Quilado

A moment later, Mark walked out of the estate with the stolen money on his back.

"Just the Viper Pirates alone are this rich. Then the remaining pirate crews..."

After massacring the pirates inside the estate, Mark had taken a member of the Viper Pirates hostage and found their treasury.

Including the money seized from the gambling tables, there was a full five hundred million Beli!

More than half of the money needed for shipbuilding had been made up in one stroke. The pirates entrenched here really were wealthy.

With a faint smile at the corner of his lips, Mark walked up to the bartender and said, "Come on. We're going to the next place."

The bartender tilted his head and looked at the silent estate, shuddering instinctively.

Everyone in there... couldn't all be dead, could they...?

When he heard Mark's words, his eyes widened in shock. "There's another one?"

One Viper Pirates crew was not enough? He was going after another pirate crew? He was beginning to suspect this black-robed man was insane.

"What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing." The bartender did not dare argue with Mark.

Mark handed the money bag on his back to the bartender.

The two found a shabby little diner and had lunch.

By this time, what had happened at Merck Tavern had already spread throughout the Wind-Snow Twin Islands.

Viper Linx was one of the three major powers on Wind Island, and his death had gradually stirred some people on the island into action.

"I heard Linx was killed by some mysterious person."

"Who was it? Someone that strong?"

"Boss, one of the three major positions is vacant. Shouldn't we try to fight for it?"

"Let's wait and see. We don't even know whether the news is true yet."

That was how the conservative pirates on Wind Island acted.

As for the aggressive pirates... they were already plotting how to seize Merck Tavern. After all, that tavern was one of the most profitable businesses on Wind Island.

Listening to the discussions around him, the bartender was deeply uneasy. The person they were talking about—the one who had killed Linx—was sitting right here. If the black-robed man was in a bad mood, he might even slaughter everyone in this shabby little diner.

But Mark clearly had no interest in paying attention to them.

After finishing the food before him, Mark wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth and looked up at the bartender across from him.

"By the way, I still don't know your name."

The bartender said, "Sir, my name is Marcus!"

"Marcus..." Mark pondered for a moment before saying,

"For the next while, your job will be to keep my money safe. If you satisfy me, I'll give you a large sum of money afterward. If you want to live an ordinary life, I can also send you to an island safe enough for you to settle down on."

Acting alone came with many inconveniences, especially when it came to where to hide stolen money and how to transport it.

Unless he intended to wipe out all of Wind-Snow Island by himself, then swagger away with the money. But that was clearly unrealistic. Doing that would be no different from putting himself in danger and repeatedly jumping back and forth across the line.

The six pirate crews had fewer than a thousand people combined.

Other than the few who could fight, the rest of the pirates were not much stronger than ordinary people.

With a surprise attack, Mark was completely confident.

But if he had to oppose every pirate on Wind-Snow Island,

then he would have to face the siege of over ten thousand people. No number of lives would be enough to throw away.

Against enemies in great numbers, he could only pick them off one by one. Unless he possessed an attack capable of causing a natural disaster...

Marcus's expression shifted uncertainly upon hearing this. After a moment, he said in a low voice,

"Sir, I believe you! Don't worry about the money. Leave it to me."

Mark's words had undeniably moved Marcus. He was not a pirate either, merely a drifter who had wandered around looking for work.

Having money and being able to spend the rest of his life on a safe island—that was something he had dreamed of.

Of course, that depended on whether Mark kept his word.

"Sir, may I presumptuously ask your name? I don't mean anything by it. I'm just curious. It's fine if you don't want to tell me... it's fine."

Marcus rambled on by himself. By the end, he was waving his hands as he spoke, looking utterly terrified.

Perhaps, in his heart, Mark was a demon who killed without blinking.

Mark looked at him calmly. Marcus's request was not unreasonable. Since he wanted to see, Mark would let him.

With a thought, the black mist shrouding his face gradually dispersed.

Marcus stared at Mark's face, shock appearing in his eyes.

"It's you!!!"

Marcus had never expected that the ruthless man who had exterminated the Viper Pirates was the captain of the Moss Pirates, who had recently risen to fame across the seas: Rod Mark!

Of course, that was not the most important thing. The most important thing was that the person before him was simply too young.

Sixteen years old...

A complicated light flickered in Marcus's eyes. What had he been doing at sixteen...? Wandering the streets, driven away like a rat in the gutter. Even getting a full meal had been a luxury.

Why was the gap between people... so enormous?

Marcus steadied himself, then suddenly remembered what Mark had said that morning and promptly asked,

"Then which pirate crew are you planning to go after next?"

Mark said, "The Collision Pirates!"

The Collision Pirates. Their captain, Quilado, was a major pirate with a bounty of 190 million Beli and the most difficult of Wind Island's pirates to deal with.

He had to kill him quickly, before the other side became wary.

Before nightfall, Mark planned to wipe out all three major pirate crews on Wind Island.

Then, under cover of darkness, he would uproot the three major pirate crews on Snow Island as well.

As long as he moved fast enough and killed them before they received the news, he could avoid a great deal of trouble.

If he could ambush them, why would he fight them head-on?

Once the plan was set, the two headed for the Collision Pirates' base.

The Collision Pirates were much simpler compared to the Viper Pirates. Quilado was the sort whose brain was all muscle, and his pirate crew was exactly the same. They had no major source of income.

Every day, they simply collected protection fees—enough for them to live and have fun.

Mark did not have much hope for their treasury. Killing Quilado would be enough. After all, he was a huge bundle of experience.

Golden Splendor Ballroom—

Inside the Cherry Blossom Suite.

"Brother Quilado, I heard Linx is dead. Do you think that person will come looking for trouble with you?" A gorgeous woman in a purplish-red kimono nestled against Quilado, who stood nearly five meters tall, dark-skinned and thick-faced, with a seductive smile and a delicate, dependent manner.

Quilado reached into her robes and gave a hard squeeze. Feeling the fullness in his hand, he burst into laughter.

"That Linx guy spent all his strength on women long ago. What fighting ability could he possibly have? I'm different from him. If anyone is blind enough to come looking for trouble with me, I'll twist his head off and use it as a piss pot."

The beautiful woman seemed to have been hurt by his grip. Her brows creased slightly, but she still forced out a smile.