"Captain, the Red Skull has escaped!" one of the sailors rushed into the captain's cabin. "Escaped?" Elran raised his single-field telescope, puzzled by the calm sea surface, just as he spotted the Red Skull vanishing toward the horizon. His brow furrowed instantly, completely baffled by this development. In his view, the White Beryl's armed forces surely couldn't directly intimidate the Red Skull pirates; the two forces would inevitably circle each other for dozens of passes, exchanging multiple broadsides, before the Red Skull finally felt they couldn't hold their ground and chose to retreat, retreating with rational judgment. Could it be that the Red Skull had merely passed through, with no intention of plundering? Yet, if they had no intention of plundering, then why had they entered this route at all? This was the very stretch most easily blocked by naval fleets and church vessels—indeed, even when the Four Kings and Seven Generals passed nearby, they would always remain discreet. Elran felt deeply puzzled, convinced that the matter was far from simple. Prudence keeps one safe from disaster; one must never grow careless... Eliran set aside his yellow-brown single-lens spectacles and paced back and forth. Half-raising his hand, he addressed the navigator: "We'll anchor in Bansi harbor tonight. Report the incident involving the pirates to the navy and the church." According to the regular schedule, the "White Beryl" was due to next stop at Thiana harbor, which would take approximately three days at a speed of 13 knots, after which it would proceed directly to the final destination, the capital of the Rostead Islands, the generous city of Bayam. There is, however, a faster route from Priz harbor to Bayam—making only one stop, at Bansi harbor, located 120 nautical miles from Damir harbor. "...Has the Red Skull truly departed?" Urdis Blanch,堂娜's father, walked to the window and gazed toward the horizon. Crivels nodded calmly: "Yes." As soon as he finished speaking, cries from the sailors echoed outside: "The danger is lifted!" The danger is over!" Hearing the official confirmation, Dona and Dan-ton finally relaxed, stepping courageously near the windows to take in the outside scene. "Is the Red Skull Pirates' fleet really impressive?" Dona widened her eyes, searching for the vessels now receding into the distance. "Very impressive," replied Krivis. "How impressive?" Dan-ton asked immediately. At the same time, the bodyguard Tige combed his hair and chuckled, "Even without counting the ship's cannons and the hundreds of pirates aboard, just the captain, Johnson, and first mate Anderson are already quite impressive." "Anderson is known as 'The One-Eyed Man.' His reward from the kingdom is 500 pounds. Together, all of us in this room, with the help of a few sailors, might just manage to defeat him in a battle. But Johnson, known as 'The Sea Wolf,' could easily handle such a foe—should they board his ship, 'The Sea Wolf' would be unstoppable. His reward stands at a full 900 pounds, nearly 1,000!" "Is that a lot?" Donna was once again amazed by the prowess of both 'The Sea Wolf' and 'The One-Eyed Man,' as well as the magnitude of their rewards. In her memory, her father's annual income was a solid 1,500 pounds! "Yes, it is. This is the reward you can directly receive for their lives or for their heads. Additionally, everything they possess, everything they plunder, belongs to you as well. The kingdom will purchase it at market value, and you will also have the opportunity to claim rewards from other nations." "Cecil explained, "On the sea, any pirate with a bounty exceeding 300 pounds is considered quite capable. Those with a bounty close to or exceeding 1,000 pounds—well known at least within their own region, such as the Sunia Sea or the Mist Sea." "So the Four Kings and Seven Generals are renowned across the Five Seas?" Donna asked with a touch of naivety. "Indeed," replied Crivis seriously. "So the Red Skeleton Pirates are well known throughout the Sunia Sea?" Donna followed up logically. "Yes," nodded Tige. "But why would they be fleeing?" Donna blinked. "It might not be about fleeing at all..." Cecil himself wasn't entirely sure. Crivis looked out the window again, his forehead forming a slight 'character' shape. "Perhaps there's another reason. Maybe this time they simply didn't intend to plunder—they just happened to encounter each other." Another reason? As Donna pondered, a sudden thought came to her. Could it have been the gentle messenger, as tall as a house, that frightened them away? Indeed! It was quite alarming! Donna's heart raced, bubbles rising and bubbling like boiling water. Excited, she turned to look downward and saw her brother Danton's eyes gleaming with the same excitement. Both of them tightened their lips at the same time, instantly realizing they were thinking the same thing. "Let's go outside for a bit, just on this floor," Donna found a reason, and pulled her brother away from Room 305. Outside, Danton whispered, "Shall we go look for Uncle Spalro?" "Exactly right!" Donna beamed with energy, "I saw him enter Room 312 just a moment ago." ... Room 312. No longer mentioning Daniz, the "Flame" of the "Iceberg Admiral," he turned his gaze to the "Red Skull," now reversing course, and chuckled, "They must have been intimidated by the naval giants' cannon fire and the news of pirate fleets previously destroyed—so bold they are to venture into this channel and strike, eager to earn enough to secure their departure from the sea. "Hmph. What's so impressive about having giant ships and cannons? The navy and the Church have many strong assets—things that have always existed—and yet, they haven't been able to drive the pirates out. When they can't match us head-on, we simply retreat, right? Can they possibly keep escorting merchant ships all the time?" "I know the ironclads are growing larger and their steam engines are becoming more powerful, and one day their speed will surpass 18 knots, then 20 knots. Once they catch up, we'll only be able to wait to be pursued. But the sea is so vast—thousands or even tens of thousands of ships thrown into it wouldn't fill a single corner. There's still so much of the ocean unexplored. If we simply retreat to those uncharted regions, though dangerous, we still have opportunities." Indeed, this man is a talkative one... Don't you think a truly adventurous, mad explorer wouldn't care about such details? Caine turned his gaze and surveyed the room. His eyes finally settled on his leather suitcase, and he gave it a nod. "Wash the dirty clothes inside." Danyz, who had been about to deliver a lengthy speech, froze instantly, as if he wanted to set the entire ship ablaze. He felt his indignation rising like steam, pushing against the gate of reason. Danzig opened his mouth, inhaled, then opened it again, inhaled once more. The flush on his face gradually softened, and with a serious expression, he asked, "Is that all?" "Only the dirty clothes—just give the outerwear a quick brush." Kline was almost amused by Danzig's strong effort to suppress his frustration, feeling it was the due treatment for someone who had just taken over an innocent party. —The suitcase contained the clothes he had changed into last night; due to a bit of laziness, he had only washed his underwear so far. Calm, don't lose control, calm, don't lose control... Danzig repeated these words to himself several times, then walked over to Germain Sparlo's suitcase, opened it, and removed the garments that needed cleaning. As soon as he began his work in the bathroom, he heard the doorbell ringing steadily and repeatedly. Kline opened the door and found Tanah and her two siblings, Dan and Danton. "Uncle Sparlo, did we interrupt you?" Tanah's eyes darted back and forth. "No," Kline said, stepping aside. Two young guests entered the room, surprised to find Daniz ironing clothes. "Where are the servants?" Danton asked instinctively. "None brought," Cline answered for Daniz. Tanda seemed slightly puzzled. "There's a dedicated laundry maid for the first-class passengers, charged per bucket, isn't there?" Before she finished speaking, Daniz had gone stiff. He had been so angry earlier that he had completely forgotten this detail. Daniz shook off the droplets of water from his hands, turned around, and offered a smile to Germán Sparo. "May I ask the laundry maid to assist?" Cline didn't harbor any intention of making Sparo look foolish. With a gentle smile, he said, "I only care about the results." Relief washed over Daniz visibly. The exchange between the two made Tanda notice something was off. The young girl hesitated and asked, "Uncle Sparo, aren't you two friends? He—he seems quite different from what he was just a moment ago!" Klein sat down at a chair without掩饰, speaking calmly: "To be precise, he's my prisoner." "Prisoner?" Danton stared left and right, puzzled, as he couldn't recall any conflict between the two uncles. Tanda first expressed doubt, then a thought struck her, and she asked brightly: "Is he, is he a pirate?" "Yes," Klein nodded gently. "Was it your uncle Sparrow who scared off the Red Skull Pirates?" Tanda asked excitedly. Klein glanced at Daniz and replied evenly: "Sort of." With all her doubts now resolved, Tanda felt exceptionally satisfied. She glanced at Daniz and unconsciously lowered her voice: "Uncle Sparrow, does he have a name? No, does he have a bounty?" No! Not even a hint of this experience should reach anyone's ears! Daniz opened his mouth and stepped in to answer: "I'm Zieg!" At that moment, Klein lightly added: "Daniz." "Daniz..." Donna and Danton exchanged a glance and didn't ask further. The siblings didn't stay long before leaving, always feeling that the pirate's gaze was particularly stern. Back in Room 305, where Dad and Uncle Krivitsky were still discussing, Donna casually interjected with a touch of naivety: "Several people were talking about the pirate just now—someone mentioned Daniz, isn't he quite impressive?" "Daniz... Daniz the 'Flame,' he's a lieutenant under Admiral the 'Ice Mountain,' the fourth mate of the *Golden Dream*," Krivitsky replied simply. As he spoke, he suddenly fell silent, his eyes drawing inward as though recalling something. A lieutenant under the pirate admiral... Donna asked curiously: "How much is his bounty?" Krivitsky regained his composure and spoke in a steady, low tone: "Three thousand pounds." Three thousand pounds? Donna and Danton's mouths opened slightly, nearly forgetting to close them. The captain of the Red Skull's ship had only a reward of 900 pounds—how could the man who just now looked like a servant be worth 3,000 pounds? We're both stunned, looking at each other, speechless. ………… At 6 p.m., the White Garnet arrived at port once again. "Banshee Port? Elan is being rather cautious..." Daniz stood by the window, gazing at the now dimming harbor and the tall lighthouse. Without waiting for Cline's response, he chuckled to himself: "There seem to be some unfavorable legends about this place."