858 Skin (1/2)
The private discussion between the two top-notch pirate governors soon ended.
Due to the magic barrier that was raised, Wilson and others could not hear what was discussed. They could only vaguely sense that the entire ocean's forces and state of affairs were about to undergo tremendous changes.
”Hmph!”
When the two legendary pirate ships ended their meeting, they were even more nervous, afraid that the Pirate Prince would compromise with Blackbeard and give them away as a gift.
Fortunately, the worst-case scenario did not occur.
Blackbeard snorted coldly. The huge Monster roared and reentered the Hell of Lightning.
In contrast, Wanderer gracefully made a left turn, like an exceptional dancer with the ocean as its stage, and sailed alongside Fiery Lotus.
”I'm Roche, captain of the Purgatory Pirate Team. Greetings, great son of the Golden Ocean!”
Fang Yuan opened his arms wide with his palms up and bowed.
”I'm Edward!” The Pirate Prince grabbed on to a mooring rope and exerted a slight force. He drew a beautiful arc in the air and landed on Fiery Lotus's deck. ”Mmm, this is a third-level naval warship, right? In the past, it would have been enough to sail in the Nightmare Ocean and the Golden Ocean. Unfortunately, even the navy's former trump card, a first-level naval warship, won't be enough in the future…”
Edward gently stroked the mast and sighed.
Simply from this statement, Fang Yuan knew that the Pirate Prince was definitely not completely ignorant about the changes that were currently taking place in Ettoman.
Furthermore, he had a sufficient understanding of the ironclad warships.
Unfortunately, it was still the same line.
What could you do even if you knew about it?
The entire steam engine industry system was not something that could be completed overnight. Even if the Pirate Prince was already going all-out and working overtime to prepare for war, he was still at least a year behind Ettoman.
Even worse, the pirate governors had their own territories, so they had no choice but to meet the enemy head-on in order to guard their own interests and reputation.
While looking at the Pirate Prince who seemed like a sentimental old man, Fang Yuan unexpectedly felt a hint of 'sunset'.
It was like… seeing the afterglow of the closure of the pirates.
”All right, let's talk about some happy matters… Captain Roche, welcome to the Golden Ocean that I guard!”
Edward exhaled deeply and smiled brilliantly.
It only took a moment for the sad atmosphere from earlier to be immediately dispelled.
After a brief chat, even Fang Yuan had to admit that the Pirate Prince was truly an admirable man.
Not only did he have plenty of experience and knowledge, but he was also not bound by this world's etiquette.
Right after their discussion on the subtle differences between female elves and female humans, Edward pulled open his collar and said nonchalantly, ”Oh right, Roche, I heard that you have a noble lady from Ettoman on board your ship?”
”Yes, her name is Elizabeth, and she's the daughter of Viscount Quaid!”
Fang Yuan nodded in admittance.
Speaking of which, this woman's luck seemed to be always pretty good.
If she had not been imprisoned on Fiery Lotus but on either of the two three-masted ships, she would have probably died long ago.
”However, she's only a woman. Edward, if you want her…” Fang Yuan was very generous and swung his hands. ”Then she's all yours!”
”That won't do… Based on the pirate rules that I set in the Golden Ocean, only high-ranking pirates can order low-ranking pirates to pay tribute, and the frequency can't be too high! You aren't my subordinate yet, so if I accept your tributes, that would be quite wrong…”
Edward promptly waved his hands in refusal. ”Furthermore, Viscount Quaid isn't a simple fellow. Even without relying on his daughter's marriage for connections, he still narrowly defeated his competitor and became the colonial governor of Ettoman's Solomon Strait… Congratulations Captain, your slave's worth has risen again.”
”Then, great son of the Golden Ocean, I wonder if you could offer me a suggestion?” Fang Yuan thought for a while, and then his eyes glistened. ”If I use this captive to extort Viscount Quaid, what should I demand?”
”For ordinary pirate teams and merchants, an exemption right in Solomon would be a gold mine with a steady income. But in your case…”
The Pirate Prince said sincerely, ”I suggest you demand other things, such as… have you heard of legendary pirates ships?”
”Of course. Monster, Sea God, King's Throne, Specter Ship, and your flagship, Wanderer, are well-known among all pirates.” Fang Yuan nodded.
”Any great pirate must possess their own extraordinary ship, and this will only become even more important in the future!” Edward winked.
”Could… Viscount Quaid have an extraordinary ship?” Fang Yuan was truly astonished.
”No, he doesn't have one. However, all extraordinary ships are built by legendary shipwrights and sorcerers… As far as I know, excellent skills and magic attachment techniques are only one aspect. What's truly important are still the materials! For instance, the wood used in my Wanderer is from the extinct Wind God Tree. Of course, there were other extremely precious materials put together to ultimately build the world's fastest sailing ship!”
Edward was gazing at Wanderer as though he was looking at his lover.