Chapter 93

Caesar led the Wind Fury fleet through the thick smoke with ease. The Wind Fury seemed to have transformed into the most agile seabird rather than a massive three-masted galley warship, skimming swiftly over the sea’s surface. Unaware that they had already been ensnared by the demon’s hand, the British Navy, thinking the Black Sea Wolf’s fleet was retreating, intensified their drumming and horn-blowing, closely pursuing them. Amid the artillery fire and the dense morning fog, even sunlight couldn’t reveal the situation beneath the ships—

Until the crew of the ship was thrown onto the deck by a massive inertia, the British Navy ship had run aground!

Cheers and chaotic laughter erupted from the Wind Fury, starkly contrasting the furious roars coming from the British Royal Navy’s warship—

Under Caesar’s command, the gunners on the Wind Fury quickly restored order. Sparks of red and yellow flickered at the cannon mouths, the fuses sizzling like the most beautiful melody striking the heartstrings of these desperadoes. They bit their tongues, their faces blackened and glistening with soot, but this did nothing to dampen their high spirits. Their eyes flashed with madness and excitement as they watched the chained cannons crash into the side of the British Navy’s main warship, the artillery spewing dark flames, hissing like a venomous snake baring its fangs!

“Go to hell, hahahaha!”

“Let’s sing a song of loyalty for you! Brothers!”

“Loot! Loot! Loot! Prepare to board!”

On the British side, the most important items on the ship were the barrels of fresh water and small beer. The sailors scurried back and forth on the deck, frantically throwing the barrels into the sea, but this did nothing to free them from the predicament of the reef!

“Damn it, we must solve the grounding, sir!”

“Throw away the ballast, useless items, keep throwing—”

“Steady, steady!”

Amid the screams and cries of their comrades, more sailors leaned over the ship’s railings, gritting their teeth as they raised their muskets, even though the thick morning fog made it nearly impossible to see anything beyond ten meters—

Until a huge raindrop suddenly fell from the sky onto their commander’s nose.

“Rain, it’s raining!”

The sailors seemed to grasp a lifeline, shouting and running to spread the news. The rain dispersed the fog, and in the Mediterranean in October, the sea’s weather could change in an instant. One moment the sun was shining, the air filled with sultry heat, and the next, the sky was thick with dark clouds. The sunlight vanished, and the strong wind blowing across the sea scattered the morning fog. The Wind Fury’s bow was now against the wind, and although the Wind Fury had the upper hand, the wind caused the cannonballs to deviate. A sea battle that seemed about to end suddenly became uncertain again!

The British Royal Navy seized this opportunity, taking advantage of the heavy rain and strong wind to abandon ship and jump onto temporary lifeboats, organizing a retreat at the first opportunity!

“—Caesar, they’re retreating!” Rick, standing high on the mast of the ship escorting the Wind Fury, was the first to grasp the enemy’s movements.

On the side of the Wind Fury, the man frowned deeply, the rain drenching him from head to toe, his flaxen hair plastered to his cheeks. He spat out the rain, a fierce look on his face, and was about to order a direct pursuit to send these detestable regulars straight to hell—

Suddenly, a panicked sailor stumbled and rolled to his feet—

Amid the roar of artillery and the loud pitter-patter of rain on the deck, Caesar lowered his head, his amber eyes narrowing dangerously. In the chaos, he could only see the sailor’s lips pale, trembling violently, his entire body shaking like a sieve—

Caesar recognized him; this sailor was the one specially assigned to relay messages between Miguel and the navigator.

A flash of lightning suddenly lit up the dark clouds in the sky, and the man grabbed the sailor by the neck, effortlessly lifting him to his face. After the lightning, a thunderclap boomed, as if right beside them, drowning out all the artillery fire and the sounds of battle!

“What did you say?”

The man’s voice was icy cold, his gaze filled with disbelief and hatred, making everyone unable to look directly at him. The messenger closed his eyes, letting the rain hit his face, while the Black Sea Wolf’s fury cut into him like a blade, almost flaying him alive!

The rain poured down, the stormy sky lit by flashes of lightning and thunder. As the British Navy retreated, the Wind Fury’s artillery gradually ceased. On the deck, the crew members helped each other clean up the chaotic battlefield. Some had lost an arm, some a leg, their blood splattered all over the Wind Fury’s deck. There were several large holes blasted by the artillery, dark and gaping, rainwater pooling into streams flowing into the bilge—

“Say it again.”

“Captain, Margaret is gone… along with the navigator, Miguel.”

……

Everything around seemed to disappear at this moment, the world falling silent.

Caesar released the poor messenger’s neck. As the man slid to the deck, struggling to breathe, Caesar closed his eyes.

A loud thud sounded as someone landed heavily on the deck. Then, Rick’s voice, still filled with the excitement of the sea battle, rang out. He called Caesar’s name, shouting as he pushed through the crowded wounded, trying to get closer to his boss—

But the closer he got to Caesar, the more he sensed something was wrong. Rick closed his mouth, the excitement vanishing from his face. He approached Caesar, the rain pouring down like God had overturned a basin of water, almost blurring his vision. He even thought it was because of this that he was mistaken—yes, he had followed Caesar for over a decade, but he had never seen the man with such an expression—

Rain dripped from the man’s chiseled jaw onto the deck, his face as hard as iron, a mix of rage, disappointment, disbelief, and other emotions no one dared to interpret. His amber eyes were misty—

“…Boss?”

Rick blinked in disbelief. The next second, everything that had just happened seemed like an illusion. The man burst into wild laughter, the sound like a demon from hell, as a cold, Arctic-like fury spread across the bustling deck of the Wind Fury. Everyone stopped what they were doing, turning their heads, staring in shock at their captain—

When lightning flashed again and thunder roared in their ears, the Wind Fury’s deck fell completely silent!

They watched as their captain raised his hand and slammed it down on the Wind Fury’s railing. The cracking of wood echoed with the thunder like the most terrifying wail. The man stopped laughing, his lips pressed into a cold, straight line, large raindrops falling from his forehead—

“Miguel ran off with Margaret.” He straightened up, emotionlessly scanning everyone around him, and said coldly, “Pursue them, even if we have to drain the Mediterranean Sea dry.”

Miguel ran away?

With Margaret? That woman who turned night into day?

Miguel ran off with Margaret!!!!!

“…My God!”

For half a minute after Caesar’s words, almost everyone stood in stunned silence, including Rick—no one could believe what they had just heard. If not for the cold rain biting into their bones and the sharp pain it brought, the Wind Fury’s crew would have thought they were in the midst of the most absurd nightmare!

After the initial shock, the crew finally regained some semblance of their sanity, which had been nearly scared out of them. Whispering spread across the Wind Fury, and if one listened carefully, almost every voice carried disbelief, and perhaps a hint of schadenfreude…

At that moment, a calm voice rang out from behind the crowd.

“No need to look, I’m right here.”

Caesar was slightly taken aback.

The sailors looked back and almost awkwardly parted to make way for a single person to pass. They turned their heads, staring intently at the black-haired young man standing at the other end of the Wind Fury’s deck. At this moment, he was also drenched, as if he had just been fished out of the sea. Across the crowd, he stood at the far end of the deck, calmly meeting Caesar’s gaze.

Miguel’s shoes were filled with water, and with every step, he could feel his feet sinking into the cold puddles.

And thus, it was exceptionally heavy.

“I’ve already had Zhizhi take Margaret away…”

As he approached Caesar, he wasn’t surprised to feel the icy chill emanating from the man. It was a cold that could freeze one to the core, impossible to approach. Those familiar amber eyes were now staring at him with an unfamiliar gaze… Ah, how to describe such a look?

Perhaps from this moment on, he could never expect to see any warmth in them again.

“You’ll never… find the Fountain of Youth—”

The black-haired young man’s words were abruptly cut off as a large hand suddenly reached out and grabbed his hair, yanking him forward with a force that almost tore his hair out. Miguel felt his feet slip on the wet deck, then he stumbled and crashed into the man’s icy embrace. The next moment, he felt the cold touch of lips against his—

Caesar’s kiss was filled with a hatred that could devour a person whole.

To be precise, they were like two beasts, tearing at each other with primal instinct—as their tongues intertwined, the black-haired young man’s breathing became unsteady, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, then suddenly falling into a deathly silence. The taste of blood filled their mouths, and it was unclear who had bitten whom, or whose blood was being swallowed along with saliva!

Miguel clenched his fists, his hands hanging stiffly at his sides. He tilted his head back slightly, offering no resistance as he accepted this frenzied assault—

Until Caesar roughly pushed him away.

He slipped and fell heavily onto the deck several meters away.

His back hit the splintered wood of the deck, the sharp, protruding shards cutting a long, deep gash into his back. Yet he seemed oblivious to the pain, his gaze fixed on Caesar’s hand, which was still embedded with wood splinters. Blood dripped from the wound, diluted to a pale pink by the rain. Miguel’s eyes drifted again, pausing briefly when he saw the shattered railing behind Caesar, then he smiled in understanding.

Miguel struggled awkwardly, pulling himself up from the deck. He sat on the deck, wiping the blood from his lips with one hand.

Then he spat out a mouthful of blood, chuckling as he said, “Good, now it matches your hand.”

On the Wind Fury, no one dared to speak, everyone’s breath even instinctively held very, very lightly.

Caesar stood where he was, looking down at the familiar face of the man on the deck for a long time.

Finally, he realized that he had never truly understood this person.

When he had first chosen to blindly trust instead of following his instincts, when he had occasionally felt small doubts, the man had smiled and brushed them aside, attributing all suspicions to his own bad temper and paranoia, even feeling a little guilty because of it.

Once, he had given him all, every bit of trust he could muster.

And now, all that ridiculous, stubborn trust had been fed to the dogs.

“Navigator Miguel, guilty of treason, exile.”