Petru's face grew increasingly grim, his eyes gradually dimming. He lowered his head and remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "If we can't go back, we won't go back. I don't want to go back either. The waves in the Gulf of Aden are too high, Carlsberg is the graveyard of the India Ocean, and the Arabia Sea is haunted by endless ghosts..."
He rambled on like a saint chanting scriptures, then looked up and gazed into the distance, "The scenery here is beautiful, the climate is pleasant; it would be nice to grow old peacefully on this island."
Su Huilan took a few steps forward, kicked the gun case and spent cartridges on the ground with her shoe, and laughed, "It doesn't seem so peaceful, does it?"
Petru remained silent.
"Tell me, who wants to kill you and made you set up so many traps that the island's inhabitants think you're Madman?" Su Huilan asked.
"It's none of your business," Petru said.
Su Huilan said, "Even if you want to retire, you should go to Edinburgh, I know you were born there. Or go to the United States, Las Vegas, Texas. If you like the sea, you can go to Hawaii, it's safer there, and you can liquidate your wealth instead of letting it sink to the bottom of the sea forever, becoming the next generation of 'One Piece' that pirates on the Grand Line will fight over."
"Easier said than done?" Petru sighed. "You said it yourself, the whole world is after me. How could I possibly go to such a noisy place? And how could those sanctimonious big shots let me go?"
Su Huilan said, "It is indeed difficult to persuade the Indians and the Saudi Arabia royal family to give up the pursuit of you, but I can still help you change your identity and live out your old age in the United States or Canada."
"Is this the freedom you promised me?" Petru sneered. "If I really wanted to, with the wealth I've accumulated at sea, plus the fact that the people I've saved would at least give me some face and help this poor man, I think I could achieve the freedom you're talking about myself."
"Yes, you can certainly do it if you're willing to spend the money. But the freedom I'm talking about includes not only you, but also—" Su Huilan stroked the soft fur on the back of the Hanran man, "Your wife who's imprisoned in Egypt — Lawiye!"
Upon hearing the name Lawiye, Petru shuddered. She was his wife, whom he had known since he was a mercenary.
At that time, Lawiye was sold to a high-class club in Italy to serve guests; to Tushu it bluntly, she was a prostitute. Petru took a liking to her at first sight. In the competition for her first night, he broke the rules, injured a Saudi Arabia tycoon and his bodyguard, and offended another big shot in the mercenary world.
To quell the dispute, he used all his savings as compensation and left the club with Lawiye. They spent a peaceful time in Rome, the happiest time of Petru.
But those people had no intention of letting him go, and continued to send men to harass and attack him. They were forced to relocate, from Rome to Paris, from Liverpool to Munich...
The years of exile were impoverished and arduous, but Lawiye did not complain. She willingly followed Petru, like a dutiful wife. They had no official status, but the unwavering love they forged during those difficult years surpassed all romance in the world.
They viewed their escape as a blissful journey. They visited many countries and cities, and apart from being limited by poverty, they went to almost every place in Europe they could reach.
They didn't go until later, when they went to Cairo.
Petru forgot one thing— Egypt is Arabia country, and that Saudi Arabia billionaire wields considerable influence in the Arabia world.
They persuaded the Egypt government to arrest Petru on suspicion of terrorism.
He spent three months in a Cairo prison. At first, Lawiye visited her, but then stopped. He knew something had happened to Lawiye, so on a stormy night, he killed three prison guards and escaped.
Lawiye was being held captive in a Saudi Arabia tycoon's villa on the outskirts of Cairo. When Petru found her, she had been tortured beyond recognition.
In a fit of rage, Petru killed everyone in the villa. Afterward, he broke into Cairo City Hall and, in front of the mayor, dismembered a wealthy man named Muhammad Lazad who was talking with the mayor, cutting off his eyes and genitals and hanging them on the flagpole.
This incident brought him great notoriety, but it also cemented his reputation as a terrorist, making it almost impossible for him to stay on land, thus leading him down the path of piracy.
The brutal murder of a prominent figure with extraordinary influence in the Arabia world in front of the mayor of the Egypt capital's city hall has deeply embarrassed the Egypt government. Egypt has declared martial law nationwide and issued a red notice for his arrest.
Unable to escape with Lawiye amidst the encirclement and suppression across the Arabia world, Petru entrusted her to a Christian Copts family after Lawiye gradually recovered physically and mentally.
He knew Lawiye wouldn't be able to hide for long; the police would find her soon. But as long as he was alive, Lawiye would be safe. Lawiye was now one with Petru; as long as Petru lived, Lawiye would live. The more renowned, infamous, and brutal Petru was, the better Lawiye would live. Those who intended to harm Lawiye should think about the consequences and how many more years they and their families could live.
So Petru began his killing spree. Before fleeing Egypt, he killed the officials who had helped Lazad capture Lawiye, the police who had attacked Lawiye, and burned down the police station.
So everyone knew that Petru was a Madman. This Madman would do anything for his woman!
After escaping Egypt, he arrived in Somalia and began his life as a pirate.
His abilities were on full display on the high seas, and he quickly gathered a large number of outlaws. He began to grow his hair and beard long, and the name of Redbeard Petru gradually resounded throughout the Arabia Sea. All ships passing through the Gulf of Aden were talking about him cautiously.
As Petru's fleet grew larger and his wealth increased, he missed Lawiye more and more. He even thought that once he had assembled a fleet strong enough to roam the India Ocean, he could sweep all the way back to Cairo along the Red Sea and rescue his Beauty.
But he knew it was impossible.
In modern society, pirates can no longer roam freely as they did in the Middle Ages. What truly allows them to act with impunity are the fleets of powerful nations. They don't come to wipe you out simply because you're not powerful enough.
Petru clearly saw this, so he began to set rules and make friends.
He stipulated that he would only rob merchant ships, not civilian ships; he would only rob one-tenth of the goods each time, and as long as the people on board cooperated, he would never kill them; but if he encountered illegal ships, such as those involved in smuggling, human trafficking, or gambling on the high seas, he would rob them all, leaving not a single penny.
However, there were exceptions. When faced with passing Saudi Arabia and Egypt ships, he would rob them indiscriminately, regardless of their nationality. While he didn't kill the poor, he was far less lenient with wealthy Arabia. He wanted the whole world to know that he hated the Arabia world, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. All his evil deeds stemmed from them.
Because of this, he secretly gained the support of the United States, Russia, and the Christian church, which made him even more successful.