Chapter 421 -421-Declaring War on Me?
When the two chiefs heard that the mysterious fleet possessed a battleship, both of them immediately became suspicious.
Chief Logar frowned in confusion.
"Battleships are the trump cards of the major Maritime Kingdoms. How could one possibly end up in the hands of pirates?"
Chief Gortar frowned as well.
"Exactly. Even the major merchant guilds couldn’t possibly afford the enormous cost of purchasing a battleship. And even if they somehow could, there’s no way they could sustain the maintenance costs afterward."
That meant the mysterious fleet was very likely a Naval Corps from one of the Maritime Kingdoms disguised as pirates.
Chief Logar nodded.
"That’s very possible. Every major pirate crew is actually supported by other Maritime Kingdoms behind the scenes. They use us to cause trouble for the Heller Kingdom."
"For top-ranking pirate crews like ours, there are far more than just one or two kingdoms secretly backing us."
Chief Gortar’s expression grew solemn.
"In that case, the force that truly attacked the Inferno Pirates this time must have been the Heller Kingdom’s Naval Corps. They’re the only ones with a motive."
The more the two analyzed the situation, the more convinced they became that the Heller Kingdom’s Naval Corps had deliberately targeted the Inferno Pirates.
After all, only a Naval Corps could truly possess a battleship.
Only a Naval Corps could produce commanders with such extraordinary command ability.
And only a Naval Corps could train elite soldiers disciplined enough to coordinate with such precision during a naval battle.
That was the only explanation for how a force of merely four warships had managed to annihilate the entire Inferno Pirates.
Once they reached this conclusion, they could think of no other possibility.
Hearing their analysis, the Inferno Pirates’ second leader turned deathly pale.
He shook his head in despair.
"The Heller Kingdom’s Naval Corps..."
"They’re far too powerful. There’s no way we can fight them."
The Maritime Kingdoms naturally possessed the strongest military forces in these waters.
Before them, many pirate crews were little more than fleas.
The only reason the kingdoms had never completely suppressed the pirates was because they simply did not consider a full-scale campaign worth the cost.
Only when the pirates became too rampant and began threatening their rule would the kingdoms finally strike back.
So no matter how brave the second leader might have been, even if his strength increased tenfold, he still would not dare provoke a Naval Corps.
That would be nothing more than suicide.
There would be no possibility of fighting back.
Hearing the second leader’s despairing words, Chief Gortar and Chief Logar exchanged a knowing glance.
Chief Logar suddenly spoke.
"If this Naval Corps can destroy your Inferno Pirates today, then tomorrow they can destroy my Logar Pirates."
"Since they’ve decided to make a move against us, then we’ll settle this according to the rules of pirates."
Chief Gortar nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. We absolutely cannot allow those bastards from the Naval Corps to continue hunting us down."
"They must pay the proper price."
"We need to make them understand that pirates are not something they can simply crush whenever they please."
"If they want to swallow us whole, then they’d better have strong enough teeth."
"If we keep giving ground step by step, eventually there won’t be any room left for pirate crews like ours to survive."
"We absolutely cannot let this matter end here."
The second leader’s eyes widened when he heard the two great chiefs speak like this.
A spark of hope suddenly rose in his heart.
His despairing emotions instantly reignited.
That was right.
So what if the enemy was a Naval Corps?
On these seas, pirates had long since learned to disregard life and death and treat wealth as fleeting.
Since the other side had chosen to disguise themselves as pirates, then they would have to play by pirate rules!
"According to the rules..." Chief Gortar murmured thoughtfully. "We should send an envoy to ask what they want and open negotiations with them."
"But since they’re from the Naval Corps, there’s no need to be polite," Chief Logar said.
"We’ll directly demand an explanation. What exactly are they trying to do?"
"Tell them to release the prisoners and withdraw from the Inferno Pirates’ main island."
"Otherwise, we will rally every pirate crew in the Heller Kingdom and launch a punitive campaign against them!"
"Send them a declaration of war!" the second leader immediately agreed. "We’ll punish them!"
Then another thought suddenly occurred to him.
If the enemy refused their conditions, he would lose nothing anyway.
The Inferno Pirates had already been destroyed.
But if the enemy actually agreed to release the prisoners and return the main island, then the Inferno Pirates would have a chance to rebuild.
And he would become the sole leader of the Inferno Pirates!
No matter how he looked at it...
he had nothing to lose.
And so, their response to John’s destruction of the Inferno Pirates was decided.
The pirates had convinced themselves that John’s forces were merely members of the Naval Corps disguised as pirates.
They believed this was the opening shot of the Heller Kingdom’s campaign to purge the pirates.
If they did nothing, there would surely be a second pirate crew destroyed.
Then a third.
To make the Heller Kingdom’s Naval Corps abandon such ambitions, the pirates had to fight back.
And they had to fight back hard!
They needed to make the Naval Corps understand that although pirates might be weaker, they were not something that could simply be exterminated at will.
Thus, with the Gortar Pirates and Logar Pirates taking the lead, invitations were sent throughout the Heller Kingdom, calling together pirate crews large and small for a grand Pirate Assembly.
Their purpose was simple.
They would discuss how to deal with John, who was now occupying the former main island of the Inferno Pirates.
At the same time, they dispatched an envoy carrying a declaration of war to find John.
For a time, news that John’s fleet had annihilated the Inferno Pirates spread everywhere.
Major pirate factions, merchant guilds, city officials, and the various Maritime Kingdoms all learned of the incident.
They also learned that the pirates were preparing to hold a grand assembly and retaliate against the mysterious fleet.
After hearing the news, the various Maritime Kingdoms all assumed that the destruction of the Inferno Pirates had been the work of the Lothar Kingdom.
They were more than happy to see the Lothar Kingdom dragged into trouble.
Thus, they secretly contacted the pirate crews affiliated with them, providing money and supplies.
Some even sent craftsmen to help construct arsenals for the pirates and arranged for retired naval officers to train them in naval warfare.
They desperately wanted the Lothar Kingdom’s Naval Corps to suffer losses.
If the pirates could cripple it entirely, all the better.
Meanwhile, when the Lothar Kingdom’s Naval Corps received the news, its leadership became extremely nervous.
They immediately investigated whether any subordinate fleet had acted without authorization.
The investigation soon confirmed that the destruction of the Inferno Pirates had absolutely nothing to do with the Naval Corps.
Every Naval Corps soldier was accounted for and remained at their assigned post.
Once they confirmed this, the Naval Corps finally relaxed.
When they realized it was nothing more than two groups of pirates tearing each other apart, they were even happier to sit back and enjoy the show.
They wished the two sides would beat each other bloody.
After all, no matter who won or lost, the ones suffering would still be pirates.
It had nothing whatsoever to do with the Naval Corps.
...
"You are hereby ordered to withdraw from the Inferno Pirates’ main island within fifteen days!"
"Release all captured members of the Inferno Pirates and leave behind all seized warships, and we will consider the matter settled..."
"Otherwise, we will lead one million pirates of the Lothar Kingdom against you and demand justice for the destruction of the Inferno Pirates!"
"Signed: Chief of the Gortar Pirates; Chief of the Logar Pirates!"
John finished reading the letter in front of him.
His expression did not change.
With a light flick of his wrist, the letter slipped from his fingers and drifted to the floor...