Adele's Ambition

Serpent Island.

With Soren's summons issued, the pirate communities along the entire South Coast sprang into action. The Southern Island Nation, a coastal principality, was not as wealthy as Arendelle, but still considerably better off than other places. Furthermore, Soren's unification of the South Coast and his strict prohibition of private plundering left many small and medium-sized pirate groups without business, forcing them to reluctantly follow the fleets controlled by Soren. While overseas and Eastern Route offered high profits, they were extremely time-consuming, especially the Eastern Route, which took at least six months to complete a round trip. The profits earned from six months of arduous Seafaring paled in comparison to the satisfaction of robbing a merchant ship.

Some people prefer a stable life.

However, some people enjoy excitement and adventure, and many pirates were still people who craved 'easy money'.

The Pirate King's call to arms quickly garnered a large response. Even those who had no real interest, driven by fear and a desire to curry favor with Soren, planned to send a portion of their forces. After all, the navy of the Southern Island Nation was still in Arendelle, so they wouldn't be able to deal with the Regular Army; their mission was simply to harass the coast. If necessary, the navy of the Southern Island Nation would return, and they could simply slip away. Most pirates used fast ships and weren't afraid of being caught by the navy.

but.

Others had different ideas about this order.

The next evening.

Inside a stronghold in the Shipwreck Port, several other pirate leaders under Soren's command gathered.

"Adele Isabella"

Scarface frowned as he looked at the other pirate leaders present and said in a deep voice, "Why did you secretly call us here?"

He wasn't the only pirate leader present.

Besides Scarface, there were also One-Eyed, Giant, Sir, Butler, and others. Basically, apart from the Half-Elf first mate, nearly half of the other pirate leaders had come. The others seemed puzzled by the Red-Haired Female Pirate's invitation, and were all staring at her with equally confused expressions.

"I've invited everyone here today because there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

The Red-Haired Female Pirate Adele Isabella glanced at the pirate captains present and said in a deep voice, "Lord Soren has issued orders to attack the Southern Island Nation. In his orders, he instructed us to act according to circumstances, focusing on harassing the Southern Island Nation's coastline and then finding ways to weaken their strength."

"So I have a rather bold idea!"

The Red-Haired Female Pirate waved for someone to bring out a map, then pointed to a mark on it and said to the other pirate leaders, "This is the capital of the Southern Island Nation, and this is their coastline."

"This is the West Coast route."

"From here to here, unless we force our way into the Dark Tide Merfolk ' territory, we will inevitably pass through the vicinity of Dark Tide Canyon."

At this point, she turned and glanced at the others.

Having been promoted by Soren to the level of a pirate captain, few of those present were simple-minded, and soon some guessed her intentions. Even those who didn't guess understood something.

"If we attack the Southern Island Nation, the Arendelle navy will inevitably have to return to defend them!"

The Red-Haired Female Pirate remained calm and said in Perseverance voice, "Lord Soren's orders are very firm; it seems he has reached an important strategic cooperation agreement with Arendelle."

"Therefore, if we can expand our gains, perhaps we can satisfy Your Excellency greatly!"

One-Eyed listened quietly, fiddling with the Dagger in her hand. When she paused, she slowly said, "You mean... we ambushed the retreating navy from Arendelle in Dark Tide Canyon?"

"Our chances of winning against a regular navy aren't that high!"

The Red-Haired Female Pirate turned to look at him and slowly said, "We have at least a 60% chance of winning. In terms of equipment, we are no weaker than the Regular Army, and in terms of combat strength, all our men are elites who have grown through Slaughter. The navy of the Southern Island Nation only trains a few times a month, while we are at sea all year round. In a battle, our chances of winning are much greater."

"If we can severely damage or even eliminate the navy of the Southern Island Nation, then everything from here to this point will be our territory."

The other pirate leaders present fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

The knight glanced at the map and suddenly said, "Why not invite Kasa (the Half-Elf first mate)? He's the strongest among us, and he commands the largest Elite Troops!"

The Red-Haired Female Pirate's expression stiffened slightly, but she quickly replied calmly, "Because his status and power are already high enough."

"Moreover, he also needs to contain and threaten the capital of the Southern Island Nation."

"He is now in charge of the Eastern Route. If this mission is completed, his contribution as the commander of the Dragonhead Warship will definitely be greater than any of the rest of us here."

"If this operation succeeds..."

"Then the shipping routes from the Shipwreck Bay all the way to the West Coastline, and then to the Southern Island Nation, and possibly even the routes connecting Arendelle, will all be brought under our control."

"I think these territories should be handed over to other people who have made contributions to manage them."

What do you think?

Upon hearing the Red-Haired Female Pirate's words, the other pirate Boss present fell into deep thought, and many of them had a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

Yes.

The Half-Elf first mate already wielded considerable power.

He controlled the most lucrative Eastern Route, and his Warship far outnumbered theirs. If he again achieved the greatest merit in this mission, given Lord Soren's reputation for rewarding merit, he would most likely be entrusted with the entire territory near Shipwreck Bay. Which pirate leader present didn't harbor ambitions? They all wanted their territory to expand, their men to increase, and their prestige to rise. Taking control of the West Coast would essentially open a shipping route to Arendelle, another incredibly wealthy territory, whose resources were comparable to the Overseas Islands and the Eastern Route.

To go further, one must achieve even greater accomplishments.

The area north of the Shipwreck Bay is a huge prize; if they could take it over, many of them could become powerful pirate Boss.

What are your plans?

The first to speak was Scarface. His strength had been greatly diminished after the fall of Serpent Island, and even after defeating Pirate King Asroder, his territory was still the smallest among the other pirate leaders present. Therefore, he was the first to respond to the Red-Haired Female Pirate's plan, saying in a deep voice, "Dealing with a regular navy isn't so easy! We must formulate a detailed battle plan!"

The Red-Haired Female Pirate smiled slightly upon hearing this, then turned her gaze to the other pirate leaders.

It's clear that many people are already interested.

The interests West Coastline are substantial enough that, although their status is inferior to that of the Half-Elf first mate, they may still harbor thoughts of vying for power. Now that they have an opportunity to make greater contributions, they are naturally somewhat tempted.

Who is the Half-Elf first mate?

He was just a pirate sailor under the command of the Red-Haired Female Pirate back then, and it was only because of Lord Soren's promotion that he became the first mate of a ship.

But what about him now?

He single-handedly controlled the Eastern Route, commanding thousands of pirates and hundreds of warships of all sizes. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was second only to the emperor. The other pirate leaders present were once the top two leaders of their respective pirate forces, and they might not truly respect the Half-Elf first mate. The Red-Haired Female Pirate Adele, for example, had always harbored the idea of competing with him.

Soren was extremely Cruelty in dealing with the infighting among his pirate captains; to surpass the Half-Elf first mate, one had to achieve even greater merit.

Arendelle.

Three days passed quickly, and Soren returned to the port.

On this day, Arendelle seemed a little different, as a strange fog had appeared near the port, which aroused suspicion among the others and even alarmed some of the Imperial Palace Witch. However, they found nothing, and the port was unusually calm, everything seemingly unchanged from the past. But on the seabed of Arendelle, a massive dark shadow gradually approached, eventually stopping at a certain spot, as if waiting for someone to arrive.

Soren's figure gradually walked towards the sea.

He strode forward through the shimmering Seawater. As he approached deeper waters, a massive black shadow appeared beneath his feet. First to surface were countless sharp bone spikes, followed by a huge, menacing back. Soren stood on the head of the Mutated Killer Whale, swimming alongside it into the deeper waters.

Rumble!

The Seawater parted in all directions, and a dark mast emerged from the seabed, followed by the Ghost Ship, the Speaker of the Dead, rising from the ocean floor.

The surrounding fog grew even thicker!

After its great battle with Pirate King Asroder, the Ghost Ship Speaker of the Dead seems to have gained some kind of enhancement, with a significant increase in the number of Wraith it binds. However, no more obvious mutations have yet appeared, suggesting that the energy of death is not yet concentrated enough. As a type of Hit Points -activating Undead, the Ghost Ship Speaker of the Dead is a Hit Points- mechanical entity, meaning it also possesses the potential for advancement.

Soren's figure flew out and landed on the deck of the Speaker of the Dead, stepping on the sea surface.

Snap!

He landed lightly on the cabin floor, then reached up and removed his black cloak, saying in a deep voice, "Full speed ahead!"

Hoo-ho!

The Undrowned Undead sprang into action, the Ghost Sail automatically unfurled, and the Speaker of the Dead sped forward at incredible speed. A series of eerie wails echoed, and the Wraith bound to the Ghost Ship seemed to appear as hazy phantoms, moving around the hull like Spectre, making the Speaker of the Dead's speed even more astonishing!

This is a battle fought by one man.

Soren is ready to take on the navy of the Southern Island Nation and the Viking Pirate of Iceland single-handedly!

(P. S.: That's all for today.) (To be continued~^~)