Blue Bay Private Tavern

Blue Bay Island is a default smuggling hub, frequented by pirate activity.

However, pirates do not linger here for too long, as there is always a risk of being ambushed.

Pirates who roam the coastal waters likely have bounties on their heads, ranging from 100 gold coins to 10,000 gold coins.

As an emerging great pirate, Arthur's reputation has spread, and his head has now appeared on the bounty list.

Arthur

Great Coastal Pirate

Bounty: 500 gold coins

As he sat in the Blue Bay Private Tavern and saw his own bounty, he found it somewhat comical.

Beside him sat a burly man with blonde dreadlocks topped by a leather hat, a scar stretching from the corner of his mouth down to his neck, clutching a barrel of rum in his hands.

"Arthur, I never heard you possessed this kind of power before. Did you stumble upon some opportunity at sea recently?"

Arthur set down the bounty notice and lifted his red wine, swirling it gently: "Rosen, the sea holds infinite possibilities."

"Who can truly predict what might happen?"

Rosen the pirate, captain of the Giant Catfish Pirate Crew, is a great pirate renowned throughout the coastal waters.

A short while ago, he had just plundered a merchant ship of the Xiya Empire and led his pirates to Blue Bay Island to take refuge.

The Royal Navy of the Xiya Empire would love to tear Rosen apart, but due to maritime defense constraints, they can only place a bounty on him privately.

Bounty: 8,000 gold coins.

Rosen took a deep gulp of rum and said drunkenly: "Indeed, who could have guessed what would happen?"

"Those damn Xiya merchant ships actually left their gunpowder on the deck, and it got soaked by the rain."

He let out a loud laugh, mocking: "Stupid Xiya merchants, they don't deserve the goods from the new trade routes."

"That is wealth bestowed upon me, Rosen, by the God of Storms!"

While listening to Rosen recount his tale, Arthur pricked up his ears to catch the stories of others as well.

He had come to the Blue Bay Private Tavern and discovered that while the cost of drinks was low, it was, in reality, a hub for intelligence.

What was expensive here was the precious information itself!

Suddenly, Arthur spoke up: "I hear there is an auction being held soon, and there are quite a few good things to be found."

He threw out the topic of the auction, attempting to elicit more information.

The drunken Rosen's eyes flashed with a sharp glint; he also had channels for obtaining news, and he let out a long sigh:

"It is a decent auction, but it's a pity it's being held on Rhine Island. The forces of the Tudor Royal Navy and the Church of Light make it too dangerous."

Having just plundered a batch of wealth, Rosen was agonizing over how to spend it to convert it into the strength of the Giant Catfish Pirate Crew.

Since the location was on Rhine Island, it was at least worth considering.

Arthur still held his status within the Shadow Temple, so traveling to Rhine Island was not much of an issue; the key was the matter of gold coins.

A sum of 10,000 gold coins was far too massive.

Previous pirate activities of the Great White Shark had been primarily focused on the needs of the Stuart Family, and after the pirates had their fun, there wasn't much left.

True large-scale pirate plundering was, in fact, not that frequent.

Suddenly, a gentleman walked over, wearing a tight red jacket paired with blue pumpkin pants, his blonde hair streaked with green fabric strips.

Beneath his large blue eyes were two streaks of red paint, making him look like a circus clown, yet his temperament was entirely different.

"The auction at Rhine Port?"

"There are indeed quite a few good things. It is said that extraordinary potions are being auctioned, along with precious extraordinary items."

"However, compared to the auctions in Fog City, the items are still somewhat lacking."

"Hmm?!"

Rosen widened his eyes, staring at this arrogant fellow; what a big mouth he had.

"Who are you? Even the sea breeze on Blue Bay Island isn't as full of hot air as you."

"My name is Hisoka. A probationary painter for the Tudor Royal family, a graduate of England University, and currently employed by the Old Wooden Ship Auction House."

"I have been invited by Viscount Drew, the Governor of Rhine Port, to come to Rhine Island to paint portraits for our pirate heroes."

The string of titles commanded a sense of respect.

Arthur automatically ignored the latter part, focusing only on the Old Wooden Ship Auction House, the organizer of the Rhine Island auction.

The Old Wooden Ship Auction House is a low-key establishment, with most of its auctioned items originating from the New Continent or involving the extraordinary realm.

Rumor has it that the actual controller behind this mysterious auction house is the royal family of the Tudor Dynasty.

Rosen's focus was completely different from Arthur's: "Pirate heroes?!"

"Is the Tudor royal family going to bestow honors upon pirates again?"

Letting out a burp, Rosen suddenly looked at Arthur; he was the most prominent pirate on the seas lately.

"Not bad!"

"Captain Arthur, who defeated the Black Devil's conspiracy, has had the traces of the Black Devil confirmed by clergy members after an on-site investigation."

"In thwarting the cult's plot, the Church of Light and the Tudor Dynasty have reached a rare consensus."

"After careful consideration by the Tudor Dynasty, Captain Arthur shall be granted the title of Lord of the Tudor Dynasty!"

Hisoka smiled slightly at Arthur.

"I have come on behalf of Governor Drew to invite Captain Arthur to Rhine Island for the knighting ceremony."

A knighting ceremony!

The Tudor Dynasty would grant honorary titles, medals, and letters of marque to famous pirates who were close to the Tudor Dynasty.

A pirate with a noble title was equivalent to an irregular army for the Tudor Dynasty.

Arthur smiled faintly, appearing calm and unruffled, and raised the Grail in his hand.

"Please convey my thanks to Governor Drew."

The noble status of a Lord would make his pirate activities much more convenient.

However, having already decided to abandon this identity, Arthur did not feel much about the title of Lord.

Instead, he was more interested in Hisoka's background; students of England University held a very high status in this era.

They cultivated a large number of naval officers, colonial administrators, missionaries for the seminary, and diplomatic personnel in linguistics for the Tudor Dynasty.

A student of England University, a royal apprentice painter—was he studying something related to painting?

Rosen squinted his eyes and laughed, "That is truly a cause for congratulations, Captain Arthur; the titles of the Tudor Dynasty are not easy to come by."

"With Captain Rosen's strength, wouldn't obtaining a Lordship from the Tudor Dynasty be a simple matter?"

Rosen downed his rum in one gulp and laughed twice, "Haha, it seems I, Rosen, should get myself a Lord's title."

"Otherwise, I have to hide here and there every time I finish a raid. The scenery of the Tudor Dynasty looks quite nice; it's perfect for the brothers to rest."

He strode toward the counter of the Blue Bay Private Tavern and slammed his hand heavily on the table: "Give me a plunder list, the kind that can earn a title!"

"Certainly, sir!"

The waiter quickly provided Rosen with a list, which was a manifest of cargo ships returning from the Grand Route.

Merchant ships from the Xiya Empire, Portugal, Gaul, the Northern Alliance, the Netherlands, and other nations.

Arthur shifted his gaze from Rosen and landed on Hisoka, smiling slightly as he said:

"Mr. Hisoka, on which day will the knighting ceremony be held?"

"October 11th, on Rhine Island in two days. Governor Drew has invited many socialites for this occasion."

"I will be there."

Just then, a maid walked over and whispered a few words into Arthur's ear.

Arthur stood up and picked up his hat from the sofa, "My apologies, Mr. Hisoka, I have some urgent business to attend to, so I must take my leave."

"That is quite alright, we shall meet again on Rhine Island."

Deacon Wallace had left him a message to meet at the usual place; there was something important to discuss in detail.

It involved the extraordinary realm.