Chapter 144

The Vice-Captain appeared unexpectedly at a moment I never anticipated. Lemain.

While I was certainly surprised by the fact, a profound sense of worry coursed through me.

It was Lemain who had been managing the situation aboard our pirate ship in my absence.

The fact that she had arrived here without any news meant that something serious had occurred on the ship.

This also indicated that it was a problem she couldn’t handle alone, leaving me with a heavy sense of apprehension as I asked her.

“What’s going on here? Is… something major happening on the ship?”

“Yeah, something big has happened. Very… serious, in fact.”

Lemain spoke in a dark voice.

Her words weren’t playful, but rather laden with genuine concern, prompting me to respond earnestly.

“Um… please tell me, what in the world happened?”

“Hmm… well, here’s the thing…”

Lemain let out a deep sigh in response to my inquiry.

Then, with a serious tone, she fired back another question.

“There’s a big issue and a smaller issue. Which one do you want to hear about first?”

“Uh… the big one.”

“Sorry, that one’s for later, I’ll start with the small one.”

“…Then why did you even ask…”

Despite it being quite a while since we’d last met, she hadn’t changed a bit, still attempting a joke that didn’t quite land.

However, that didn’t mean the situation was trivial, so I didn’t let my guard down and continued to press for details.

“What really happened? Is it some sort of mutiny on board?”

“No, if that were the case, I would have thrown them into the sea after roasting them over a fire. There’s no way someone like that could even be on our ship.”

“Hmm… that’s true…”

The Sanha pirate crew numbered in the tens of thousands, but the flagship Golden Cross was only comprised of about 30 crew members.

Among them, there were no dirty scoundrels who would dare betray us, and they had no reason to either.

In a situation where the balance of power was so clear, nobody would be foolish enough to try to start a petty rebellion instead of just sticking with us for survival.

But at the same time, if it wasn’t some horribly unlikely mutiny, I had no choice but to wonder what this serious problem could possibly be.

“Then what kind of problem are we dealing with? Is it… the navy?”

“Correct. Well done, you managed to guess it after only one mistake. As a reward for your keen insight, I present you with this.”

“…Gah…”

With a lighthearted expression, Lemain the Vice-Captain discussed something serious.

Then I looked at the paper she handed me…

To be precise, it was a letter that could very well be considered an announcement, adorned with a large seal I recognized.

“…This is… from the Brittania Empire…?”

“Yeah, I thought it was oddly quiet, but it looks like they’re gearing up for action.”

“Not that I’m surprised… they’re certainly not the type to sit idly by after being hit once.”

An edict stamped with the royal seal of the King of the Brittania Empire.

The content of the letter was as follows:

– In the name of the great Brittania Empire, we declare.

You, who call yourselves pirates, defaming the king under the name of Ezra Drake and your wicked crew.

You have threatened the peace of the seas and instilled fear in merchants up until now.

You have even attacked our honorable vessels of the Brittania Empire, inflicting both great and small losses.

I have shown great forbearance until now, but you have dared to commit the heinous act of ruthlessly slaying the White Shark and Blue Shark, who swore loyalty to our Brittania Empire.

Moreover, you conspired with the filthy traitors of the Kingdom of Frantz to murder innocent people, committing abominable acts that disturb the order of the continent.

Thus, I have decided no longer to overlook your misdeeds.

From now on, you shall face the stern judgment of our Brittania royal fleet and the invincible fleet of the Esban Kingdom, which has chosen to cooperate.

The only mercy you may hope for is to kneel before me and swear your obedience to the great Brittania Empire.

Pirates and the filthy traitors of the Kingdom of Frantz who have aligned with you are ordered not to test my patience any further and to bow their heads swiftly.

Should you refuse this final mercy, remember, your Golden Beard Pirate crew and the traitors of the Kingdom of Frantz will all find their heads on the gallows.

– King George III of the Brittania Empire.

A letter that seems to carry a grand warning filled with formality,

However, keeping in mind that the one who penned it was none other than the weak-minded King George, the gist of the message can be interpreted as follows:

– You filthy pirate scum.

The damage caused by the slave traders and drug dealers you’ve crushed has been immense for our country.

Even refusing to directly confront us while opting for a cowardly style of petty skirmishes has left me feeling quite ill.

Until now, I had no means to deal with you, so I bore it with great difficulty.

However, seeing you not only eliminate our privateers but also collaborating with those Kingdom of Frantz bastards, I can no longer tolerate it.

Since tackling you solo won’t yield results, I’m teaming up with Esban for a little intervention and, while I’m at it, I’ll handle you too.

Of course, it’s unlikely you’ll be stupid enough to ignore this warning, but if you kneel now and come under us, I’ll at least pretend to offer you mercy. Although, the outcome for everyone else involved would be a lopsided hanging.

Now be ready for us to invade at any moment, while you await your fate.

– The King of Brittania.

“So… in short, they’re using us as an excuse to poke around at the Kingdom of Frantz… is that it?”

“I suppose that’s one way to interpret it. However, I don’t think it’s merely a pretext for an attack. According to the scouts, that lady has started moving.”

“That lady would be…”

A name that sprang to mind automatically when one thought of the Brittania Empire.

I instinctively frowned at the thought…

And Lemain, observing my expression, answered in a serious tone.

“Admiral Nelson. She’s currently gathering ships at the Strait of Dover. The Esban fleet, though small in size, is also sneaking in.”

“Ha… just when I thought I’d managed to keep a Grade 12 Grand Magician busy… again…”

The last person I wanted to run into while living the pirate life.

Horai Nelson.

The admiral of the Brittania Empire and bearer of the powers of a Grade 12 Grand Magician; her news was burdensome in and of itself.

Particularly since I had suffered under her all those years while plying my trade as a pirate.

‘Well… that was all in the past. There’s no need to take on more risk here.’

The Brittania Empire was planning to use us as a pretext to scrape against the Kingdom of Frantz.

In this situation, we had a very simple choice.

*

“W-What…?”

The letter I had brought was now in the hands of Napoleona, whose face had gone completely pale.

First and foremost, I was certain that a similar letter had been sent by the Brittania Empire to the revolutionary forces in Pare… and to Robes Fiora.

However, Fiora hadn’t shown a shred of reaction to this, nor had she sent any news to Napoleona.

The likely reason was that the ongoing purge of the nobles was too disturbing to interrupt.

Moreover, Napoleona had just managed to push back the forces of the Holy Empire and now found herself faced with renewed outrage from the Brittania Empire, a reality that was simply impossible to accept without losing one’s mind.

“The Brittania Empire… those fish and chip-eating rats dare to…!”

“It seems they’re quite keen on making things complicated. Considering they’re even trying to drag the currently confused Kingdom of Esban into this mess.”

“Gah…”

The Kingdom of Frantz and the revolutionary forces were already in tatters due to the previous wars.

To fight against the Brittania Empire once more in such a state would be an immensely burdensome task.

Seeing Napoleona engulfed in confusion and anxiety, I spoke to her in a serious tone.

“Given that, I think it’s time we start making some decisions.”

“Huh? A decision… you say?”

Napoleona seemed puzzled by what I meant.

It appeared she didn’t quite grasp where she stood at the moment, but…

I needed to coldly inform her of the reality.

“Have you forgotten? The oath you made to me. That you would devote everything to me. That means from now on, the moment I command you, you’re no longer a leader of the Kingdom of Frantz but a member of our pirate crew.”

“A-Ah… that… was true.”

“And, with the Brittania Empire sending out letters like this, I no longer intend to remain in the Kingdom of Frantz for long. Now that we’ve taken care of the Holy Empire forces, I see no reason to want a conflict with them, nor to give them a reason to cause trouble.”

“Hmm…”

In this way, the Brittania Empire was planning to use us as a pretext to move.

Thus, they managed to draw in the Esban Kingdom, which had no particular justification to be involved in this matter.

In other words, if we were to leave now, we might be able to thwart their invasion of the Kingdom of Frantz.

“Now I understand what you mean… So you plan to leave this place… and…”

“And now, you’ll have to make a choice. Will you stay here, or will you come with us?”

“…”

At my words, Napoleona fell silent, struggling to find an answer.