An island in the Main World.
More than a dozen warships drew near, their crews fully armed. On the deck of the central ship stood a group of fewer than a hundred men, clustered around several men who were staring coldly at the island.
A commotion soon rose from the island. Everyone there looked toward the ships with curiosity and a little fear, and before long, the man in charge emerged from his quarters.
He came out cursing, but the moment he saw the warships offshore, his gaze went blank.
Red skull flags fluttered from the masts of the warships gathering around the island, an oppressive, terrifying sight. Unlike the black skull flags flown by ordinary pirates, the skulls on these dozen or so flags seemed alive. As the banners streamed in the wind, the skulls looked ready to burst free.
"What do we do? It's the Red Skulls! Why have they come here? We're dead!"
The fear of the men beside him irritated Kaxiu, captain of the pirates on the island. He kicked the speaker hard and cursed, "We don't even know whether they've come to cause trouble, and you're already scared! Get out of my sight, you disgrace!"
With Kaxiu in such a fury, no one dared defy him. The strength displayed by the Red Skulls terrified them, but they still stood behind their captain rather than turning to flee.
For a pirate, fleeing without a fight was deeply shameful. Sometimes, a pirate's dignity mattered more than his life.
Kaxiu was anxious too, but he had to keep up a calm appearance. If the men off their island really belonged to the Red Skull Pirates, whose reputation had soared lately, they were surely doomed.
He had heard that these pirates were ruthless and never showed their enemies mercy.