"What? Mad Wolf is dead?"
At the Red Dragon Pirate Gang's base, Red Dragon, its leader, frowned at the news he had just received.
Mad Wolf was a newcomer he had planned to prioritize for promotion. His Mecha skills were first-rate, and he practically had one foot in the ranks of Gold Rank warriors. Most importantly, he was bold and aggressive in battle, making him the ideal candidate to lead the Assault Squad.
Although this loss was hardly crippling, it still displeased Red Dragon.
"Useless trash. He couldn't even make the Arena's top hundred. What a disgrace to our Red Dragon Pirate Gang! Still, you ought to check who owns a dog before beating it. Whoever did this knew he was one of ours and still dared to kill him. Was it someone from one of the other Seven Great Pirate Gangs?"
The Seven Great Pirate Gangs were rivals to begin with, and covert struggles between them were routine. Life and death in the Arena were left to fate. If one of those gangs really was responsible, Red Dragon would have no choice but to swallow the loss.
"No, boss. According to the messenger, it was a newcomer called the 'Ghost Captain.' I investigated him myself. He's quite mysterious. As soon as he entered the Shattered Star Region, he took over the Golden Tooth Pirate Gang, which used to rank 187th. Then he started placing huge bets and challenging the Arena's top fighters. Mad Wolf was the first to fall at his hands."
"A newcomer? Heh! A newborn calf has no fear of tigers, does it? Looks like he has no respect for my reputation!" Red Dragon sneered, already considering how to make this fellow vanish off the face of the universe.
As for that little Pirate Crew ranked a