The Invitation from the King of the Five Seas

Nast, the "King of the Five Seas," sought to establish Order at sea. He not only established codes of conduct for pirates but also held regular Pirate Assembly. He mediated conflicts between the various factions and provided a platform for pirates to communicate.

"I've been counting down the days; the new conference is about to begin."

"Sailor Walter 'Sea Serpent' said happily."

Walter was happy for good reason, as he had successfully obtained the Sequence 7 Potion recipe and urgently needed the corresponding materials. The Pirate Assembly had also added an open market where pirates would trade all sorts of items, from extraordinary materials to precious jewelry. He had already prepared the money to buy the materials and was just waiting to attend the gathering.

"Um."

Luther nodded noncommittally, his gaze sweeping over the others in the Captain's Cabin. After receiving the order, he had summoned his extraordinary crew members back to the ship for a short meeting to hear their opinions.

"Captain, you really have connections! Someone even came specifically to deliver your invitation."

"Sea Serpent" continued, "Generally speaking, pirates receive notifications through open channels."

At this point, a sense of honor rose in his heart. He felt that his captain truly deserved to be called a world-renowned [Blood Bishop], someone even the "King of the Five Seas," whose fame had been widespread for hundreds of years, had to take seriously!

"I don't get the feeling that Nast isn't giving the captain much face."

Anderson, standing to the side, crossed his arms, expressing a different opinion.

"Ah, why do you say that?"

Walter asked in surprise.

"I judged it from the way you addressed me."

Anderson shook his head. "The 'King of the Five Seas,' Nast, didn't call the captain the King of Blood," he said, "He only called him the Blood Bishop." This likely indicates that he doesn't acknowledge the captain's status as a king of the seas... After going to the Pirate Assembly, he might continue to suppress us.

In other words, there may be unexpected dangers behind this invitation.

Is that so?

Walter blinked. Although he was quite shrewd, he lacked experience in such high-level matters.

"Indeed, invitations for such occasions require very careful wording."

Sophia, standing nearby, also expressed her agreement. As a member of the Royal Family who is most particular about rules, she has the right to express her views on this matter.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy.

As the most powerful pirate, Nast, the "King of the Five Seas," wielded considerable influence. If he were to object to his captain's self-proclaimed kingship, their Fleet would likely find itself in a precarious situation.

The worst-case scenario is that they will face the enemy of that sea king.

But Luther didn't care much; he was more concerned about something else.

I said,

He glanced around at the crowd and then said, "Actually, there's something else I've been curious about since earlier. Isn't the 'King of the Five Seas' a pirate? Why does he call himself 'White Maple Earl'?"

That's because of Emperor Roselle.

Anderson from Intis offered to explain, "In order to suppress the maritime trade of other nations, he summoned Nast's father, the Great Pirate Savigny Solomon, to the White Maple Palace and bestowed upon him the title of White Maple Earl." Nast inherited this title and continued to call himself White Maple Earl.

Luther chuckled to himself.

Even though Roselle bestowed the title upon him, has perished, and Intis has become a republic, Nast still cherishes this title like a precious treasure?

He asked.

The whole thing seems to have an absurd and comical irony.

"That's right. Not only that, he also publicly declared that sooner or later he would establish a pirate kingdom, become a grand duke, a prince, or even an emperor."

Anderson laughed too.

Luther is a time traveler, while Anderson comes from the Republic; their attitudes toward nobility and titles are naturally different.

The expressions of the others present were even more complex, especially Sophia's.

So, should we go or not?

Darkwill wiped the grease from his brow and asked.

Luther gradually stopped laughing.

"I don't care."

He said.

Whether Nast genuinely objected to his claim to the throne or simply misspoke, it didn't matter to him.

He didn't care about empty titles; what mattered was whether he had achieved his goals.

"How about this?"

Luther thought for a moment and said, "Let's continue with our normal business and wait for further announcements. If the 'King of the Five Seas' Pirate Assembly isn't too far away, then we can go. If it's quite far, then there's no need to make a special trip."

Nast didn't give him much face, so of course he didn't need to be so attentive.

"OK."

"Understood."

No one else had any objections; even Walter only showed regret without expressing any dissatisfaction.

"Alright, everyone, you can disperse now."

After listening to everyone's opinions, Luther waved his hand, then, as if suddenly remembering something, asked, "By the way, did you learn anything new while you were on the island?"

"New information? The hottest news at sea right now is what we did a few days ago."

Anderson chuckled, took a newspaper from his pocket, and handed it to Luther.

Luther casually took it and saw that it was written on it:

<The Blood Bishop attacks Bayam again, publicly declaring his ambition to become the fifth king of the seas!>

The newspaper photos were striking— the Square was severely damaged after being ravaged by gunfire. Amidst the burning flames, rising smoke, and crumbling buildings, the flagpole remained intact. At its very top, instead of a colonial flag, flew a jet-black pirate flag, with a bloodstained skull in the center, a gruesome sight.

"It is reported that the pirates, disguised as warships, infiltrated the harbor and immediately opened fire, ambushing and Destruction the coastal defense guns... Your Excellency Amyrius was wounded in the attack... The Feysac Empire has publicly offered a bounty for the whereabouts of the [Blood Bishop]..."

Leonard read the newspaper with a heavy expression. When he saw how much damage the pirates had done to Bayam, he finally couldn't hold back anymore and slammed the newspaper on the table with a "bang".

"Old Man!"

He suppressed his voice and whispered, "Tell me the truth, did you already find out?"

"What did you find?"

An aged voice asked in his mind.

"Don't play dumb! It's about the Blood Bishop!"

Leonard shouted, "With your abilities, there's no way you wouldn't have noticed his problem. You must have known all along, but you didn't tell me!"

Over the past few days, he has become increasingly convinced that the two people were his former colleagues, and many of the previous suspicions seem to be confirmed by this.

But why? On what grounds?

His mind was in turmoil, but then he heard the aged voice calmly reply, "Be careful, someone's coming."

"Ding-dong..."

The doorbell rang, and Leonard got up to go to the door. When Door Opening, a handsome red-eyed man stood opposite him, slightly raising his chin upon seeing him.

"Good afternoon, are you Mr. Leonard Mitchell?"

Emlyn White asked with a hint of Pride.