The First Mate is Brutal

"Brother Cross-eyed, one look at you and I can tell you're someone who's been through great storms and waves. Could you answer a question for your little brother here?"

On the second night aboard the pirate ship, after Liu Feng followed a group of servant-like fellows in moving the cargo on deck down into the hold, he took advantage of the rest break to grin and sound out the cross-eyed pirate supervising nearby.

This band of pirates was not as utterly vicious as Liu Feng had imagined. After turning it over in his mind a hundred times for the sake of making his future days a little easier, Liu Feng finally took out two hundred gold coins and split them between Cross-eyed and Dwarf. The two pirates' impression of Liu Feng immediately changed, and they both thumped their chests, promising that if anything happened aboard the ship in the future, the two of them would have him covered.

It was just that these two fellows' status aboard the pirate ship did not seem to be much higher than Liu Feng's.

As for their immediate superior, the stammering Alonso, Liu Feng had originally wanted to bribe him as well, but that stuttering youth, whether because his skin was rather thin or because he had no experience with this sort of thing, refused no matter what Liu Feng said when he offered the gold coins. That instead let Liu Feng save a small sum.

Sure enough, after the money was handed out, Liu Feng's standing in Cross-eyed's eyes rose by far more than a single level. He basically answered every question Liu Feng asked. After moving those pupils that were crowded together, he patted his bony chest with incomparable boldness and said, "Ask. What's the question?"

"Well, Brother Cross-eyed, have you ever heard of an island that can move?" Seeing Cross-eyed's appearance, Liu Feng could not help finding it funny, but he held it in and asked carefully.

An island that could move? Cross-eyed was slightly startled. Then his expression changed, and he said in a low voice, "You brat, don't tell me you're thinking of going after that Lost Island too? I'm telling you, that thing absolutely cannot be touched!"

Seeing that Cross-eyed had laid bare his purpose with a single look, Liu Feng was taken aback, then could not help deeply admiring Cross-eyed's quick reaction. As for these pirates knowing about the Treasure of the Creation God, Liu Feng was not surprised. Recently, large numbers of ships had entered the Caribbean Sea, and such a matter naturally could not be hidden from the pirates, who were the best informed on the sea.

With a hehe laugh, Liu Feng did not mind. He was just about to speak when Dwarf's loud voice came over.

"Nicholas, what are you two studying now?" Along with the voice, Dwarf appeared beside the two of them, panting like a wooden stake.

Seeing this fellow's curious expression, Liu Feng wanted to laugh even more. Through their contact, Liu Feng knew that though Dwarf looked like he had a fiery temper, in truth he was not a bad person. Like Cross-eyed, he had not become a pirate for wealth, but because he had been forced onto this road.

"By the way, brothers, I saw this morning that there were quite a few people locked in several of the cargo holds. Didn't they say the ship is short on hands? Why are they still locking people up?" After greeting Dwarf, Liu Feng asked with another smile.

This was also something strange Liu Feng had only just discovered. There were altogether only around a hundred or so pirates and servants on this pirate ship, and once the pirates who did not work were excluded, there were only a dozen or so servants. When moving cargo, they seemed terribly short-handed. Yet in those cargo holds, more than ten people were actually being held prisoner. Liu Feng had no choice but to find it strange—why, when they clearly had manpower, would they leave it idle there?

And those ten-plus people all looked rather fierce, not like ordinary servants. They seemed to be pirates too, but they did not look as if they were pirates from the ship who had made mistakes and been locked up.

It seemed extremely bizarre.

Hearing Liu Feng's question, Cross-eyed's and Dwarf's expressions changed drastically at once. Cross-eyed even yanked Liu Feng's clothes hard and muttered angrily in a low voice, "Why do you brat always like asking these taboo questions? Remember, this matter isn't something we can discuss. If the captain finds out, we're dead for sure!" As he spoke, he even strained those cross-eyed eyes and looked all around, panic on his face, as though he were afraid someone might have heard.

At this moment, Dwarf also rarely said nothing, only nodding fiercely again and again, standing on the same battle line as Cross-eyed for the first time in his life.

Their behavior made Liu Feng even more curious. Suddenly, he vaguely felt that this pirate ship seemed to be hiding no small secret as well. He was just about to keep pressing when an incomparably crude curse rang out.

"Fuck! What are you lot standing around chatting for instead of working!"

As that voice rang out, there came a swish through the air. A long whip as thick as a thumb, its whole body flickering with a black sheen, carrying a faint glow of battle aura, suddenly lashed down from the air, bringing with it an ear-piercing sound as it tore through the wind. Its target was precisely Liu Feng.

At the same time, a thickset, ugly fellow with an eyepatch over his left eye and a violent, ferocious face appeared. It was the first mate of this pirate ship, Taylor.

Sensing the heart-palpitating, savage force contained in the long whip, how could Liu Feng still think about anything else? His body instinctively reacted. He turned sideways and rolled off to the side.

Though the movement looked extremely wretched, he barely managed to dodge it.

Smack!

A crisp crack suddenly rang out. The long whip struck the deck hard, and several planks instantly split apart, shards and splinters of wood flying in all directions.

Liu Feng only felt a faint pain on his face. Several fine cuts had been sliced into that originally handsome face, and blood welled out slightly.

"Fuck! I knew you brat definitely weren't an ordinary fisherman. How could a fisherman dodge my whip? Talk! Which ship sent you as a spy?" Seeing Liu Feng dodge aside, Taylor instead seemed to have expected it. A smug, savage grin spread across his face.

Hearing Taylor's words, rage immediately rose in Liu Feng's heart. Although that whip had been called a test, the force carried on it was absolutely not false in the slightest. If Liu Feng really had been an ordinary fisherman, that single whip could easily have made him vanish from this world. This fellow actually dared to treat human life like grass!

Seeing that Liu Feng did not answer him, anger flashed across Taylor's face. The long whip in his hand rose again and lashed down toward Liu Feng once more as he cursed loudly, "I'm asking you a question!"

Liu Feng's gaze narrowed slightly. A chill instantly surged from his eyes, while his mind began weighing without pause what exactly he should do.

Taylor's strength was actually not low. Compared with that eldest son of the Palace of Sickness, he was even a few points stronger. He should be around the middle fifth level. Since Liu Feng had stepped into the Soul Formation realm, if he did not rely on the boost from the astonishingly powerful Judgment Reincarnation Spear taught to him by his old ancestor, his strength should only be around the middle fourth level. He was a full level behind Taylor. If he kept dodging, it would definitely become even more dangerous.

But if he truly attacked, there would be only one outcome: jumping into the sea and fleeing for his life. That result was clearly not what Liu Feng wanted either.

Just as he was still hesitating, he saw a somewhat thin and weak figure suddenly dart over rapidly from the side. Reaching Liu Feng's side, the figure let out a clear shout and grabbed Taylor's long whip.

It was actually that stuttering youth—Liu Feng's current immediate superior, Alonso.