Pirate Purple Pearl? One of the former saint candidates of the Spirit Hall?

Another half-month passed in a flash.

Life at sea was dull and monotonous; aside from the sea and sky blending into one, there were only the occasional Sea Soul Beasts leaping from the water.

It wasn't until this day that the soul-guided frigate responsible for reconnaissance sent back an excited signal:

"An island chain has been discovered ahead!

Furthermore, there are signs of human activity!"

The massive hull of the Red Sun slowly adjusted its course.

Dozens of steel warships spread out in a fan formation, surrounding the island chain with a suffocating sense of oppression.

It was a scattered archipelago with lush vegetation, where crude docks and moored wooden sailboats were vaguely visible.

When the fleet from the Great Sun Prince Mansion broke through the mist and appeared on the sea like a group of steel behemoths from ancient times, the pirates on the island were completely dumbfounded.

They had never seen such things in their entire lives.

No sails, pitch-black bodies, and shimmering with the cold light of metal.

Especially those dark, gaping cannon muzzles; even from a great distance, one could feel the destructive aura contained within them.

Originally, this group of pirates had been tyrants in the surrounding waters, living quite happily by plundering passing merchant ships.

But at this moment, facing this soul-guided fleet armed to the teeth, they didn't even have the courage to run, let alone resist.

A few small boats that attempted to set sail were blasted into fragments by a warning shot from a Level 4 soul-guided cannon on an outer frigate the moment they left the harbor; the massive water columns that erupted into the sky scared the remaining pirates out of their wits.

Just as Xu Zhao had expected, faced with absolute military suppression, this group of pirates didn't dare to make a peep.

In less than an hour, a white flag was raised on the island.

On the spacious deck of the Red Sun.

Xu Yu sat in a specially made armchair with a commanding posture. He made no effort to conceal the pressure of a Level 98 Super Douluo, forcing the pirate leaders kneeling below to tremble and break out in cold sweats.

Kong Yan stood quietly to the side, her expression indifferent.

Xu Zhao, meanwhile, examined these "natives" with great interest.

Although they were just a ragtag group of pirates, for an expeditionary force that had been drifting at sea for three months, their value was immeasurable.

"Raise your heads."

Xu Zhao spoke calmly; his voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

The pirate leader kneeling at the very front tremblingly lifted her head.

A flash of surprise crossed Xu Zhao's eyes.

The leader was actually a woman.

She appeared to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, with a tall, hot figure and healthy, wheat-colored skin. Her short, sharp purple hair was slightly disheveled in the sea breeze.

Although her expression was currently one of terror and her attire somewhat disheveled, the untamable, heroic spirit between her brows and the pair of eyes that revealed a hint of stubbornness even in fear made her quite striking.

"You are the leader of this pirate group?"

Xu Zhao asked.

The woman took a deep breath, trying hard to steady herself. Her voice was trembling, but still clear:

"Yes... this humble woman is indeed the captain of the Purple Pearl Pirate Crew."

"We had no intention of offending you lords; we are merely trying to make a living on this island.

I do not know which sacred entities you lords are.

If you seek wealth, you may take all the Gold Soul Coins and supplies in our island's treasury.

I only ask... that you spare our lives."

She was a smart person; she could tell at a glance that the fleet before her was by no means ordinary.

Such steel warships and terrifying weapons were simply not something any empire on the Douluo Continent could possess.

"Purple Pearl?"

Upon hearing this name, Xu Zhao's heart skipped a beat.

Xu Zhao subconsciously looked the woman over once more.

Purple hair, pirate, fiery personality, somewhat attractive...

No wonder she looked familiar!

Wasn't this the very same Purple Pearl from the original story who had once hijacked the Shrek Seven Devils and even tried to force Xiao Wu to become her "mountain wife"?

Xu Zhao realized the truth in his heart, and a sense of absurdity immediately welled up.

He hadn't expected to run into this "old acquaintance" here before even reaching the Douluo Continent.

However, judging by the strength of this Purple Pearl, she seemed to have only just broken through to the Soul Emperor realm, far from the formidable level she reached in the original story.

The pirate crew behind her was also much smaller in scale than described in the original work, clearly still in the early stages of development.

"So it is Captain Purple Pearl."

A playful smile curled the corners of Xu Zhao's mouth, and the coldness in his eyes dissipated slightly.

Since they were acquaintances, things would be much easier to handle.

"We don't want your money, nor do we want your lives."

Xu Zhao walked slowly up to Purple Pearl, looking down at her from above, the aura of a superior naturally radiating from his body.

"We come from the distant west and are heading to Douluo Continent in the east."

"We are sparing you because we need a guide."

Upon hearing the words "Douluo Continent," a flash of surprise crossed Purple Pearl's eyes, followed immediately by wild joy.

As long as they weren't being killed, what was being a guide?

"My lord is going to Douluo Continent?

We know it well!

We know it too well!"

Purple Pearl nodded hurriedly, as if she had grabbed onto a life-saving straw.

"Heading east from here, at full speed for about half a month, you will reach the waters of Vast Sea City on the west coast of Douluo Continent!

I could draw the hydrography and shipping routes of this area with my eyes closed!"

Hearing this, a brilliant light erupted in Xu Yu's eyes, and he slapped his thigh hard:

"Good! We're finally going to arrive!"

Xu Yu looked at Xu Zhao, his eyes full of admiration.

His son was right; there were indeed people on this ocean, and one could indeed find the way.

Xu Zhao looked at Purple Pearl, but in his heart, he was calculating more far-reaching matters.

Although the Purple Pearl Pirate Crew was weak now, Purple Pearl herself was extremely familiar with Sea God Island and the surrounding waters.

She even had intricate connections with Martial Soul Hall.

(This adopts the manga version's setting: she was once a candidate for the Saintess of Martial Soul Hall, but lost her memory after participating in the attack on Sea God Island, eventually drifting here to become the leader of a pirate crew).

This was an excellent source of intelligence and a ready-made guide.

"Very good."

Xu Zhao smiled slightly and extended his hand toward Purple Pearl, his tone carrying an unquestionable dominance and an invitation:

"In that case, Captain Purple Pearl, are you interested in changing your way of life?"

"Instead of being a fearful pirate leader on this deserted island, why not bring your people and submit to my Great Sun Prince Mansion."

"Serve as our vanguard and guide, and once we have conquered Douluo Continent..."

Xu Zhao pointed to the towering, mountain-like steel warships behind him and said softly:

"This ocean will be yours to patrol on behalf of this prince, how about it?"

Purple Pearl looked at the hand extended toward her.

She swallowed hard.

Her gaze swept over the circle of cold-faced, terrifyingly powerful experts surrounding her.

Then she looked at the steel fleet in the distance that was capable of leveling the entire island.

Refuse?

That would undoubtedly be seeking her own death.

Moreover, the future promised by the other party... "patrol the ocean on behalf of this prince."

This sounded like it had much more of a future than being a pirate living a precarious life.