Pirate Kingship

But he was in an exceptionally good mood today. Considering his current status as a shareholder of various nations, killing directly was indeed too crude.

So, he raised a finger to his lips.

"Shh, listen!"

Louis XI didn’t know what he was up to, instinctively shut his mouth, and listened intently.

He heard a howling wind coming from the depths of the North Sea.

Woooo...

It grew faster, louder.

Simultaneously, the operatives from various countries preparing to rob the Impoverished Knights Order also looked up at the sky in horror.

"Look at the sky."

The clouds gathered, pitch-black. In an instant, a storm descended upon the North Sea.

A giant face, identical to Byron’s, opened its eyes from the bottom of the clouds, gazing coldly at the terribly small warships of various nations on the sea, its voice like thunder:

"Tell your kings, I will protect the Impoverished Knights Order.

If you have the courage, come find me in the North Sea Empire. Now, go back!"

Then, it opened its mouth and blew fiercely.

"Whoosh—!"

In the Strait of Dover, huge waves surged, carrying the warships of various nations swiftly away, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

The North Sea has now become the Empire’s inland sea, enveloped by the triple laws, undoubtedly Byron’s terrestrial divine realm!

With a population of 13 million, relying on the [Golden Law] and the authority of the [Storm King], he could change the world in a short time.

With continued development, even if a wounded demigod like the Mother of Monsters came again, he wouldn’t be afraid.

Though it couldn’t compare to the Banana Fan’s 84,000 miles, blowing away 84 nautical miles was still feasible.

And with this blow, he unmistakably sent these people back to tell surrounding powerful neighbors, that now the North Sea has one and only one leader.

That is he, the Pirate Emperor!

Feast on this piece of fat, what can you do to me?

You’ll get used to it in time.

After sending the guests away, Byron steered the [Golden Deer] to turn and leave.

The sea, split open by the mythical form of the [Ouroboros], roared back together.

Huge waves rolled, the silhouette like mountains.

....

In the blink of an eye, on board the [Immortal Pine · Elcano], blown dozens of nautical miles away.

Wearing a captain’s hat, [Bloodsail] Mihawk held the wheel tightly, his mustache meticulously groomed.

Retracting his gaze from the face in the sky, he glanced at the [Pirate Compass] placed beside the wheel, and sighed:

"This fellow is truly frightening.

Perhaps... the place I discovered might be a suitable invitation for him to explore together."

A group of oddly shaped pirate officers, tall and short, gathered around, unable to grasp the captain’s feeling of "a true man should be so," chattering away:

"Captain, what do we do next, will we still rob the Knights Order?"

"What about the task entrusted by Her Majesty the Queen if we fail?"

But Mihawk just shrugged nonchalantly:

"I’m just a Pirate King, not the Castilia Twin Kings, the headache should be for Isabella and Emperor Fernando."

The pirate officers, after a brief pause, nodded in full agreement.

As the saying goes, once you decide to slack off, the world instantly widens.

A daily reflection: Can we not do it? Can it be done later? Can it be left to others?

People shouldn’t make things difficult for themselves. Besides the life-extending effects of the [Immortal Pine], this is the true secret to longevity.

"Let’s go back, drink! We are already the Pirate Kings, drink the strongest rum, hire the most beautiful dancers!"

"Oh-hoo—!"

Evidently, they were a gang of pirates purely in pursuit of pleasure and freedom.

However, while everyone else could just turn and walk away, Louis XI, living next to Byron, couldn’t.

He stared blankly at the disappearing [Golden Deer], his face ashen, yet unaware that his misfortune had not ended.

A trusted attendant rushed over, shouting from a distance:

"Bad news, Your Highness!

The Finance Minister intended to short the financial sector just as you took action, but... but...

Breaking news just came in, Pioneer Bank and Holy Cross International Bank announced a merger, their stocks... are soaring!"

Selling short refers to an investor borrowing and selling stocks, and then buying them back at a lower price to return, making a profit.

If operated well, it can not only avoid losses but also deliver substantial profits.

The key is that the corresponding stocks must decline.

But obviously, the Finance Minister had botched it.

Pulling the "plug" to stop trading is too damaging to credibility. This kind of reputation takes decades or even a hundred years to build but can be destroyed in an instant.

Like that Schrodinger’s neutral country, fundamentally a banking powerhouse, in a superposition between "neutral" and "non-neutral."

Byron and Catherine didn’t want to emulate them.

As Holy Cross International Bank and Pioneer Bank, two major banks, announced their merger, all loans, and savings remained unchanged, and with Catherine’s pair of "invisible hands" propelling, they instantly became the number one financial stock.

The Iris Kingdom not only failed to make money this time, but also lost everything.

It’s uncertain if the reclaimed real estate could compensate for this market loss.

"Uh..."

Louis XI immediately rolled his eyes and fell off the horse.