Captain – Chapter 134 – The Reason for Betrayal

“We must win.”

The First Mate didn’t answer the young man’s question. Instead, he stepped forward on his own, came to his side, and gazed at those slightly bewildered blood-red eyes. “Captain, don’t forget, this was the result we voted on. Of the six hundred and seventy-two crew members on the Mermaid back then, over five hundred raised their hands in agreement to change captains.”

“Among those remaining, most were neutrals who harbored fear. Only those forty-two stubbornly opposed the majority’s will, even attempting to control the situation, so they died—died in a sudden encounter.”

Richi listened quietly to Cassius’s narrative, the bewilderment in his eyes gradually receding. “Yes, they could only die that way.”

“Why did we betray him? Where did we get the courage to betray the Golden-Eyed Devil? It was because we had no other choice, because in his eyes, we were nothing but dispensable pawns.”

Recalling that man who seemed to always wear a smile on his face yet was more ruthless than anyone deep down, the First Mate took a deep breath. “That was no way for people to live. The crew members were all tired of the day-after-day, aimless searching. After all, we’re pirates, not his slaves.”

“Everything was his own doing. Three years, a full three years, under the pursuit of the Auran Navy, in desperate straits with severely lacking funds, we brought him to his destination. We’ve already done our utmost duty, Captain.”

“Yes, our utmost duty.”

There was no more bewilderment in Richi’s eyes, only calmness and indifference. He took another large gulp of black rum, then poured out the remaining alcohol, finally dropping the bottle into the rapid current.

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“To our Captain Roy.”

The increasingly dense stone pillars blocked out the starry sky. In the dim bay, only the flickering torchlight and the sparse lights from the Mermaid remained. It was quiet all around, without even a whisper of wind, only the slight sound of the ship breaking through the water.

The sailors either leaned against the mast or sat slumped against the railing. All eyes were fixed on the bow, on that thin silhouette, as if it were a comforting deity.

They didn’t know what had happened, didn’t know why they were suddenly returning to port, but they knew that those pirates who came to guide them were from the Constantine, so the purpose of this voyage was naturally to see the Black Emperor.

The captain had said that once they seized the Jenny Skate, everything would return to the past, to that time when Captain Roy had just taken over—the most free and happiest time.

But why had they turned back midway, even abandoning the newly seized spoils, rushing so urgently to their ally’s territory?

And why wasn’t the captain staying in the captain’s cabin as usual today, but standing at the bow, drinking the alcohol he usually despised?

War was coming, and it would be a brutal one.

This was everyone’s first reaction, and those with more delicate thoughts deduced something from the bits and pieces of recent days, feeling uneasy about that terrifying guess.

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The crew’s thoughts varied, but when they looked at that young man, whether it was worry or fear, it passed like a cool sea breeze across their faces and then disappeared without a trace.

Although he was just a sixteen-year-old youth, he was like a mountain, able to bear all storms for them.

Finally, the vine-covered entrance appeared on the left front of the Mermaid.

Under Cassius’s command, the sailors methodically adjusted the sails. The helmsman turned the rudder to the right, and the Mermaid brushed past the sharp stone pillars, broke through the dense vines, and after sailing in the narrow bay for more than ten minutes, the scene before their eyes suddenly opened up.

What came into view was a large lake surrounded by mountains. At the western end of the lake was a brightly lit port, and the black-hulled Constantine with dark red patterns engraved on it was currently furling its black sails, quietly moored at the port.

This warship, once described as the Emperor of the Sea, was a size larger than the Mermaid. Its hull was covered with gun ports on both sides. In terms of firepower, it could be considered one of the top existences in the ocean, even comparable to a few giant warships.

Several sailboats scattered, and the Mermaid passed through the route they cleared, finally slowly docking on the other side of the port, maintaining a considerable distance from the Constantine, ensuring it was beyond the other’s effective range.

Although they had allied with the Black Emperor, the friendship among pirates was the most unreliable. One wrong word, and this alliance might disintegrate.

Richi, Cassius, and the newly promoted Fighting Squad leader Fern climbed over the railing one after another, walked onto the secured gangplank, and left the Mermaid. On the pier, many people were already waiting.

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Standing in front of about twenty fierce Fighting Squad members, smiling to welcome the three, was the First Mate of the Constantine—Arnold Obert.

This First Mate, dressed in formal attire and wearing a monocle, looking more like a butler than a pirate, bowed slightly to the young man. “I’m delighted at your arrival, Captain Richi. Captain Solomon has been waiting for some time in the depths of the palace.”

The smile on Arnold’s face was not a pretense but a genuine pleasure at this scene. The fact that they were willing to come to their lair meant that this alliance might progress further, which would be extremely beneficial for their return to Yadris and future development.

Arnold straightened up and instructed the muscular man standing beside him: “Edmund, take our esteemed guests to see the captain.”

“Yes, First Mate!”

The burly man named Edmund responded loudly, gave a signal to several people behind him, and together they led Richi and his two companions across the pier toward the brightly lit hall.

“First Mate, what about you? Aren’t you going to welcome the guests with the captain?” After the group had walked far away, someone behind the First Mate asked, and the others also turned their gaze toward him.

In their view, if some important negotiations were to take place, Arnold’s presence would certainly be essential.

“No, the captain alone is enough for that. I still need to stay here, to demonstrate our sincerity to our guests.”

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The First Mate smiled and waved toward the Mermaid’s mainmast, as if greeting an old friend.

On the lookout platform on the side of the mainmast, a black firearm was gripped in a pair of extremely steady hands. Victor tilted his head, squinted his eyes, and expressionlessly aimed at the guy who kept waving.

Although he couldn’t see the other’s expression clearly, the sniper didn’t need to guess to know it must be that nauseating smile, the kind that considered itself genteel.

I really want to shoot you dead, Arnold.

Victor thought silently, but he didn’t actually pull the trigger, because the two sides were now allies, and that First Mate had come as a hostage at their request.

If the other dared to take even one step, his gun would definitely sound, but if the First Mate complied with the agreement and didn’t move an inch, and if the captain and the others couldn’t finish in a short while, then he would have to aim at this damn bastard all night.

Thinking of this, Victor suddenly missed that guy a bit.

Although his face also always wore an annoying smile, at least… he was somewhat pleasing to the eye.