Pirate: It’s not a phantom beast, it’s a phantom god!

Chapter 303 Surrounded
"I hope Brother Bourfat will be alright?"

On the 'Bullfighting Ship', encased in a giant bubble in the dark depths of the sea, the pirates under Bulfat's command still felt somewhat worried as they watched Fishman Island recede into the distance.

The island was teeming with naval forces, and there were also those strange men in suits... Even though Bulfat was incredibly strong, he couldn't fight against so many opponents.

Once you're bogged down and surrounded, the odds are pretty much in jeopardy.

Fortunately, Fishman Island is Bulfat's home turf, and the place where they previously moored their ship was not far from the edge of the island, so if anything happened, Bulfat could easily retreat into the sea.

"Don't worry, Brother Bulfat is a fishman. Even if he can't beat the opponent, he can just escape into the sea."

"At such a deep sea, as long as those navy men aren't out of their minds, they won't chase us out of Fishman Island."

"Besides, I've observed that the man in the white suit is also an ability user, so it's even less likely that he chased the enemy into the sea."

"Hmm~"

Hearing the words of the squad leader who was temporarily in command, everyone felt relieved and returned to their familiar positions to wait for the sun to reappear overhead.

……

"Hey! Come quick, this big guy looks like he's waking up!"

About ten minutes later, the ship's doctor, who had been watching over the blond fishman and the baby, suddenly noticed that the other's breathing rate had changed.

It seems the effects of the previous medication have worn off, and he's starting to wake up.

slap~
Suddenly, a beam of light was casually turned on by the ship's doctor, and the people on board, who hadn't reacted yet, were forced to squint.

The ship's doctor, using the newly added lighting system, began to observe the patient for any unusual reactions, following standard medical procedures.

But before he could see anything clearly, the squad leader rushed over and turned off the light.

"Idiot! Who told you to turn on the light!"

"Is this your first time here? Don't you know this will attract sea monsters!"

In the dark depths of the ocean, turning on lights is extremely dangerous and foolish, as the light can attract things that the crew would never want to see.

Ships traveling to and from Fishman Island typically turn off all light sources on board when passing through this area to avoid stimulating the monsters lurking in the darkness.

You might be very strong, but your ship and coating might not be so great.

Under the terrifying pressure of the ocean at a depth of 10,000 meters, even the slightest problem with the hull coating would often result in the destruction of the ship and the loss of life!
"me……"

Hearing the other party's deliberately lowered but angry rebuke, the ship's doctor dared not say anything more.

This was indeed not his first trip to Fishman Island, but he had always stayed in the enclosed cabin where he could light a lamp because the light couldn't get through.

But this time, the golden-haired fish-man he was supposed to take care of was too big to fit into his medical ship's cabin, so he had to put him on the deck.

And this time, he still habitually turned on the light without looking at the door.

"..."

After waiting anxiously for a while, and finding that no strange-looking monsters had been attracted by the light in that brief moment, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whoo~"

"Scared me."

Fortunately, it was a close call.

"Don't do that again next time, it's bad for your heart."

Shh~ Keep your voice down. Don't forget that your voice might attract those things too.

"Oh, right!"

Just as everyone shut their mouths, preparing to do nothing and quietly wait to float to the surface, a voice broke the silence once again.

"child……"

[Um? ]
[Who? Who's speaking?]
[Uh…is it that merman that Brother Bulfat brought back?]
"my child!"

"Hey! Don't yell!"

"Quick, cover his mouth!"

……

After another flurry of activity, the group finally managed to calm the blond merman down. "You guys said it was that guy Bulfat who saved me?"

Holding his child, the fish-man named Lahail was both surprised and moved after hearing the other's story, marveling at the wonder of fate.

Unexpectedly, when he was at his wit's end, his old friend whom he hadn't seen for more than ten years came to his rescue. In order to help him escape, the friend is now covering his retreat alone.

This felt like a dream to him, so unreal.

"Boss Bourfat came here specifically because he heard that Your Excellency had appeared on Fishman Island. He had been trying to find out Your Excellency's whereabouts, but to no avail."

The squad leader's explanation somewhat dispelled Lahail's doubts.

[So you've been looking for me all these years...]
Lahail was momentarily dazed, his thoughts drifting back to the time when the two of them, fledgling fishmen, had just set sail, determined to make a name for themselves on the high seas.

Even back then, Bourfat already possessed such a loyal and affectionate character, often risking his life for someone he had only known for a few days.

I even joked at the time that he didn't seem like a fishman from Fishman Street at all.

But Bourfat's answer was, "That's why I want to leave Fishman Street... In that place, everyone has to wear a mask of injustice at all times in order to survive, and only the most indifferent and selfish people can survive."

Lahail knew that what Bourfat really wanted were purer, more genuine emotional connections, free from any self-interest.

What he seeks is someone he can entrust his back to, someone he is willing to entrust his back to, and the sense of security that comes from being with such a person.

[So that's why you'd risk your life for someone as insignificant as me.]
Unfortunately, I am no longer able to meet your expectations...
LaHelle looked down—the sunlight transmitted by Eve, the sun tree on Fishman Island, was no longer visible, as if swallowed by the dark depths of the sea…along with Bulfat, who stayed behind to cover the retreat on the island.

Above them, the warm sunlight from the real sun had penetrated the layers of seawater and descended over their heads, illuminating the area ahead.

They are almost at the sea.

"Wow~Wow~"

The baby in her arms suddenly cried, seemingly awakened by the light.

Having already been fed once, the baby's voice was no longer weak and feeble, but full of energy.

Looking at the newborn child in his arms, Lahail felt a warm sense of connection, and his eyes were filled with doting love and reluctance.

It was the birth of this child that made him break free of his chains and escape the hellish world that had once made him give up hope of living and become as numb as a dead man.

Now, for the sake of this child's survival, he is willing to give everything to secure a glimmer of hope for the future.

[Sorry, Bourfat.]
Bang!
wow~
The massive warship broke through the water's surface, and the bubble membrane covering its surface burst due to the instantaneous pressure change caused by contact with the atmosphere.

slap~
"Phew~ We're finally on the sea."

"I was so suffocated!"

"Haha~ Another day of getting up safely."

"Now we're just waiting for Brother Bulfat to come up so we can go back to Fenrir together."

The squad leader stepped forward and patted Lahail on the back, saying:
"Rest assured, whether it's the Navy or the Celestial Dragons, once they're on our territory, there's nothing to worry about."

His words were filled with ease and pride, and their confidence in the current strength of the Beasts was the reason why they were so indifferent to the matter of snatching people from the Celestial Dragons.

Thud—crash!
Another sound of water breaking apart rang out.

"Is it Brother Bourfat coming up?"

Someone quickly asked.

"No, it's not."

The squad leader stared in the direction from which the sound came, his eyes widening, but his pupils contracting!
"How...how could..."

Wow!

Wow!

Two more sounds of water breaking came from different directions.

The people on the Bullfighting ship all looked in the direction of the sound—and saw that three huge blue warships had suddenly appeared on the previously empty sea!
These warships were now forming a triangle, tightly surrounding the Bull.

Do you think you can escape?

Standing at the bow of one of the warships, a vice admiral carrying two long swords of different designs spoke coldly.

(End of this chapter)