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

Chapter 312: Blocked at Both Ends

"Take care along the way."

Holding the child, Lahail took a few steps back, then turned and jumped into the sea.

puff~
A small splash of water rose and slapped against the outside of the ship's hull, but it was insignificant compared to the commotion caused by the shells that had crashed into the sea, and it attracted no attention.

Having already lived most of their lives, when the time came to part, there wasn't much outward heartbreak, but rather a suppressed calm in their hearts.

"I didn't expect to part ways again so soon. It's been decades since we last saw each other, and I still have so much to say to him..."

As he watched the ripples on the sea that belonged to his friend gradually disappear until all traces were gone, Bourfat sighed with a touch of melancholy.

On the day we parted, we were all spirited and carefree young people. Now, when we meet again, we have all weathered the storms of life, and our hair is turning gray...

Decades of separation culminated in a reunion lasting less than half a day… This vast sea is always filled with regret.

boom!
Boom boom boom!
The whistling shells didn't give Bourfat much time to reflect; the ridiculously large ship opposite was already within arm's reach.

"Quickly! Go down and capture my strongest merman slave!"

On the deck of the giant ship, the Celestial Dragons were gesticulating wildly as they directed the agents responsible for the escort duties.

He didn't care whether Bulfat and his group were really from the navy or anything else; all he wanted to do now was capture La Hire again and send him to defeat his old rival Roswald, who had just bought that merman slave.

"Yes! Saint Nathania!"
Nearly a hundred well-trained black-clad agents responded loudly, then leaped off the deck and landed on the warship below.

……

"Hey! With so many World Government agents getting off, it seems the people on the other ship really are Celestial Dragons after all!"

As the black-clad agents charged toward him, Bulfat grinned and laughed loudly:
"Brothers! We're in luck today, we've run into a live Celestial Dragon!"

"Haha! If you put it that way, you're really lucky!"

"I've never even seen a live Celestial Dragon before!"

"Huh? So you've seen death before?"

"Heh~ It's better for those things to be dead~"

Despite being in dire straits and exhausted, the crew still managed to make fun of the Celestial Dragons.

……

"Insolence! How dare you insult the supreme and noble Celestial Dragon!"

Sure enough, the agents on the ship immediately became agitated whenever the topic of the Celestial Dragons came up.

For them, who have been brainwashed since childhood to believe that the Celestial Dragons are supreme beings and gods of the world, any words that dare to slander the Celestial Dragons are unforgivable!
"Hand over that grouper fish-man! That's Celestial Dragon property. Anyone who dares to protect or embezzle it will be executed on the spot!"

After looking around the ship and not seeing the target, the agent seemed to conclude that the person had been hidden by the other side.

"Hey! What grouper-man? I've never heard of that!"

"And can't you Celestial Dragons' lackeys ever update your rhetoric? You just keep repeating the same few phrases over and over."

Do you think the Beasts Pirates would care about a mere Celestial Dragon's threat?

"Brother Bulfat, go up there and drag that Celestial Dragon down, let the brothers see what he's made of!"

"..."

"Alright! I'll make the trip today."

Having no more scruples, Bulfat decided to go all out and join his brothers in one last crazy adventure... which was also the only way to break the deadlock at the moment.

Once that Celestial Dragon is captured, the situation will instantly reverse. Whether it's these troublesome agents in front of us or the relentlessly pursuing Marines... everyone will have no choice but to let them go.

Swish-!
bang~
With this thought in mind, Bulfat stomped the ground and used 'Shave' to leap out of the black-clad agents' encirclement. Then, using 'Moonwalk', he headed straight for the Celestial Dragon on the giant ship!
"Quick! Stop him!"

"We must not allow him to threaten the Holy Land of Natania!"

"Why do pirates know the 'Six Powers'?!"

Upon seeing Bulfat's sudden and direct attack on the enemy's stronghold, the agents panicked, and several high-ranking agents who could use Moonwalk immediately gave chase.

Ignoring the pursuers behind him, Bulfat leaped into the air and landed on top of the luxury ship, quickly locking onto the bulky figure hidden among the heavy guard.

[Those are Celestial Dragons... There are... six agents protecting them.]
[Tsk, this is troublesome. We need to take them down quickly.]
Just as Bulfat was about to act, a chilling sensation ran down his spine—and he forcibly twisted his body in mid-air. *Thud!*
The sound of claws tearing through flesh rang out, followed by a spray of blood filling the air...

The attack came without warning. The attacker made no sound until the very last moment before launching the attack, and then delivered a fatal blow to Bulfat's vitals from tens of meters in the air.

"It's you!"

Bulfat opened his eyes wide as five long, narrow wounds, deep enough to expose bone, appeared on his chest, each wound as neat as if it had been cut by a sharp blade.

But this has nothing to do with the sword; the weapon that left these wounds was a claw—an owl's claw.

Silently flapping its wings, a pure white owl circled in the air a few times before finally landing in front of the Celestial Dragon on the deck.

“Saint Nathania, I am late, please forgive me.”

The white-clad agent, now back in human form, knelt on one knee, bowed deeply, and sincerely apologized for his dereliction of duty.

At the same time, two warships, having jettisoned all their baggage and were moving at full speed, appeared on the distant horizon.

On the bow of one of the ships, a emaciated sailor with bandages on his arm, his sharp gaze fixed on the scene.

At his waist, two chillingly sharp swords trembled slightly with his breath, as if they were eager to be drawn.

……

Gudu Gudu~
Beneath the surface, Lahail, holding her child, was swimming with all her might in a certain direction.

The seawater was cold, and the icy water washed over the wounds all over his body, causing him to wince in pain every now and then.

The sea was very dark, and fearing discovery, he dared not get too close to the surface, so he could only endure his fear of the darkness and keep swimming forward.

Fortunately, he had a good sense of direction, and even without any landmarks, he successfully swam to his destination—the waters where the Bull's wreckage was located.

That's right, that's his escape route.

Aside from Fishman Island, which is 10,000 meters underwater, the nearest other island is hundreds of nautical miles away, and it would take him several days to reach it by swimming alone.

Without supplies, the child in his arms couldn't have lasted this long, and he didn't have a compass to find the islands.

So he must first return to the Bull to retrieve the ship's supplies and the compass, and ideally find a usable small boat...

The light and shadow flickered, and after an unknown amount of time, Lahail finally saw the shadows of ships on the sea above him.

The incomplete hull and the scattered fragments of wreckage all around it undoubtedly belonged to the Bull, which had been abandoned in the same spot!

puff--!
Breaking through the water, La Hire poked his head out, preparing to find a suitable spot to climb up... but a voice suddenly rang out behind him:

"Wow~ I didn't expect staying here would bring such an unexpected surprise~"

"You look somewhat familiar; you must be a big fish~"

Albury, who was leisurely directing his naval crew to search the wreckage of the Bullfighting while standing on a small boat with his hands in his pockets, was half surprised and half delighted when he saw LaHale suddenly appear.

How many times has this happened? Ever since that disastrous Battle of Fenrir, he's been incredibly lucky. One day his boss dies suddenly, the next he gets promoted...

He hadn't done anything, but the continuous promotions and raises were almost suffocating him, and now this huge achievement had come to him on its own.

Mien worked himself to the bone, even losing an arm, but ended up with nothing and a scolding. Now he's being dragged to work as a laborer for the Celestial Dragons.

He himself had applied to stay behind to sort out any intelligence that might have been left on the wrecked ship because he wanted to be lazy, but he never expected to get such good news.

"As expected, Lady Luck has always been on my side!"

Taking his hands out of his pockets, Albury wore a confident smile and said to LaHelle in the sea:

"Come on up, fishman brothers."

"As long as you cooperate obediently, I promise I won't hurt you."

"Don't even think about diving back into the sea to escape~ Or do you want to gamble on whether your descent is faster or my 'shave' is faster?"

"Well, I don't really care, but it wouldn't be good if the child got hurt. What do you think?"

"..."

(End of this chapter)