"Oh? Since when did the most trusted subordinate of the City Lord of Celestial City start taking interest in ordinary goods?" the Pirate Captain retorted, revealing a mocking smile.
"How did you-" The dark haired man's face went pale, shocked at the revelation that these people knew his identity.
He had intentionally used a Merchant Ship while hiding his identity. It was impossible for the Chaotic Sea Pirates to know about him! It was as if someone had leaked the secret information about his purpose.
"I wonder..." the Pirate Captain started laughing, finding it amusing. "We've been chasing your ship for weeks. Did you think we didn't know anything about you? If it wasn't for the fear of losing that thing, we would've already destroyed the ship the moment you started running!"
"How foolish of you to not realize why we didn't take any drastic measures? Looks like you're not as wise as you think!"
The well-dressed man took a deep breath, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any opportunity. At first, he thought that these people didn't know his identity.
He thought that it was better to surrender and that after looting the ordinary items from the ship, these people were going to let them leave. He thought that way, he could keep 'that thing' safe. But now that he realized that they were after 'that' he couldn't help but curse his decision of surrendering.
It was too late now. But still, he couldn't let things progress. Even with his death, he wanted to protect the thing that the City Lord wanted!
"Are you thinking about an escape? It would've been possible in the past, but at this moment, it's useless. Be a good man and tell us where it is. We'll let you leave alive!" The Pirate Captain said, a sly grin spreading across his face.
The captured man met his gaze with unwavering determination, refusing to back down despite the overwhelming odds stacked against him. "You will never let me leave alive. You know if I left, I'll inform the City Lord. And even the Pirate King can't survive the wrath of the City Lord of Celestial City!"
Hearing the response, the Pirate Captain was shocked. After some time, he couldn't control his laughter, his expressions turning dark.
"Hahaha, maybe I truly underestimated you. You're a fool, but at times you can be quite clever. You're right. We can't let any of you escape. After all, even I don't want to face the wrath of that bastard who never leaves the Celestial City."
"Let us leave! If you don't stop me and leave right now, the City Lord won't harm you. But if you kill us, he'll find out!" The well-dressed man, finding an opportunity, took advantage.
"Hahaha, you think we didn't think about that? If you're all killed, the City Lord would find us, blaming us. But so what? You're supposed to be hiding your identity. For us, you're no different than an ordinary merchant ship."
"We can just say that we don't know it was his people and when the merchant ship started running, we attacked and destroyed it, following which everyone in the ship died and the ship sank. How can he know that we ever climbed on the ship?"
"No matter how angry he is, he'll never know the truth or the fact that we took what he wanted. And even he can't dive to the depths of the Chaotic Sea to retrieve the item that he'll never know is not there in the first place!"
The Pirate Captain laughed like he was looking at an idiot, noticing the man's hopes shatter.
The Pirate King had already considered all the possibilities before deciding on this plan. Even the City Lord of Celestial City couldn't blame them beyond a certain limit, at least not to the point of annihilating them. It was an 'honest misunderstanding' after all.
Karyk listened intently to the conversation unfolding before him. The mention of the City Lord of Celestial City piqued his interest.
He didn't know who the City Lord was, or even what the Celestial City was, but the way both sides addressed him, it was evident that the man was quite powerful and influential.
Although he could get a lot of information from the Pirates, if he could get the City Lord to owe him a favor, he could get access to the mainland, and even get more than he came here for.
The only problem was that he had to hide his identity and limit the abilities he revealed. He couldn't let anyone know that he was an outsider.
Fortunately, after fighting Elzerian Emperor's sister, he had learned quite a lot about their fighting style.
As the conversation continued, Karyk noticed a momentary distraction among the pirates. It was the perfect opportunity for him to make his move.
With his swift and silent movements, he descended onto the main ship, keeping himself hidden. As long as he didn't want to, none of these weak people could see him.
Although the Pirate Chief and the well dressed man were strong, they weren't as strong as the Emperor's sister, let alone his generals.
He was sure if a General was here, they would've been able to see through his shroud, but fortunately that wasn't the case.
"How about this? If you tell us the whereabouts of that thing, we'll leave your corpse intact and make your death painless?" The Pirate Captain asked. "Don't forget, we can always search the entire ship even without your help. It'll just take us a little longer!"
"So make things easier for us and in return, we'll make your death easier. Seems like a good exchange!"
"How about I grant you an easy death and you make my escape easier?" The well dressed man asked. "Isn't that also a good exchange?"
"You!" The Pirate Captain's expressions darkened. "Even to the end, you've remained a fool. Fine! If death is what you want, I'll grant you death!"
The Pirate Captain has had enough of negotiations. His patience was already limited and the repeated rejection made him even more furious.
The well dressed man closed his eyes, preparing for his death as the pirate's sword came swinging. There was no place for him to dodge with other pirates all around him.
Even his weapon was taken away and his spirit sealed. He could only accept his death. But even in death, he remained brave.
