Ever since Blackbeard had ordered the fleet into the waters around Shalria Island, Marco, the Uchiha Alliance, and the others behind them had unexpectedly stopped following. This left Blackbeard deeply puzzled.
Blackbeard understood the Uchiha Alliance's intentions. They wanted to hold him back and prevent his army from returning to reinforce and defend their territory, which was why they had continually harassed them and slowed Blackbeard's retreat. But now that they had suddenly given up the pursuit, Blackbeard felt a wave of unease.
"Get ready!" Blackbeard said to the officers beside him. "We set sail immediately. Don't waste time. I suspect they're plotting something again. If we linger here too long, we may fall into their trap."
The officers did not know why Blackbeard had such a premonition, but none of them said much. They dispersed to command the subordinates who were wantonly ravaging the country.
Lafitte looked at the Shalria Kingdom's king lying at Blackbeard's feet, his flesh and blood mangled beyond recognition, and asked, "Burn them? Or spare them?"
"Zehahahaha!" Blackbeard burst into loud laughter. "We're Pirates! Isn't murder and arson our profession? Since we've already plundered this country's treasures and supplies, it will perish sooner or later. We might as well do a good deed and send them to paradise early, sparing them from further suffering!"
Lafitte understood. Turning around, he swept out a hand, and the greedy-eyed Pirates immediately licked their lips before turning away.
In an instant, the entire country fell into human purgatory.
In another stretch of sea some distance from the island where Blackbeard had stopped, an enormous pirate ship with a dragon-head sculpture on its bow sailed over.
"Boss, Blackbeard destroyed another country!" Lucky Roux, chewing on a chicken leg, said to Shanks the Red-Haired standing at the bow. "In barely over