Debuff Master

Chapter 797

The Aqua Runners moved at breathtaking speeds.

Boom! Boom!

The Red Claw Pirates unleashed volleys of cannonballs, but sinking the twelve Aqua Runners proved impossible. Their speed was one thing, but their agility and evasive maneuvers were just exceptional.

“Where did those speed boats come from? What in the world are those…?” Tourbillon muttered, sweat dripping from his brow.

In all his years at sea, he had never witnessed ships as maneuverable as the ones he was seeing right now. The fact that a speedboat could approach a fleet of warships while evading a barrage of cannonballs was truly unprecedented.

But this was not the time to be in awe…

“Curse it all! Prepare for battle, you lot! They’re coming!” Tourbillon cursed and barked at his crew.

“Aye! Captain!”

The pirates swiftly ceased their bombardment and drew their weapons, ready to receive their uninvited guests.

“Argh!”

“Ack!”

“N-No! Mercy!”

The Nordic Marines butchered the Red Claw Pirates mercilessly, unleashing chaos like wolves among lambs.

Many among the Red Claw Pirates were seasoned warriors, and some were even former knights of major kingdoms. They also had ample battle experience at sea as one of the major pirate crews, but they were no match against the Nordic Marines.

The Red Claw Pirates struggled against the battle-hardened Nordic Marines, and the match-up seemed like a child going against an adult.

“Push forward!”

“Hold the line!”

“Flank them!”

“In three! One, two, three—stab!”

The Nordic Marines fought with military precision, unlike the chaotic battles of common pirates. They moved with impeccable coordination and even employed different tactics in the battle.

Moreover, the Nordic Tribe was full of people bred for war. They were trained in swordsmanship and naval warfare from the moment they could walk. Battling at sea was also woven into their very DNA.

They weren't ordinary pirates but warriors born and bred for war with a definite heritage.

“W-Who are these monsters?” Tourbillon muttered in utter shock. He stood aghast while watching his men fall like ripe wheat before a scythe during harvest.

“Damn it all!” he growled and channeled mana into his left arm.

Tourbillon’s left arm was no ordinary arm, as it was encased by a massive gauntlet that resembled the pincer of a colossal crab.

This gauntlet was actually a legendary relic. The +14 Gauntlet of Crushing Claw had earned him his place as the captain of a major pirate crew, and its destructive power was nothing short of terrifying.

The +14 Gauntlet of Crushing Claw became Tourbillon’s trademark, and it was also the reason why his crew bore the name Red Claw Pirates.

“Die!”

The monstrous claw piping red-hot with mana shot forward, tethered by a chain, and it flew toward a cluster of Nordic Marines, but…

“Not so fast!”

Thud!

With a dull noise, someone landed between the Nordic Marines and the flying claw.

In a flash, a massive axe cleaved through the air, striking the gauntlet away.

“Who are you?!” Tourbillon snarled.

“I am… First Mate of the Golden Rat Pirates. Brother-in-arms to Captain Francis de Drake,” the man replied, lifting his large axe with ease.

“What?!”

“Time to die, pirate scum.”

Without waiting for a response, the man, Lionbreath, lunged forward and swung his enormous axe with great strength.

Whoosh! Boom!

The +14 Gauntlet of Crushing Claw clashed with Lionbreath’s axe, causing sparks to fly the moment their weapons collided. Thus, the duel between the two battle-hardened sea veterans began.

***

Meanwhile, Siegfried took to the skies using his +10 Black Crow Wingsuit. He dropped Lionbreath off at the enemy flagship before infiltrating another Red Claw Pirate ship with Hamchi.

He was not worried about Lionbreath, as the King of the Nordic Tribe was more than capable of handling a mere pirate captain with ease.

Thus, Siegfried’s main priority right now was to support the Nordic Marines.

He did not use his +15 Vanquisher’s Grasp. Instead, he covered the deck with Blaze Field and Shadow Hell to cast powerful debuffs on the pirates. Then, he clenched his fists and unleashed the hand-to-hand combat techniques he had learned from Leonid, beating the pirates down one by one.

‘I can’t kill them. They’re all money, so I have to go easy on them.’

For him, these pirates were all lucrative assets. Killing them would be a waste, as their bounty or value as slaves raked him quite a handsome profit.

Bam! Bam!

Thud!

Thus, Siegfried made sure to control his strength whenever he threw a kick or a punch, ensuring that his victims would either get knocked unconscious or incapacitated. He'd occasionally throw ice shurikens to hinder the enemy pirates and protect the Nordic Marines from serious harm.

Ten minutes later…

“Deck secured!”

“All clear!”

“Situation under control!”

“Ship’s deck secured!”

Siegfried’s Golden Rat Pirate Crew swiftly captured all six ships of the Red Claw Pirates.

“How much is this guy’s bounty?” Siegfried muttered, rifling through a stack of wanted posters to check Tourbillon’s worth. Then, he froze and moaned, “Haah... Uugh.. Aaah…!”

“Kyu? What’s wrong, owner punk? Did you finally lose it?” Hamchi asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“No… it’s…” Siegfried replied, his voice trembling. Then, he stammered, “T-That guy… he’s a former navy admiral. H-His bounty is triple the usual amount!”

“Kyuu?!”

“It’s triple the bounty of other major pirate captains!”

“Kyuuuuu!”

Upon discovering Tourbillon's bounty, both Siegfried and Hamchi squirmed as ecstasy took over them. They were practically vibrating from excitement as they rushed to the flagship to secure their biggest haul of the hunt.

But then—

“...!”

Siegfried froze, and his jaw dropped to the deck.

Lo and behold his paycheck, Tourbillon, lay dead on the deck, split cleanly in two.

“Captain of a major pirate? Bah! Not so tough after all! Bwahaha!”

Lionbreath stood proudly over his victim, chest puffed out, and shoulders squared. He seemed clearly delighted with his victory over the pirate captain.

As a Nord, his pirate ancestry instilled a sense of competition against other pirates, so defeating Tourbillon was immensely satisfying for him. However, his joy was short-lived.

“NO! What did you do?!” Siegfried screamed in despair.

“What is it, brother? What’s wrong?” Lionbreath asked, blinking in confusion at the sudden outburst.

“Do you have any idea how much that guy was worth?! Three times the normal bounty! Three times!” Siegfried raged, gesturing wildly at the dead pirate captain’s lifeless body.

“W-What…?”

“He’s a former navy admiral, so his bounty is three times higher than any other major pirate captain!”

“Gasp!”

“And now he’s dead! Do you realize what you have done?! Dead pirates are worth half their bounty! Have you forgotten about that?!”

“Ah… N-No, I didn’t…”

“Then why?! Didn’t you tell me you wanted to buy a dragon-leather bag for your second wife? And a blood diamond necklace for the first?”

“I… I did…”

“And yet you killed him?! Why?! You said you needed money, too!”

“Y-You’re right…”

After getting chastised thoroughly, Lionbreath hung his head in shame despite emerging victorious in the duel against a major pirate captain.

“Because of this, your cut of the profits will be docked by fifty percent!” Siegfried declared.

“B-Brother! No! Anything but that!”

“You did this! Take responsibility!”

“Argh!”

In the end, Lionbreath had no choice but to cry bitter tears, as he could not reverse Tourbillon’s death. He had no choice but to accept his reduced share of the spoils as punishment.

“...”

Meanwhile, the captured pirates of the Red Claw Pirates stared in disbelief, dumbfounded by the bizarre exchange they had just overheard and witnessed.

For these men who once ruled the seas, realizing that they were nothing more than gold in the eyes of their captors was a bitter pill to swallow.

***

Once everything was sorted out.

Ding!

[Alert: You have achieved 33.3% completion rate for the Quest – I’m the Pirate In Charge Here!]

Siegfried set out to scavenge for loot upon securing the flag of the Red Claw Pirates.

“Treasure~ Trea–sure~”

He rummaged through the cargo holds of the captured ships while humming in a cheerful tone. The spoils were bound to be impressive considering the fact that the Red Claw Pirates were a major pirate crew, and his expectations were not betrayed.

There were stacks of gold in each ship’s cargo, and there were hundreds of kilograms or probably a ton of gold bars in each ship. In addition to the gold bars, luxury items such as ambergris, finely crafted coral ornaments, rare spices, and precious gems were stored in abundance.

It turned out that the Red Claw Pirates had recently finished a round of plundering and were en route back to the Green Isles when they ran into the Golden Rat Pirates. In other words, they were filled with more loot than usual.

After verifying the contents of the cargo holds, Siegfried sought out the personal belongings of the late Captain Tourbillon. He was determined to seize everything, including the infamous +14 Gauntlet of Crushing Claw, to make up for the bounty he had lost due to the pirate captain’s death.

As he entered the pirate captain’s personal quarters, a familiar alert popped up above his head.

Ding!

[Alert: The title effect of Treasure Hunter has been triggered!]

[Alert: Treasure Hunter is searching for treasures!]

It seemed that there was a significant treasure hidden somewhere in the captain’s cabin, as an arrow had appeared in front of Siegfried, pointing him toward the prize.

[Treasure Hunter]

[A title given to those who had obtained a lot of treasures]

[Type: Title]

[Rating: Unique]

[Effect: +50% Chance of finding treasure rooms.]

The arrow pointed toward a coat hanging on a rack. It was Tourbillon’s coat, to be precise.

“Huh? What could be hidden here?” Siegfried muttered.

He rifled through the coat’s inner pockets only to pull out a battered old telescope.

[Alert: You have acquired the Worn Telescope of Tourbillon!]

Siegfried frowned in confusion and grumbled, “This is the treasure…?”

It was then.

Hum!

A low faint hum resonated from somewhere, and then his Iinventory suddenly opened all on its own. Then, something tattered and filthy came out of it.

“Huh?”

Siegfried took a closer look and saw that it was a piece of soiled cloth.

It didn't take him long to realize what it was. This was an item he had obtained long ago after killing Chae Hyung-Seok[1], and it had been staying in his inventory ever since.

Siegfried had a habit of collecting all sorts of odd items, as he believed that they'd prove useful or valuable one day. He seemed like a scrap collector by doing this, but those seemingly worthless items would sometimes trigger hidden events, or they'd turn out to be something surprisingly useful.

And this was one of those moments…

[Shit-Stained Parchment]

[A piece of parchment used by a noble after running out of toilet paper.]

[It is smeared with the feces of a noble.]

[Type: Parchment]

[Rating: Normal]

[Remarks: There seems to be something written on it, but it is hard to tell due to the amount of feces smeared on it.]

Among all the junk Siegfried had accumulated, this parchment seemed like the most worthless piece of trash out of them all. However, he couldn't have imagined that the worthless shit-stained junk would trigger a hidden event.

1. Chapter 368 ☜