Of course, the trade route between the Imperial Governor's Office of Glory and the Commonwealth colonies had always been a high-risk zone that pirates loved to frequent. It was only reasonable to run into a sizable pirate group here.
"Finally, a proper battle!" Yu Lian said with a grin.
That wasn't to say that Gru, the "Heart of the Ghost Tree," was stronger than "Bluebeard" Odegot. In fact, you only had to look at the fleet under Gru's command to see that it was at most two-thirds the size of Odegot's. Their records were hardly comparable, either. The latter was a tough guy who had attacked warships and colonial worlds. Even if he didn't make the pirate world's Four Heavenly Kings, he'd certainly have a place among the Eight Vajras or Sixteen Tigers.
Gru's flagship, the Ghost Banyan, was there, of course. The famous pirate vessel was much newer than the Yahadick. It had been converted from a multifunctional space patrol ship of the "Saint Spirit" class, designed by the Minlan Republic ten years ago. It was a little larger than most heavy cruisers, but still considerably smaller than the renowned Yahadick—and it probably hadn't undergone as many insane modifications.
In theory, when these pirates saw their dreadnought suddenly arrive, they should have collapsed just like Bluebeard's gang—or even worse.
But these people didn't flee. After a brief moment of confusion, they formed up in ranks, displaying a level of discipline that made them seem less like pirates and more like a professional military force from some nation.
That was why Yu Lian had said they were in for a proper battle.
Fortunately, they had just fought the space crystal, then given Bluebeard's pirate gang a thorough beating, followed by a week-long pursuit. Even the less experienced crew aboard were