Captain – Chapter 402 – Grasshoppers on the Same String

This order came abruptly without context.

The pirates exchanged glances, each seeing the helplessness and confusion in the others’ eyes, feeling that since entering the icy sea, strange events had occurred one after another.

The captain had used similar, perfunctory orders at least three times.

The previous two times were understandable.

The first was to disperse the crowd so the mermaid wouldn’t feel so out of place.

The second time, nominally to clear the deck to prevent idlers from getting in the way, but the crew knew it was actually to protect them.

Veterans like Lance, who had spent three years searching for the lonely island with Roy, had encountered countless bizarre events and understood the dangers involved.

Through their accounts, the rest of the crew understood Roy’s intentions.

But this time…

The pirates withdrew their exchanged glances and looked back at Richi and Vivian, their eyes full of vigilance, with fear and wariness hidden in their depths.

The people they surrounded were the greatest enemies of this voyage.

Richi needed no explanation.

Although they didn’t know how he could return from death, in the crew’s eyes, this former leader of the rebellion was an irreconcilable enemy.

As for Vivian, before the confrontation with the Death Silence, they had learned of her existence from the First Mate, knowing she was the mistress of that ghost ship and its Water Ghosts, a veritable monster.

This pair of young people standing together brought immense pressure.

Yet under these circumstances, the captain actually ordered them to…

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Disperse?

If they didn’t know their captain was the Golden-Eyed Devil, the most fearsome pirate of the Eastern Seas, people might have thought the girl had gone mad.

Therefore, despite Roy’s order, the pirates still hadn’t dispersed.

“Hey hey hey, what are you all staring at? Did you not understand what I said?”

Feeling her authority challenged and somewhat losing face, Roy’s expression darkened as she swept her gaze across the surrounding pirates and asked in a slightly stern tone.

Feeling the captain’s gaze, the crew members instinctively lowered their heads but showed no intention of moving, clearly indicating they truly didn’t understand.

But it wasn’t just them—even the First Mate standing behind her and Vivian, who still tightly gripped her rapier, were completely bewildered.

Perhaps only the young man who had made some arrangement with the captain understood something.

“Captain, they…”

Although Caine was also somewhat surprised when he first saw Richi, he quickly regained his composure, his tone carrying a hint of confusion.

“They’re our own people.”

Seeing that even he had spoken up, Roy couldn’t continue using her authority to pressure them. After a moment of silence, she twisted her mouth and reluctantly said.

When saying these four words, the captain didn’t whisper them into her First Mate’s ear, nor did she make any attempt to conceal them—she simply announced it in front of everyone.

The deck fell completely silent.

This blunt answer clearly shocked everyone who didn’t understand the situation, and even Vivian couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows.

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However, Caine, who had initially asked the question, after a moment of silence, nodded thoughtfully and spoke rationally and calmly.

“Then let’s disperse.”

Although not fully privy to the situation, compared to the sailors who knew nothing about the circumstances, the young man was the last to leave the scene.

He clearly remembered how his consciousness, body, and everything had been influenced by that mystical wooden carving, eventually coming to a complete halt.

That was truly an unforgettable experience.

It must have been the beginning of the grand act.

Now, the goddess statue had disappeared, the magical box the captain had brought was gone, and even Isaac, the commander, had vanished without a trace. Many things must have happened, along with unimaginable turns of events.

Perhaps these two “people” being acknowledged by the captain was because of those turns.

If so, there was nothing to hesitate about.

As for the answers to all questions, the girl would reveal them in due course.

Seeing that the First Mate had also given the order, the crew members finally obediently dispersed.

After all, it was a matter between important figures. Once they finished talking, an explanation would surely be given. Besides, given the Mermaid’s current state of depleted ammunition and supplies, continuing to fight would only lead to defeat.

They couldn’t possibly be expected to engage in close combat with those ugly Water Ghosts, could they?

So what else could be done?

Negotiate, of course. It would be best if they could reach an agreement. Besides, the Mermaid had been suppressing the Death Silence earlier—they had run out of cannonballs but hadn’t suffered much loss.

Oh, those Water Ghosts might have had it worse.

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The deck gradually cleared, and soon only Roy’s group of four remained in front of the captain’s cabin. After looking at each other for a while, an awkward atmosphere developed.

However, the awkward atmosphere didn’t last long.

After a fluttering of wings, the young dragon that had been perched on the crossbeam of the mast finally flew down, though it looked like it hadn’t fully awakened.

After all, whether during the Requiem or the Melody of Sorrow, it had fallen sound asleep, completely unaffected.

As the young dragon landed, the raven on its head fluttered its wings and flew back to the captain’s shoulder, looking askance at the familiar young man.

“Captain Richi, Captain Richi.”

Hearing Alfie’s slightly puzzled but more mocking call, Richi shrugged and said, “You really know how to hold a grudge.”

This referred to when the Mermaid had mutinied near the lonely island, and the raven had been chased and beaten by the crew while the young man stood by and did nothing.

After responding to the raven, Richi tilted his head to listen for a moment, then reached into his bosom and somehow produced an intact crystal tube.

By the time the other three could hear the faint, rapid fluttering of wings, the colorful little insect had already landed on the young man’s hand.

This was the venomous insect that had changed the situation earlier before quietly flying away. Upon seeing that the situation had stabilized, it had eagerly returned.

As for those butterfly-like creatures of fire, they had all been extinguished on Isaac.

“Stop staring, you know you can’t eat it.”

Under the gaze of the three, varying in intensity but all expressing disgust, the young man carefully put the small insect away, then returned it to a hidden pocket in his cloak.

That remark was presumably directed at the raven, which was eagerly eyeing the insect.

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After doing this, Richi patted the hidden pocket, then looked up to find the captain looking at Vivian with great interest, softly saying, “As agreed.”

“Ahem, just looking won’t hurt anything.”

Knowing he was referring to their agreement, Roy cleared her throat uncomfortably, thinking to herself that she always kept her word, how could she possibly…

Well, better retract that statement for now.

“Agreed on what?”

Completely unable to understand what the two were referring to, Vivian and Caine frowned similarly and asked almost in unison, wanting to know the inside story.

Whether Blood Craver or mortal, when discovering that someone close had secretly made some agreement with a former enemy, their reactions were surprisingly identical—feeling somewhat manipulated.

“It’s nothing, nothing.”

Hearing their questioning, Roy hurriedly gestured downward, smiling awkwardly.

To divert their attention, the captain became serious and said, “I know you all want to understand what happened earlier, but that can’t be explained in a short time.”

The devil’s sudden change of heart, First Mate Isaac’s change of mind, and the dramatic shift in the situation were indeed difficult to explain briefly.

“So…”

Looking at the Blood Craver who still harbored hostility, Roy said seriously and sincerely, “You should first go handle matters with the Death Silence, and afterward, we can discuss the so-called important matters.”

“Trust me, Vivian, now we’re people on the same ship, or as they say…”

“Grasshoppers on the same string.”