"What are you doing, Laffey? You're interrupting my meal."
Spitting out a puff of smoke, the thick-lipped, cold-breathed man wiped his greasy hand on his clothes.
Laffey felt a deep sense of dread looking at Captain Marco, known as Big Eater Marco. Rumor had it that the Captain he served had pica, and he even cooked corpses!
"Captain, I received news." Laffey, his face thickly powdered, walked to the side and stood with his hands down. "On the Golden Dream, Fourth Mate 'Blazing' Danitz is in Bayam."
"There are reports that the Storm Church may already be organizing a pursuit."
Marco paused, putting the turkey meat, which was already at his lips, back down: "Really? Are you sure?"
Laffey nodded and said, "It should be correct. We have a few informants in the city, and one of them saw someone resembling Danitz last night."
Marco laughed heartily, slamming the table, causing it to shake and the plates to nearly tip over: "Excellent! Let the Storm Church pursue him. When Danitz is exhausted, we'll make our move, capture him, and bring him to the General."
"The General will definitely reward us!"
The pale-faced Laffey nodded repeatedly: "That's exactly what I was thinking."
But at that moment, a gloomy voice in the room said, "Don't celebrate too soon."
Several gazes turned to a man sitting quietly on a sofa in front. He wore a white formal suit, matching trousers, and a white semi-high top hat.
On his chest, he wore a sapphire flower-shaped brooch.
He had thick eyebrows, a beard, gloomy eyes, and grey-blue pupils, like uncleaned glass.
"You're always such a killjoy, Roch. However, I'd like to hear your reasoning." Marco looked at this man. This fellow was the Second Mate on the ship, the 'brain' of their team.
He played with a gold coin, sometimes flipping it into the air, sometimes letting it roll between his fingers. His movements were agile and soft, as if all ten of his fingers were extremely nimble, capable of actions beyond ordinary people.
He said, "Last night, rumors spread in the Fragrant Leaf Tavern that the Golden Dream would soon arrive in Bayam. Who do you think spread this news?"
The red-haired man wearing a clown mask said from within the mask, "Stop playing guessing games, damn it, Roch, if you know something, just say it quickly."
Without teasing his companions, Roch nodded: "'Hunter' Rayleigh."
"He spread this news."
"Don't you find it strange? How did he know that the Golden Dream would arrive in Bayam?"
"I guess he must have hunted Quint, hunted 'Iron Hook,' and obtained information from them that the General was going to deal with Iceberg Admiral."
Covering the gold coin with his hand, Roch glanced at the back of his hand; the coin's number was facing up.
He continued: "Rayleigh spreading such news should be to attract the attention of the Golden Dream. He plans to reach some agreement with Iceberg Admiral. I estimate this agreement will be very unfavorable to us."
"Then, the day after he spread the news, Laffey received word that 'Blazing' was in Bayam. Given this, Danitz has very likely already made contact with Rayleigh. In other words, when the Storm Church is pursuing Danitz, this 'Hunter' might secretly provide support."
"If they have indeed reached some agreement."
Marco spread his palms and said, "And then what? Even so, if that damned 'Hunter' dares to show up, I don't mind having three thousand pounds more in my pocket."
Roch said seriously, "Captain, don't underestimate this 'Hunter'. So far, he has no companions. He hunted Quint and Iron Hook, including their companions, all by himself."
"He has extraordinary abilities, and we should be more cautious. I'm worried that in the agreement he reached with Blazing, Danitz might act as bait to secretly find the General's location."
"And then sell this news to Iceberg Admiral?"
Marco looked as if he had heard something incredible: "Is he tired of living? Does he dare to provoke the General?"
Roch shook his head: "Of course, I can't be sure. I just want to list all possibilities as much as possible. And among the possibilities I can think of, this one is the most likely."
Laffey spread his hands: "So you want us to do nothing?"
Roch's lips curved into a smile: "Of course not. Possibility and fact are two different things. I don't want my own speculation to ruin an opportunity to capture 'Blazing' and obtain information about the Golden Dream."
"We still need to participate, but with enough caution. We need to guard against the Storm Church and also be wary of 'Hunter' Rayleigh."
"As long as you do as I say, I believe that tonight, we will be inviting 'Blazing' to be a guest on our ship."
Big Eater Marco bit savagely into a piece of turkey, chewing vigorously: "I'm looking forward to it!"
Noon.
Without dining, the disguised Danitz climbed out of the 'Azure Wind' sea-view room window, gently making his way to the ground. He pulled down his dented top hat, casting a deep shadow over his face, and walked quickly along Sea Defense Street, his destination clear: the dock.
At the same time, Lex summoned a spirit world treasure chest and took out the 'Thousand-Faced Traveler' mask. This mask allowed Lex to quickly transform into another person and had the ability to interfere with divination and 'damage transfer,' making it very practical.
Wearing the mask, Lex transformed into a face with local characteristics, also leaving the inn, following behind Danitz, but at a great distance.
He couldn't see Danitz, but he could smell a uniquely scented perfume in the air. That was the 'mark' he had placed on Danitz; as long as Danitz didn't dive into the sewers, he could follow 'Blazing' by the scent in the wind.
On the other side, Danitz was silent. Although he walked along Sea Defense Street, he constantly ducked into alleys, occasionally stopping to look around, being very cautious.
As the dock approached, Danitz saw several suspicious figures. Although they wore ordinary clothes, their movements were strong, and their gazes constantly swept across the street corners, as if searching for something.
"Shit."
Danitz knew without thinking that those were Enforcers. He didn't want to clash with the Church's personnel so soon and immediately turned back. But this action immediately caught the attention of an Enforcer team member, who pointed at Danitz's figure, alerted his companions, and then gave chase.
As a 'Hunter', Danitz's senses were also very keen. He immediately caught the sound of footsteps coming from the direction of the dock, and the image of the Enforcer team member pursuing him formed in his mind.
He immediately knocked over a fruit stand nearby, causing the vendor to curse and rush out to clean up.
Creating Confusion and shaking off pursuit is a mandatory lesson for every 'Hunter'!