Bounty Order

Inside the captain's cabin of the pirate ship.

A burly pirate with a black eyepatch over his left eye, his face ugly and ferocious, gave the beautiful captain who had just walked in a cold look, then asked in a deep voice, "Captain Katarina, who gave you the authority to take some strangers aboard?"

A flicker of anger flashed through the eyes of the beautiful captain Katarina, the female pirate of great renown on the Caribbean Sea, and she said flatly, "First Mate Taylor, remember your place. The things I decide are not for you to butt into!"

Taylor touched the eyepatch over his left eye, the savagery on his face deepening, and sneered, "Such imposing authority, Captain! Don't forget, the annual Wild Plunder has already begun. You've been taking people of unknown origins aboard this whole time—if anything happens, can you bear the consequences?"

With no one else present, Taylor, the first mate who should have been a subordinate, showed not the slightest respect toward Captain Katarina. Instead, he carried an aggressive, pressing air.

With a cold snort, Katarina said lightly, "Taylor, don't go too far! This is not something for you to worry about!"

"Too far?" Taylor grinned viciously. "Katarina, don't forget, although His Lordship made you captain, that doesn't mean everything on this ship is yours alone to decide! Damn it, I just don't get it. That pretty boy doesn't look like anything good at first glance. Just kill him with one slash and be done with it. Why take him in? Could it be you've been lonely lately?"

A flicker of rage flashed through Katarina's beautiful eyes, and she said coldly, "Taylor, don't always use His Lordship to pressure me. Remember this: right now, on this ship, I am still the captain. Also, I can pretend I didn't hear such excessive words today. If I hear them from you again, be careful I don't kill you!"

"Tsk, tsk! You dare kill me? Let me give you a word of advice—if you have time, you'd better think more about the task His Lordship assigned. If the deadline passes and you still haven't completed it, then when the time comes, who dies first won't be so certain!" Taylor laughed savagely without restraint, without the slightest fear in his expression.

Katarina's expression changed at once, but she shouted angrily, "I don't want to hear your nonsense anymore. Get out!"

"What? Scared? I'm telling you, if you want to live well, I do have a way—provided that..." At this point, Taylor let out a lewd laugh, his filthy gaze constantly sizing up Katarina's curvaceous, delicate body, his eyes revealing a naked, undisguised lust.

A surge of killing intent instantly rose from Katarina's body. Even her tall, graceful frame trembled slightly, and her voice was like ice that had endured for ten thousand years. "I'll say it one more time. Get out!" As she spoke, one hand had already gripped the dagger at her waist, and a faint glow of battle qi actually showed, as if she were about to strike at any moment.

Forced by Katarina's killing intent until his breath caught, Taylor looked at her with a vicious grin, but in the end he did not dare challenge the female pirate's patience any further. He turned and left.

Bang!

A muffled crash rang out, and the table inside the captain's cabin was instantly smashed to pieces by Katarina's palm. Clearly, this beautiful captain had already been angered to the extreme.

Just then, a black shadow suddenly appeared out of thin air inside the cabin. It was a thief whose entire figure was hidden beneath a black outer garment and cloak, revealing only a pair of clear, crystalline eyes.

After glancing warily outside and sensing that no one was nearby, the thief said in a delicate voice, "Miss, do you need me to go kill that fellow for you?" Her voice was crisp and clear, like a golden oriole singing in a valley; she was actually a woman.

Katarina's expression did not change in the slightest at this female thief addressing her differently from the other pirates. She gently shook her head and said, "No need. Although Taylor isn't strong, the family behind him is held in extremely high regard by His Lordship. Let him be arrogant for a while first!"

The female thief nodded slightly, and a trace of doubt flashed in her eyes. "Miss, what exactly is the task His Lordship gave you? He can't be making you be a pirate forever, can he?"

Katarina smiled faintly and said softly, "You've heard of the Treasure of the Creation God, haven't you?"

The female thief froze, then cried out in astonishment, "Could it be that Miss's task is related to that treasure..."

Katarina nodded gently and said with a smile, "That's right. A long time ago, His Lordship learned that the Treasure of the Creation God was about to emerge, which was why he sent me out to sea to search for it. Unfortunately, this Treasure of the Creation God is far too elusive. Even now there is still no news. What is even more worrying is that somehow, the news that the treasure is about to emerge has already leaked out, and many people have come looking for it. Our difficulty has grown even greater!"

The female thief nodded as if she understood and yet did not, then said delicately, "That's true. Lately, there have been far too many unfamiliar ships at sea. So Miss was also searching for this treasure. But what is that annual Wild Plunder? A few days ago I heard people discussing something called the Black Sail Ship. Miss, what is that?"

Hearing the three words "Black Sail Ship," Katarina's face changed violently. A flash of terror passed through her eyes, and the aura around her surged up once more as she said in a deep voice, "Who did you hear mention that?"

Feeling the powerful presence emanating from Katarina, the female thief was so frightened that she shrank back at once. She stuck out her little tongue and said softly, "I can't remember either. Miss, you look so scary!"

Seeing the female thief's frightened appearance, Katarina's aura suddenly withdrew, but she still said in a deep voice, "Remember, that name cannot be mentioned lightly. Even by you. Remember it next time!"

The female thief nodded fiercely, but her eyes turned as she said, "Oh, right, Miss, lately I also heard another piece of news. It's a pursuit order. Supposedly, the people of the Zodiac Twelve Palaces have offered a high price of five hundred thousand gold coins to put a bounty on someone!"

"Oh?" Katarina was slightly startled and asked with some puzzlement, "A force as powerful as the Twelve Palaces would also use such a method? Who is the other party, and how could he be worth such a high price? What was it because of?"

The female thief lifted her head smugly and continued, "Supposedly, the eldest son of the lord of the Palace of Sickness among the Twelve Palaces was killed. The other party is a noble young master, but exactly which family's young master he is, no one knows."

A noble young master? Katarina's heart stirred slightly, and in her mind suddenly flashed the image of the young man who had just been rescued onto the ship, with that strange head of pale blue hair, handsome features, and suspiciously luxurious clothing...