Debuff Master

Chapter 798

“Why this, though…?”

Siegfried tilted his head in confusion, puzzled by the sudden appearance of the Shit-Stained Parchment.

‘Does this have something to do with the telescope?’ he wondered.

He placed the Shit-Stained Parchment on the desk and turned his attention to the Worn Telescope of Tourbillon. The telescope looked nothing special. It was just a battered old spyglass with no discernible function.

However, Siegfried’s curiosity had already been piqued, so he held the telescope up and angled it toward the Shit-Stained Parchment.

Unfortunately, nothing happened, and all he could see was the dirty parchment marred with stains. No significant change could be seen between the two items that not only looked utterly useless but seemed totally unrelated to each other.

‘What’s the connection between these two?’ he wondered and inspected the telescope.

Then, something caught his eye.

“Huh?”

Click… Clack!

The telescope came apart, revealing a tightly rolled piece of paper tucked inside. He pulled the paper out without much expectation, and a system message popped up in front of his eyes.

[Alert: You have obtained Treasure Map - Legacy of the Pirate King (1/2)!]

“Whoa!” Siegfried exclaimed.

He immediately flashed his Rune of Insight and inspected the ancient map.

[Treasure Map - Legacy of the Pirate King (1/2)]

[A treasure map pointing to the tomb of the Pirate King, Freydlief. Unfortunately, it is only one half, making it useless without the other half.]

[Type: Map]

[Rating: Legendary]

[Note: Combine with the second half to access the Pirate King’s tomb.]

‘T-Treasure… It’s a real pirate treasure!’ Siegfried exclaimed inwardly.

It was then.

“Kyuuu? What are you up to, owner punk?”

The sudden voice startled Siegfried, causing him to whirl around hurriedly.

“Argh! Hamchi! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” Siegfried exclaimed, quickly tucking the map away.

“Kyu? What’s that? Hiding something, are we?” Hamchi narrowed his eyes suspiciously and asked. Then, he said, “You look like someone who just got caught eating delicious snacks alone!”

“No! I was just… surprised! Yeah, that’s all!”

“Kyu? You’re not lying to Hamchi, right, owner punk?”

“Of course not! Why are you even here?”

“Kyu!

“What?! D-Did you see everything just now?” Siegfried asked, his eyes widening.

Hamchi puffed his chest proudly and replied, “I’ve been watching since the beginning! Kyu!”

“Argh…”

“You have no shame, owner punk! How can you even think about hoarding the treasure? Tsk tsk… You’ll get indigestion that way!”

“Haha…” Siegfried laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. Then, he thought, ‘Damn… I’m busted…’

Feigning innocence, he pulled out the treasure map and said, “I just discovered this. Who said I was trying to monopolize it all for myself?”

“Stop lying. Do you really think Hamchi doesn’t know who you are, owner punk? Hamchi knows owner punk very well! Owner punk is more than capable of slurping the treasure up for himself!”

“I wasn’t gonna keep it all to myself—”

“Sure, sure! Kyuuu! You totally were!”

“I wasn’t!”

“You were!”

“Come on~ I really wasn’t.”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

“Liar!”

“Why would I lie to you, Hamchi?”

Siegfried tried his best to hide his true intentions before turning his attention back to the incomplete map.

‘Wait… could this be…?’ Siegfried thought. “This says it’s two out of one, so does that mean this is its other half…?”

He retrieved the Shit-Stained Parchment from his Inventory and laid it over the treasure map.

Flash!

A brilliant light erupted as the two pieces merged together into one complete map.

[Treasure Map - Legacy of the Pirate King]

[A treasure map pointing to the tomb of the Pirate King, Freydlief. Follow it to claim the Pirate King’s legacy.]

[Type: Map]

[Rating: Legendary]

[Note: The Pirate King’s tomb is located in the Green Isles.]

“The Pirate King’s treasure!” Siegfried cried out.

“Kyuuuuu! We did it, owner punk! We found it!” Hamchi shrieked in delight.

“See? I told you every item has a purpose!”

“Kyu! I was wrong to doubt you, owner punk!” Hamchi remembered how he once mocked Siegfried for keeping the parchment stained with feces, and he nodded sheepishly upon remembering it.

“Kyu! Does this mean you will become the Pirate King?” asked Hamchi.

Siegfried blinked, baffled. Then, he replied, “Pirate King? Nah, I just want the treasure.”

He wasn't interested in becoming the Pirate King, and all he cared about was money and getting a quest out of it. His goal was to clear the Epic quest while making some money in the process to make up for the losses he had incurred to enhance his Vanquisher’s Grasp.

Grandeur titles such as "Pirate King" weren't what he wanted.

“Kyu! No way! Don’t you have any ambitions? Becoming the Pirate King is every man’s dream!”

“Will becoming the Pirate King pay the bills? I’m in it for the money,” Siegfried replied nonchalantly.

“Kyu! You’re hopeless! Real men chase dreams!”

“Dreams don’t put food on the table. Money does.”

With that, Siegfried turned and headed out of the captain’s quarters, leaving Hamchi shaking his head in disbelief.

“Kyuu… He’s hopeless…”

***

Siegfried commandeered the pirate ships of the Red Claw Pirates straight toward the Allied Naval Command.

The Allied Naval Command was an organization established by the nations bordering the southern seas of the continent to combat piracy. For years, the southern seas were plagued by pirates, and the navies of these nations finally decided to set aside their differences and unite under one purpose—to eradicate pirates.

Thus, in the southern seas of the Nurburg Continent, the term navy referred to the multinational allied navy dispatched by those countries.

And here was Siegfried, an officially registered pirate with the Pirate Confederation, sailing toward the very headquarters of this united naval force where their dozens of warships were docked.

This was not his first time visiting this place, so he was not worried at all. He had repeatedly captured and handed over the pirates to the authorities to collect their bounties over the past two weeks.

However, things were different for the Naval Alliance.

“What? Captain Drake has brought the body of Tourbillon?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good heavens!”

The Supreme Commander of the Naval Alliance, Marshal Claude, clicked his tongue in disbelief.

The Golden Rat Pirates were a huge baffling mystery for the Naval Alliance. Yes, they were officially pirates, and they were even registered with the Pirate Confederation, making them enemies to be eradicated from the navy’s perspective.

However, there was one problem.

The Golden Rat Pirates never engaged in any acts of looting. Not a single crime had been committed toward seafarers or civilians. Instead, they frequently captured notorious pirates and collected bounties.

In other words, the navy had no justification to subjugate the Golden Rat Pirates, as they had never committed any crimes. To make things even more complicated, they brought in their fellow pirates in droves to collect their bounties, making them a very bizarre and perplexing band of pirates.

“They’re pirates, but they don’t pillage. Instead, they hunt other pirates. So, what are they? Are they pirates or bounty hunters?”

Claude was genuinely perplexed. He previously dismissed their actions as the usual turf wars between pirates, but it was different this time.

Capturing the Red Claw Pirates, a major pirate group, along with their leader, Tourbillon, was truly an extraordinary feat.

“Did you say it was Captain Drake?”

“Yes, sir!”

“So he’s claiming to be the last of the Drake Family… Though the family had fallen long ago, they were once highly respected…”

“What should we do, sir? Shall we pay the bounty and send him on his way just as we always did?”

Claude shook his head and replied, “No, I will meet him personally.”

“B-But sir, meeting a pirate leader might be… risky.”

“He hasn’t committed any crimes yet. Prepare a meeting with him.”

“Yes, sir!”

Once his subordinate left, Claude leaned back on his chair and muttered, “Captain Drake…”

***

Meanwhile, Siegfried docked the Temeraire at the Allied Naval Command and sold the pirate ships of the Red Claw Pirates to the local ship dealers. He also sold the pirates without bounties to notorious slave traders who set up shop within the naval command.

Siegfried brought the captured pirates with bounties and Tourbillon’s corpse to the naval command.

“...”

The officer on duty was stunned. He never imagined in his wildest dreams that a pirate would capture an entire major pirate crew and come to collect their bounty all at once.

But that wasn't the only shocking thing...

Siegfried flashed a friendly smile and said, “By the way…”

“Yes? Is there something you need?”

“Do you think it’s fair to reduce the bounty? I mean, considering I brought in a major pirate boss, right?”

“Pardon…?”

“I mean, this guy used to be an admiral and turned into a pirate. So there should be some special treatment for his bounty, too, no?”

“Y-Yes, I guess so?”

“He’s a pirate with quite the infamy. Also, it will serve as good publicity for the navy, too. So I think it’s unfair for the bounty to be halved just because he’s dead.”

“...”

“I’m not asking for the full amount. I was hoping maybe to get at least eighty percent of his bounty. So, what do you say?”

“I will… have to report this to my superiors…”

The officer was about to lose his mind, as the so-called pirate had attempted to haggle the bounty. He had never imagined in his wildest dreams that a mere pirate captain would dare to attempt to strike a deal with a naval officer while they were within the territory of the Allied Naval Command.

It was then.

“Salute the Supreme Commander!”

“Sir!”

A deep voice boomed, announcing the arrival of the highest person in command. Then, an elderly admiral dressed in an elegant coat entered.

“Are you Captain Drake?” Marshal Claude asked.

“Yes, I am,” Siegfried replied with a grin.

“I am Marshal Claude, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Naval Command,” Claud introduced himself, extending his hand for a handshake.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Siegfried replied, casually shaking his hand.

But then—

Bzzzt!

Siegfried felt mana flowing through Claude’s grip.

‘Oh? Testing me, are we? Let’s give you a taste of radioactive sweetness,’ Siegfried thought, flashing an evil grin inwardly.

Claud was a powerful individual at Level 299, and he was subtly testing Siegfried’s strength. Of course, Siegfried was not one to back down. He resisted Claude’s mana and casually let his radioactive microorganisms seep into the commander.

‘Hmm… This young man is stronger than he looks—wait, what’s this?!’ Claude was shocked. His face turned pale as an unfamiliar energy infiltrated him. Cold sweat manifested all over his face as he slowly turned blue.

It was poison.

The Supreme Commander had attempted to pressure Siegfried out of curiosity, only to end up getting poisoned instead.

“Are you feeling unwell, sir? You look pale,” Siegfried asked with a gentle smile.

“I’m… fine…” Claude replied, feigning composure.

“Are you sure? Your hands are so soft I can hold them all day,” Siegfried teased.

Claude quickly withdrew his hand, but it was too late.

Plop…!

Blood poured down Claude’s nose…