Viscount Sonanda
Seeing the newcomer's impolite manner, Blox, along with his sailors and Victor's guards, shielded Victor behind them and were about to step forward to subdue the man.
Victor grabbed Blox's shoulder, Blox felt an immense force pressing down on him, rendering him unable to move.
While Blox was still reeling from his lord's actions, Victor stepped forward and said, "I am Victor Golden Sunflower. May I ask if you are Viscount Sonanda?"
The newcomer laughed heartily and looked at Victor walking in front of him, saying, "Hello, Viscount Victor, I am Sonanda Hawthorn, the current commander of the Great Oak Territory Coastal Defense Fleet and the deputy commander of the Eastern Coastal Combined Fleet. It's a pleasure to meet you."
As he spoke, the man extended his right hand, wanting to shake hands with Victor. Upon seeing this gesture, the surrounding guards' demeanor suddenly changed; this man was extremely impolite.
Victor gestured to everyone to calm down, and then stepped forward and grasped Sonanda's right hand.
As soon as Victor touched it, he felt that Sonanda's right palm was very rough, and there was a ring-shaped indentation on the second joint of his index finger, which should be the mark left by years of gripping the rope tightly; the calluses on the tiger's mouth were as hard as barnacles, and made a sandpaper-like rustling sound when he touched it.
As Victor tried to pull away, Viscount Sonanda suddenly clenched his fist, the purplish-red veins protruding beneath his palm throbbing like cables.
Victor sighed inwardly, wondering why Viscount Sonanda would resort to such childish tactics to test him.
Victor's five fingers suddenly clenched, and the old officer's metacarpal bones made a teeth-grinding grinding sound.
His right hand, covered in sea salt crystals and knife scars, looked as if it had been struck by a forging hammer. Viscount Sonanda's bronze face instantly turned purplish-red, and the bulging veins on the back of his hand twisted into bluish-black earthworms in excruciating pain.
He tried to turn the tide with the wrist strength he had honed over decades of steering, only to find that his opponent's palm was like a piece of finely forged steel, with even the creases in his knuckles meshing as precisely as mechanical gears.
As Victor's forearm muscles suddenly bulged, Viscount Sonanda heard a cracking sound as his metacarpal bones dislocated, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his shirt collar.
"Is that enough?" Victor suddenly released his grip, and Viscount Sonanda staggered back a few steps, his right hand convulsing into an eagle claw shape.
Victor opened his right hand, which was slightly red from the sudden movement.
The sailors watching then realized that the tassel on Victor's sword in his left hand hadn't swayed at all during the struggle, and they all began to whisper among themselves.
As for the guards, they raised their heads slightly. As Victor's guards, they often practiced martial arts with their lord in the mornings and knew all too well that beneath their young lord's handsome face lay a body as terrifying as a giant beast.
Captain Brox touched his shoulder, which Victor had just pressed and rubbed raw, and secretly marveled at his lord's immense strength in light of the scene before him.
Viscount Sonanda looked at Victor with some embarrassment, "Seeing is believing, Viscount Victor, you are this!"
Viscount Sonanda raised his left hand and gave a thumbs up. "I have served in the military for nearly thirty years and spent twenty years at sea, braving wind and rain, fighting against pirates and the navy East Sea Alliance, struggling to survive in the storms. I am the best arm wrestler in the entire Coastal Defense Fleet. I never expected to meet you today."
Viscount Sonanda sighed, "As the old saying goes, 'He who soars among the geese all day long will eventually have his eyes pecked by them!' Viscount Victor, I was rude just now, please forgive me."
Viscount Sonanda, with his still-convulsing right hand behind his back, bowed to Victor. At this moment, his attitude towards Victor was much more respectful, and even his form of address changed.
Victor quickly returned the greeting. "Viscount Sonanda, you are too kind. In terms of both age and experience, you are my elder. You can just call me Victor. The match just now was a draw."
"No, Lord Black told me to be respectful to you before I came, but I tried to intimidate you by relying on my status, and you ended up letting me off the hook."
"A man of the sea is a man of his word. If you don't accept my apology, I'll have no face left in front of Lord Black and my men."
Viscount Sonanda's old face, deeply massaged by the sea breeze and sunlight, was now flushed red, as if he would immediately jump into the sea and commit suicide if Victor did not agree to his request.
Victor now regrets his earlier impetuousness; he should have let go sooner.
"Very well, Viscount Sonanda, I accept your apology. Count Black must have sent you here on important business!"
Upon hearing Victor's words, Viscount Sonanda breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed he truly hoped to gain Victor's forgiveness.
"Yes, Viscount Victor, Lord Black asked me to come here because of the plan we discussed before!"
Victor nodded. It seemed that Count Black had been impressed by his plan, otherwise he wouldn't have sent the current commander of the Coastal Defense Fleet to find him.
"In that case, Viscount Sonanda, please come to the cabin for a chat. Blox, you may come along as well!"
Victor called out to Blox, Blox hurriedly responded. He hadn't expected that the two adults would bring him into their private conversation. Blox thought of the landing plan he had discussed with Victor before and began to have a guess.
Viscount Sonanda whistled three times at his flagship, and soon several soldiers stood at the bow and stern of the ship, sending flag signals to the fleet.
The entire Coastal Defense Fleet responded quickly, changing formation and sailing alongside Victor's fleet with the Wavebreaker as the lead ship.
To the crew of the merchant ships not far away, it looked as if the Great Oak Territory's fleet was coming to the aid of friendly forces, since Victor's fleet was also flying the Great Oak Territory's flag.