It was a while before Danitz closed his mouth, his yellowish eyebrows raising. The Great Pirate, with a bounty of three thousand pounds, said indignantly, "That joke isn't funny at all."
Then he stomped back to his cabin, as if Lex had played a trick on him.
Lex touched his nose, offering no explanation.
He returned to his room and prepared his things for the evening outing, including money and other items.
At this moment, he saw the pressure bottles placed to the side, so he casually took two with him.
After dinner, Lex gathered on the deck. Along the way, Danitz was quite curious about the pressure bottles tied to his belt but held back from asking.
Seeing that the Captain hadn't arrived yet, Lex said, "Just say what you want to ask."
Danitz looked towards the other side of the ship's rail: "Nothing to ask. I just think you're strange. Why are you bringing wine to a pirate gathering?"
"This isn't a wine bottle."
"It can be considered a type of weapon."
Lex picked up a cloak and put it on, covering the pressure bottles tied to his belt.
Just as Danitz wanted to ask what kind of weapon it was, Edwina and Jodeson arrived. Jodeson was wearing a formal suit today, with a semi-high silk top hat and a fancy bow tie, looking like a gentleman going to a party.
Danitz 'tsk'ed and said, "Where does he think he's going, that wolf fish can? He just knows how to seize opportunities to show off. Doesn't he realize that the Captain doesn't even spare him a glance?"
Edwina walked over, her clear gaze sweeping over Danitz: "What are you saying?"
The Fourth Mate hurriedly waved his hands: "Nothing, Captain."
Iceberg Admiral didn't question it. She made a gesture, and Jodeson, a smile playing on his lips, handed two identical iron-black masks to Lex and Danitz: "Remember to wear them when attending the gathering."
Danitz took it grumpily and said, "I know, you don't need to tell me."
Jodeson smiled, then his gaze fell to the distance, and he whispered, "Siren Bay has arrived."
Lex followed his gaze and saw an island appearing on the distant Sea under the crimson moonlight. A large ship was anchored near the island, with flickering lights on it.
"That's where the gathering is held."
Edwina pointed at the ship on the Sea and said, "That ship is the 'Black Pearl'. It's said to belong to a Captain under Nast, the King of the Five Seas. It often hosts pirate gatherings in 'Siren Bay', at least once every two months."
"So, this has become a good place on the Sea for fencing stolen goods, trading, and gathering information."
At this moment, the 'Golden Dream' stopped. It was positioned in the shadow of a Sea Island cliff and did not continue to move forward.
The pirates lowered a small boat, and Lex and the others got into it. They rowed the oars towards Siren Bay.
When the 'Black Pearl' became clearly visible, Lex saw, under the crimson moonlight, small boats arriving from all directions.
The people on the small boats were mostly wearing various masks, and their clothing was also diverse, making it difficult to distinguish who was a Pirate and who was an Adventurer.
Approaching the 'Black Pearl', one could see that around the large ship, mooring rings hung down from the upper deck to facilitate those attending the gathering to tie their small boats securely to the rings, preventing them from being swept away by the seawater.
Before even boarding the deck, one could already hear the Pirates' singing, shouting, laughter, curses, and cheers coming from above. These sounds rose and fell, as if a carnival was being held up there.
Lex followed Edwina up the gangplank. Before stepping onto the deck, he saw an Old Pirate wearing a boat-shaped hat, with gray hair and a wooden leg below his right knee, collecting money.
It turned out that attending the gathering required an 'entrance fee'!
Jodeson took out four Loen gold coins and placed them one by one into the Old Pirate's hand. The Old Pirate picked one up, bit it, and then nodded, saying, "Go ahead."
Upon boarding the deck, they saw that many Pirates had already arrived. They were in groups of three to five, either holding beer or clutching sausages.
In the center of the deck, two Pirates sat there, with piles of gold coins and jewels at their feet.
They took turns holding a revolver, pointing it at their temple and pulling the trigger, but for two consecutive rounds, no bullet was fired from the barrel.
But in the third round, a Bearded Man Pirate roared, sweating profusely, pulled back the hammer, and squeezed the trigger. With a 'bang', a small piece of the Pirate's head was blown off by the bullet, and blood immediately splattered everywhere.
The Pirate opposite joyfully swept over the gold coins and jewels at the Bearded Man's feet, grabbing these things and throwing them into a bag.
Soon, the dead Pirate was thrown into the Sea, and a Sailor cleaned the deck, washing away the bloodstains.
The other Pirates acted as if nothing had happened, not caring at all, and continued to drink and have fun.
Seeing this scene, Lex realized how civilized the Pirates on the 'Golden Dream' were.
They walked to a corner of the deck, and not long after, several figures emerged from the ship's cabin.
Leading the way was a middle-aged man in his forties. He wasn't particularly tall but had broad shoulders, looking very strong, the kind who could punch through rock.
He had a square face, dark but curly hair, and wore a red boat-shaped hat with a matching long coat with a large lapel, similar to a naval uniform, and a black vest underneath.
Seeing this man, the Pirates on the ship quieted down, some even lowering their heads, seemingly not daring to look at him.
"That's the Captain of the 'Black Pearl', Jack Gallup."
"His ability is quite peculiar; he can influence an opponent's actions and intentions, making opponents greedy and irrational."
Edwina looked at the man, softly and briefly introducing him to Lex and the two others.
"It's almost time."
The Captain of the Black Pearl looked around with an expressionless face, raised his hands, and said, "Then, let the gathering begin. But before that, I will, as usual, remind you all."
"I don't care who you are, what your identity is, or where you come from. In short, since you've come here to participate in the gathering, you must abide by the rules on the ship."
"If anyone violates the rules, it will be tantamount to violating the will of the King of the Five Seas. Is that clear?"
Without waiting for a reply, Jack nodded to a blond Pirate next to him, then left the deck and returned to the Captain's Cabin.
"Everyone, let's begin." The blond Pirate announced loudly, then stepped aside and found a place to sit down.
Next, Lex quietly watched the Pirates eagerly and frequently conducting transactions. The types of transactions were numerous, ranging from weapons to various contraband items, from extraordinary materials to slaves, which allowed Lex to witness the 'prosperous' side of the Sea.
After a round of transactions, a mysterious person in a classical black robe raised his hand and said, "I want to sell a weapon called 'Hunter's Dagger'. This is a runic weapon that can heal its wielder's injuries by harming opponents and absorbing their blood."
"Of course, it's sharp enough and can be used for two more years."
"For 420 pounds, you can acquire it."