically customize various specializations for them to undertake different tasks.

For example, extracting the soul and academic memories of a rival to create a powerful research assistant.

Lowett, of course, didn't need a research assistant now; staying alive was the primary task, and he needed combat power.

After thoroughly analyzing the corpse before him, he used flesh and blood reconstruction, at the cost of dozens of bodies stored in the ship's cabin, to greatly enhance this body's strength, speed, and defense, turning him into a monster in human form.

A height of 207cm and a weight close to 200kg were enough to prove that despite Kuro's seemingly human appearance, a drastic transformation had occurred internally.

If this Black Knight had been present that day, Lowett wouldn't have needed to escape at all.

With the average combat power of the East Blue Navy, killing them all would be too simple.

"It's just that his intelligence is a major flaw!"

Lowett frowned in thought.

There were two ways for reanimated undead to maintain their intelligence from their previous lives.

First, the old adage: the formal Mage level, Three Stars Soul Magic·Undead Transformation.

Through the Mage's powerful personal strength, they could maintain the target's soul from dissipating, then seal it within the body, restoring memories.

This was no simple task!

Just like the question Anthony Muske posed in the Necronomicon, why does "death" exist when the soul and body are both fine?

They were merely separated.

And to re-fuse them, to perfectly assemble them, involved the concept of "life" mentioned by the school of life studies.

They believed that there was a third, unobserved substance between the physical body and the soul. It was the existence of this substance that allowed the simple carbohydrates and simple energy bodies to blend and give birth to "life."

The reason "death" existed was because this substance was sensitive and fragile, easily disappearing; and because it couldn't be observed, it couldn't be found.

No matter how much you reassembled, what you put back together was merely material with memories under magical effects.

Setting aside the fact that the soul and body (brain) could store memories independently, the Mage world was well aware of this.

Therefore, even if a Necromancer masters various resurrection spells, even heaven-defying ones that bring back the dead, who can prove that the resurrected you isn't just a Zombie Puppet retaining memories due to magical influence, but truly "alive"?

Oh, right.

As a side note, the School of Life was born as a branch of the School of Necromancy over seven thousand years ago and now stands as its own system.

It's just that the School of Necromancy still interprets death, while the School of Life studies life.

The two can't stand each other.

In conclusion.

Because perfect assembly is impossible, Mages must rely on powerful mental energy to cast spells, forcibly correcting the synchronization rate between the deceased subject's body and soul.

It's like a fuzzy TV screen – you just give it a couple of taps.

First, you need a strong, sturdy arm!

Then comes the second path.

The target naturally possesses a powerful, radiant soul and an extreme obsession with "life."

The simplest example: vengeful spirits!

Their unwillingness to die and their longing for "life" caused their soul cores to solidify instantly, leaving behind the purest emotions, which are often diverse and varied.

The stronger the soul, the more emotions it retains, and the clearer the consciousness.

Kuro, of course, died with his eyes closed.

Lowett set a trap but couldn't see through it; he lost without regret.

And he didn't have a soul strong enough to make him linger in the world...

It's not a matter of willpower, but of soul strength.

Just because you have backbone and won't bow for a meager salary doesn't mean you won't starve.

"Well, one step at a time."

If he were to directly create a Black Knight on the level of the Black Dragon Lord from the previous world in one go, Lowett would have to worry about controlling it.

The rules of the undead are sometimes simpler than those of wild beasts.

The strong belong only to the strong!

The degree of intelligence determines the hierarchy of Undead creatures in the eyes of Mages... obviously, the undead themselves don't agree with this distinction.

"Roar!"

At this moment, a low growl caught Lowett's attention.

He looked up. The Zombie Puppet tied to the top of the mast, serving as a lookout, had a contorted face, its lips curled back to reveal white teeth, and it was staring into the distance.

"Are living people approaching?"

Look at the kid getting excited.

Following the direction, Lowett's lips curved upwards.

"My luck is indeed good when I smile."

He had just been wondering how to leave after the Black Knight was completed, and here it was... an opportunity.

On the distant ocean, a sailing ship with a black pirate flag slowly reduced its speed, then turned its bow and began to approach him.

The Navy had blocked the news. To outsiders, after Kuro's capture, the Black Cat Pirates were now just a ragtag bunch, the perfect...

stepping stone!

"Are you sure this is the Hundred Plans Black Cat?"

On the deck of the pirate ship, the "great" pirate Bruto, the captain, lowered his monocular and looked at the vice-captain and strategist beside him, who only reached his waist. His face was covered in thick flesh.

"It should... No, it definitely is!"

Under Bruto's fierce gaze, the disheveled pirate vice-captain quickly corrected himself. "In the East Blue, besides the Black Cat Pirates, no one else likes to modify their ship's bow into the shape of a black cat... It must be them!"

"Hmph, I hope so!"

Bruto snorted, and the fat on his upper body trembled like waves with the movement. Being fat wasn't a problem, but being so fat that the flesh could ripple smoothly like water was indeed a skill.

As a pirate whose bounty was only 3 million Belly after three years at sea, Bruto was tall and strong, with great ambitions, but little fame. He was even mocked for overestimating himself.

Therefore, upon seeing the "Hundred Plans Black Cat," jealousy flared.

Why?

A pirate crew whose captain had been arrested was more famous than him?

"Move closer! Kill them all!"

There was no need for negotiation. Pirates fear power, not benevolence. The thought of the fame he would gain from the demise of the Black Cat Pirates at his hands made Bruto so excited that white smoke billowed from his nostrils.

The vice-captain wanted to stop him but didn't dare to speak.

He turned his head to look at the Hundred Plans Black Cat, which was quietly floating on the sea, his eyes full of confusion.

"Strange, why can't I see anyone?"

I haven't heard that the new captain, Zango, abandoned this ship either?

I remember what the second thing is. The latest chapter of Pirate King revealed the bounties of the Four Emperors: Whitebeard at 5 billion, Roger at 5.5 billion, Kaido at 4.6 billion, and BIG·MOM at 4.3 billion...

But that's not the point right now. The editor notified me that the book title had issues and needed to be changed, so it was changed to The Black Count of the Pirate World; the synopsis barely passed, so it was modified as well.

No natural disasters, no undead, nothing like that is allowed.

Ah, my mindset is completely blown.

Necromancer of the Pirate World is more fitting.

Since Da Shu is so pitiful, please give some votes, collections, rewards, and recommendations. Thank you all.

From signing slowly, to no recommendations for two weeks, to having chapter titles deleted, and now even the book title is gone. It's been so full of hardship.