Beyond the Pearl Sea, aboard a Mode Chamber of Commerce merchant ship.
The sky was overcast, and the sea wind was somewhat...
Captain Hoel's face was grim as he directed his men to raise the sails and do everything possible to increase the merchant ship's speed.
The entire deck was in chaos. Fear showed on the sailors' faces as they desperately prepared every possible defense.
The cause of all this was the pirate ship tightly pursuing them from behind. The Skull Flag flying from its mast brazenly displayed its malicious intent.
"Move faster! If we have to, throw the heaviest cargo overboard!"
Hoel gripped the helm and nervously barked orders to his men.
At this point, he could no longer care about how much they would lose.
Gods, he, Hoel, was merely an ordinary captain of the Mode Chamber of Commerce. This merchant ship only carried goods between the Coastal Islands. Why had pirates set their sights on his ship?
Wouldn't it be better to intercept those long-haul ships loaded with cargo?
Hoel felt miserable. He was the only Silver-level fighter aboard, while the other sailors were either Bronze-level or ordinary people.
They had no chance of resisting a band of pirates!
If this had happened before, Hoel might have given up struggling.
With the Bertich Kingdom navy around, pirates had not dared act too recklessly. Generally, an extremely ordinary merchant ship like Hoel's, one with little wealth, only needed to offer some Gold Coins to any pirates it encountered.
It hurt, but at least they would not lose their lives or become slaves.
The pirates did not reject such sensible behavior either. After all, if they became too rampant, they might draw the navy's pursuit.
Across the Pearl Sea, the Bertich Kingdom navy remained the strongest force.
But things